Chapter 32 After the Traffic Jam
After a quarrel, by the time Lin Xiaolu had combed her hair and moved to the dining table in slippers to finish her breakfast, it was already seven twenty-five.
During this period, probably because she thought that Lin Yun, as an ordinary person, could not see the goblin, she and Mo Ke glared at each other from time to time, extending the cold war from the bathroom to the restaurant.
Lin Yun used his acting skills to the fullest, pretending to be ignorant and turning a blind eye. He quietly put away the dishes, rinsed them briefly a few times, and put them in the disinfection cabinet, then picked up his things and looked at Lin Xiaolu.
Although he didn't say anything, it was clear what he wanted to say: Do you want me to drive you? Lin Xiaolu remained silent.
Lin Yun chose to drive her to school at this time, which meant that he was prepared to be late. She just didn't want to accept his kindness, not that she didn't understand it.
Every time she accepted her father's kindness, she lost a reason to hate him. She didn't want their relationship to improve so easily, so that she wouldn't be able to hate him in the end. Otherwise, who would remember her mother's grievances?
So she lowered her head and avoided Lin Yun's sight.
This is probably a silent rejection.
"If you really want to go by yourself, don't blame me if you're late."
Lin Yun was used to this and his emotions were not very up and down. After all, Lin Xiaolu had been at odds with him for more than a day or two, so it would be strange if she really agreed. If she didn't want to go with him, then there was no need to force her.
After packing his luggage and changing into his leather shoes, he pushed the door open, stepped into the corridor of the apartment, and headed towards the elevator.
"Squeak!" However, before he walked ten meters, the door behind him opened again.
He turned around and saw Lin Xiaolu sticking half of her body out from the crack in the door, her head still tilted and her eyes lowered, her lips moving as if she was whispering something.
"The sound is too soft to be heard," he said.
Lin Xiaolu stopped.
Her eyes wandered, looking at the ground, then at the wall, passing over the smirking Moko, and then stole a glance at her father.
Finally, she took a deep breath, turned her head towards Lin Yun, closed her eyes and shouted:
"I told you to wait until I get my schoolbag back!"
…
…
Luoming District, Xidian Road, under the viaduct.
Lin Yun looked at the stagnant traffic ahead and tapped his fingers on the steering wheel.
Fortunately, he had anticipated the traffic jam, so he was not anxious at the moment. Anyway, he was destined to be late, so he just made sure his daughter arrived at school on time before eight o'clock.
Sitting in the back seat, Lin Xiaolu stared out the window without saying a word, and no one knew what she was thinking. Mo Ke was looking at the two people in the car from his school bag.
After taking a look at his daughter's condition through the rearview mirror, Lin Yun thought about it and felt that there were some topics that he still had to talk about, so he simply said, "Lulu, do you have final exams next week?"
Talking about exams at this time is of course irrelevant to children.
"Yeah." So Lin Xiaolu's reaction was indifferent, and she obviously didn't want to discuss this topic in depth.
"How are your preparations going?" Lin Yun tried to keep his tone calm to avoid putting pressure on his daughter.
"It's okay."
"I remember at the end of last semester you said you were ranked in the middle?"
"almost."
"So what's your target ranking this time? If you achieve it, Dad can buy you a small gift."
"……unnecessary."
Lin Xiaolu paused and said in a dull voice: "You have already bought it for your birthday before."
She was talking about something that happened in May. To be exact, her birthday was May 5. At that time, Lin Xiaolu had not yet met Moko, nor had she become a magical girl. She was just an ordinary junior high school student who was troubled by youth and life.
On her birthday, she resolutely rejected Lin Yun's proposal to spend it together, saying that she had other plans and wanted to go out with friends, and asked him to mind his own business.
Unable to persuade his daughter, Lin Yun had to attend the company's social event, but he left halfway because he couldn't concentrate. He returned home early with the birthday gift he bought for Lin Xiaolu - a new mobile phone.
It was not until he got home that he discovered that Lin Xiaolu had no "other plans" that night. She did not go out with her friends, but stayed at home alone, sang a birthday song to herself, and finally blew out the birthday candles alone.
