Yang Shiluo couldn’t come back to her senses for a long time.
She had sexual fantasies before, and the subject was rather obvious. The reason sexual fantasies existed was because these fantasies were difficult to realize. When the dream became a reality, Yang Shiluo questioned if she was having a wet dream, even though her busy work clearly indicated it was real.
Indeed, it happened.
She actually slept with Lai Zuo Yi, sharing a bed together.
In the past, she had only engaged in ambiguous relationships with Lai Zuo Yi, and they had never confessed their feelings. Yet, when they met again, they immediately advanced to a more intimate stage. Yang Shiluo couldn’t believe it and couldn’t help but wear a silly smile all day. This unexpected turn of events was both sudden and beautiful, making it hard for her to calm down. When she met Lai Zuo Yi again that night, she felt a sense of first love — she couldn’t bring herself to look directly into the other’s smiling face.
“Is Xiaoyue still hungry? Do you want something to eat?” Yang Shiluo, lacking any dignity, could only speak to the silently bowed head of the little adult beside her.
“I bought something for her to eat earlier.” Lai Zuo Yi’s voice concealed a hint of amusement. “Shiluo, would you like to stay overnight at my place tonight?”
“Th-that’s… alright!” Yang Shiluo, under the extremely ambiguous gaze of Lai Zuo Yi, became awkward in her movements.
Lai Zuo Yi couldn’t help but burst into laughter, and the gaze exchanged between the adults carried a subtle hint of budding love. The little adult, however, remained silent, looking down and walking ahead.
Perhaps it was because of the physical intimacy, Yang Shiluo couldn’t help but be more attentive to Lai Zuo Yi, who was clearly emphasizing that Lai Yunyue was her biological daughter. Yang Shiluo felt her own common sense being disrupted, and sometimes she even believed that she was the one who gave birth to the child.
Although no matter how hard she tried, the distance between her and Lai Yunyue couldn’t be bridged, being with Lai Zuo Yi felt like being part of a family. Yang Shiluo often stayed overnight at Lai Zuo Yi’s place and frequently accompanied them on outings. They seemed like a real family — two adults and a child.
How sweet.
However, Yang Shiluo always felt that something was amiss.
She liked Lai Zuo Yi very much and enjoyed the intimate communication between them. However, she couldn’t quite pinpoint what felt strange. It seemed like she was standing at the door, seemingly free to come and go with a key in hand, but in reality, she was being blocked. Most importantly, sometimes she would notice bruises on Lai Yunyue’s body.
“Because that child likes to walk with her head down. She often stumbles or bumps into things while walking. I’ve told her many times to look ahead,” Lai Zuo Yi sighed, her gaze carrying a hint of reproach.
“Sorry, Mom…” Lai Yunyue lowered her head, showing extreme caution.
This was what puzzled Yang Shiluo.
Sometimes she felt that Lai Yunyue was always suppressing nervous behavior. However, seeing that Lai Zuo Yi didn’t say much, she naturally refrained from saying more. Yang Shiluo guessed it might be because the child was naturally introverted from a young age. Vaguely, she remembered being shy as a child and only becoming lively in elementary school.
This couldn’t be rushed; it had to be taken step by step.
“In the future, you must lift your head and look at the road! Otherwise, you’ll keep getting hurt, and it will make me sad too!” Yang Shiluo said, considering for a moment before deciding not to pat her head but to offer a gentle smile. Lai Yunyue looked over cautiously and lowered her head before responding with a smile.
Yang Shiluo rubbed her nose. Should she get used to this feeling of being ignored?
Could it be that Lai Yunyue was angry because she took Lai Zuo Yi away?
With a sudden realization, Yang Shiluo gave herself a mental high-five and then cleared her throat when she met Lai Zuo Yi’s gaze, returning to the main topic: “I’ll take care of Xiaoyue tomorrow!”
“Yes, I might be working a bit late tomorrow. Thank you for your help,” Lai Zuo Yi replied.
“No, no! Senior sister is the one working harder!” Yang Shiluo waved her hands frantically. “Anything you need, just give me a call!”
“I’m really glad you’re here,” Lai Zuoyi’s mouth curled up with a hint of helplessness. “I hope things can stabilize soon.”
“Sure! Even if it takes a while, Senior sister can rely on me for anything!” Yang Shiluo said confidently. She was surprised at herself; in the past, she was the one who accepted help, and now, she found herself able to help others.
Lai Zuoyi has been back in the country for three months. She resigned from her job a few days ago, and Yang Shiluo knew better than to ask why. Even though she was curious about the reason for Lai Zuoyi’s resignation, she refrained from asking. After all, she had heard that the company had good benefits and salary, and she even had the opportunity to become a team leader. Yang Shiluo suddenly remembered the days when she used to change part-time jobs frequently, and thinking about it, it was indeed miraculous that she had been working in the dumpling shop for so long.
The next day after work, Yang Shiluo hurriedly went to pick up Lai Yunyue.
She found Lai Yunyue unexpectedly huddled next to the children’s storybook section. What surprised her even more was that Lai Yunyue was reading the first volume of Harry Potter—in the original English version.
Yang Shiluo swallowed nervously. Although many people said that reading the first volume in the original version was easy, it was still challenging for her, who was an English illiterate. She couldn’t help but sigh at Lai Zuoyi’s excellent genes. Lai Yunyue clearly excelled in foreign languages.
Although they had lived abroad before, for Lai Yunyue, Chinese might be more challenging.
Lai Yunyue was deeply engrossed in the book, and it wasn’t until Yang Shiluo accidentally sneezed while flipping through a children’s storybook that she snapped out of it. She quickly closed the book, lowered her head, and waited for Yang Shiluo to lead her away.
“What’s wrong with Xiaoyue? Why so nervous?” Yang Shiluo sniffed, and the little adult in front of her shook her head. She picked up the Harry Potter book that Lai Yunyue had casually left and smiled, slightly lowering her body. “Xiaoyue is so amazing! I can’t read this book because I’m not good at it. Do you find it interesting? Do you want me to borrow it for you to continue reading later?”
“Can I?” Lai Yunyue asked anxiously.
“Of course! You are… my daughter!” Yang Shiluo wanted to say “Lai Zuoyi,” but the frequent mention of “my daughter” made her change her words unconsciously.
There was a slight change on Lai Yunyue’s bewildered little face. Yang Shiluo felt joyous; this was the first time she had seen Lai Yunyue smile so happily, and it lasted for more than ten seconds.
They borrowed the book and went home together.
Yang Shiluo skillfully took out the keys to open the door, and Lai Yunyue carefully carried the book inside. Without Yang Shiluo saying much, the little adult had already obediently returned to her room to put things away and headed to the bathroom with her clothes to take a bath. After turning on the water heater, Yang Shiluo sent a message to Lai Zuoyi and sat in a chair, lost in thought.
When she was about to fall asleep, she heard a loud bang.
“Yunyue!”
Yang Shiluo was startled and shouted loudly, quickly rushing to open the bathroom door.
She took a deep breath, her heart tightening.
“It’s, it’s okay…” Lai Yunyue weakly said. She had undoubtedly slipped in the bathtub, her frail body swaying and unable to get up. Yang Shiluo couldn’t hide the panic on her face, hurriedly picking her up but not knowing where to look.
Lai Yunyue’s body was covered in wounds, large and small.
If she hadn’t heard the sound of her falling, Yang Shiluo was sure she would never have discovered this.
