49: I want to eat rice bowls

When Yu Heng returned to the Villa, Bai Xinran was already streaming.

He stood in the living room and listened for a while; her voice sounded quite energetic, so she should be fine now.

His phone vibrated.

Qin Lu sent a message: "Yu Heng, we have something to take care of right now and won't be able to make it until six. Is that too late? Should we stream tomorrow instead?"

Yu Heng checked the time; it was only four-thirty.

He typed a reply: "It's fine, just come over. Breaking the stream schedule is even worse; we need to maintain a stable broadcast schedule since we're just starting out."

A few seconds later, Qin Lu replied: "Okay, we'll be there at six then."

Yu Heng tossed his phone onto the sofa and went to the kitchen to pour a glass of water.

He mused to himself that since Qin Lu was personally coming to notify him about the basketball game, this back-and-forth actually gave them an extra chance to see each other.

At exactly six o'clock, the doorbell rang on time.

Yu Heng pulled open the door to find Qin Lu standing outside with Qin Ya behind her, carrying that same backpack.

"Counselor, Qin Ya." Yu Heng stepped aside to let them in.

Qin Lu was still wearing the same clothes from this morning, and on her legs... she was still wearing those black silk stockings.

As soon as Qin Ya changed into her slippers, she headed upstairs. "Brother! I'm going to stream!"

"Stream for a full three hours!" Yu Heng shouted at her back. "If you get more Captains today, I'll take you out to play this weekend."

"Got it!" Qin Ya replied without looking back.

Only Yu Heng and Qin Lu were left in the living room.

Qin Lu sat down on the sofa, placed her bag beside her, and kept her legs together at a slant in a very dignified posture.

"How did the selection match go this afternoon?" she asked.

"It was okay," Yu Heng said as he sat on the single-seater sofa opposite her. "Both Hao Junran and I were selected as Starters."

"That's not bad." Qin Lu nodded, her eyes crinkling slightly. "You fainted during military training; I didn't expect you to be so good at sports."

Yu Heng was amused by her comment. "Counselor, that day was really just low blood sugar. I'm not weak at all."

"Who said you were weak?" Qin Lu glanced at him. "Then play well in the tournament and try to get a ranking. I'll go watch when the games start."

"You're coming as a cheerleader?" Yu Heng grinned. "Then our department is bound to win the championship."

"Nonsense," Qin Lu laughed. "It would be great if you guys could just make it to the top four."

While they spoke, Yu Heng's gaze fell on her legs again.

Qin Lu's sitting posture was more relaxed than it had been in the dormitory this morning, revealing a section of her calf wrapped in black silk beneath her hemline.

She seemed to notice Yu Heng's gaze and calmly crossed her left leg over her right.

Yu Heng clicked his tongue inwardly.

This woman clearly knew he was looking, yet she deliberately switched legs; was she sure she wasn't encouraging him to keep watching?

"Counselor," Yu Heng suddenly spoke up, his tone quite serious, "these stockings look better than the last ones."

Qin Lu was just lifting her water glass to take a sip, and her hand paused at his words.

"Really?" Qin Lu put down the glass, her tone calm. "I didn't notice; I just put them on randomly."

"Even a random choice matches so well," Yu Heng leaned forward. "Your aesthetic is impressive. Are these Balenciaga?"

Qin Lu's eyelashes trembled slightly. "You certainly know a lot."

"I'm a guy, after all; I've done a bit of research on these things," Yu Heng bullshitted without a change in expression.

Qin Lu didn't respond, and the living room fell silent for a few seconds.

Yu Heng didn't try to force a conversation either, simply continuing to admire the view.

Those legs were indeed beautiful—not the skinny, skeletal type, but well-proportioned with nice lines.

Actually, they would look great even without stockings. He felt that truly good legs didn't need stockings at all.

Though wearing them did have a certain unique charm.

"By the way," Qin Lu suddenly looked up and said, "the basketball tournament starts next Thursday?"

"Yeah, November 1st." Yu Heng nodded. "Counselor, are you really coming to watch?"

"We'll see," Qin Lu walked back to the sofa but didn't sit down. "It's a department activity; as a Counselor, I should technically be present."

"Then I'll have to perform well," Yu Heng stood up as well. "I can't let the Counselor make the trip for nothing."

The two of them stood quite close, separated only by a coffee table.

Qin Lu looked up at Yu Heng and suddenly asked, "How tall are you?"

"One hundred eighty-one centimeters," Yu Heng said. "Why?"

"Nothing," Qin Lu smiled. "I just feel like all you basketball players are quite tall."

