Chapter 15 So Annoying

"Uncle, didn't you say you're going on another business trip in a few days?"

After a day of classes, Mingmei returned to the dorm and plunged headfirst into the vast sea of homework.

She hated it!

She hated the amount of homework!

She hated that she couldn't understand so much of it!

She hated that she was actually doing her homework honestly!

She had barely escaped the torment of the previous night when Mingmei's Uncle Yan Hui, as if equipped with some kind of electronic eye, video-called her as soon as she finished her all-night study session.

His timing was even better than Mu Chen's!

But all she got was the news that her uncle was going on a business trip.

"Are you just going to abandon your company?"

Mingmei stared at the background in her uncle's video call; it was obviously still his office.

"Of course not, or why else would I be in the office so late?"

"Don't think I don't know your office has a bedroom, and you sleep there every day instead of going home, and you even have a private bathroom."

Yan Hui: "..."

"Aren't you even going to ask me where I'm going on this trip? Don't you feel sorry for your uncle?"

Yan Hui's tearful act on the other end of the video call didn't elicit any sympathy or wavering from Mingmei.

The things that had happened after the rest of the family had shown sympathy for her uncle had taught her a lesson—don't feel sorry for Yan Hui; you're more pitiful than he is.

"Uncle, how much are you planning to make on this trip?"

"Is this about how much money I'm making?"

"So, Uncle, are you going on this business trip to make money or not? If not, what are you whining about to me?"

Yan Hui: "...Meimei, you've become wicked."

"Thank you, Uncle. It's all thanks to your games."

Hearing Mingmei's strange tone, Yan Hui couldn't help but recall the scene of being "hunted down" by her father during the winter vacation.

Sigh, so tiring!

"You're really less and less cute as you get older. I should advise your older brother to have a second child quickly, and your second brother should put having his first child on the schedule. I have no kids to play with."

Listen to that; is that even human?

"Uncle, by then you'll be a grand-uncle. How can you say such a thing?"

Mingmei was speechless, thinking about Yan Hui urging his brothers to have children. She fought fire with fire, asking with concern, "Speaking of which, Uncle, how come you haven't found anyone after all these years? Mom said she doesn't have any requirements for you anymore, as long as it's a person, gender doesn't matter. If that doesn't work, even if it's not a person, it's fine. With technology so advanced, why not have the mainframe godfather create a silicon-based life partner for you?"

Yan Hui: "..."

"Forget it, I'm going to the Federation the day after tomorrow. Do you want me to bring you any souvenirs? When I get to Ming Song's place, is there anything you need me to bring him, or anything you want Ming Song to buy for you?" Yan Hui changed the subject away from marriage and simply told her where he was going.

"No, just be careful. The Federation is too far."

Hearing that Yan Hui was going to the Federation, Mingmei instinctively wanted to ask him why he was going on a business trip to the Federation, but then she realized that her uncle would definitely not tell her.

Seeing Mingmei frown slightly, a look of entanglement and worry flashing in her eyes, Yan Hui smiled gently and said, "Don't worry, it's nothing. I'm just going to take a look around and come back in a while."

"Okay..."

Mingmei nodded slowly. After hanging up the video call, she hesitated for a moment and then called Ruan Xun directly.

Uncle Ruan Ruan should know about Uncle Yan Hui's movements!

As a result, as soon as Ruan Xun's optical brain turned on, Mingmei saw Yan Hui, who was in another video call a minute ago, appearing on the screen.

He smiled like an old fox, narrowed his eyes, and asked, "Hehe~ What does Meimei want with your Uncle Ruan Ruan so late at night?"

Mingmei: "...?"

Why was her Uncle Ruan Ruan's optical brain in Uncle Yan Hui's hands?

"Are you going on a business trip together?"

"You guessed it! Too bad, there's no reward~"

"Where's Uncle Ruan Ruan?"

"He snatched my office bedroom to take a shower. Didn't you see I'm lying on the meeting sofa in the office now?"

Hearing his relaxed tone, Mingmei's words, which she originally wanted to use to get information from Ruan Xun, were completely choked back, and her face flushed red.

"Meimei, what's wrong with your face?"

Mingmei: "..."

"What are you two doing together in the Federation?"

In the end, Mingmei couldn't help but ask.

"Ah, a business trip, don't worry." Yan Hui's eyes flashed, obviously guessing what Mingmei wanted to ask, and then he started dodging the question, "If you don't sleep so late, you'll go bald, you know~"

Mingmei: "You should be telling yourself that."

"Oh, don't be so serious. Your Uncle Ruan Ruan and I really are just on a business trip. We're not going to do anything bad."

Mingmei: ???

Was that an admission against interest?

She didn't even say they were going to do anything bad!

Seeing the expression on Mingmei's face that he had elicited, Yan Hui immediately smiled and said, "Meimei is so easy to fool!"

Mingmei: "..."

...

"So, your dark circles today are because you were angered by Mr. Yan Hui?"

There were no offline classes today. Mingmei stayed up all night because she was so angry at Yan Hui that she couldn't sleep, and she attended online classes. After finishing, she planned to sleep during the day to catch up, but before she could turn off the communicator, she received a message from Yan Hui: "Want to have breakfast together? Trying out a new delicacy (#^.^#)~"

So, she appeared in front of Mu Chen with a complexion almost as pale as a zombie, and it wasn't until the steaming savory porridge appeared in front of her that she woke up and told Mu Chen what had happened.

"Yeah, when I was little, I heard my godfather say that my dad used to bully my uncle a lot when my mom wasn't around, and even beat them up. At the time, I thought my uncles were so pitiful... Now... heh~"

Mingmei recalled how Uncle Ruan Xun, who had come out of the bathroom last night, had taken the communicator and continued the video call with her, dodging the question more smoothly than Yan Hui.

In the end, he didn't even bother to say anything about staying up late and going bald, and simply said, "Hello? Huh? The mainframe's signal coverage isn't good... Hello! Ah?"

Then he hung up on her.

Mingmei: "..."

Now she wished her dad would beat those two unlucky uncles a few more times!

"They both like to make people angry... If it's not convenient to say, they could just say that it's not convenient for me to know..."

As she spoke, Mingmei scooped up a spoonful of the steaming casserole porridge. The thoroughly cooked rice grains were accompanied by unknown snow-white and tender meat, and the sensation in her mouth was wonderful.

"If they directly said it wasn't convenient to say, wouldn't you worry that they were engaged in some mysterious activity and there would be unknown dangers?"

Even Mu Chen knew that Mingmei had inherited her mother's laid-back but worried personality. Yan Hui and Ruan Xun were naturally aware of this as well.

"So, is this really dangerous?"

"Pfft~ Eat your porridge. How does it taste?"

Mu Chen chuckled, stopping Mingmei from dwelling on Yan Hui's affairs and instead asking her how the casserole porridge tasted.

"It's pretty good. The meat tastes a bit like chicken, and a bit like fish, somewhere in between."

"It's bug meat."

"Huh?"

Mingmei's eyes nearly popped out of her head. She turned to look at the window where Mu Chen had gotten the food, and sure enough, the four big words "New Product Release" were posted there, followed by a line of smaller words—"Live-Cooked Bug Meat Porridge."

No wonder there was no one at that window just now!