A Farce

Screaming as she turned around, Lin Xiaolu stumbled backward, bumping into the railing behind her. Then, she slipped and her head slammed into the glass panel next to the railing.

"Ah!"

A sharp pain shot through the back of her head, and she couldn't help but cry out in pain before collapsing to the ground.

Fortunately, Lin Yun was quick-witted and reached out before Lin Xiaolu actually fell, grabbing her arm in time and lifting her up.

Are you alright?

Seeing Lin Xiaolu wince in pain, he subconsciously reached out and rubbed the back of her head. Seeing no apparent injury, he breathed a sigh of relief, "Lulu, be careful when you walk."

"Isn't it because you scared me!"

Lin Xiaolu straightened up, removed his hand from behind her head, and said somewhat indignantly, "Don't suddenly talk behind someone's back!"

"I saw you two acting suspiciously, so of course I had to come and ask."

Lin Yun raised an eyebrow and said, "You've been lying on the third floor for so long, do you really think I didn't notice?"

In fact, he genuinely hadn't noticed; it's hard for most people to imagine that someone would be watching them from the upper floors of such a shopping mall. But the fact that he could now detect their movements required some other explanation.

Such a reason would be somewhat far-fetched under normal circumstances, but fortunately, the two girls had followed him first and knew they were in the wrong, so they didn't doubt his excuse.

"I'm sorry, Uncle, I was wrong."

Xia Liang reacted the fastest, immediately putting on a well-behaved act and saying innocently, "I didn't mean to, I was just a little curious."

"Who's sneaking around? I'm standing here openly and honestly!"

Lin Xiaolu's attitude wasn't so friendly. Coupled with the fact that she had just bumped her head, she covered the back of her head with one hand and said reproachfully, "Can't I even see what you're doing?"

"Then why are you here?" Lin Yun stared into her eyes.

Lin Xiaolu could only remain silent and avert her gaze.

She didn't answer, but as always, she wasn't good at hiding her emotions; her guilty expression was on full display. Lin Yun understood and asked again, "Did you come with me?"

"I was just a little curious," Lin Xiaolu muttered.

"You're curious too?"

Lin Yun suddenly found it somewhat amusing. "You two went to such lengths, watching this for so long, just because of this?"

"Is that not allowed? You're not a [person] yet, so why are you dressing like this to go out alone on your day off?"

Caught off guard, Lin Xiaolu decided to go all out and admitted somewhat resignedly, "You made it all so formal, I thought you came here because you wanted to... were planning to..."

Lin Yun then understood why she was there.

He glanced at Xia Liang Xia Liang, who gave an awkward, apologetic smile and lowered her head, clearly knowing that following someone was not a good thing.

That's true, why should I argue with a child?

He chuckled inwardly, then dismissed his already dwindling dissatisfaction and looked at Lin Xiaolu to confirm:

"You think I'm planning to find you a stepmother?"

"Otherwise what?" Lin Xiaolu looked up at him, a hint of confusion in her expression.

"How could that be? Even if we were to look for someone, we would definitely have to ask for your opinion first."

Lin Yun shook her head and sighed, "You probably really can't remember. Today is clearly your mother's and my wedding anniversary."

Lin Xiaolu's eyes widened in surprise.

"Wedding anniversary?"

She muttered the words to herself, then stammered, "Huh? But, but, it wasn't there last year or the year before..."

"Because this year is the fifteenth anniversary. The last time your mother and I celebrated this day was the tenth anniversary, when you were only 9 years old."

Lin Yun continued to explain, "Besides, as you know, we're going to visit your mother in a week, and I need to prepare a gift for her."

"Ha..." Lin Xiaolu exhaled a breath in a daze.

She released her hands from the back of her head, stared blankly at Lin Yun, then lowered her head again, repeating, "So that's how it is... I thought..."

For a moment, she didn't even know why she felt relieved.

His father wasn't out dating other women; he was simply doing it in memory of his mother.

While this doesn't necessarily mean he has no connection with the woman named Hong Siyu, nor does it mean he doesn't know Larkspur, it at least shows that those wild thoughts she had when she arrived...

Lin Xiaolu felt her cheeks burning.

Xia Liang chuckled and gently nudged her arm, "I already told you, it might not be what you think, right? But you wouldn't believe me."

