Chapter 122: Fun Sports Meet

“It has to be my sister, she really has great taste.”

Lu Jianshen, lightly tossing his cool purple hair, spoke with a casual, uninhibited tone that carried a hint of admiration.

“Actually, I don’t want to brag, but I can’t help it. Second Brother, your looks and temperament are just too good. You look handsome no matter what style you pull off,” Lu Qingqiang said.

Of course, she meant every word.

Lu Jianshen’s appearance and aura were truly outstanding.

The cool purple hair didn’t make him look eccentric; instead, it complemented his fair skin and sharp features, making him look even more refined.

If he were under stage lights, he would definitely be a top-tier idol.

“That’s natural. Sigh, every day when I look in the mirror, I’m stunned by my own handsomeness.”

“What can I do? I can only choose to accept it!” Lu Jianshen sighed.

Lu Shenlin, Mrs. Lu, and the others were momentarily speechless.

What, give you an inch and you take a mile¹?

As they were talking at the entrance, they saw a flashy luxury car pull a sharp drift and come to a temporary stop not far from them.

Just as the car stopped, Lu Qingqiang and the others heard a roar coming from inside.

“Zhou Sicong, are you trying to murder your own parents?”

“If I had known, I would have driven your mother here myself!”

“You little brat, you won’t be satisfied until you’ve annoyed me to death, will you?”

“Cough, Dad, watch the occasion. We’re outside, there are people by the car.”

“Maintain the image, maintain the image, okay?”

After Zhou Sicong finished speaking, he spoke again.

“Mom, are you okay?”

“Did you see that? My driving skills are pretty good, right?”

“I’m not called the Racing God of Mount Akina² for nothing.”

“Mhm, not bad, not bad. My Da Cong is amazing. That car wasn’t a waste of money.”

“Next time, I’ll have your dad buy you an even cooler one.”

“Mom, you’re the best! You’re so good to me!”

“Wait a second, Mom, I’ll get the door for you.”

After the dialogue ended, the driver’s side door opened, and a young man with green hair stepped out.

Who else could this person with the dazzling green hair be but Zhou Sicong?

To be fair, you really had to hand it to him.

Zhou Sicong was the type who had delicate features and usually liked to wear a bit of makeup. After dyeing his hair a particularly eye-catching green, he didn’t look ugly at all.

Aside from looking a bit abrupt at first, once you got used to it, you’d just think he was a handsome, flamboyant guy with a non-mainstream personality.

“Come, Queen Mother, please exit the carriage.”

“You child, you’re so cheeky.”

“Come, Father King, please exit the carriage.”

“Get lost.”

“Yes, Father King, your humble son shall get lost now.”

“…” Lu Qingqiang and the others watched on.

So, this was how Zhou Sicong usually interacted with his parents.

A bit silly, yet strangely amusing.

No wonder he could get along so well with her second brother, Lu Jianshen.

One look and you could tell these two were cut from the same cloth.

“Uncle Lu, Auntie Lu, Brother Shen, you guys arrived even earlier than us.”

“Mhm, we just got here.”

“Hello, Uncle Zhou, Mrs. Zhou.”

“Haha, Jianshen, long time no see. You’ve grown even more handsome, young man,” Mrs. Zhou said with a smile.

Next came a live version of various complex social interactions.

During this time, Lu Qingqiang was also called out by Mrs. Zhou.

“Xiao Lu, I’ve long heard that the food at your orphanage is delicious. It’s a pity I didn’t have time to come and see before.”

“I wonder if we have the honor of grabbing a meal at your orphanage today?”

“Mrs. Zhou, the canteen has already prepared hot food for you. We’re just waiting for you to head over.”

“Good, good, good. Then I must go and have a taste.”

Soon, the red-haired Feng Xiao arrived with his parents, followed by the sapphire-blue-haired Huang He with his parents.

Mo Chenjing, with grandmother-grey hair highlighted with white, arrived with his parents, and the yellow-haired Xu Ming arrived with his father, Xu Shaokun.

After another round of large-scale social scenes, Lu Qingqiang led everyone toward the canteen.

On the way, Mrs. Zhou, Mrs. Huang, Madam Feng, and Mrs. Mo kept crowding around Lu Qingqiang.

They were constantly discussing various problems they had encountered while growing vegetables.

It reached the point where Lu Qingqiang’s biological mother, Mrs. Lu, couldn’t even get a word in.

As the biological mother, she couldn’t even squeeze her way to her own daughter’s side.

It was ridiculous.

However, Mrs. Lu wasn’t angry.

Instead, she walked alongside them with a smile, constantly looking toward Lu Qingqiang.

The more she looked, the deeper the smile on her face became.

Look, her Qingqing was so amazing.

