“It’s okay.”
Breaking the awkward silence, it was Lai Yun Yue who spoke.
“Mom is very busy, so it’s okay.”
“It can’t be okay.” Yang Shiluo didn’t fully agree, even if those words made Lai Yun Yue sound like a mature little adult. “Senior, let’s discuss Yun Yue’s situation, okay? We can’t leave her alone, and we shouldn’t leave her at the kindergarten until so late.”
“Of course.” Lai Zuo Yi smiled, “She is your daughter.”
Yang Shiluo, not accustomed to this, coughed several times abruptly.
The three of them left and found a convenience store. Lai Zuo Yi was surprised by the variety of bento inside the store, and it being open 24 hours. It was then that Yang Shiluo realized that 24-hour stores are rare abroad and are quite monotonous.
Lai Yun Yue sat beside them, sipping on her Yakult, while the two adults discussed matters. After finalizing their plans, Yang Shiluo noticed that Lai Yun Yue had fallen asleep while sitting, her little chin pressed against the cup of Yakult, leaving a circle of red marks.
Lai Zuo Yi smirked, and Yang Shiluo, holding back her laughter, carried her out. After sending the mother and daughter off in a taxi, Yang Shiluo rode her motorcycle home, took a quick shower, and almost instantly closed her eyes.
From now on, she would start feeling tired.
But thinking about Lai Yun Yue’s cute little face, Yang Shiluo didn’t mind too much. After all, she was Lai Zuo Yi’s daughter. Even though so many years had passed without any contact, sometimes emotions work in mysterious ways, like a flower blooming for one person, withering when neglected, and flourishing again when touched by rain.
In the middle of it all, of course, there were moments of reluctance and even doubt about whether the other person remembered her or not. Yang Shiluo yawned, turned off the lights, and went to sleep.
The next day was still busy, but with the arrangement she had made with Auntie Guo, Yang Shiluo could temporarily leave the shop around four-thirty to five o’clock to pick up Lai Yun Yue. She would then take her to a library with a specially designated children’s reading area. There, they would find other children, and sometimes even a librarian who would read them stories.
Although Lai Yun Yue appeared timid, she eventually went inside, picked a children’s book, and started reading on her own. Yang Shiluo left her contact information with the librarian before hurrying back to work. She would return to the nearly closed library after finishing work to pick up Lai Yun Yue.
Honestly, if she were not Lai Zuo Yi’s daughter, Yang Shiluo might not have had this much patience. Especially when she realized that no matter what she asked, Lai Yun Yue was either silent or kept her head low. Her originally warm heart could easily be extinguished.
But still, she made an effort to talk to Lai Yun Yue, waiting together until Lai Zuo Yi finished work.
This routine continued for a week until Lai Zuo Yi’s work stabilized, and Lai Yun Yue could finally come home earlier. Yang Shiluo felt happy for the mother and daughter, and a significant burden was lifted from her shoulders. During that time, no matter how she tried to talk to Lai Yun Yue, she was either ignored or subtly rejected.
Who was Lai Yun Yue’s father, after all?
One day, Lai Zuo Yi invited her out for afternoon tea again, to the same place they went on the day she returned to the country. Yang Shiluo found it curious that the little one didn’t come along this time.
“Where’s Little Yue Yue? Why didn’t she come over?”
“She’s at home,” Lai Zuo Yi said. “After all, it’s a bit chaotic since I just got back. I asked Yun Yue to tidy up her room first; otherwise, both of us would make an even bigger mess.”
“Wow, do you need help?”
“No—I think I need it.” Lai Zuo Yi suddenly changed her tone, and Yang Shiluo’s body tensed up. Watching the fingers of the other person touch her hand, if it were someone else making this move, she might have casually asked what they were doing. However, given that it was Lai Zuo Yi, Yang Shiluo’s mind went blank.
“Tonight?”
“Yes.” Yang Shiluo swallowed nervously as their fingers entwined. Lai Zuo Yi used her other hand to push back her hair and continued eating the waffle.
In a state of extreme tension, Yang Shiluo ended this date and went with Lai Zuo Yi to her home. As she ascended the familiar stairs, if not for the freshly painted walls in the stairwell, she might have felt like she had gone back to her student days when she used to visit her senior’s home.
This was the old residence where Lai Zuo Yi lived before going abroad.
“So, what about your parents?”
“They’re probably in Europe. Since going abroad, they’ve become fascinated with the freshness of foreign places. After I graduated, they started traveling around. I receive postcards from them every month; my room is almost covered with them,” Lai Zuo Yi explained.
“It feels good—how should I say it? Exciting! When I have enough money, I want to go abroad too…”
“How about we go together?” Lai Zuo Yi replied with a smile as she opened the door. Yang Shiluo was about to say something when the door opened. They entered, and Lai Zuo Yi casually shouted, “Yun Yue, is your room tidy? Mommy is here, and I bought fried rice for you.”
