Volume 13
Chapter 15: Hupo’s Heartache
In just one short day, Lu Li had undergone a huge transformation in his status, from a nameless nobody hunted by the Yan family to the Yan family’s designated representative by Zhu Xi. Zhu Xi had already handed him the capital; now it was his turn to fulfill his mission. After the meeting, the core management of the Yan family scrambled to leave. Most of them would probably never come back, only leaving a mess for Lu Li and Zhu Xi to clean up. They didn’t say it, but their expressions had already shown that they no longer believed this trapped beast could come back to life. The Yan Matriarch was gone, and the channels related to her were also cut off. What could two young people do?
Lu Li temporarily didn’t think about those headache-inducing matters. He still needed to handle his personal affairs first. After the meeting, Zhu Xi had rushed off to see Zhu Qiao. Lu Li followed her to the sanatorium room and heard the sound of the sisters hugging and crying inside. He hesitated for a moment, but in the end, he turned and left. It had been so long since the two sisters had seen each other. What was the point of him, a man, going in and ruining the mood? He had nowhere else to go, so he simply wandered around the vast Yan family mansion. The servants below knew that the master of this Yan family had changed, but they were still in awe of the Yan Matriarch’s lingering power and didn’t dare to get too close to Lu Li. This, on the contrary, left Lu Li with some leisure. He walked and stopped in the courtyard, thinking that this home was too big, not suitable for him. He still preferred that small home in Mulan.
Suddenly, a flash of gold appeared before his eyes. It was Wen Hupo, squatting by the wall, fiddling with something. As he got closer, he saw that she was stroking a black cat with white gloves. Lu Li’s stealthy appearance startled Wen Hupo. Her voice had a hint of petulance. “Are you trying to scare me to death?” The dark clouds in Lu Li’s heart dispersed. The moment he heard Hupo’s voice, he relaxed a lot. Lu Li hugged Hupo from behind. “I’m sorry. A hug as compensation.”
Hupo let out a soft “mm.” “Why is there someone raising a cat here? This mansion is so lifeless. I thought no one would keep pets. If they did, it would be reptiles.”
But Lu Li was thinking about something else. “Tell me, if I had agreed to go abroad with you back then, would what’s happening now have happened?” Hupo’s delicate body trembled. She blinked her eyes. “What are you talking about, going abroad?” “Didn’t you say back then that you wanted me to go abroad with you, for the two of us to find an ordinary job in a foreign country and live an ordinary and happy life?” “…You remember?”
Seeing that Hupo didn’t deny it, Lu Li sighed, a faint sadness crossing his heart, not for himself, but for Wen Hupo, for Shirley Amber. “During the backtracking, I saw the past, so naturally I remembered. Hupo, you were so beautiful in your wedding dress.” He remembered how he used to have flashback-like, fragmented memories. Perhaps that relationship had affected him too deeply, so much so that he couldn’t forget this golden-haired angel even after being reborn twice.
Wen Hupo’s eyes reddened. She turned and hugged Lu Li. She had wanted to be a little stronger, but after hugging Lu Li, she began to whimper and cry softly. Does Wen Hupo also cry? The little golden-haired cat would only proudly lick her fur and never take the initiative to act cute. Lu Li knew what she was crying about. Before awakening her past life’s memories, she had been worried about being replaced by the past Shirley Amber. But after awakening the memories of her past life, she, on the contrary, felt an indescribable sadness—she and Lu Li had had a sweet life after marriage, and even had children…
Lu Li gently stroked her golden hair. “Hupo, I know you’ve been wronged. Everyone owes you a lot.” The melancholy in her heart was pointed out by Lu Li, and Wen Hupo cried even more wantonly, venting all the many emotions hidden under her indifferent exterior. People are not saints. No matter how magnanimous, how tolerant Hupo was, it was impossible for her to be completely without complaint. He wondered if, in the dead of night, she would resent An Baili, would feel sorry for herself, would recall that pair of children.
Lu Li didn’t know, nor did he need to ask. The answers to such questions would never be happy ones. Perhaps, if it happened again, Wen Hupo would still choose to extend a helping hand to An Baili, even though the latter had once stolen her life.
“Have you told Baili?” Lu Li asked gently after her crying had subsided.
“…No… I’m afraid if I tell her, she’ll become insecure again, full of self-pity, and become like she was before.” An Baili had finally emerged from the shadow of her past. Hupo didn’t want to ruin her life for a moment of gratification.
Lu Li held her tight, speechless for a long time. Wen Hupo had given so much for their relationship, and she had also given so much for him, Lu Li. If he were to really turn a deaf ear to Hupo’s experiences, then what would he be? Biased? Lu Li, oh Lu Li, you’ve already lost Chu Jingyi once. Do you want to repeat the same mistake? Lu Li kissed her forehead. “I can’t let you be wronged. I’ll talk to Baili when we get back.”
Wen Hupo subconsciously grabbed his clothes. “Don’t. Baili is very happy now.”
Very happy? Lu Li felt that Baili was probably also hiding guilt in her heart. Every time they talked about their past life, that crybaby would always hesitate and stammer. She was also inferior in front of Hupo. She hadn’t necessarily truly emerged from the shadow of her past. Many times, when people face difficulties, they choose to cover them up. As long as they can’t see it, the difficulty doesn’t exist.
Whether it was An Baili or Wen Hupo, both were his wives whom he had properly married in his past life. It was shameless to say, but he loved them both. If they couldn’t open their hearts to each other, even the deepest feelings would develop a rift. This was a lesson Lu Li had learned in this life.
Lu Li no longer tried to persuade Hupo. He switched to talking about some happy things. “Can I call you ‘wife’?”
“…” Wen Hupo’s face was a little hot. They weren’t married yet. The memories of the past were, in the end, just memories. Could they be equated with the present?
“Wife?” Lu Li liked to tease the serious Hupo. Using such a common, folk term from Shenzhou to address the otherworldly Wen Hupo had a special kind of fun.
“…” After holding it in for a long time, Wen Hupo buried her head in his neck. “You can only call me that when no one is around. Besides, you have so many wives. Baili is also your wife, and you won’t let go of Chen Jianing at home. This time, with capital, you’ll definitely go looking for Chu Jingyi…” There was a hint of jealousy in her words.
“But you’re my first wife.”
“…Mm.” She said no more, just snuggled in Lu Li’s arms. She just wanted to enjoy this moment.
“I want to give the child back to you,” Lu Li suddenly said. Wen Hupo was stunned for a moment, then understood. She said softly, “Okay. You can give it back to me when we get home.”
Lu Li was overjoyed. He was just about to grab the Hupo in his arms for a fierce kiss when he suddenly saw a small, naive girl bow and run up to him. “Im-imperial son-in-law, ah no, no, Chairperson, the Young Miss is looking for you…” She couldn’t even speak coherently. It was unclear where the Yan Matriarch had bought this little maidservant.
Lu Li could only let go of Hupo and straighten his clothes. He was about to say “see you later” to Hupo when he looked back and saw that the golden-haired angel had already floated far away, leaving a wisp of fragrance in the air. She runs so fast, Lu Li thought.
