When Lu Lin returned, he only saw his daughter sitting on the sofa.
Bai Ruanwen was gently blowing on the red mark on the girl’s forehead, softly speaking as she carefully applied medicine.
His footsteps involuntarily paused; everything should have been real.
“I’m fine now, Mom. You should go back,” Bai Xia said, noticing the man at the door.
The secondary male lead wasn’t here, and the male lead wouldn’t hit anyone, but who knew what else he might do.
Bai Ruanwen also noticed the man not far away and smiled slightly.
“Mom has the day off today.”
Seeing that Ruanwen wasn’t avoiding him, Lu Lin’s eyes flickered slightly.
He stepped forward, picked up the certificate on the table, and said gently, “Impressive. What reward do you want?”
Bai Xia blinked.
“Then you’re in charge of dinner tonight. No letting the chef help.”
Recently, Lu Lin had been reading childcare books.
Proper parent-child interaction helps their relationship.
He should have taken his daughter to an amusement park long ago instead of letting Song Shushu beat him to it.
“All right.”
He agreed immediately.
His gaze then fell on Bai Ruanwen, his tone unusually calm.
“I want to talk to you about Xiaxia’s recent studies.”
Bai Xia had no energy to retort.
He was even using her as a shield now—at least he’d learned to be more subtle than just cold words from on high like before.
But mistakes are mistakes.
Admitting them is only so one doesn’t repeat them, not so everything can be ignored afterward.
Moreover, the male lead hadn’t fully realized his own problems; he still had a long mental journey ahead.
Bai Ruanwen smiled, no longer avoiding his gaze.
“Okay.”
Lu Lin was slightly dazed, staring intently at her.
His palms loosened and tightened again before he finally headed upstairs.
Seeing the female lead go upstairs too, Bai Xia felt relieved.
If her mom were still afraid of the male lead, she would worry, but facing him calmly meant she had completely let go of old grudges.
Lu Shuo came over holding a bag of chips and quietly sat on the sofa, also looking upstairs.
“Do you think your parents are getting back together?”
Bai Xia glanced coldly.
“My mom is already married to Song Shu. People go through many things in life; they don’t have to cling to the past.”
“Oh, so Song Shu is your stepdad? Does that mean you’ll have lots of siblings?”
Lu Shuo seemed to get it.
Bai Xia’s face was expressionless.
“Why do you always care if others have siblings or not? Did you finish your homework? Where’s the workbook I gave you?”
Lu Shuo’s expression changed, and he covered his ears as if pretending not to hear.
He had tried, but studying was really hard.
When would he ever save up two hundred million?
Upstairs in the study, the trash bin was filled with empty wine bottles.
Bai Ruanwen glanced at the man and frowned slightly.
“Drinking too much is bad for your health.”
Lu Lin took off his jacket and hung it on the chair, then went to the wine cabinet to pour two glasses of brandy. Hearing her words, his brow twitched.
“You know, I have a strong tolerance for alcohol.”
Perhaps fearing he would misunderstand, Bai Ruanwen added, “You are Xiaxia’s biological father. I hope you can set a good example for her. Those bad habits… it’s best if she doesn’t see them.”
Xiaxia was incredibly smart, and she was afraid her daughter might absorb some bad influences.
Lu Lin paused, bringing the two glasses closer.
He put one down on the table.
Bai Ruanwen sat on the sofa with an indifferent expression.
“I prefer juice now.”
The man’s fingers tightened slightly.
He raised his glass and drank it all in one go, then rested one hand on the chair’s armrest, closing his eyes to calm the storm inside.
After a long moment, he slowly looked up.
“I’m sorry. I was wrong. I shouldn’t have misunderstood you. It’s my fault for not respecting you.”
His low voice echoed in the silent study.
Bai Ruanwen was stunned.
She almost thought Lu Lin was drunk.
Otherwise, how could he say such things?
He was usually so proud.
“It’s all in the past. Maybe I was wrong too. I shouldn’t have chosen to avoid it. If we had talked it out earlier, the misunderstanding wouldn’t have lasted so long,” she said, shaking her head slightly.
Her daughter had taught her a lesson: often, direct communication can solve many problems, but some things really cannot be said outright, even if it leads to pain.
Lu Lin stared at her, his throat rolling slightly.
“I know I said many things I shouldn’t have, but I don’t believe you love Song Xun.”
Back then, he kept his guard up against everyone, including Ruanwen, which was why he said those things.
If he had realized his feelings sooner, the Song family wouldn’t have taken advantage.
Bai Ruanwen shook her head, looking at him with complicated eyes.
“No, I love him. Love is slow to awaken.”
“And me? What are we?”
He furrowed his brows deeply but finally loosened his grip.
A fierce storm surged in his black eyes.
