Chapter 34: Conversation Before Departure (Part 2)
“Whether I stay or not isn’t up to me.” Wen Hupo continued to deflect, not daring to meet An Baili’s intense gaze. Honestly, Wen Hupo had always looked down on An Baili, thinking she was obsessed with love and lacked self-respect. But now she realized she had no right to judge others. To judge others, one must first judge oneself, and criticizing herself was Wen Hupo’s greatest weakness.
An Baili pressed, “Then who decides?”
“My biological father.” Few people added the prefix “biological” when referring to their father. Those who emphasized this identity were often not satisfied with their fathers.
“Can Jingyi call him and talk to him?” An Baili asked nervously. She didn’t know how to persuade Wen Hupo’s father. Usually, when faced with difficulties, she would seek Lu Li’s help. But not this time. This time, it was her turn to help Lu Li.
Of course, she could. Wen Hupo thought to herself. Mr. Diplomat was just an insignificant heir among the middle generation of the Amber family. After Old Osric’s death, he didn’t even fight for the core assets, but instead argued with the bank about inheritance taxes. This showed the extent of his ambition. The Chu family was a top aristocratic family in China. Let alone Chu Jingyi, even a dog coming out of the Chu family’s gate would make Mr. Diplomat bow and scrape.
“Say something, Hupo. I’ve poured my heart out to you, can’t you say something too?” An Baili stomped her foot impatiently.
Wen Hupo’s cherry lips opened and closed, opened and closed again, but no words came out. Her mind was a chaotic mess, like the infinite and patternless digits of pi. There was the self-destructive urge to admit that she did like Lu Li, the pride that made her want to deny it, the strange sense of shame she felt in front of An Baili, and many other subtle and indescribable emotions.
“I do like Lu Li.” Finally, the blonde girl spoke. The divine radiance faded from her face, replaced by a womanly blush. “An Baili, but I can’t accept becoming his appendage. If I stay, I’ll only become your rival, your competitor. Even so, you still want me to stay?”
“Yes.” Light shone in An Baili’s eyes. “I told you, I love him. As long as it makes him happy, I’ll support him wholeheartedly. Hupo, I used to be afraid of you, but now I’m not afraid at all. No matter what, you can’t completely take Lu Li away from me anymore.”
So confident… Wen Hupo smiled faintly. After confessing, the heavy psychological burden lifted. “An Baili, thank you.”
“Thank me?”
“Yes. You taught me a lot today, about life, about myself.” Wen Hupo gently twirled a strand of hair. “I’ll stay, but I need Jingyi’s help. Will she be willing to help me? She… reacted quite strongly back then.”
“I told Jingyi about your situation. She said she would definitely help you. It has nothing to do with Lu Li.” An Baili breathed a sigh of relief. Her biggest fear was that Wen Hupo would still refuse to open up. “Actually, a lot of what I said to you today, Jingyi taught me.”
“I know. You couldn’t have guessed my thoughts so accurately.” Wen Hupo chuckled softly. This laughter made An Baili clench her fists slightly. Wen Hupo was still annoying. Lu Li needed to discipline this little wildcat properly. “Jingyi is truly too kind. An Baili, let’s make a promise, okay?”
“Hmm?”
“No matter how we compete, we must not let Jingyi be the one who cries.”
“Hmph… You underestimate Lu Li…” An Baili mumbled. “With him around, Jingyi will just be happy all day, why would she cry?”
“That’s for the best. That’s for the best.” Wen Hupo let out a long breath. She had never felt the air so fresh. It was as if the world was an onion, and another layer had been peeled away, revealing a whole new world to her.
“Then I’ll tell Lu Li.”
Wen Hupo quickly stopped her. “Don’t tell him. I… I still need some time to prepare myself mentally.”
“But Lu Li has been losing sleep and appetite because of you lately. How long are you going to wait?”
Lu Li lost sleep and appetite because of me? Although she felt a little guilty, she also felt a strange sense of satisfaction. So this was what it felt like to be missed? Wen Hupo thought for a moment. “My flight is on June 6th. After Jingyi talks to my father, I’ll go talk to Lu Li myself that day.”
“June 6th? That’s only a few days away! We should tell Lu Li sooner. What if he gets impulsive and goes to the airport to find you, or even rushes through security? That would be disastrous.” An Baili slapped her forehead. She knew her husband’s temperament well. He might seem gentle and considerate, but when he got stubborn, he would risk everything.
Wen Hupo shook her head. “He won’t. He doesn’t know which day I’m leaving. Telling him in advance might backfire. You just need to give Lu Li and me some time alone after school on June 6th.”
An Baili pouted. What was with this little wildcat’s bossy tone? Anyone who didn’t know better would think Wen Hupo was the one in charge! Hmph, sooner or later, Lu Li will train you to be obedient, and you’ll have to call me “sister~” when you see me.
Thinking of this, An Baili suddenly giggled.
“What are you laughing at?” Wen Hupo frowned. Did she say something wrong?
“No-nothing.” An Baili suddenly remembered something else. “Hupo, do you want to hear the story of you and Lu Li before my rebirth?”
Wen Hupo was silent for a moment. She thought of the wedding in her dream, the family in her dream, thought of many things, and finally said, “No. Since you said it happened before your rebirth, let it stay in the past. I only believe in the present, and the future.”
“You don’t actually believe in rebirth, do you?”
“Who knows?” Wen Hupo smiled enigmatically. “Maybe I do, maybe I don’t.”
An Baili was flustered by Wen Hupo’s question, feeling annoyed. Wen Hupo was still so annoying!
After the two girls finalized their plan, neither expected that the one who would be truly stressed was the absent Class Monitor.
Chu Jingyi had no idea how to use her family’s status to pressure Wen Hupo’s father into letting her stay. She was too embarrassed to ask her elders. After thinking about it for several nights, the Class Monitor finally braced herself and called Mr. Diplomat. Mr. Diplomat happened to be at the airport waiting for Wen Hupo. He was surprised to receive a call from an unknown number. Hearing the caller identify herself as Chu Jingyi, his daughter’s class monitor, he immediately put on a smile. However, his smile quickly froze as he listened to the girl lecturing him about the Chuanhai No. 1 High School Rules, the Compulsory Education Law, and the High School Student Discipline Regulations. By the time Mr. Diplomat hung up the phone, his head was still buzzing.
He stared blankly at his phone screen.
Did he just get lectured by a high school student?
Why did his face feel so hot?
(End of this volume)
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