The rectangular dining table was simple yet had a holy feel, and the dishes already on the table made Luis a little hungry just by looking at them.
"Co on, sit down. I haven't cooked in a long ti, so you're not allowed to complain later," Blanche said as she untied her apron and brought over a steaming hot soup.
It was a holy al of four dishes and one soup. The soup was a fresh bamboo fungus, scallop, and conch soup. There was a plate of mushrooms stewed with chicken thighs, a plate of braised pork ribs, a vegetarian dish of Dutch beans stir-fried with mushrooms, and for seafood, a large plate of stead Hainan crab with garlic and glass noodles.
"Is it okay to drink this?" Blanche said, her eyes alluring as she took out a bottle of VXOP.
Avery had already brought the glasses, three tall wine glasses, and said excitedly, "Mom, I want so too!"
"Alright, Miss Avery!" Blanche said in a very helpless tone, but she still poured wine for her daughter.
The mother and daughter sat together, with Luis sitting across from them. He was the first to raise his glass and said with a smile, "Teacher Blanche, Avery, I know it might sound a bit cliché, but regardless, congratulations to you. You finally have your own ho."
"I won't say much else, thank you!!" Blanche's face flushed with a charming red. She looked at the wine in her glass and chose to down it in one go.
Although it was a small wine glass, it held a good two ounces. There was no ice or anything else mixed in, just pure liquor of a potency that would make most n's scalps tingle just looking at it.
Seeing how bold she was, Luis didn't hesitate either. He raised his glass and downed it in one go.
In the past, he wouldn't have had the nerve, as his alcohol tolerance was only average. But now his Physique was already at 9, and this boost was comprehensive. It wasn't just agility, strength, and sexual ability; even his alcohol tolerance had improved. That was why Luis had the audacity now.
Avery looked a bit troubled. She raised her glass and took a big sip, only to be hit by the harshness. She imdiately ran to the fridge to get so ice cubes to mix in. Then, swirling her glass, she said, "This doesn't taste good. It's better mixed with green tea or mineral water, or red wine with Sprite isn't bad either."
At her words, Blanche subconsciously looked at Luis, and Luis also looked at her. There was a tacit understanding in each other's eyes, both finding this childish innocence particularly endearing.
"Let's eat sothing first," Blanche prompted.
They chatted while drinking, keeping to lighter topics, but then inevitably the conversation turned to the fact that today they had only invited Luis as a guest. Logically, closer relatives, like Blanche's parents or brothers, could have been invited today too, but she hadn't invited any of them. As for the reason, Luis didn't feel like asking.
Avery, imitating an adult's boldness, had taken a few more sips and her face was already flushed with drunkenness. Suddenly, she looked at Luis with a beaming smile and said, "We really do look like a family of three sitting together like this."
"What nonsense are you talking about?" Blanche's face reddened, and she felt a bit nervous. Could it be that her daughter had noticed sothing?
Avery wasn't backing down this ti. She looked at her mother and pouted, saying, "What's wrong with what I said? Brother-in-law has been so good to us. Not only did he lend Mom the money to buy this apartnt, but he also put so much effort into the renovation and everything. And now Mom herself says work is going smoothly and her inco is pretty good. Before, you were always so busy, but now you actually have so ti to spend with . You don't even realize how big a difference that makes, do you?"
These words stunned Blanche for a mont, and the guilt she felt towards her daughter surged uncontrollably.
Avery raised her glass again, grinning playfully. "Brother-in-law has helped you so much, Mom. And have you forgotten? When Bunny and I were being bullied by David, Brother-in-law risked getting hurt to save us. And that night, Brother-in-law stayed there first, guarding us the entire night. He took care of the dical bills and everything afterwards too."
"There was also that ti when the tutoring fees were due. You were so busy that whole weekend, Mom. Finally, Bunny ntioned it to Brother-in-law, and he helped pay for ."
Hearing this, the guilt in Blanche's heart grew heavier. The look she gave Luis beca increasingly soft and alluring.
"See, Brother-in-law is like the pillar of our family."