“Okay—” Lai Yun Yue’s voice, lacking vitality, came from the corridor. Yang Shiluo breathed a sigh of relief. It seemed that her earlier statement about going together included her as Lai Zuo Yi’s daughter; otherwise, it would have been embarrassing.
Lai Yun Yue, with her hair disheveled, emerged from the living room, awkwardly greeting Yang Shiluo.
“Hello, Mommy.”
“Uh… good, all good.”
She didn’t have time to exchange glances with Lai Yun Yue, just watching the little grown-up eat fried rice on the sofa by herself. Lai Zuo Yi led her into the corridor, and Yang Shiluo took a deep breath. Although the living room was very clean, as soon as they entered the corridor, she saw many cardboard boxes.
“We sold a lot of things when we came back, but there are still a lot,” Lai Zuo Yi sighed. “But luckily, we have you to help organize!”
“Okay.”
Yang Shiluo felt that she would definitely have a sore back and waist tomorrow. Following Lai Zuo Yi’s instructions, she began her work.
By the time she had sorted and cleaned up Lai Zuo Yi’s things, she was already drenched in sweat. If she hadn’t been accustomed to labor, Yang Shiluo felt she would have collapsed from exhaustion long ago. When she took a short break and planned to see if Lai Yun Yue needed help, Lai Zuo Yi stopped her.
“Yun Yue isn’t used to anyone else touching her things,” Lai Zuo Yi explained. “It’s also getting late now. Let’s go buy dinner!”
“Does Yun Yue really not need any help?”
“Trust your daughter,” Lai Zuo Yi said with a bright smile, pulling her to buy dinner and bring it home.
Yang Shiluo quietly observed this mother-daughter duo. Lai Zuo Yi still had a lot of energy, but Lai Yun Yue seemed like she could collapse and fall asleep at any moment. After the three of them finished dinner, Lai Yun Yue indeed closed her eyes and fell into a deep sleep on the sofa. Lai Zuo Yi shrugged helplessly, gently pinched her daughter’s little cheek, and looked back at Yang Shiluo.
“Do you want to stay overnight?”
Yang Shiluo almost choked.
“Ov-overnight? Isn’t that inappropriate? I, I, I…”
With Lai Zuo Yi’s ambiguous gaze and the hand caressing her thigh, Yang Shiluo couldn’t find the words and swallowed hard.
“I’ll help Yun Yue take a bath first. You can use the bathroom in my room, and the water flow is separate, so no need to worry about competing for it… You’ve helped a lot, just take the chance to rest at my place for a night.”
“Okay…”
She felt quite helpless to refuse.
Yang Shiluo’s emotions were in turmoil. Standing in the bathtub, she showered using Lai Zuo Yi’s shampoo and shower gel. Her body was enveloped in the scent that belonged to Lai Zuo Yi. Thinking that she might sleep in her bed later—Yang Shiluo decisively decided to take a cold shower to cool down.
This was just a simple expression of gratitude, nothing more.
“But everything felt like a bomb explosion.”
Yang Shiluo came out after finishing her shower, temporarily wearing Lai Zuo Yi’s clothes. As she nervously blow-dried her hair, they also finished washing. Lai Yinyin shook her head, speaking unclearly, bidding her good night. Yang Shiluo felt like she was about to explode with cuteness when her heart almost stopped.
Because she saw Lai Zuo Yi walking out in just a white shirt and underwear. Humming a tune, he swayed into Lai Yinyin’s room. Five minutes later, he came out, gently closing Lai Yinyin’s door.
Yang Shiluo forced herself to look away.
“How hot did you take your shower?” Lai Zuo Yi sat down beside her, laughing. “Your face is so red.”
“Hot showers are good…” She mumbled, looking at Lai Zuo Yi as he picked up the hairdryer. Later, he went into the bathroom to retrieve his changed clothes. Only then did she shake off the fragrance lingering in her mind.
“Sis, my clothes—”
“Just shower together! Otherwise, it’s not cost-effective to only wash mine and Yinyin’s, and you still need to wear clothes in the morning, right?”
“Um… that makes sense.”
Locked in the room by Lai Zuoyi, Yang Shiluo’s heart was pounding. Sitting on the bed, she desperately scrolled through her phone, trying not to think about whether something might happen with the person she secretly admired. She had passed the age of innocence; how could she not think about it calmly?
When Lai Zuoyi returned, she looked up and heard a click. The bright light was switched to a soft yellow. Yang Shiluo’s body froze completely. Her breath carried a slight warmth, and her lips felt an unfamiliar softness.
“Sis.”
“Hush.” Lai Zuoyi’s voice had a hint of amusement as he pressed down on Yang Shiluo, kissing her cheek. “You haven’t forgotten how passionate you were the night Yinyin was conceived, have you? Let’s reminisce together… about how enthusiastic you were that night.”