Lin Yun happened to see this scene, and he felt distressed and angry. He asked his daughter why she hurt herself like this, but Lin Xiaolu was angry and refused to answer. The relationship between father and daughter cooled down again, and they didn't say a word for a long time.
It was not until many days later that Lin Yun saw Lin Xiaolu, who had become a magical girl, on a TV report, and the stagnant relationship between the two slowly moved forward again.
"I'm sorry, Lulu."
Looking at the traffic that was starting to move in front of him, Lin Yun suddenly said, "I should have insisted on staying with you on your birthday."
"Now for this?"
Lin Xiaolu opened her eyes slightly in surprise, but after glancing at Moko in the schoolbag beside her, she acted nonchalantly, "It doesn't matter. It's been so long anyway."
"It doesn't matter how long it's been."
Lin Yun then shifted the gear, stepped on the accelerator, and the car started slowly: "Because I will remember, and I will feel uneasy."
"……Remember?"
Lin Xiaolu repeated this word.
She was expressionless at first, then she showed a half-smile, and finally her eyebrows stood up, like a small animal with its fur standing up, and she choked, "You can still say this word? Remember? Have you forgotten what you said when your mother died?"
She would never forget what this man had said to her before her mother's funeral, because he said he would "forget her". But now he said he would "remember" and would be "uneasy", so how could she trust him?
"I'm sorry about your mother."
Facing Lin Xiaolu's anger, Lin Yun remained calm. He held the steering wheel and looked at the road ahead: "I really didn't know how to tell you at the time, so I could only use such vague words."
"Because I remember her, I will feel sad and painful, so I hope that you, young as you are, will forget her, forget the pain as time goes by, and grow up happily."
"It's just that I didn't expect that you are more sensible than I thought. My concealment did not make you let go of these things and become happy. Instead, you are always depressed."
"If you are still disappointed by what I said at the time, or still have doubts about her death, I think... we can find a time to talk about it."
The last sentence made Lin Xiaolu in the back seat hold her breath.
It took her a few seconds to understand what Lin Yun meant. She even forgot to be angry. All she had left was confusion: "Talk, what can we talk about?"
"Your mother's business, and mine, of course."
Lin Yun sighed: "You are grown up now. It's time to confess everything I didn't tell you before. But I still need some preparation and time. Can you wait for me? I promise that this period of time will not be too long. When that day comes, I will tell you everything."
Having said this, he paused, took a deep breath, and finally said what he had been thinking all along: "So, give me a chance to make it up, okay, Lulu? About your mother, about running away from home in the past, and about your birthday, give me a chance to make it up, okay?"
There was a long silence in the car.
Lin Yun waited for Lin Xiaolu's answer, while Lin Xiaolu digested what he said. She thought, hesitated, and finally made a decision.
"...Parent-Teacher meeting." Lin Xiaolu's muffled voice sounded in the back seat.
"What?"
"After the final exams, the school will hold a parent-teacher conference next week."
Lin Xiaolu held her chin and continued to look at the flowing scenery outside the window: "If you are willing, then come."
"A parents' meeting?"
Lin Yun had not shown much expression to begin with, but after receiving this answer, he could not calm down for a moment: "You mean..."
"Let me make it clear first, you asked to come here."
Interrupting his words, Lin Xiaolu suddenly turned her head, her eyes met with Lin Yun in the rearview mirror, and said viciously: "So if you find an excuse to break the appointment again this time, I will ignore you for the next year!"...Hehe.
Lin Yun suddenly laughed.
He smiled happily and felt relieved, as if he hadn't been this happy for a long time.
This abrupt laughter made Lin Xiaolu feel embarrassed and annoyed: "What are you laughing at?"
"Nothing, I'm just really happy." Lin Yun said with a smile on his face.
"Why should I be happy about something like this? It's so annoying!" Lin Xiaolu drooped her eyelids.
"I promise."
"What?"
"One year... No, don't even mention one year. If I break my promise this time, you can ignore me for the rest of your life."
"I'm not interested in boring extra bets."
"Then never mind, I will definitely go."
Lin Yun's solemn promise touched Lin Xiaolu a little, but she still suppressed her emotions and said with a stern face: "... Humph, I hope so."
In the morning light, the cars on the elevated road finally broke through the traffic obstruction, were able to increase their speed and speed off into the distance.
(End of this chapter)
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