Chapter 32: After the Traffic Jam

After some commotion, by the time Lin Xiaolu had finished combing her hair and shuffled over to the dining table in her slippers to finish breakfast, it was already 7:25 AM.

During this time, perhaps feeling that Lin Yun, as an ordinary person, could not see the fairy, she and Moke would glare at each other from time to time, extending their cold war from the bathroom to the dining room.

Lin Yun fully utilized his acting skills, pretending to be unaware and turning a blind eye to this. He silently cleared the bowls and chopsticks, rinsed them briefly before putting them into the sterilizer, then picked up his things and looked at Lin Xiaolu.

Although he did not speak, the meaning he wanted to convey was clear: do you want me to drive you?

Lin Xiaolu remained silent.

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

Every time she accepted a kindness from her father, she lost a reason to hold a grudge against him. She did not want their relationship to improve so easily, for in the end, she would be unable to hate him—and if that happened, who else would remember her mother's grievances?

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

This was likely a silent refusal.

"If you really want to go by yourself, don't blame me if you're late."

Lin Yun was accustomed to this, and his emotions remained steady. In any case, Lin Xiaolu had been giving him the cold shoulder for more than a day or two; it would be a surprise if she actually agreed readily. If she didn't want to go with him, there was no need to force it.

After tidying his attire and putting on his leather shoes, he pushed the door open, stepped into the apartment corridor, and headed toward the elevator.

*Creak!*

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

He looked back and saw only Lin Xiaolu poking half her body out from the crack in the door, her head still tilted and her eyes cast down, her lips moving as if she were whispering something.

"Your voice is too small, I can't hear you," he said.

Lin Xiaolu stopped her movements.

Her gaze wandered, looking at the floor, then at the wall, her eyes sweeping past the smirking Moke before stealing a glance at her father.

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

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

……

……

Luoming District, Xidian Road, under the elevated bridge.

Lin Yun looked at the stagnant traffic ahead, his fingers tapping on the steering wheel.

Fortunately, he had already anticipated the traffic jam, so he was neither anxious nor impatient; he was destined to be late anyway, so as long as he ensured his daughter arrived at school on time before eight, it was fine.

Lin Xiaolu, sitting in the back seat, stared out the window without a word, wondering what she was thinking. In the schoolbag beside her, Moke poked its head out, watching the two people in the car.

Glancing at his daughter's state through the rearview mirror, Lin Yun thought for a moment and felt there were some topics that had to be discussed, so he simply spoke up: "Lulu, do you have your final exams next week?"

Bringing up exams at a time like this was, of course, touching a sore spot for a child.

"Mm." Lin Xiaolu's reaction was flat; she clearly did not want to delve into this topic.

"How is the preparation going?" Lin Yun tried to keep his tone calm, avoiding putting pressure on his daughter.

"So-so, I guess."

"I remember you said you were in the middle of the pack at the end of last semester?"

"About that."

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

"……No need."

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

She was referring to something in May; to be precise, her birthday was on May 5th. At that time, Lin Xiaolu had not yet met Moke, nor had she become a magical girl; she was just an ordinary middle school student troubled by youth and life.

On her birthday, she had insisted on rejecting Lin Yun's proposal to spend the day together, saying she had other plans, that she was going out with friends, and told him to go busy himself with his own affairs.

Unable to sway his daughter, Lin Yun had no choice but to attend a company social function, but because he couldn't settle his mind, he left halfway through and rushed home early with the birthday gift he had bought for Lin Xiaolu—a new mobile phone.

It wasn't until he got home that he discovered Lin Xiaolu had no "other plans" that night at all. She hadn't gone out with friends; instead, she had stayed home alone, sang a birthday song to herself, and finally blew out the birthday candles by herself.

This scene was witnessed by Lin Yun, who felt both heartbroken and angry. He questioned his daughter why she would hurt herself like this, and Lin Xiaolu, out of shame and anger, refused to answer. The relationship between father and daughter cooled once again, and for a long time, they didn't say a word to each other.

