Chapter 32: After the Traffic Jam

After the commotion, by the time Lin Xiaolu had combed her hair, slipped into her slippers, and shuffled to the dining table to finish breakfast, it was already 7:25.

During this time, probably thinking that Lin Yun, as an ordinary person, couldn't see spirits, she and Moke occasionally glared at each other, extending the cold war from the bathroom to the dining room.

Lin Yun fully employed his acting skills, feigning ignorance and pretending not to notice. He silently cleared the bowls and chopsticks, rinsed them briefly, and put them in the disinfection cabinet; then he picked up his things and looked at Lin Xiaolu.

Although he said nothing, the meaning he wished to convey was clear: Do you want me to drive you?

Lin Xiaolu remained silent.

Lin Yun's choice to drive her to school at this hour meant he had already prepared himself to be late; she simply didn't want to accept this gesture, not that she didn't understand it.

For every bit of goodwill she accepted from her father, she lost one reason to resent him. She didn't want their relationship to improve so easily, leaving her unable to hate him in the end; otherwise, who would remember the grievances of her mother?

So she lowered her head, averting Lin Yun's gaze.

This was probably a silent refusal.

"If you really insist on going yourself, don't blame me if you're late."

Lin Yun was used to this; his emotions showed little fluctuation. After all, Lin Xiaolu had been acting up with him for more than a day or two; if she had truly agreed readily, that would have been strange. If she didn't want to go with him, then there was no need to force it.

After tidying his belongings and changing into leather shoes, he pushed open the door, stepped into the apartment corridor, and walked toward the elevator lobby.

"Screech!"

However, before he had walked ten meters, the apartment door behind him opened again.

He turned around and saw only Lin Xiaolu sticking half her body out through the crack in the door; she still tilted her head and lowered her eyes, her lips moving as if whispering something.

"Your voice is too low; I can't hear," he said.

Lin Xiaolu stopped her movement.

Her gaze wandered, looking at the floor, then the wall; her eyes swept past Moke, who was grinning wickedly, and she stole a glance at her father.

Finally, she took a deep breath, turned her head toward Lin Yun, closed her eyes, and shouted:

"I said, wait for me to go back and get my backpack!"

Luoming District, Xidian Road, under the elevated highway.

Lin Yun watched the stagnant traffic ahead, his fingers tapping the steering wheel.

Fortunately, he had fully anticipated the traffic jam, so he was neither anxious nor impatient; after all, he was destined to be late anyway; all that mattered was ensuring his daughter arrived at school on time before eight.

Sitting in the back seat, Lin Xiaolu stared out the window without saying a word, who knew what she was thinking. Inside the backpack beside her, Moke poked his head out, peering at the two people in the car.

Glancing at his daughter's condition through the rearview mirror, Lin Yun thought for a moment and decided some topics simply had to be addressed, so he spoke up: "Lulu, isn't your final exam next week?"

Bringing up exams at a time like this was, for a child, naturally asking for trouble.

"Mm." So Lin Xiaolu's reaction was flat; she clearly didn't want to delve deeper into the topic.

"How is your preparation?" Lin Yun tried to keep his tone calm to avoid putting pressure on his daughter.

"Just so-so."

"I remember you said last semester's finals that you ranked in the middle?"

"About the same."

"So do you have a target ranking this time? If you achieve it, Dad can buy you a small gift."

"... I don't need it."

Lin Xiaolu paused, her voice dull: "You already bought one for my birthday before."

What she referred to was the matter in May; more precisely, her birthday was on May 5th. At that time, Lin Xiaolu had not yet met Moke and had not yet become a magical girl; she was just an ordinary middle school student worrying about youth and life.

On her birthday, she stubbornly refused Lin Yun's proposal to spend it together, saying she had other arrangements, wanted to go out with friends, and told him to get on with his own business.

Unable to persuade his daughter, Lin Yun had no choice but to attend a company social event; unable to settle his mind, he left midway, carrying the birthday gift he had bought for Lin Xiaolu—a new mobile phone—and rushed home early.

It was only upon arriving home that he discovered Lin Xiaolu that night had no "other arrangements" at all. She hadn't gone out with friends; instead, she stayed home alone, sang the birthday song for herself, and finally blew out the birthday candles by herself.

