Love Me, Please Look - Chapter 7
Chapter 7: Home-Cooked Meals & Golden Light
A sleek, understated black Maybach rolled to a stop just outside the school gates. Uncle He, the chauffeur, immediately stepped out to greet Qi Junhe and Zhang Shixu, opening the doors for them with practiced grace.
“Sorry to keep you waiting, Uncle He,” Zhang Shixu said, slightly flustered.
Uncle He just chuckled warmly. “No trouble at all. I know school can be hectic.”
Qi Junhe slipped into the car on the opposite side while Zhang Shixu followed. The two sat with a comfortable space between them as Uncle He returned to the driver’s seat.
“My house isn’t far—just about ten minutes,” Qi Junhe said. “You can rest a bit if you want.”
Zhang Shixu gave a quick shake of his head, then hesitated. “Should we stop by a market or something? I feel weird showing up empty-handed…”
Qi Junhe leaned in just slightly, catching the nerves in his expression. “Don’t worry about it. My mom’s the one who insisted on the dinner invite. Just be yourself.”
To reassure him, he gave Zhang Shixu’s hand a gentle pat where it rested on his lap.
Before Zhang Shixu could say anything else, his phone buzzed.
Qi Junhe glanced at the screen—it was Zhang Shixu’s mother.
Zhang Shixu looked surprised to see the caller ID but answered anyway. “Hi, Mom.”
“Have you eaten?” Ye Xu’s cool, direct voice came through.
Ye Xu, a sharp and accomplished Omega, was also a respected criminal lawyer. After divorcing Zhang Shixu’s Alpha father, she raised her son on her own. Her manner was efficient, loving in a quiet way, but always precise.
“Not yet,” Zhang Shixu replied. “A classmate invited me out for dinner.”
He didn’t mention that the dinner was at someone’s house. Ye Xu had always told him it wasn’t polite to visit people’s homes casually—it was a matter of respecting others’ space.
“Be careful. I sent your allowance for the month just now,” she said, always straight to the point.
“Thanks, Mom. Talk later,” he responded, quickly checking the bank app as the call ended.
“She’s a lawyer,” Zhang Shixu explained to Qi Junhe. “Pretty busy all the time.”
From the driver’s seat, Uncle He caught their exchange through the mirror and smiled to himself. It was rare to see someone communicate so easily with Junhe.
Soon, the car pulled into the driveway of the Qi family villa, nestled in the lush Stop Yunwan estate.
Uncle He stepped out and opened the door again for the boys. Zhang Shixu stared in awe at the ornate gold-accented front gate, half wondering if that shimmer was real gold.
Qi Junhe chuckled. “Ready to go in?”
Zhang Shixu nodded, still wide-eyed, and followed him past a beautifully manicured garden. Two workers were tending the flowers, and the evening air smelled faintly of jasmine and clean earth. The garden’s charm helped ease Zhang Shixu’s nerves.
As they stepped into the villa, a poised woman in a black suit met them with a warm smile.
“Welcome. I’m the housekeeper here. You can call me Aunt Ji,” she said kindly.
“Nice to meet you, Aunt Ji!” Zhang Shixu greeted her politely.
Qi Junhe nodded in greeting and bent down to swap his shoes for indoor slippers. He pulled out a new pair for Zhang Shixu.
“I’ve got it, I’ve got it,” Zhang Shixu said quickly, slipping them on himself. Letting the host change his shoes? That was way too much.
To his relief, Aunt Ji didn’t seem bothered. She just smiled pleasantly, like she’d seen it all before.
After both were settled, a servant came by with sterilized wipes to clean their hands before leading them toward the dining room.
Inside, the scent of slow-cooked soup hung warmly in the air. Xu Xinyi, wearing a kitchen apron and a cheerful expression, turned off the stove just as they arrived.
“Right on time! Aunt Ji called me earlier asking when Junhe was getting back. Dinner’s just about to start,” she said as she carried out the soup, helped by the family cook, Wang Ma.
“Hello, Auntie.” Zhang Shixu greeted her shyly.
Xu Xinyi beamed. “Come on in, have a seat! Back when Junhe was little, I picked up a bit of cooking so I could take care of him myself. This is just a small effort—try the soup and see what you think!”
She guided Zhang Shixu to a seat at the round family dining table, sitting on his left while Junhe took the spot on his right.
The table was filled with beautifully prepared dishes. Clearly, this dinner wasn’t just casually thrown together.
Zhang Shixu took a sip of the deer antler chicken soup. His eyes lit up. The flavor was rich and nurturing.
“It’s amazing!” he said with honest delight.
Xu Xinyi grinned and immediately started piling more food into his bowl, completely ignoring her own son sitting beside him.
“This eggplant was grown by Uncle Qi in the backyard. Try it—it’s usually off-limits!”
“Hey! Who raided my veggies again?” came a teasing voice as Qi Qiming walked in, shrugging off his blazer and wiping his hands.
Zhang Shixu scrambled to his feet and greeted him politely.
“Sit, sit, no need to be formal,” Qi Qiming said with a kind smile, settling next to his wife.
Xu Xinyi plopped a chicken drumstick into Zhang Shixu’s bowl. “Eat up, no need to hold back!”
Junhe, watching his mom lavish all her affection on their guest, quietly slid a single broccoli into Zhang Shixu’s bowl. Zhang Shixu noticed and gave him a grateful smile before popping it in his mouth, cheeks puffed like a hamster.
The meal, to Zhang Shixu’s surprise, was relaxed and full of warmth. Xu Xinyi avoided probing into family matters, clearly aware of his single-parent background, and just made sure he had more food than he could eat.
After dinner, Xu Xinyi grabbed his hand and pulled him to the living room to sit and chat, with Junhe tagging along close behind. The staff had already retired to the separate servant quarters, leaving just the family.
Qi Qiming returned from the kitchen with a plate of fresh fruit and placed it in front of them.
Qi Junhe casually picked up a plump red strawberry and held it to Zhang Shixu’s lips. Without thinking too hard, Zhang Shixu leaned in and took a bite.
Xu Xinyi chuckled fondly and wiped a drop of juice from his chin with a napkin. “Uncle Qi grew those strawberries himself. And the blueberries too.”
Junhe offered him a blueberry, but this time Zhang Shixu nudged it back toward him with a look—you eat it.
As they sat and talked, Zhang Shixu occasionally glanced at the time. Not wanting to overstay, he eventually stood up and thanked them.
Xu Xinyi really liked this polite, gentle boy. Smart, respectful, kind—it was everything a parent would want.
Qi Qiming checked his watch and nodded. It was getting late. He went to prepare a box of washed fruit for Zhang Shixu to take back.
“You’re always welcome here,” Xu Xinyi said warmly. “Junhe’s in the Fine Arts department, majoring in oil painting. He doesn’t open up easily, so we’re glad he has someone he can talk to.”
“I’ll come by again,” Zhang Shixu promised. “I really enjoyed today.”
As they left, Xu Xinyi waved them off like a doting aunt, and Qi Qiming handed over a neat box filled with plump blueberries—he’d noticed during dinner that Zhang Shixu really liked them.
“See you next time!” Xu Xinyi called after them.
On the way back, sitting in the car with the fruit in his lap, Zhang Shixu murmured softly, “Your parents are really kind.”
“You are too,” Junhe said quietly, watching him with careful eyes, almost like he was memorizing the moment.
Zhang Shixu turned his head to look at Junhe, who was studying him so seriously, and for the first time in a long while, a real sense of peace settled over him.
This… this felt like home.