Volume 13
Chapter 28: Once There Was a Full Mirror (Part 1)
“I thought you were going to keep it bottled up in your heart forever.” The An Baili in his arms gradually stopped her tears. Tears of joy are fleeting. She burrowed into Lu Li’s embrace like a cat, as if trying to merge herself into his body.
“Ever since you called back last time, I’ve been wanting to find a chance to confess to you. The more leisurely my life is now, the more uneasy I feel in my heart. I’m so worried that one day you’ll recover your past memories and hate me like you used to. So I thought, instead of anxiously waiting for that day to come, it would be better to apologize to you sooner. Maybe you would forgive me…” An Baili still had her little schemes, but unfortunately, she was still a step too late. Lu Li had recovered his past memories during the backtracking, but he felt that the little crybaby of now had already been reborn and there was no need to carry the grievances of the past into the present. The fact that she had chosen to take the initiative to confess and had the idea of apologizing to Hupo already showed her transformation.
“You really don’t dislike me?” An Baili’s eyes lifted, looking at him pitifully, like a lost little puppy. “I’m so controlling, and so dark, and so selfish, and a little stubborn…”
Lu Li knew this girl hadn’t completely emerged from the shadow of her past. Whatever he said now was just superficial. Her heartache should be about Hupo. “Mm, I don’t dislike you, but I can’t say the same for Hupo. Hupo also has memories of the past.”
“Ah.” An Baili shivered, a look of panic on her face. “Th-th-then no wonder she said no when I served her food yesterday at dinner… so-so…”
Lu Li pinched the fool’s mouth. “Hupo doesn’t like such greasy pork ribs. She’s not disgusted with you. We’ve been living together for so long, and you don’t even remember Hupo’s taste?”
An Baili was still apprehensive. Her mouth was being pinched by Lu Li, and she could only make a strange sound. “Then last time I invited her to go shopping together, she didn’t agree either…”
“It’s so cold outside. Who would want to go out shopping?”
“And there was another time when she and I were watching TV in the living room. After watching for a while, she didn’t want to sit with me anymore and just left on her own…”
“Not everyone likes to watch melodramatic soap operas.”
“And also…” It was endless.
Lu Li quickly interrupted her. “Instead of seeking reassurance from me here, why don’t you go and apologize to Hupo in person? See what her attitude toward you is.”
“What if, what if we have a falling out? What if she really hates me? What should I do?” The crybaby seemed to have reverted to that cautious An Baili, insecure and timid. “I definitely wouldn’t dare to talk back to Hupo. If she kicks me out of the house, wouldn’t I not be able to see you every day in the future…”
What does that have to do with anything? If Wen Hupo were to kick her out of the house, Lu Li would write his name backward.
He put his index and middle fingers together and stuck them into Baili’s mouth. Baili subconsciously took his fingers into her mouth and licked them gently, finally closing her mouth. Lu Li took the opportunity to speak. “I’ll be your safety net. No matter what, you won’t be kicked out of the house. And with me as a middleman, it will be easier for Hupo to forgive you. While I’m still at home these next few days, you set a time to apologize to Hupo, how about it?”
“Mmm, mmm…” She was still licking Lu Li’s fingers, but from her expression, she had probably agreed. Baili had one good quality, and that was that she was at least very obedient and well-behaved on the surface. What she did behind his back was another story; she had done no shortage of silly things.
“How about tonight?” Lu Li made a major sacrifice, taking the private time that originally belonged to him and Hupo tonight.
An Baili slowly released Lu Li’s fingers and sniffled. “I’ll listen to you. You have to protect me then. If she hits me, you have to shield me…”
The image of the golden-haired girl delivering a flying kick flashed through Lu Li’s mind. No matter how he thought about it, this scene was too out of place. Only An Baili’s train of thought could come up with this possibility. If this girl were a little more normal, she wouldn’t have had such a miserable time back then.
…
After making the appointment with Baili, Lu Li had originally planned to go and talk to Hupo, to see what her attitude was. If Hupo had a knot in her heart, it would be difficult to handle. But today’s Hupo, for some reason, didn’t even dare to make eye contact with Lu Li. She floated around the villa alone, just not meeting with him. Every time Lu Li tried to talk to her, she would hurriedly go and do something else. One moment it was washing a canvas, the next it was throwing away a paint bucket, then it was replying to a buyer from her art exhibition, and then it was calling her adoptive parents.
After dinner, while Hupo was helping Zou Yameng wash the dishes, Lu Li cornered her in the small pantry off the kitchen. Lu Li turned his head to look at Yameng not far behind Hupo. His sister was seriously wiping the dining table, and the two little girls were also helping with a heave-ho. The family was harmonious and loving, the atmosphere surprisingly good.
Wen Hupo’s slender shoulders tensed. “Outstanding Representative… we just finished eating… I want to go for a walk in the yard to digest.”
Lu Li lowered his voice so the other girls wouldn’t hear. “Hupo, Baili wants to apologize to you about what happened in the past life.”
Visibly, the golden-haired girl let out a long sigh, her shoulders relaxing. “…So it’s about this…”
“What did you think it was about?”
“I thought… mmm.” A faint blush flew across her indifferent face. “It’s fine. I forgive her.” If it had been anyone else with such a casual “forgiveness,” Lu Li might not have believed it. But Hupo’s nonchalant “forgiveness” was different; she truly didn’t hold a grudge against Baili for the muddled things she had done before.
“She wants to apologize to you in person.”
“That’s fine. When?”
“Tonight.”
Wen Hupo let out another long sigh. A brief, complex expression flashed across her face, as if she were a little relieved, but also a little disappointed.
The more Lu Li thought about it, the more he felt something was wrong. He asked tentatively, “Baili didn’t drag you to squat in a corner yesterday, did she?”
“…N-no, she didn’t. Why would she?”
“Did Yameng also listen?”
“Neither of them did. You’re overthinking it!” Wen Hupo’s face was red. Yesterday, she had heard Chen Jianing cry out in pain for a long time and had felt it herself. The thought of Lu Li coming to find her tonight had actually made her scared.
Lu Li sighed. This was the downside of having a large family; some things just couldn’t be hidden. Poor Little Tiger. She probably still didn’t know that her embarrassing moment from last night had already spread throughout this big family. Looking at Chen Jianing, who was still wiping the table with a heave-ho outside, a sense of pity rose in Lu Li’s heart. The Little Tiger was actually quite good at housework. She probably helped out a lot at home.
“Then I’ll go take a shower. You can just have Baili come find me later.” She took half a step and asked in a small voice, “You should go take a shower too, and wash carefully…”
Lu Li was so aroused by her words that his heart raced. He said, “Oh,” and watched the golden figure disappear at the top of the stairs.
“I wiped the table clean, didn’t I?” At this time, the Little Tiger proudly held up the rag in her hand, proud of her housekeeping skills. Zou Yameng and An Baili exchanged a strange look, then clapped together. Lu Li also silently clapped for her.
