99: Chapter 99: How can this be so tiring? What happened to the plan to just give up?

Originally, Lu Li felt exhausted, but the moment he heard Shen Qingxue's words, he instantly perked up as if he'd been pumped full of adrenaline.

"Remember! Never say the three words 'can you do it' to a man! Don't ask! If you ask, the answer is always yes!"

Lu Li looked at Shen Qingxue with a solemn expression, his tone exceptionally earnest.

Shen Qingxue was stunned for a moment.

Before she could react, Lu Li had already reached out and taken the two bags from her hands, then turned around, marching forward imposingly with massive strides.

Shen Qingxue stood in place, looking at Lu Li's retreating figure, and suddenly fell silent.

She could never figure out where Lu Li's unwarranted competitive streak came from.

Would it kill him to yield?

Besides, she had been talking about sharing the load, not questioning his ability. What on earth was going on inside this guy's head?

Shen Qingxue sighed silently and quickened her pace to catch up.

The two of them walked one after the other.

Up front, Lu Li puffed out his chest and walked with large strides, while Shen Qingxue followed leisurely behind at a distance of about two or three steps.

No matter how you looked at it, the scene was utterly comical.

"Give them to me. I didn't mean to question you just now."

Shen Qingxue caught up, her tone filled with unexpected comfort.

However, Lu Li stuck to his one and only line.

"I can do it!"

Hearing this, Shen Qingxue didn't say anything more. She had already given him a chance; since Lu Li liked biting off more than he could chew so much...

Fine, then he could carry them, as long as he didn't work himself to death.

Soon, Lu Li's expression gradually grew unnatural because he was already starting to regret it.

"Damn it, I acted too tough. Who can save me?"

My hands are so sore, my arms hurt so bad, the bags are heavy, the road is so long, and I get to taste pure exhaustion.

Yet he couldn't stop, couldn't turn back, and couldn't even show a single trace of exhaustion on his face.

After all, face was something he had managed to pick back up with great difficulty; could he really just throw it away again?

If he threw it away again, he'd never be able to pick it back up.

...

Fortunately, the taxi the two had called arrived quickly.

Using his very last ounce of strength, Lu Li shoved all the things into the trunk, pulled open the front passenger door, and flopped straight into the seat.

The moment the car door closed, he finally felt a sense of relief and almost collapsed limply onto the seat.

...

The car wove through the night, neon lights flashing past one after another outside the window.

Leaning against the seat, Lu Li felt the soreness in his arms gradually dissipating, and his whole body slowly relaxed.

About forty minutes later, the taxi stopped at the entrance of the residential complex.

Lu Li paid the fare, got out of the car, opened the trunk, and hauled out all those bags of various sizes.

This time he didn't bite off more than he could chew, obediently dividing them into two portions to carry.

Shen Qingxue picked up the other portion and followed behind him.

The two of them walked into the complex one after the other, went upstairs, and opened the door.

The moment the door was pushed open, Lu Li placed the items in the entryway and changed his shoes.

Then he sorted the bags one by one, putting what belonged in the fridge into the fridge and what belonged in the living room into the living room.

After finishing all this, he collapsed directly onto the living room sofa, sprawling out in a star shape while staring at the ceiling and letting out a long breath.

Tiring, truly tiring.

It felt on par with paddling a plastic boat out at sea.

Thinking of this, Lu Li felt how hypocritical he was being! What happened to the promised lying flat?!

"Get up."

At this moment, Shen Qingxue's voice came from the kitchen doorway.

Lu Li turned his head and gave her a feeble look.

"What is it?"

"Bring the vegetables over. Wash what needs washing, cut what needs cutting, and then come over and help."

Lu Li's mouth twitched.

He really wanted to say "I'm so tired, let me rest for a while", but looking at Shen Qingxue's back as she tied her apron, he swallowed the words back down.

After all, could he, a grown man, be less capable than Shen Qingxue?!

Do it! Doing miscellaneous chores is what it's all about; if a dog won't do it, he'll do it, and if a dog wants to do it, he'll fight to do it!

...

Inside the kitchen, Shen Qingxue had already tied her apron and was chopping vegetables.

Her movements were swift, knife rising and falling.

Lu Li leaned against the kitchen doorframe and watched for a moment, unable to help sighing inwardly.

This sister really had some skills; even chopping vegetables was so pleasing to watch.

"What are you standing there spacing out for? Handle the scallions, ginger, and garlic over there."

Shen Qingxue said without even raising her head.

"Oh."

Lu Li walked over, picked up the bag of scallions, ginger, and garlic, and began peeling the garlic and slicing the scallions.

The two of them busied themselves separately, their coordination still as tacit as ever.

Before long, three dishes and a soup were laid out on the dining table.

Braised pork ribs, stir-fried seasonal vegetables, scrambled eggs with tomatoes, and a bowl of seaweed egg drop soup.

They were all home-cooked dishes, but their presentation was excellent, instantly whetting one's appetite at the sight of them.

Lu Li ladled a bowl of soup, took a sip, narrowed his eyes, and sighed with satisfaction.

"Ah~ Delicious."

Shen Qingxue sat across from him, picked up a piece of pork ribs, put it in her mouth, chewed, and nodded slightly, appearing very satisfied with her own cooking skills.

The two of them ate quietly, neither speaking.

Lu Li was indeed exhausted today, and his eating speed was much faster than usual. He wolfed down two bowls of rice before slowing his pace.

Shen Qingxue ate leisurely, having only eaten half a bowl of rice.

"Right."

She suddenly spoke up.

Lu Li still had a piece of rib hanging out of his mouth and responded incoherently.

"Hm?"

"Don't rush to lie down after eating later. Help me publish a statement together."

Lu Li spat out the bone, wiped his mouth, and raised his head with a look of confusion.

"What statement?"

"About the duo."

Shen Qingxue put down her chopsticks, picked up a tissue to wipe the corner of her mouth, her movements unhurried.

"Since the Rock Sugar Pear duo has already been registered and the equipment has been bought, it's time to let the outside world know about the existence of the Rock Sugar Pear duo."

Lu Li was stunned for a moment, then asked doubtfully.

"Alright, how should we post it? You write it or I write it?"

"Together."

Lu Li nodded and then sped up his eating.

After finishing the meal, Lu Li proactively cleared away the bowls and chopsticks.

Shen Qingxue didn't stand on ceremony with him either, leaning back on the sofa and scrolling through her phone, not knowing what she was looking at.

When Lu Li came out of the kitchen, Shen Qingxue raised her head to glance at him, then placed her phone on the coffee table.

"Come sit over here."

Lu Li walked over and sat down on the single-person sofa nearby.

"What's up?"

"About posting the statement."

Shen Qingxue paused, her gaze falling on his face.

"We need to figure out what format to post it in."

Lu Li leaned against the sofa, resting his hands behind his head, and thought about it.

"Weibo? Post an image-text combination, just saying that the Rock Sugar and Pear Duo is officially established, and ask everyone to take care of us."

Shen Qingxue shook her head slightly.

"If we just post images and text, that would be too perfunctory."

Lu Li raised an eyebrow.

"Then what do you think?"

Shen Qingxue didn't answer immediately, lowering her head to think for a moment.