Avery smiled ambiguously, her gaze flitting between her mother and Luis. She said softly, "And Mom, you're very beautiful too. You and Brother-in-law look like a really good match."
Blanche, feeling extrely guilty and flustered, imdiately put on a stern face. "Avery, don't talk nonsense. He's a married man, and..."
"And what? So what if he's married? Mom, I was just joking. Why are you so nervous?"
"You..."
Faced with her daughter's seemingly joking yet aningful smile, Blanche actually felt a bit nervous, sensing that her daughter might be deliberately teasing her.
Avery didn't pursue it further. She looked back at Luis and giggled. "Brother-in-law... you've really made feel the wonderful feeling of having a dad. How about you be my godfather? Then it would be perfectly natural for you to co to our house, right?"
Her teasing was spot on, because Blanche had given Luis the keys to their apartnt. Logically, you wouldn't give keys to soone outside the family.
Blanche frowned prettily. "You're so disrespectful. How old is your brother-in-law? He couldn't possibly have a daughter as old as you."
Avery retorted confidently, "That's why he'd be my godfather, not my real dad... Anyway, forget all that. The point is, he genuinely cares about . Mom, don't you realize that?"
Before the flustered and amused Blanche could react, Avery imdiately turned and said, "Brother-in-law, from now on, you're my godfather! I've always wanted a godfather as good and handso as you."
Hearing this, Blanche was a bit taken aback. After looking at Luis, she found herself unable to think of a reason to refuse.
She suddenly understood her daughter's excitent. She herself had had a tough ti as a single mother here all these years, but her daughter, who had always been constantly on the move, had also had a hard ti. Under these circumstances, it was already a blessing that she hadn't gone astray. Usually, she didn't have the ti to care for her properly. When her daughter made good little friends like Leah, she was overjoyed.
No amount of talk about the pressures of life mattered. The truth was, over these years, she had even lacked in providing maternal love due to struggling to make ends et. Let alone paternal love. This was probably the first ti her daughter had clearly felt the sensation of being cared for and protected. No wonder she was so excited.
Looking at Avery's proposal, Luis actually felt a flicker of wicked excitent inside. But afraid Blanche might notice, he still used a joking tone and said, "You'd be losing out, though. If you call godfather, then Bunny would beco your elder, wouldn't she?"
"Oh yeah, that's right!"
Avery frowned prettily, actually pondering this very seriously. Then, with great magnanimity, she declared, "Well, forget it then! When she's around, I'll call you brother-in-law. When she's not around, you're my godfather."
Blanche was stunned when she heard this. Looking at the longing expression on her daughter's face, she seed to understand just what kind of place this man held in her daughter's heart, a place she herself had neglected or been unable to fill.
In a daze, watching her daughter's unusual excitent, she suddenly realized this was a side Avery had never shown in front of her.
Luis's thoughts were extrely wicked. Your mother calling godfather would be more like it, and here you are, already calling that first. Of course, he wasn't one to refuse such a thing. He chuckled and ruffled her hair. "So, does that an I have to give you a big red envelope too?"
"Definitely!" Avery winked mischievously with her big eyes.
Around eight o'clock, Blanche received several calls about booking tables. She stopped drinking, wolfed down a few mouthfuls of rice, and said with a flushed face, "I need to go to work first. I'll be back a bit later."
The opportunity to be alone with the little girl had finally arrived. Luis was excited but also wiped his mouth, saying, "I have so things to do too, so I'll get going."
To avoid suspicion, doubling back was naturally the best strategy.
Avery seed to understand the man's intentions too. She imdiately grinned, putting on an obedient look, and said, "Mom, Godfather, you two go ahead and do what you need to do. I'll clear the table, wash the dishes, and then take a nice shower and go to sleep, okay?"
Seeing her daughter's obedient appearance, Blanche felt very gratified.
In her eyes, even if she was going through adolescence, her daughter was still just a child. How could she possibly notice the hint of springti stirring beneath the tipsy flush on her daughter's pretty face?
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