Despite Xu Gui's busy but ultimately counterproductive efforts, they still managed to successfully create what they wanted.
"Cooking is actually quite fun," Xu Gui said, still somewhat reluctant to leave.
Of course, she preferred eating delicious food to cooking, but Lu Baiyi was completely different. He enjoyed the process of cooking more; it brought him great pleasure.
While they were finishing up, the chefs in the Lu family's main kitchen were also preparing lunch.
Lu Baiyi mainly made pastries and small cakes, which weren't in a hurry to be eaten. Xu Gui tasted a couple of bites and then set them aside, planning to take them home to eat when she left. She needed to save room for lunch. Once
the food was ready, everyone took their seats, ready to eat. However, before they could even start eating, someone arrived.
The visitor was Lu Baiyi's aunt, Lu Yujun. Lu Yujun was in her forties, and although middle-aged, she still looked young and beautiful, possessing a fashionable and capable air that was unique and attractive—the aura of a great beauty.
It was said that she owned her own company, which was doing very well, and she was living a very happy life.
She didn't come alone; a young man accompanied her. The man looked to be in his early twenties, with a melancholic, scholarly air about him, and a very gentle demeanor.
When Lu Yujun entered and saw so many people in the house, she was surprised but smiled before speaking.
"So many guests today! Looks like I've come at the perfect time. Perfect for meeting new friends. I love making friends!" she said with a light and crisp voice. She quickly walked over, smiling at Xu Gui and the others: "Are you friends of Aqi?"
Aqi?
Xu Gui was a beat late in the morning when he remembered that Lu Baiyi's nickname was "Aqi," with "Yi" meaning chess, which was the origin of his nickname, something he had mentioned to Xu Gui before.
As the host, Lu Baiyi stood up and introduced Xu Gui and the others to Lu Yujun: "...Auntie, they are all my friends. This is Xu Gui, this is Miss Yuan Lu, and this is Mr. Yang Haolin."
He only addressed Xu Gui by name, his tone naturally intimate, but when he mentioned Yuan Lu and Yang Haolin, his tone became polite and courteous, making it clear how close he was to the three of them.
Lu Yujun's gaze fell on Xu Gui, her eyes filled with admiration, and she said, "Xu Gui, Miss Xu, I know you! The famous fortune teller online."
She walked to Xu Gui's side and extended her hand to shake hers: "Hello, Master Xu, I am Aqi's aunt. It's a pleasure to meet you. You look even more beautiful in real life than on camera."
Xu Gui shook her hand generously: "Hello."
Lu Yujun added, "I heard about Yuan Yuan from Aqi. Thank you so much!"
Xu Gui smiled.
Old Lu looked at his daughter, a slight headache in his eyes, and said, "You know Xu Gui and the others, but you haven't introduced this person behind you to us yet!"
He scrutinized the man from head to toe with a critical gaze, and couldn't help but purse his lips, clearly not very satisfied with him.
Hearing his father's words, Lu Yujun immediately turned around naturally, took the arm of the person next to her, and said with a smile, "Dad, this is my boyfriend, Zhang Jun. He's twenty-one years old this year, a top student at XX University!"
Old Lu's lips twitched slightly, "Twenty-one years old..." So young.
"Uncle, hello!" Zhang Jun greeted politely.
"Uncle...
" Old Man Lu's expression was somewhat indescribable. He said, "You should just call me Grandpa. Calling me Uncle makes me sound too young."
The servants had already added two chairs, and Lu Yujun sat down with her boyfriend. She casually said, "Although Zhang Jun is young, he's my boyfriend, so naturally he's of my generation. Therefore, you should be called Uncle."
Old Man Lu was exasperated with his daughter's constant pursuit of younger boyfriends. He said, "So, you want Aqi and the others to address him like that?"
Lu Baiyi was a few years older than the other man, but because of Lu Yujun, should he call him Uncle-in-law?
Lu Yujun glanced at Lu Baiyi and said nonchalantly, "Then let's each address each other. Aqi will call Zhang Jun Uncle-in-law, and Zhang Jun will call Aqi Brother!"
Old Man Lu: "..."
"Do you think that's appropriate?" he gritted his teeth.
Lu Yujun shrugged, thinking: What's inappropriate about that? She thought it was quite appropriate.
However, she dared not say such things now; she didn't want to be kicked out of the house by her own father before even having lunch.
"Eat first, eat first!" she immediately called to Xu Gui and the others, speaking to Xu Gui, "Master Xu, is this your first time at our house? Do you like shrimp? Let me tell you, our chef is an expert at making shrimp. Come, try some!"