Looking at the man she had liked for many years, Bai Ruanwen’s expression remained calm.
“I liked you once, but that was the flutter of youth. Infatuation is fleeting; love is a soulful connection.”
When she first saw Lu Lin at thirteen, she didn’t know what she felt—like a stone dropping into a lake, her heart rippling.
Since then, she couldn’t help but notice him every time they met, even though he rarely smiled.
He would explain problems to her and tell her kids shouldn’t sneak drinks.
After her family went bankrupt, she didn’t know how to get close to him anymore.
Until that unexpected night, she wanted to refuse, but hearing him call her name again and again, she gave up resisting.
But when he sobered up and suspected she drugged him, she didn’t know how to argue.
How could someone who liked her not believe her?
That wasn’t love.
With the Bai family reduced to just her, she had no attachment left and chose to go abroad to escape everything.
But she didn’t expect to get pregnant.
She never thought about terminating the child because she had a family again.
She liked Lu Lin, very much, but over time, that liking had become the past.
Song Xun taught her many things and how to survive.
She never doubted or mistrusted Song Xun.
They didn’t need words to understand each other.
Though lacking passionate ups and downs, her heart was content.
As for Lu Lin, she wouldn’t deny the old infatuation—maybe it still lived deep inside her—but she could face everything calmly now.
She hoped Lu Lin could let go, start anew, and free them both.
“You deny everything between us for him?”
The man didn’t seem angry but laughed quietly, his breath catching.
“I’m not denying it. There are many kinds of love in this world. We can be friends, but Lu Lin, you don’t understand me, and I can’t understand you. We can’t be together anymore. I love Song Xun, and I’m married to him now. This time it’s not fake. I will walk with him.”
Her gaze was complex as she looked at him.
Lu Lin stood by the window, one hand on the sill. His long fingers curled slowly into a fist, veins bulging on the back of his hand, his whole figure shrouded in shadow.
Seeing his back, Bai Ruanwen suddenly stood.
“I’m leaving first. If anything happens to Xiaxia, you can contact me.”
He heard the footsteps fading, the door closing, then an eerie silence.
His breathing quickened.
He always thought Ruanwen married Song Xun just to avoid entangling with him.
But now he knew, Ruanwen wouldn’t turn back.
She said he didn’t understand her—how could that be?
He just didn’t understand himself.
Love is slow to awaken.
And he was the same.
Lu Lin picked up a glass, poured a brandy, and drank it all at once.
His head felt like it was exploding, splitting in pain.
***
“Knock, knock, knock—”
The door suddenly sounded.
When it opened, the little girl stood at the doorway, staring straight at him.
He instinctively threw the glass into the trash and crouched down, his voice hoarse.
“What’s wrong?”
Smelling the alcohol on him, Bai Xia immediately knew what her mother had said and said firmly, “The teacher said everyone must take responsibility for their mistakes. Only then can they always remind themselves not to make the same mistake twice.”
A mistake is a mistake.
The harm he caused Bai Ruanwen was indelible.
It’s best to correct it actively.
There will be chances to meet others in the future, but don’t be cold and cruel.
Otherwise, everyone will run away.
Hearing her daughter, Lu Lin’s throat seemed stuck.
No sound came out.
He reached out and hugged the girl’s small body, his cold, sharp features tightening.
Bai Xia didn’t push him away.
Calm down, it will be fine.
Everything is cause and effect.
When Ruanwen was doubted by the person she liked, how painful her heart was.
Now he was tasting that pain, at least he still had family.
But Ruanwen had none back then; the secondary male lead was the one who stayed with her, helping her out of life’s difficulties.
Raging waves aren’t always love—they can be steady companionship.
Lu Lin held the girl’s thin wrist, looked at the red mark on her forehead, and said in a low voice, “Be careful.”
Now he had nothing left but his daughter.
“This is a warrior’s honor. You wouldn’t understand even if I explained.”
Bai Xia glanced toward the trash can, frowning.
“Didn’t you say alcohol tastes bitter? Why are you sneaking drinks again?”
The male lead liked to drink but rarely got drunk outside, preferring to drink alone at home.
Lu Jin Nian was different—he drank plenty with old friends but never touched alcohol at home.
Maybe he was afraid she’d smell the alcohol.
They even removed the wine cabinet from the first floor.
Lu Lin stroked her head, voice hoarse.
“I won’t drink anymore.”
Apparently, the male lead was going through withdrawal after a breakup.
Could he really not drink with all that wine?
“I’m heading to class now. If you’re unhappy, you can tell me. I won’t laugh.”
Bai Xia comforted him, then turned and left the study.
Watching her disappear, Lu Lin glanced at the wine cabinet, then took out his phone to call the butler and have it all removed.