Lin Xiaolu glanced at her, knowing full well that she had made a huge fool of herself, but she wasn't the type to shut up and suffer in silence, so she instinctively wanted to retort.

Before she could say anything, she suddenly saw Lin Yun's somewhat sentimental expression, and it felt as if a bucket of cold water had been poured over her heart. The words that were about to come out were swallowed back down.

"... I know, I was wrong."

She honestly admitted her mistake and whispered, "In that case, I'll go home later."

"Given the current situation, why talk about going home now?"

Lin Yun sighed, forcing a smile, "Since you're here, why not help me choose a gift for your mother?"

"I..." Lin Xiaolu looked at him hesitantly. After realizing she had made a mistake, she didn't know what to say.

"Let's go." Lin Yun patted the railing and pointed to the courtyard below. "Or are you not planning to go to the cemetery next week?"

"How is that possible?"

At the mention of this topic, Lin Xiaolu perked up again, muttering softly, "Even if you don't go, I'm going."

"Then what are we waiting for?"

Lin Yun took two steps toward the elevator, then turned back to look at her. "Or do you want to continue standing up here, on the command platform like a marshal?"

"... Do you think I wanted this?"

"Then let's hurry up and go," Lin Yun urged.

"Okay, got it."

"What would you like to eat for lunch?"

"... ice cream."

On the other side, Xia Liang, who had witnessed the whole thing, smiled with some relief as she saw the father and daughter gradually becoming more harmonious.

Perhaps there was a little envy or even jealousy in her heart, but these feelings were secondary. More importantly, Lin Xiaolu was her friend, and she was able to get along well with her parents, which made her feel happy for her.

"Then, Uncle, Xiao Lu."

She waved to the two of them, smiling broadly, "In that case, I'll head back now."

"You..." Lin Xiaolu frowned, wanting to say something more.

She had only uttered one word when Xia Liang interrupted her, "Xiao Lu, you should also go and think about the gift. Your mother will definitely be very happy."

She didn't give Lin Xiaolu a chance to finish what she was saying, even though they both knew that her words might have been a plea to stay.

But in her view, this was a rare opportunity for the father and daughter to have a proper conversation, and she didn't need to stand there like a third wheel, only making everyone feel uncomfortable.

So, after saying that, she turned around, quickened her pace, and walked towards the crowd as if she wanted to run away. But before she could disappear into the crowd, she was stopped by a voice from behind.

"The student over there."

The man behind her said, "If you don't have anything else to do, why don't you come with Xiao Lu?"

"No need, thank you uncle, it's very convenient for me to go back by myself." So she turned around, smiled and declined.

"Don't mention it. You're Xiao Lu's classmate, your name is Xia Liang, right?"

Lin Yun tried her best to keep her expression and tone gentle. "Thank you for going through all that trouble with her, so I should thank you too."

He didn't actually know what Xia Liang was thinking at that moment, but that didn't stop him from remembering that night when Xia Liang, who rarely showed her vulnerable side, said to Larkspur, "Don't be biased."

Although he is not the Larkspur now, and she won't realize this, that's not an excuse for him to abandon this girl.

"Come on over, I'll treat you to lunch, and then I'll drive you home."

He looked at Xia Liang and said somewhat seriously.

Xia Liang looked at him, opened her mouth slightly, but didn't know how to continue refusing.

Stop nagging.

Lin Xiaolu, who was standing to the side, also found a chance to finish her sentence. She crossed her arms and looked away, saying, "Didn't you say before that you hoped I would treat you like family? Now you're putting on an act?"

Xia Liang glanced at Lin Yun, then at Lin Xiaolu, and noticed that they were both looking at her with a certain concern.

Reason told her that she was merely an outsider here, and seeing other people's close family relationships was just a self-examination.

However, deep down, she yearned for this kind of relationship that she could not have.

Should she approach them? She would ask herself this question, trying to stop herself.

At this moment, the concern and invitation from the father and daughter broke through the self-imposed barrier, causing a warm current to surge through her heart.

Oh well, I guess I should just be a little impulsive at times like this.

Remembering someone's advice, she nodded, revealing a somewhat helpless yet genuine smile:

"Then I won't stand on ceremony."