Lu Xunli had already finished breakfast. Noticing that his mother seemed upset, and knowing he was no good at comforting people, he simply said goodbye without asking any questions and followed his father out.
He understood Lu Yuan and Song Zhilan. Although the two were often awkward with each other, they both considered the other an indispensable part of their lives. In all their years together, neither had ever mentioned divorce.
That was why, even when they occasionally brought their disagreements out into the open, Lu Xunli regarded it as their way of flirting and never presumed to interfere.
Once Song Zhilan's anger subsided, however, she found herself at a loss over the situation.
She thought Lu Xiaoxiao had a mind of her own. After some hesitation, she decided to sound her daughter out.
After mentally preparing herself, Song Zhilan cleared her throat and put on what she hoped was an easy, natural smile. "Xiaoxiao, there's something I'd like your opinion on."
"Well... here's the thing. I have a friend who's had a little misunderstanding with her husband. She asked me what to do, but I don't know what advice to give her."
Lu Xiaoxiao blinked twice and nodded obediently. "Okay, go ahead. What's the misunderstanding?"
[What a classic excuse. If this friend isn't her, I'll twist my head off and kick it around like a ball.]
Song Zhilan: "..."
A little embarrassed at being exposed, Song Zhilan pretended she hadn't heard Lu Xiaoxiao's thoughts and stubbornly continued inventing her friend:
"This friend of mine only fell in love with her husband after they got married. Then she secretly did a lot for him, but he didn't know, so he said some things that really hurt her. Now she's very upset."
Lu Xiaoxiao's expression turned complicated. "Then why exactly didn't you... I mean, your friend, tell him?"
Song Zhilan choked up for a moment before answering guiltily, "Because... because she was embarrassed? How would I know what my friend was thinking...?"
"Besides, saying something like that feels like fishing for credit. My friend had pure intentions when she did those things for her husband. She wasn't looking for anything in return. She kept quiet because she didn't want him to feel guilty!"
Lu Xiaoxiao's expression grew even more complicated. "Are you saying that you... no, your friend, wants her husband to understand her without knowing the truth?"
"Mom, don't you think that might be a little unrealistic? It's not like anyone in this world can read minds!"
Song Zhilan felt increasingly guilty, and her gaze began to dart away.
Well, mind reading actually did exist, but seeing that her daughter was completely unaware of it, she didn't dare say anything.
[So why be afraid of making the other person feel guilty? Isn't love about always feeling that you owe each other something? You owe me a little, I owe you a little-that only makes the relationship stronger!]
[Besides, love isn't supposed to be entirely positive, is it? It's normal for positive and negative feelings to mix together. Love and hate go hand in hand! Like how I often want to stab Lu Yubai for being a jerk, but just as often feel tender affection for him because he's such a spectacular idiot!]
Song Zhilan: "...?"
Lu Xiaoxiao's internal argument left Song Zhilan reeling. She couldn't help feeling that using Lu Yubai as an example was perhaps a little too savage.
But recalling the time Lu Yubai had kicked a ball through a second-floor window and then told the pathetic lie that Lightning had kicked it, she felt there was some truth to calling the boy an idiot.
Song Zhilan hesitated for a moment, then voiced her last concern. "But my friend's husband has never taken the initiative to tell her what's been weighing on him, either. If she speaks first, won't that make her look cheap?"
Lu Xiaoxiao shook her head and said with an air of profound wisdom, "I think that when both people love each other, everything they do is priceless."
Something flickered in Song Zhilan's eyes. Those words seemed to clear everything up in an instant.
That was right. She had already seen how Lu Yuan felt about her. Why should she keep worrying about which of them would save more face?
They had been married for so many years and had a whole brood of children. What was there to be embarrassed about discussing openly?
Still, she couldn't rush this. She needed to ease into it and give herself some time to prepare.
Having sorted out her thoughts, Song Zhilan happily hugged Lu Xiaoxiao. "Xiaoxiao! You're absolutely right! You've been such a huge help! I'll go tell my friend right now. You keep eating your breakfast!"
With that, Song Zhilan got up and returned to her room.
Over the years, Lu Yuan had actually taken very good care of Song Zhilan. She had maintained her looks and didn't seem old at all. Even her retreating figure looked positively buoyant now, like a young girl falling in love for the first time.
Lu Xiaoxiao watched the scene appreciatively, filled with emotion.
Every mother had once been an innocent, carefree girl. Loving someone was like tending a flower. As long as she was treated well, a woman could remain radiant even in her forties or fifties.
But then again, why was someone with absolutely no romantic experience giving advice to married people with such confidence? Talk about turning the natural order upside down!
Lu Xiaoxiao sighed helplessly and drained the milk in her glass with the heroic air of someone drowning her sorrows in drink.
Seeing that she had finished breakfast, the system asked, "Host, there are two days left until Lu Yubai's birthday party plot event. Have you decided what birthday present to get him?"
Lu Xiaoxiao sounded utterly unenthusiastic. "Even if I'm willing to give him something, he might not be willing to accept it. If I have to watch him throw my present in the trash, I'm honestly afraid I'll get so mad I'll beat him flat enough to pass for Sofy Ultra-Thin Sanitary Napkins."
The system: "?"
The system: "Host, could you please stop acting like you have an extra Y chromosome?"
Lu Xiaoxiao: "Letting my anger out on the spot is great for my breast health. You want your host to stay healthy too, don't you?"
The system could never win an argument with her, so it could only drop the subject and return to the point. "But Host, Lu Yubai definitely won't invite you to his birthday party. If you want to trigger this plot event, you'll have to disguise yourself as one of his classmates to get in. They'll stop you at the door if you don't bring a present."
Lu Xiaoxiao frowned and thought for a moment. First, she muttered, "What a pain," then told the system not to worry. She would get something ready.
On his birthday, Lu Yubai chose not to celebrate with his family. He held his party at a karaoke club, and everyone he invited was his age.
Sure enough, when Lu Yubai left, he didn't invite Lu Xiaoxiao along, though he did take Lu Jiaoyue with him.
Lu Jiaoyue had wanted to ask Lu Xiaoxiao to come too, but Lu Yubai coaxed and tricked her into getting in the car first.
He had long wanted to introduce Lu Jiaoyue to his friends. He was always bragging to everyone around him about how gentle and beautiful his sister was. Now that he finally had a perfectly legitimate chance to show her off, he certainly wasn't going to waste it.
As for Lu Xiaoxiao... Lu Yubai had no desire to see her on his birthday! She was nothing but bad luck!
Before you continue