Chapter 096: Opportunity Lies Within Life

Still, even though he felt a bit embarrassed, there was nothing much to it—he’d already been watching for quite a while. After all, he’d video chatted with Qi Yue’s mother before.

He walked up behind Qi Yue, patted her on the shoulder, and said with a smile, “Turn the camera this way, I’d like to greet Auntie.”

Qi Yue, dressed in her white pajamas, finally turned around. Seeing that Lin Yu was already up, she took off her headset, grinned with a hint of triumph, and said, “My mom says you sleep very soundly—you barely move at all. Haha!”

Hearing this, Lin Yu smiled faintly and replied, “I had a bit of insomnia last night, so I overslept. Has Lin Ran come by today?”

“Oh, she happened to have something to do today, so she didn’t come. That’s why I let you sleep in so late!” Qi Yue answered as she adjusted the camera.

“That’s good, then.” As soon as he said this, Lin Yu saw Qi Yue’s mother, Pan Su, waving to him from the video. He smiled and waved back.

Pan Su, Qi Yue’s mother, had lived in Australia for many years and was used to seeing boys and girls spending time together, so she was relatively open-minded. She figured her daughter might feel lonely on her own, and having a boy around often was a good thing.

Of course, like any parent, she’d discreetly looked into Lin Yu’s family background and found his parents to be upright and decent people. Only then did she feel at ease letting her daughter spend time with him.

For various reasons, she hadn’t had the chance to return home, and the guilt weighed heavily on her. Yet, over the years, her daughter had blossomed—growing prettier and more cheerful, without developing any inferiority complexes, social withdrawal, or depression due to the long absence of her parents. Pan Su could see this and was quietly delighted.

“Lin Yu, come over and chat with Auntie,” Pan Su typed in the chat box, noticing that neither her daughter nor Lin Yu was wearing the headset.

Seeing that her mother wanted to talk to Lin Yu, Qi Yue cheerfully gave up her seat and said sweetly, “Little Yu, have a good chat. I’m going out to buy lunch.”

Because Lin Yu had bought breakfast that morning, Qi Yue felt especially happy. She even brought it up when chatting with her mother, and, more importantly, she proudly mentioned that she and Lin Yu were officially a couple now.

Pan Su, experienced as she was, merely smiled gently at this. Still, she felt quite pleased—after all, first love is the first flower to bloom in one’s life, as lovely as the morning sun. In comparison, she felt her daughter’s first love was a happy one, and she was satisfied, thinking it was certainly happier than her own had been. Money and family background mattered little to her.

After Pan Su put on her headset, Lin Yu greeted her with a smile.

Pan Su was a refined and gentle woman, the opposite of the forceful Xia Ling. In her company, Lin Yu felt at ease, without any pressure.

“Hehe, hello, Lin Yu,” Pan Su answered with a soft, warm smile.

“Auntie, have you not been feeling well lately?” Lin Yu asked with concern, noticing that Pan Su looked a bit pale in the video. The connection was choppy and the image quality poor, so he couldn’t be sure if what he saw was real.

“Thank you for your concern, dear. My health is the same as always—not good, not bad, just barely holding up,” Pan Su replied softly, her voice still carrying the familiar accent of Bincheng, undiminished by her years abroad.

Relieved to hear she wasn’t seriously ill, Lin Yu joked, “Auntie, you must be the best speaker of the Bincheng dialect in all of Australia!”

“You silly boy,” Pan Su chuckled lightly, then continued, “Actually, being a stranger in a foreign land is not easy. I miss Qi Yue, her grandfather, and you very much.”

“If you ever have time, you should come back! Travel is so convenient these days,” Lin Yu said, trying to comfort her when he sensed her melancholy.

He knew well the feeling of being alone in a foreign land, especially during holidays when homesickness doubled.

“Ah, wanting to return is easier said than done. I may never have the chance to go back to my homeland,” Pan Su sighed softly, her voice tinged with loneliness.

Witnessing this, Lin Yu’s heart tightened with a sense of foreboding. Who would say they might never return home unless they were hiding something? There had to be a reason.

“Auntie, what’s really wrong? Is there something you can’t talk about?” Lin Yu asked gently.

“You’re still too young. Don’t ask too much for now. As long as I see you both growing up healthy, I’m happy. I have some work to attend to here, so I won’t keep you. Be good to Qi Yue—I have high hopes for you two,” Pan Su said, waving goodbye before ending the video call.

On the other side, Lin Yu sat quietly, lost in thought, trying to piece together the reason.

“Something’s definitely wrong. Could it have something to do with Xiao Yue’s stepmother? Or something else?”

Since this matter concerned Qi Yue directly, Lin Yu felt compelled to pay attention.

Before long, the pleasant chime of the doorbell interrupted his thoughts. Taking quick steps, he peeked through the peephole and saw that it was Qi Yue, back with lunch.

“Oh, hurry and help me! It’s so heavy—I’m exhausted!” Qi Yue called out as soon as she walked in.

Lin Yu hurried to take the bags from her. They were indeed heavy. “What is this?” he asked.

“This is from Claypot Zhang’s—traditional rice and herbal dishes. It’s really delicious! It was so hard to get; I had to wait in line for ages,” Qi Yue said as she took off her coat and scarf.

“Claypot Zhang’s? Is it really that good?” Lin Yu placed the bags on the table and carefully took out the two boxes of rice and four clay pots.

“Mm, it smells great and looks very appetizing!” Lin Yu exclaimed sincerely after opening the pots, thinking this was far better than anything from KFC.

“Of course it’s good! Why else would your dear sister go to so much trouble?” Qi Yue replied, grinning proudly as she sat down at the table.

Just as she was about to dig in, she realized there were no chopsticks, so she commanded, “Little Yu, fetch the chopsticks for me!”

After Lin Yu brought the chopsticks, the two of them enjoyed their meal with gusto. The food was indeed delicious—especially the pork ribs stewed with Chinese herbs, fragrant but not greasy, and perfect with rice.

As they ate, an idea struck Lin Yu.

He thought of the famous South Beauty Group and the remarkable Ms. Zhang Lan, whose casual yet deliberate style he admired.

“That’s it! With such successful examples, why shouldn’t I learn from them? If I could master the technique behind these claypot dishes and combine it with milk tea and other offerings, I could create my own fast-food chain. That would be far more promising than just making a hard-earned living selling milk tea!”

Opportunities truly are scattered throughout life, waiting for those with the heart to discover them. Lin Yu smiled with delight at the thought.