She actually knew so much about gardening.

Look, how gentle her expression was and how pleasant her voice sounded when she talked about those tips.

Look, her Qingqing’s profile was truly beautiful, she had such a goddess-like aura.

…

Seeing that they had arrived at the canteen but Lu Qingqiang’s sharing hadn’t ended yet, she simply spoke up to avoid delaying everyone’s mealtime.

“How about this? Once we’re done with the activities, I’ll compile these gardening tips into text and post them on my Moments.”

“Don’t all you aunties have me on WeChat? You can check my Moments then.”

“Later on, we can also start a gardening exchange group. If you have questions, you can just ask me in the group.”

“That’s a good idea, I think that works.”

“Yes, yes, Xiao Lu, remember to add me once you’ve set up the group.”

“…”

When everyone picked up their trays and began to line up for food, they couldn’t help but start discussing again.

“This feeling of lining up for food really feels like being back in student days.”

“Isn’t that the right?”

“I see the breakfast prepared here is quite lavish.”

“They even have soup dumplings. I must try some in a bit.”

“…”

While the ladies were discussing breakfast, the CEOs were chatting about the current international situation and trending news.

Xu Shaokun, who was at the back of the line, wore a flattering smile on the surface, constantly agreeing and trying his best to fit in.

But in reality, he felt deep down that lining up here for a meal was a complete waste of time.

He even found it difficult to understand these people’s logic.

As wealthy people themselves, what could they not eat?

With just one phone call, they could have anything they wanted delivered to their door.

But these people insisted on not doing that.

They preferred to line up here and eat at a canteen?

And they even said the canteen food here was good?

Heh, how good could canteen food actually be?

The only reason everyone said so was to flatter Lu Qingqiang, the daughter of the richest family who had opened this orphanage.

He heard that the Lu family treated this daughter they had found later very well.

It could be said they gave her whatever she wanted.

Even if she wanted the stars in the sky, the Lu family would find a way to pluck them for her.

Everyone knew this, which was why they took the initiative to please Lu Qingqiang.

As long as they pleased Lu Qingqiang, they might gain the attention of Lu Shenlin and the others.

Consequently, they could gain certain advantages in the business world.

Of course, he thought the same way.

That was why he was willing to invest in the ICH project³ Xu Ming had proposed.

Xu Shaokun had already decided!

In a moment, regardless of whether the food was good or not, he would dedicate his life’s best acting skills to show how much he liked it.

Everyone was being so supportive; if he didn’t join in, he would seem out of place.

Soon, it was Xu Shaokun’s turn to get food.

He directly took a steamer of soup dumplings and a small bowl of dipping sauce.

A serving of pumpkin porridge and a selection of side dishes.

For the side dishes, he chose shredded purple cabbage, shredded potatoes, fresh shrimp, minced meat with sour beans, bean sprout gluten, broccoli, and bacon.

Then, he scooped out a marinated egg, took six pieces of sushi, and a quarter of a pizza.

He carried a small bowl of green vegetable and egg noodles.

He grabbed a croissant, a small section of corn, and poured a glass of orange juice.

As for the scallion pancakes, pan fried crepes, DIY sandwiches, rice noodle rolls, and egg fried rice, he didn’t touch them at all.

He was afraid that if he took too much, he wouldn’t be able to finish it.

If he were at home, he could just throw away whatever he couldn’t finish.

But this was a public place. If he was too wasteful, wouldn’t he look like a complete fool?

Xu Shaokun first picked up a soup dumpling and took a tentative bite.

With that single bite, the broth inside the soup dumpling instantly sprayed out.

Along with the spray of broth, his tongue was scalded by the boiling liquid inside the dumpling, leaving it numb and stinging.

Despite this, he couldn’t bring himself to spit out the dumpling he had just bitten into.

Because… it was seriously delicious!

The skin of the soup dumpling was soft and translucent, and the filling inside was the absolute essence of the dish.

The moment the fresh, savory flavor hit his mouth, it felt as if his soul had been elevated.

Xu Shaokun blew hard on the opening he had bitten.

Then, with a slurping sound, he sucked the broth from the soup dumpling into his mouth.

Next, he used his chopsticks to grip the remaining skin and meat filling, dipped it into the accompanying sauce, and stuffed it into his mouth.

Hiss-

It really was delicious!

Wuwu, how could there be such delicious soup dumplings in this world?

Before this, he had never tasted anything like it.

He had previously been convinced that the food in this canteen would definitely be mediocre.

But reality had slapped him hard in the face.

He was wrong, incredibly wrong!

Since the soup dumplings were this good, the other things probably wouldn’t be far behind, right?

Thinking of this, Xu Shaokun quickly reached for the other food he had brought over.

