Chapter 174
Speaking of the four of them, they were now all students of Special Cla.s.s-B. In particular, He Chaoyang and Li Jinghong, due to their weaker talent, had worked themselves to the bone just to chase up to Ling Lan and the other elites. After four years of tenacious struggling, they finally managed an upset to squeeze into the compet.i.tive ranks of Special Cla.s.s-B. Becoming cla.s.smates with Yuan Youyun, Luo Shaoyun, Han Xuya, and Luo Chao, the six of them successfully built their own team, becoming team members who would grow together. To commemorate group 072 where they had taken the exam together, they named their team '072'!
Most surprisingly, the team leader of team 072 was actually the easily embarra.s.sed, shy and often blus.h.i.+ng Luo Chao... it was true enough that people could not be judged by their appearances.
Meanwhile, Ling Lan's team had been short of one person all this time. Ling Lan was unconcerned by this, so Qi Long and the others also did not worry.
Behind Yuan Youyun and the others were Han Jijyun, Luo Lang, and Lin Zhong-qing. Although they were restraining their excitement on the surface, their gazes revealed their true emotions. In contrast to the ignorance of the others, Qi Long and the other three knew the true meaning of this visit — this would be the first time they would encounter the world of G.o.d-cla.s.s operator Ling Xiao, especially the wife mentioned in the legends of Ling Xiao. (That's my mum! ← Ling Lan was moody; these bunch of followers were actually ignoring her...)
The group nervously followed Ling Lan into the villa, and then saw a beautiful lady smiling gently at them. Of course, in this time period, beautiful men and women were everywhere, but still, the children could feel a warmth coming from Lan Luofeng's body, easing their initially high-strung nerves.
The half-grown kids greeted Mama Ling politely and bashfully. This greatly pleased Lan Luofeng, because her Ling Lan always had a serious adult-like expression on her face, giving her no sense of achievement as a mother. But now, she could finally have a taste of what it felt like... Boo hoo hoo, if only her own daughter was as lively as these children before her eyes...
The intent behind Lan Luofeng's gaze rendered Ling Lan speechless — how had her mum come to the conclusion that these kids were lively? Setting everything else aside, just looking at Han Jijyun alone — that stern expression of his was not much better than hers...
All that could be said was that parents would never be satisfied with the current situation. They would always admire the things that their child has yet to accomplish, regardless of whether it was apt or not.
In a great mood, Lan Luofeng's demeanour was naturally very welcoming to the children. In comparison with their fierce dragon mums at home, the children could not help but admire Boss Lan's blissful life. It was once again proven that the gra.s.s was always greener on the other side.
During the meal, Ling Lan observed her mum's formidable diplomatic methods for the first time. Without any notable signs, she managed to coax out the family backgrounds of all ten children by beating around the bush. Of course, not everyone was oblivious — Han Jijyun noticed, but he was not surprised by it. This was an expected measure by any responsible mother to understand the friends.h.i.+ps of her child. Han Jijyun had already been mentally prepared for this, and so was the one to handle the subtle interrogation the best.
Lan Luofeng looked at the children before her with extreme satisfaction. It had been a really long time since the house was this lively; her child finally had her own friends now... who knows which of them would become the right one for her daughter?
That one called Qi Long had a good personality, very obedient, not bad not bad; but then that one called Luo Lang was just so pretty, she liked him by just looking at him (Lan Luofeng was a certified face-con); that Han Jijyun was a bit stern, but he was very clever and handled things in a very organized manner, seeming to match well with her daughter... and that Lin Zhong-qing, although his family background was a bit weaker, he knew how to compromise and seemed adaptable, and would most certainly do well in the future, also a good choice. What a shame she only had one daughter...
In short, Lan Luofeng was extremely satisfied and pleased with all the boys here in front of her; she had actually already begun debating
These impure thoughts of Lan Luofeng were quickly seen through by Ling Lan, and cold sweat sprang out from her forehead. Oh mum, can you stop looking at my friends as if you are looking at your future son-in-law? Your daughter is only 10 right now, okay? And most importantly, right now your daughter is still male...
Just like that, under Lan Luofeng's special ministrations, the dinner table was a lively affair for both host and guest. The atmosphere was friendly, and the children soon lost their initial reservations.
Of course, there was also an exception. Luo Chao was the only one at the dining table with her head bowed, only eating the white rice in her bowl, not even daring to lift up her chopsticks to get any of the other dishes. Watching her, Ling Lan wasn't sure whether to laugh or cry. Was this little girl going to eat only white rice till the end?
"Hey, eat more Duomo meat. Your body is too weak." Ling Lan's seat was diagonally across from Luo Chao. She picked up a piece of white meat with her chopsticks and placed it into Luo Chao's bowl. The shy and adorable Luo Chao's gentleness melted Ling Lan's heart... In truth, because Luo Chao's spiritual power increased at a greater rate than average, her body condition had always been a little unwell. This struck a chord with Ling Lan, bringing up memories of her past life, so she would always pay a little more attention and care to Luo Chao.
"Thank you, Big Brother Lan!" Luo Chao's entire face flushed red, and her eyes were glistening like those of a baby deer. Ling Lan pulled back her chopsticks speechlessly. Oh, little girl, big sister is only concerned about your body; there really isn't any deeper meaning... perhaps she needed to tone down this type of involuntary care a little in the future.