It wasn't until many days later that Lin Yun saw Lin Xiaolu, who had become a magical girl, in a television report, and their stagnant relationship slowly began to move forward again.

"I'm sorry, Lulu."

Looking at the traffic starting to move in front of him, Lin Yun suddenly said: "On my birthday, I should have insisted on staying to keep you company."

"You're saying this now?"

Lin Xiaolu opened her eyes wide in slight surprise, but after glancing at Moke in the schoolbag beside her, she put on an indifferent look: "It doesn't matter, it's been so long anyway."

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

Lin Yun shifted the gear, lightly stepped on the accelerator, and the car slowly started moving: "Because I will remember, and I will feel uneasy."

"……Remember?"

Lin Xiaolu repeated the word.

She was expressionless at first, then revealed a smile that wasn't quite a smile, and finally, her eyebrows arched, and she straightened up like a bristling little animal, snapping: "You can actually say that word? Remember? Have you forgotten what you said when Mom died?"

She would not forget what this man had said to her before her mother's funeral, because he said he wanted to "forget her." But now he was saying he wanted to "remember," that he would feel "uneasy"—how was she supposed to believe him?

"I am very sorry about your mother."

Facing Lin Xiaolu's anger, Lin Yun's tone remained calm. He gripped the steering wheel, looking at the road ahead: "I really didn't know how to tell you at the time, so I could only use that vague phrasing."

"Because I remember things about her, I feel sad and pained, so I hoped that you, being young, would forget her, that you would forget the pain with time and grow up happily."

"It's just that I didn't expect you to be more sensible than I imagined. My concealment didn't let you put these things down and become happy; instead, you were always melancholy."

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

The last sentence made Lin Xiaolu in the back seat stop breathing.

It took her several seconds to understand what Lin Yun meant; she even forgot to be angry, and only confusion remained in her heart: "Talk, what can we talk about?"

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

Lin Yun sighed: "You are grown up now; it is time to confess the things I didn't tell you before. But I still need some preparation, some time. Can you wait for me a little longer? I promise this period won't be too long. When that day comes, I will tell you everything."

Having said this, he paused, took another deep breath, and finally revealed his innermost thoughts: "So, give me a chance to make amends, okay, Lulu? About your mother, about running away from home in the past, and about your birthday—give me a chance to make amends, okay?"

The car fell into a long silence.

Lin Yun waited for Lin Xiaolu's answer, while Lin Xiaolu digested what he had said. She thought, hesitated, and finally made a decision.

"……Parent-teacher meeting." Lin Xiaolu's muffled voice sounded from the back seat.

"What?"

"After the final exams, next week, the school is having a parent-teacher meeting."

Lin Xiaolu rested her chin on her hand, continuing to look at the scenery flowing past the window: "If you're willing, then come."

"Parent-teacher meeting?"

Lin Yun, who had not had many rich expressions, could not remain calm after receiving this answer: "You mean..."

"Let's get this straight, you're the one who wants to come."

Interrupting him, Lin Xiaolu suddenly turned her head, her gaze meeting Lin Yun's in the rearview mirror, and she said somewhat fiercely: "So if you make an excuse to break your promise this time, I won't talk to you for a whole year!"

"……Heh."

Lin Yun suddenly laughed.

He laughed happily, and with some relief; it seemed he hadn't been this happy in a long time.

This abrupt laughter made Lin Xiaolu feel ashamed and annoyed: "What are you laughing at?"

"Nothing, I'm just really happy," Lin Yun said, the corners of his mouth turning up.

"What's there to be happy about for something like this? So annoying!" Lin Xiaolu's eyelids drooped.

"I promise you."

"What?"

"A year... no, forget a year. If I break my promise this time, you can ignore me for the rest of your life."

"A boring wager, I'm not interested."

"Then let's not worry about that; in any case, I will definitely go."

Lin Yun's solemn promise touched Lin Xiaolu, but she still suppressed her emotions, keeping a straight face as she said: "……Hmph, let's hope so."

In the morning light, the car on the elevated road finally broke through the obstruction of the traffic, able to put on full speed and gallop away into the distance.