She directly placed two shrimp on Xu Gui's plate, and then naturally asked Lu Baiyi to peel them for him, "Aqi, don't just sit there, peel shrimp for Miss Xu… Peeling shrimp is too hard on the hands; our hands aren't suitable for this. Your hands are rough, so they're best for peeling shrimp."
As if to confirm her words, Zhang Jun, standing beside her, placed a peeled shrimp on the plate in front of her.
Lu Yujun immediately smiled at him, reaching out to gently touch his chin, a flirtatious gesture.
Seeing this, Old Man Lu felt his blood pressure rising, so he simply turned away, out of sight, out of mind.
Watching this scene, Lu Baiyi's face flashed with a thoughtful expression. He actually started peeling shrimp for Xu Gui. Seeing this, Xu Gui quickly refused, telling him he didn't need to do that. But unexpectedly, Lu Baiyi said,
"I like peeling shrimp."
Xu Gui: ?
The tortoise didn't understand, but it showed respect.
Besides, with someone peeling shrimp for him, he could eat other delicious food without any worries. Anyway, Lu Baiyi himself said he liked peeling shrimp for others. Maybe, like his love for cooking, this was one of his hobbies... right?
Xu Gui chewed on the soft, sweet shrimp, thinking to himself.
Lu Yujun was an outgoing person. While eating, she chatted with Xu Gui and asked curiously, "I saw online that you're really good at fortune telling. Is that true?"
Xu Gui nodded, "It's true."
Lu Yujun asked enthusiastically, "Then can you tell my fortune? Don't worry, I know the rules. I'll pay you."
Hearing this, Xu Gui glanced at her and generously said, "No need. You're Lu Baiyi's aunt. I won't charge you. I'll tell your fortune as a friend!"
Hearing this, Lu Yujun laughed and said, "That's great! Can you tell my fortune now?"
Xu Gui turned to look at her, and Lu Yujun humbly asked, "Did you find anything?"
Xu Gui nodded seriously, "Yes!"
Lu Yujun looked curious, and then heard Xu Gui say, "For example, this boyfriend of yours is a spy sent by your company to steal your company's trade secrets."
Lu Yujun: "..."
Lu Yujun's boyfriend: "..."
And everyone else's eyes fell on the two of them.
Lu Yujun turned to her boyfriend with a dangerous smile, while her boyfriend, who was peeling shrimp for her, had only one thought in his mind: "The sky is falling!!"
...
After kicking her boyfriend out, Lu Yujun returned, her eyes still beaming.
"Sorry, you all had to see this." She said with a smile, as if the commotion that had just happened was nothing to worry about, and called to Xu Gui and the others, "Eat, eat, everyone eat!"
Because of her overly normal attitude, the atmosphere of Xu Gui and the others wasn't greatly affected, and they finished the meal in a harmonious atmosphere. Xu Gui didn't know how the others felt, but he certainly enjoyed his meal. After all, the Lu family chef's skills were truly excellent, no less than Qin Sulan's—Qin Sulan, Boss Qin, her cooking was the best Xu Gui had ever tasted.
Now, Xu Gui decided to add the Lu family chef to that list of the best.
Of course, Lu Baiyi's skills were also quite good, no less than any so-called master chef, but he was in a different league.
After dinner, Xu Gui and the others prepared to leave. The goal of 100 million was still a tight schedule, and they didn't have much time to waste.
Lu Baiyi saw them to the door, his eyes fixed on Xu Gui, and said, "Call me if you need anything. If it's anything I can help with, just let me know."
Hearing this, Xu Gui suddenly said, "I think there's something I really need your help with."
Lu Baiyi: "Hmm?"
...
"Come visit our house again next time you have the chance!"
Lu Yujun said enthusiastically as Xu Gui and the others left, his unusually youthful and warm face radiating a unique charm.
As they left the Lu family's apartment complex, Yuan Lu and Yang Haolin's gazes fell on Xu Gui—Fu Xia had something to do today, so she wasn't with them, reducing the group of four to three.
"Teacher Xu, where are we going now?" Yuan Lu asked.
Xu Gui pondered for a moment, looked around, and said, "Since no one has made an appointment this afternoon, let's find a cool place to set up our fortune-telling stall and take a break!"
After all, she's been incredibly tired lately, working non-stop every day. If she were still a tortoise, her shell would probably be dried out by now; she's worked so hard!
So, the tortoise needs a rest now.
However, when it comes to resting… Yuan Lu and Yang Haolin were somewhat worried.
"We're still a long way from our goal of 100 million," Yuan Lu whispered, then asked, "Can we earn that much money by setting up a stall on the street?"
Xu Gui replied, "I don't plan to charge for fortune telling at a stall."
Yuan Lu and Yang Haolin exclaimed, "Huh?"
