“Mm?”
In a daze, Ye Guanguan felt herself being held into someone’s arms from her side. She faintly opened her eyes and saw Lu Jinting’s gentle face right in front of her.
“You must be exhausted. Have some sleep on our way back.” said he.
He leant over and fastened her seat belt thoughtfully. Then he brushed his lips softly across her face, getting her heart itchy.
Ye Guanguan woke up a bit and indolently raised her eyes. When she saw Lu Jinting turning the steering wheel smoothly, she found him much more handsome than usual.
“What did my father say? He was so mysterious that he didn’t even let me listen.”
As the car drove away, the house behind them receded. Ye Guanguan looked at the familiar gate in the rearview mirror and sighed. Things remained as ever, yet many people had changed.
She lived a muddled life for five years in which she got nothing, but a tired broken heart.
Lu Jinting noticed it when she was lost in thought. He drove onto the straight highway and reached out his bony right hand, lips curled into a meaningful smile.
“He said I could tell him whenever you didn’t listen to me.”
Ye Guanguan was wide awake immediately and she yelled, “No way! My dad doesn’t even…”
Ye Guo, as a matter of fact, didn’t like Lu Jinting. He possibly kept Lu Jinting for a conversation because he was worried.
Ye Guanguan didn’t dare to say it out frankly, and she fell silent with embarrassment.
Lu Jinting thought she believed what he joked and gave a hearty smile. “Dad asked me to take good care of you. He said I saw the family scandal today, and I would be one of your family. Also, he asked us not to treat ourselves as strangers.”
For a moment there was silence when Ye Guanguan thought about it. It sounded like something her father would say.
Since they got home this morning, nothing had gone smoothly. First, she saw Meng Wanru who always upset her. Then, her uncle and his family showed her how shameless they could be.
If others knew about it, her family would become a hot topic during after-dinner conversations throughout the city. Her father worried for a reason.
“Mister, don’t you want to ask me why I hate Meng Wanru so much?”
Ye Guanguan looked out of the window at the banks surrounded by the sea, lost in thought. Every now and then, light flashed up from the tall lamp-posts along the road. And there was a rustle of autumn leaves.
As they were nearly entering the city, Lu Jinting slowed down. In the meantime, he jerked his head in Ye Guanguan’s direction and replied in a soft whisper, “I’m waiting until you tell me willingly.”
Getting on with Lu Jinting was quite enjoyable. He wasn’t too particular about trifles. Instead, he firmly remembered what Ye Guanguan liked and what she hated. Also, he wouldn’t ask about anything she didn’t want to recall.
“She loves my brother. I can see that. I used to have those eyes. They were childhood sweethearts,” Ye Guanguan explained with a forced smile, “I remember my brother started to date girls from senior high when I first entered the junior high. He wasn’t a playboy, though. He only liked one girl…”
“But later, he was sent abroad for further education. And that girl never turned up. When they met again, she was a bar girl in the club, I mean, a prostitute. Mister, she’s a poor girl, isn’t she? Am I too harsh on her?”
Ye Guanguan held back what happened later in the previous life. She couldn’t tell Lu Jinting about it. She didn’t want him to show sympathy for Meng Wanru. Meng Wanru wasn’t worth the sympathy, for now at least.
The more Ye Guanguan said, the sadder she got. Lu Jinting frowned slightly.
“You’re doing that for your brother’s own good. When they’re not supposed to be a couple, meeting each other again doesn’t help.”
It was the first time that Lu Jinting discussed with Ye Guanguan about love problem so seriously. In Ye Guanguan’s mind, she used to think Lu Jinting was a barbaric military officer who was brute, arbitrary, and unreasonable.
But as she got on with him, she realized that she had such a limited outlook. She spent so little time getting to know him.
“What about us?” Ye Guanguan blurt out. Immediately, she covered her mouth with her hands. Lu Jinting, however, still noticed her dodging eyes.
Ye Guanguan was reborn. Literally, she met everyone in this world again. However, she couldn’t tell anyone about this secret, especially Lu Jinting.
Lu Jinting smiled and replied, “We didn’t meet each other again. We got to know each other again.”
A faint smile flickered across Lu Jinting’s lips. To him, everything was started over. He got to know a brand new Ye Guanguan and had an entirely different feeling.
Ye Guanguan was a little girl who always ran away upon seeing him. But now, she was his wife. Lu Jinting wouldn’t ever dream of it before.
“Sounds right.”
Ye Guanguan nodded approvingly. Lu Jinting always had such a strong intuition that Ye Guanguan was afraid he would see through her secret.
Ye Guanguan came back to life after she died. No one would believe that.
Before they noticed it, they arrived home. From far away, Ye Guanguan saw a little boy standing on tiptoe outside the dark fence. At the sight of the familiar car, the little boy jumped for joy.
Ye Guanguan unbuckled the seatbelt quickly and got out of the car. The little fatty boy swooshed towards her.
“Mummy! I miss you!”
Ye Guanguan was away for the whole day and Tuanzi was energetic again.
Ye Guanguan reached out and stroked his sweaty head. She picked him up and walked to the house so skillfully but she didn’t realize it.
“Tuanzi, were you behaving well in the nursery? Did you enjoy the meals?”
“Yes! And I was praised!”
As Tuanzi replied, he raised his chubby chin proudly and patted his chest.
Ye Guanguan lowered her head and saw Tuanzi raising a handmade little red flower. He was too shy to look at her.
There were words on the little red flower, and Ye Guanguan read them carefully, “EXCELLENT TIDY KID. Wow, Tuanzi, you were doing great!”
“Mm! I’m the only student who makes the bed after the afternoon nap!”
Just then, Lu Jinting walked in after he parked the car. His face fell, at the sight of Tuanzi who was showing off his “prize” to Ye Guanguan.
“It’s past your bedtime. Why are you still out of your bedroom?”
Tuanzi cowered. Feeling a bit aggrieved, he curled up in Ye Guanguan’s arms, too scared to argue.
In case Tuanzi lost his temper, the nursemaid ran over and held out her hand to him. “Little Master, you saw madam and showed her your little red flower. It’s time to get to bed.”
Tuanzi raised his leg obediently, trying to get out of Ye Guanguan’s arms. The latter, however, stopped him.
“Oh, Tuanzi, you didn’t go to bed because you wanted to show me your little red flower, did you?”
Aggrieved, Tuanzi nodded. With innocent eyes, he wanted to look at his father, but was too afraid. Again, he curled himself into Ye Guanguan’s arms.
“Mister, why are you so strict with him? He’s only three years old.”
“A boy mustn’t be too effeminate.”
After changing his shoes, Lu Jinting walked to Ye Guanguan and Tuanzi. As soon as he looked at Tuanzi, the latter avoided his gaze.
Recently, Tuanzi had violated the rules Lu Jinting made many times just because Ye Guanguan spoilt him. Lu Jinting wouldn’t allow that again.
“Lu Geqi, go back to your own room!”