Lin Yun happened to witness this scene, feeling both heartache and anger. He questioned his daughter why she would hurt herself like this; Lin Xiaolu, flustered and angry, refused to answer, and the relationship between father and daughter cooled once more, with neither speaking a word for a long time.

It was only many days later, when Lin Yun saw Lin Xiaolu, now a magical girl, on a television news report, that their stagnant relationship began to move forward again, slowly.

"I'm sorry, Lulu."

Watching the traffic ahead begin to move, Lin Yun suddenly said: "On the day of your birthday before, I should have insisted on staying to accompany you."

"Bringing this up now?"

Lin Xiaolu widened her eyes in slight surprise, but after glancing at Moke inside the backpack beside her, she put on an indifferent expression: "It doesn't matter; anyway, it's been so long."

"It has nothing to do with how long ago it was."

Lin Yun shifted into reverse gear, lightly pressed the accelerator, and the car slowly started: "Because I will remember; I will feel uneasy."

"... Remember?"

Lin Xiaolu murmured the word.

At first her expression was blank, then she wore a half-smile, half-scowl, and finally her eyebrows shot up; she straightened up like a startled animal and retorted: "You can actually say that word? Remember? Did you forget what you said when Mom died?"

She would never forget the words this man had spoken to her before her mother's funeral, because he had said to "forget her." Yet now he spoke of "remembering" and feeling "uneasy"; how could she possibly believe him?

"I am very sorry about your mother's situation."

Facing Lin Xiaolu's anger, Lin Yun remained calm in tone; he held the steering wheel and looked at the road ahead: "At that time, I truly didn't know how to tell you, so I could only use such vague words."

"Because I remember her; I feel sadness and pain, so I hoped that you, being young, would forget her, let the pain fade with time, and grow up happily."

"I just didn't expect that you were actually more sensible than I imagined; my concealment didn't make you let go of these things or become happy; instead, you were always melancholy."

"If you feel chilled by what I said back then, or if you still harbor doubts about her death, I think... we can find a time to talk properly."

The last sentence made Lin Xiaolu in the back seat hold her breath.

It took her several seconds to understand what Lin Yun meant; she even forgot to be angry, with only doubt remaining in her heart: "Talk? What is there to talk about?"

"Of course, about your mother, and about me."

Lin Yun sighed: "You've grown up now. Everything I never told you before is time to be laid bare. But I still need some preparation, some time—can you wait a little longer? I promise this won't take long. When that day comes, I'll tell you everything."

Here, he paused, took a deep breath, and finally voiced what he had long held inside: "So, give me a chance to make amends, Little Lulu? About your mother, about me leaving home, about your birthday—give me a chance to make it right, okay?"

The car fell into a long, heavy silence.

Lin Yun waited for Lin Xiaolu's reply, while Lin Xiaolu processed his words. She thought, hesitated, and finally made her decision.

"Parent-teacher conference," Lin Xiaolu muttered from the back seat.

"What?"

"After the final exams, next week, the school is holding a parent-teacher conference."

Lin Xiaolu propped her cheek on her hand, continuing to gaze out at the passing scenery: "If you're willing, then come."

"Parent-teacher conference?"

Lin Yun, whose expression had always been largely unreadable, suddenly could not contain himself: "You mean—"

Cutting him off, Lin Xiaolu suddenly turned her head, her gaze meeting Lin Yun's in the rearview mirror, speaking sharply: "But make no mistake—you're coming on your own."

"So if you back out again this time, I won't speak to you for the entire next year!"

"... Heh."

Lin Yun suddenly laughed.

He laughed with joy, with relief—as if he hadn't been this happy in a long time.

But this sudden laughter stirred annoyance in Lin Xiaolu: "What are you laughing at?"

"Nothing. I'm just truly happy," Lin Yun said, smiling.

"Why are you happy over something so trivial? So annoying!" Lin Xiaolu lowered her eyelids.

"I promise you."

"What?"

"A year... no, forget a year—if I break this promise again, you can refuse to speak to me for the rest of your life."

"Boring escalation. I'm not interested."

"Then forget all that—either way, I will be there."

Lin Yun's solemn promise moved Lin Xiaolu slightly, but she still suppressed her emotions, keeping her face stern: "... Hmph. We'll see."

In the morning light, the car climbing onto the overpass finally broke through the traffic, accelerated fully, and sped toward the distance.