This action of Ling Lan's caused the initially lively dinner table to suddenly fall silent. Qi Long, especially, was gaping, extremely shocked at Boss Lan's sudden kindness in caring for Luo Chao. Meanwhile, Luo Lang's expression was conflicted — should he push away his boss to safeguard his little sister, or should he just go with the flow... The others kept stealing glances at Ling Lan and Luo Chao — could it be that without them knowing, Boss and their little sister had developed some relations.h.i.+p?
Only Han Jijyun remained composed, as if unaffected. Unfortunately, his chopsticks slipped a few times, unable to pick up the dishes he wanted. From that, it could be seen that he currently was not as calm as his appearance would suggest...
Ling Lan swept an exasperated glare at the group of brats with varying expressions on their face. This glare frightened the kids so much they hurriedly pulled their rice bowls close and began gulping down the white grains. Boo hoo hoo, as expected, they had no right to be nosy about Boss's business... what a waste of all the delicious food on the table — they now did not even dare to reach out to take any!
Lan Luofeng's originally decorous and demure smile suddenly froze, and her gaze became somewhat unfocused. Could it be that these boys all had no chance? Would she obtain a daughter-in-law in the end instead? No, that's not right, she gave birth to a daughter, right?
At the end, the evening ended and the group dispersed. The children left Ling Lan's home satisfied. The fact that Ling Lan had invited them to be guests at her home proved that Ling Lan had truly accepted them. This was the main reason for their satisfaction with this visit.
All said, they finally succeeded in hugging onto a big thigh... er, that is to say, they have finally become Boss Lan's sworn siblings!
Lan Luofeng waited impatiently for Ling Lan to return from sending her friends off, and then she pulled Ling Lan close and asked anxiously, "Baby Lan, do you like boys or girls?" Whenever Lan Luofeng was in a panicked state, she would default to calling Ling Lan 'Baby Lan'.
Ling Lan secretly rolled her eyes in exasperation — she's still a 10 year old child right now, okay? Isn't it a bit too early for her mum to be worrying about this?
"You still remember that you didn't give birth to a boy, right?" Big sister here is female in both body and soul — how could I like girls?
"Then what's going on with that Luo Chao?" Lan Luofeng still could not let it go. Even she had rarely ever gotten such caring treatment from her Baby Lan... alright, so Lan Luofeng was a little bit jealous!
"Don't you think she's really sweet? So much cuter than that bunch of smelly brats..." replied Ling Lan, "I like this kind of little sister!"
Seeing Lan Luofeng's stricken face, Ling Lan added on helplessly, "Purely as an elder brother towards a younger sister. Mum, don't overthink it."
That said, Ling Lan ran away! Leaving behind a petrified Lan Luofeng.
And then, in the vast and vacant great hall, a hysterical cry rang out:
"AHAHAH... Nanyi, I'm going to go insane!" Lan Luofeng pulled at her hair wildly; at this moment, she no longer retained any of her so-called decorum.
A knife in hand, Ling Nanyi rushed out from the kitchen in shock, "Mistress, what happened?"
"Boo hoo hoo, Nanyi, Baby Lan has really started thinking of herself as a boy... what should we do now?" Lan Luofeng's mind was echoing with the phrase 'purely as an elder brother towards a younger sister'... That 'younger sister' was most definitely referring to Luo Chao, then wouldn't the 'elder brother' be referring to Ling Lan herself?
Hearing this, Ling Nanyi's expression calmed down. "This is how it should be, otherwise Young Master Lan would not be able to pull off the role so well."
"But, I don't want to have a daughter-in-law in future, I want a son-in-law..." said Lan Luofeng in distress.
"Don't worry, Mistress. Even if Young Master Lan takes a young mistress, with the current technology, it will still be possible for the young mistress to give birth to Young Master Lan's child..." Ling Nanyi's eyes were s.h.i.+ning, starting to consider the possibilities along this avenue — where she could go to obtain excellent sperm, and then let Young Master Lan's and the young mistress's eggs combine to take the sperm and merge so that a pair of twins could be born... Of course, only Young Master Lan's child could be considered as family head for the Ling family. As for the young mistress's child, they would just be trained up as a loyalist to accompany Young Master Lan's child...
Listening to Housekeeper Ling Nanyi's counsel, Lan Luofeng felt that it made sense. After all, no matter whether her daughter took a wife or married a husband, it would not affect her getting grandchildren. Thus, her mood brightened, no longer conflicted.
Ling Lan, who had barely turned the corner, heard this conversation between her mum and the housekeeper, and was instantly rendered speechless. What was up with these people... she really could not think on the same wavelength as them.
However, Ling Lan did not take this matter to heart. She was still only 10 years old — whether she would marry a wife or husband, the choice was still very far off. Right now, she might as well make full use of her time to get stronger instead. Might was the true right!
Time pa.s.sed swiftly, three years went by just like that! In these three years, Ling Lan grew from a short little bean sprout into a stately and well-proportioned, aloof youth. Compared to three years ago, Ling Lan's current status within Special Cla.s.s-A of Year 4738 was also extremely noteworthy. Even the influential types like Wu Jiong and Li Yingjie could only turn their blades away, full-heartedly acknowledging Ling Lan as the only boss of Cla.s.s-A.
In reality, these three years were not as pleasant for Ling Lan as everyone a.s.sumed. By day, her authority was indeed unchallenged, but by night, she was thoroughly living a tragedy. Within the learning s.p.a.ce, she was going through countless torments, being bullied endlessly by Instructor Number Two.