Xu Gui said, "Lulu, didn't you say you were also far from our goal of 100 million? Relying on fortune telling on the street to reach that goal is simply impossible!"
"Since it's impossible, then there's no need to charge..."
Speaking of which, she had been charging high prices for fortune telling lately, so this afternoon... she'd consider it a treat for everyone. However, before that, Xu Gui felt she needed to put on a facade.
She stroked her chin, "Then let's do it this way..."
*
After Xu Gui turned off her livestream at noon, she didn't go live again for a while. Her fans, waiting in the dark, unmarked livestream room, couldn't help but wonder:
Had Xu Gui forgotten about them?
Fortunately, around 1 PM, the previously dark livestream room gradually lit up. However, after their initial excitement, several questions began to surface in the minds of the viewers.
...What's this all about?
In the lit-up livestream room, there was no Xu Gui, no one else, only a familiar banner with the words "Fortune Telling" and "Science" written on it. In the previous episode, Xu Gui would always put up this banner next to his fortune-telling stall under the overpass.
However, in this episode, the goal of earning 100 million yuan was clearly unattainable by setting up a fortune-telling stall on the roadside, so Xu Gui hadn't set up a stall there anymore.
Occasionally, viewers would miss this version of Xu Gui; he was so down-to-earth back then.
And now, that banner had resurfaced, which meant...
[Is Xiao Gui going to start fortune-telling again? Ahhh! If it's true, where's the address? I really want Xiao Gui to tell my fortune!]
[Probably not?] [With things so tense, would Xiao Gui have the time to set up a fortune-telling stall? You definitely wouldn't earn much from that.]
[So, nobody's asking Xu Gui for fortune-telling anymore, so she's gone back to her old ways and set up a fortune-telling stall on the street?]
[If that's true, then Xu Gui is really shameful. Everyone else is moving up, and she's going downhill.]
[Pah! These haters have nowhere else to criticize, so they're spouting nonsense again. Even if our Xiao Gui were setting up a stall on the street now, she'd earn more than you guys, right? Don't forget, the show has only been going on for twelve days, and our Xiao Gui has already earned over 70 million! Do you haters know what that means?
It means our Xiao Gui has a net worth of 70 million! And what about you? Do you even have 7,000 yuan? Aren't you ashamed to be mocking our Xiao Gui like this?]
[Sisters, you're so good at scolding! Anyway, whatever Xiao Gui does, I support her!] ... The live stream had barely started when the argument began, with netizens speculating about Xu Gui's decision to bring out her stall banner again.
Fortunately , Xu Gui didn't keep everyone in suspense; shortly after the live stream began, everyone heard her voice.
She then announced her plan to set up a fortune-telling stall that afternoon, confirming everyone's suspicions.
This delighted the haters, as if Xu Gui's actions already proved her failure.
However, there were still three days left until the show ended. Xu Gui's fans were worried.
Fortunately, Xu Gui explained: "...I've been too busy lately, so I'm taking a break while setting up the stall. Oh, as for why the camera isn't on me...it's because I'm wearing a disguise. You probably wouldn't recognize me standing in front of you now."
Netizens: Hmm? What does that mean? Why would she wear a disguise? As everyone was pondering this, Xu Gui continued,
"Since it's a break and relaxation period, I'll be telling fortunes for everyone this afternoon, and I won't charge any fees... If you can find me, I'll tell your fortunes for free."
Hearing this, the netizens were shocked, and then their hearts ignited with excitement. So, this meant: those wealthy people who would pay millions to hire Xu Gui now had a chance to get her for free? [Where is she?! I'll fly over right now!]
The netizens were thrilled, but soon, Xu Gui's next words were like a bucket of cold water poured over their burning hearts.
Xu Gui said, "...As I said, I'm disguised. During the live stream, the camera won't be pointed at my surroundings, which means you won't know where I am right now!" Question: If they don't know where she is, how can they find her for a fortune telling?
Xu Gui smiled and said, "That depends on fate!"
Netizens: "..."
Of course, if she had a choice, Xu Gui would also like to generously tell fortunes for everyone. However, don't forget, she's a big celebrity now. The whole internet knows she's a fortune teller, and countless people want her to tell their fortunes.
Under these circumstances, if Xu Gui just randomly sat down and said she'd tell fortunes, the crowds would probably crush her.
So, Xu Gui decided to leave it to fate. She didn't say where she was setting up her stall, and netizens didn't know where she was either. Everything depended on fate and destiny.
It all depended on who was destined to be with her.
The netizens, finally understanding: "..."
So, in this vast sea of people, where exactly are they going to find Xu Gui? Is it really all up to fate? In a way, isn't that fair...?