After all the commotion, by the time Lin Xiaolu had combed her hair, shuffled over to the dining table in her slippers, and finished breakfast, it was already 7:25.
During that time, perhaps because Lin Yun, as an ordinary person, could not see Fairies, she and Moko would occasionally glare at each other, extending their cold war from the bathroom to the dining room.
Lin Yun fully put his acting skills to use, pretending not to notice and turning a blind eye. He silently cleared the dishes, rinsed them briefly, and put them into the sterilizer. Then he picked up his things and looked at Lin Xiaolu.
Though he said nothing, his meaning was obvious: Did she want him to drive her?
Lin Xiaolu remained silent.
If Lin Yun chose to drive her to school at this hour, it meant he had already prepared himself to be late. It was not that she did not understand the sentiment; she simply did not want to accept it.
Every bit of kindness she accepted from her father took away another reason to resent him. She did not want their relationship to improve so easily. Otherwise, in the end, she might no longer be able to hate him. And then who would remember her mother's grievances?
So she lowered her head and avoided Lin Yun's gaze.
It was probably a silent refusal.
"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 barely stirred. Lin Xiaolu had not been sulking with him for just a day or two. It would have been strange if she had happily agreed. If she did not want to go with him, there was no need to force it.
After getting his things in order and changing into leather shoes, he opened the door, stepped into the apartment hallway, and headed for the elevator.
Creak!
Yet before he had gone ten meters, the door behind him opened again.
He turned around and saw only half of Lin Xiaolu's body peeking out through the gap. Her head was still tilted, her eyes lowered, and her lips moved as though she were saying something softly.
"You're too quiet. I can't hear you," he said.
Lin Xiaolu stopped moving.
Her gaze drifted from the floor to the wall. It passed over Moko, who was smirking, before she furtively glanced at her father.
Finally, she took a deep breath, turned toward Lin Yun, closed her eyes, and shouted:
"I said wait for me to go back and get my schoolbag!"
Luoming District, Xidian Road, beneath the elevated roadway.
Lin Yun looked at the stalled traffic ahead, his fingers tapping against the steering wheel.
Fortunately, he had already expected traffic to be bad, so he was neither hurried nor anxious. He was destined to be late anyway. As long as his daughter could get to school before eight, that was enough.
Lin Xiaolu sat silently in the back seat, staring out the window, though who knew what she was thinking. Moko poked its head out of the schoolbag beside her, watching the two people in the car.
Lin Yun glanced at his daughter through the rearview mirror. After some thought, he decided there were things that needed to be said, so he spoke up. "Lulu, aren't your final exams next week?"
Bringing up exams at a time like this was, of course, exactly the wrong thing to mention to a child.
"Mm." Lin Xiaolu's response was flat, clearly showing that she did not want to discuss the subject in depth.
"How have you been preparing?" Lin Yun tried to keep his tone gentle, avoiding putting pressure on his daughter.
"So-so."
"I remember you said you were around the middle of the class in last semester's finals?"
"More or less."
"Do you have a target rank this time? If you achieve it, Dad can buy you a little gift."
"...No need."
Lin Xiaolu paused, her voice muffled. "You already bought me something for my birthday."
She was referring to what happened in May. More precisely, her birthday was on May 5. At the time, Lin Xiaolu had not yet met Moko or become a magical girl. She had merely been an ordinary middle school student, troubled by adolescence and life.
On her birthday, she had stubbornly refused Lin Yun's suggestion to spend it together, saying that she had other plans and was going out with friends, telling him to go take care of his own business.
Unable to persuade his daughter otherwise, Lin Yun had no choice but to attend a company gathering. But because he could not settle down, he left halfway through and returned home early with the birthday gift he had bought for Lin Xiaolu—a new phone.
Only after returning home did he discover that Lin Xiaolu had no "other plans" that night. She had not gone out with friends. Instead, she had stayed home alone, sung herself a birthday song, and finally blown out the candles by herself.
Lin Yun happened to witness that scene. He felt both heartbroken and angry. He questioned why she would hurt herself like that, while Lin Xiaolu flew into a shameful rage and refused to answer. The relationship between father and daughter cooled once more, and for a long time, they did not exchange a single word.