Hiss-

His intuition was right.

Not only were the soup dumplings delicious, but the other side dishes and the sushi were all wonderful too!

Even this tiny marinated egg tasted incomparably savory to him.

It was a magical flavor he had never experienced before.

It wasn’t just Xu Shaokun who loved the food in the orphanage canteen.

The noble ladies who had come because of the orphanage’s reputation loved it as well.

Usually, they didn’t eat much.

This was not only to maintain their figures but also for the sake of their health.

But after tasting the food in the orphanage canteen, every single one of them accidentally ate until they were stuffed.

They all knew that Mrs. Lu was the pickiest eater imaginable.

Any unhealthy ingredients would cause a physical reaction in her.

Specific symptoms included vomiting, loss of appetite, lack of energy, and an inability to swallow.

But as she ate in the canteen, her face was glowing, she was full of energy, and she wore a warm smile.

One look and you could tell she was eating happily.

What did this prove?

It proved that the food in the orphanage canteen was not only delicious but also exceptionally healthy and nourishing!

In a corner, the streamer Qiqi was eating breakfast while broadcasting live.

There were many old fans in her comment section.

At this moment, those old fans were frantically flooding the screen.

Some asked her to describe the taste of the food in detail.

Some suggested she hold a live giveaway like last time.

Some asked when the orphanage’s official live broadcast room would open.

Others wanted to know under what circumstances they could come to the orphanage to grab a meal.

By the time breakfast was finished, it was approximately 8:45 AM.

The official start time for the Fun Sports Meet set by Lu Qingqiang was 9:00 AM.

Now, there were about forty minutes left before the competition began.

The venue had been mostly prepared beforehand.

Later, following the suggestions of the part time PE teacher Chen Cheng, Lu Qingqiang and the others had made minor adjustments and added more content.

In the time that followed, Lu Qingqiang arranged for people to lead the first time visitors on a tour of the orphanage.

She, meanwhile, led the other people who were free to move out the necessary props and equipment.

As for the stage to be used by Lu Jianshen and his band for their performance after the Fun Sports Meet.

It had already been set up the night before last.

Lights had been installed on the stage, and speakers and microphones had been pulled over.

It really did have the visual feel of an upcoming concert.

As the 9:30 AM start time for the Fun Sports Meet drew closer, everyone gathered around on time.

The invited audience members were all seated in their designated viewing and waiting areas.

The participating children, led by Yuan Yuan, Doctor Feng, and the three part time teachers, headed to the waiting area.

Finally, 9:30 AM arrived.

The official live broadcast room of the Jiang City Loving Heart Orphanage officially went live.

The director, Lu Qingqiang, held a microphone and gave a brief and concise opening speech.

After the opening remarks, she specifically thanked Mr. Feng Xiao for providing the prizes.

She also thanked Mr. Xu Ming, Lu Jianshen, and others who had been helping out.

Furthermore, she expressed her welcome to everyone who had come to support and watch.

Next, she read out the various rules of the competition.

She placed special emphasis on one thing.

“Competition is second, friendship is first.”

After all this was read out, Lu Qingqiang announced.

“And now, the first Jiang City Loving Heart Orphanage Fun Sports Meet officially begins!”

“Will the contestants for the first event, Hundred Shots, Hundred Hits, please gather at the arena.”

As soon as these words were spoken, Wang Qiang led the first round of participating teams toward the Hundred Shots, Hundred Hits arena.

The first competition event, Hundred Shots, Hundred Hits, consisted of two types of games.

The first was the children’s version of basketball shooting.

The so called children’s version of basketball shooting required those signed up to stand three and a half meters away to throw.

The hoops used in the competition were half the height of a normal basketball hoop.

The duration of the match was two minutes.

After the match, the winner would be determined by the number of balls thrown in within those two minutes.

If the number of basketballs thrown in was the same, a tie breaker round would be initiated.

A total of eight people had signed up for the children’s basketball shooting project.

They were: Liu Miaomiao, Zhou Yang, Song Zhao, Su Chao, Su Zhixing, Wang Zhiyu, Xu Wei, and Li Xiang.

There were two hoops available for the competition.

There were n number of basketballs.

The on site referee was the part time PE teacher, Chen Cheng.

The on site scorers were Madam Mo and Mrs. Huang.

The on site supervisor was Mrs. Lu.

The on site inspectors were Madam Feng and Mrs. Zhou.

The order of the competition was determined by drawing lots.

The people starting the first round of the competition were: Zhou Yang and Wang Zhiyu.

“Come, everyone, let’s welcome Zhou Yang and Wang Zhiyu with warm applause. The next group, Song Zhao and Xu Wei, please get ready.”

Translator’s Notes