"Hao Junran is even taller, nearly one hundred ninety," Yu Heng said. "But his is purely a tonnage advantage."

"What position do you play?"

"Point Guard, the one who organizes the offense."

Qin Lu nodded and didn't ask further.

The atmosphere became subtle once again.

Qin Ya's faint singing could be heard from upstairs; the girl seemed to be in a good streaming state today.

"So," Qin Lu looked at her watch, "Qin Ya streams until past nine, right?"

"Yes," Yu Heng said. "If you have things to do, you can head out first. I can send her back later."

"No need for that," Qin Lu shook her head. "I'll wait. I don't have anything else to do anyway."

She sat back down on the sofa and took out a small booklet to flip through, which looked like work materials.

Yu Heng also sat back down opposite her, pulling out his phone to pretend to check messages, though his peripheral vision was still fixed on Qin Lu.

She changed her leg position again; this time, her right ankle was resting on her left knee. This angle made her stocking-clad instep stretch straight, creating a very beautiful curve.

Yu Heng wondered to himself: was this woman doing it on purpose?

Every time he looked, she would change her posture, showing off in various ways.

"Yu Heng," Qin Lu suddenly called his name.

"Huh?" Yu Heng snapped back to reality.

"You..." Qin Lu looked at him, hesitating.

"Me what?"

Qin Lu pursed her lips and finally shook her head. "Nothing."

Yu Heng laughed. "Counselor, if you have something to say, just say it."

Qin Lu glared at him, took another sip of water, and then spoke. "I just wanted to ask, can Qin Ya keep doing this streaming thing long-term?"

"That depends on her," Yu Heng said. "If she can maintain this momentum, supporting herself definitely won't be a problem. If she gives up halfway, then it's hard to say."

"She will stick with it," Qin Lu said with certainty. "This girl is stubborn; once she sets her mind on something, she'll see it through to the end."

"Then that's that, isn't it?" Yu Heng spread his hands. "You can rest easy."

Qin Lu nodded, was silent for a few seconds, then suddenly asked, "And you? Do you plan to do this forever?"

Yu Heng raised an eyebrow. "Me? I'll see how it goes. This industry can last three to five years at the shortest, or over ten years at the longest. Even for other jobs, being able to do them for that long is already decent."

Qin Lu gave an 'en' in response and didn't say more.

The living room fell quiet again.

"Counselor," Yu Heng suddenly spoke.

"What now?" Qin Lu glanced at him.

"If we win the championship, it helps your evaluation as a Counselor, right?" Yu Heng asked.

"Yes, it will." Qin Lu nodded. "Why?"

"Tell me," Yu Heng said with a face full of sincerity, "if I win the championship, is there any reward?"

Qin Lu was taken aback. "What kind of reward do you want?"

"For example..." Yu Heng drew out the word, "for example, the Counselor treating me to a meal or something?"

Qin Lu looked at him, her eyes narrowing. "Just that?"

"What else?" Yu Heng blinked. "What other reward did the Counselor want to give me?"

Qin Lu didn't rise to the bait, instead taking a sip of water. "Fine. If you can win the championship, I'll treat you to a meal."

"Really?"

"It's just a meal. What do you want to eat?"

"I want to eat..." Yu Heng narrowed his eyes, "Rice with Toppings."

"What?" Qin Lu asked, her brow furrowing.

"Haha, nothing," Yu Heng gave a sheepish laugh. "We'll talk about it when the time comes!"

At that moment, Qin Ya came pitter-pattering down the stairs.

"Mom! Brother! I'm finished streaming!" Her voice was full of excitement. "I got two more Captains today! And several special effect gifts!"

Yu Heng sat up straight. "Not bad!"

Qin Ya ran to the side of the sofa. "You said you'd take me out this weekend!"

"Yeah, Saturday afternoon," Yu Heng said. "I have something to do in the morning."

"Okay!" Qin Ya nodded vigorously, then looked at Qin Lu. "Mom, let's go home."

Qin Lu closed her booklet and stood up. "Okay."

She picked up her bag and looked at Yu Heng. "Sorry for bothering you again today."

"It's no trouble," Yu Heng also stood up. "Qin Ya performed so well, I'm more than happy."

As Qin Lu stepped out the door, Qin Ya remained in the foyer and whispered to Yu Heng, "I heard you just now."

Yu Heng raised an eyebrow. "Heard what?"

"That you want to eat Rice with Toppings." Qin Ya looked at him with a narrowed, playful gaze. "Don't worry, I won't tell her."

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