It was not until many days later, when Lin Yun saw Lin Xiaolu as a magical girl in a television report, that their stagnant relationship slowly began moving forward again.
"I'm sorry, Lulu."
Watching the traffic ahead begin to move, Lin Yun suddenly said, "On your birthday, I should have insisted on staying to keep you company."
"You're bringing that up now?"
Lin Xiaolu's eyes widened slightly in surprise. But after glancing at Moko in the schoolbag beside her, she put on an indifferent expression again. "Whatever. It was so long ago."
"It has nothing to do with how long ago it was."
Lin Yun shifted gears and lightly pressed the accelerator, and the car slowly started moving. "Because I'll remember it. Because I'll feel uneasy."
"...Remember?"
Lin Xiaolu repeated the word under her breath.
At first, her face remained expressionless. Then she revealed a faint, mocking smile, but in the end, her brows shot up. She sat upright like a small animal with its fur standing on end and snapped, "You can actually say that word? Remember? Have you forgotten what you said when Mom died?"
She would never forget what this man had said to her before her mother's funeral, because he had told her to "forget her." Yet now he said he would "remember" and would feel "uneasy." How was she supposed to believe him?
"I'm very sorry about your mother."
Facing Lin Xiaolu's anger, Lin Yun's tone remained calm. His hands held the steering wheel as he watched the road ahead. "At the time, I truly didn't know how I should tell you, so I could only put it in such vague terms."
"Because remembering her made me sad and hurt, I hoped that you, still so young, would forget her. I hoped time would make you forget the pain and let you grow up happily."
"But I never expected that you were actually more mature than I imagined. My concealment did not help you let go of those things or become happier. Instead, it only left you depressed all the time."
"If what I said back then chilled your heart, or if you've always had doubts about her death, then I think... we can find a time to talk properly."
That final sentence made Lin Xiaolu stop breathing.
It took her several seconds to understand what Lin Yun meant. She even forgot to be angry, leaving only confusion in her heart. "Talk? What could we talk about?"
"Your mother's matters, of course. And mine."
Lin Yun sighed. "You've grown up now. It's time for me to be honest about the things I didn't tell you before. I just need some preparation, some time. Can you wait for me a little longer? I promise it won't take too long. When that day comes, I'll tell you everything."
Having said that, he paused, then took another deep breath before finally voicing what he had long held in his heart. "So, can you give me a chance to make things right, Lulu? Your mother's matter, the time I left home, and your birthday... give me a chance to make things right, okay?"
The car fell into a long silence.
Lin Yun waited for Lin Xiaolu's answer, while Lin Xiaolu processed his words. She thought, hesitated, and finally made a decision.
"...The parent-teacher conference." Lin Xiaolu's muffled voice came from the back seat.
"What?"
"After the final exams, next week, the school is holding a parent-teacher conference."
Lin Xiaolu rested her cheek on her hand and continued staring at the passing scenery outside. "If you want, then come."
"A parent-teacher conference?"
Lin Yun had not shown much emotion all along, but after receiving that answer, he was suddenly unable to remain calm. "You mean..."
"Let's be clear, you're the one who wants to come."
Interrupting him, Lin Xiaolu suddenly turned her head. Her gaze met Lin Yun's in the rearview mirror, and she said fiercely, "So if you make excuses and stand me up again this time, I won't talk to you for the entire next year!"
"...Heh."
Lin Yun suddenly laughed.
He laughed happily, with a hint of relief, as though he had not been this happy in a very long time.
That abrupt laughter made Lin Xiaolu feel embarrassed and annoyed. "What are you laughing at?"
"Nothing. I'm just really happy." Lin Yun smiled.
"What's there to be happy about over something like this? So annoying!" Lin Xiaolu lowered her eyelids.
"I promise you."
"What?"
"One year... no, forget one year. If I stand you up this time, you can ignore me for the rest of your life."
"What a boring increase in stakes. I'm not interested."
"Then forget all that. In any case, I'll definitely go."
Lin Yun's solemn promise moved Lin Xiaolu somewhat as well, but she still suppressed her emotions and kept a stern face. "...Hmph. I hope so."
In the morning light, the car finally broke free of the traffic as it climbed onto the elevated road. It accelerated at full speed and raced toward the distance.
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