Lu Xunli had finished his breakfast and noticed his mother's unusual mood. Knowing he wasn't good at comforting people, he simply didn't ask and left after saying goodbye, following in his father's footsteps.
He understood Lu Yuan and Song Zhilan well. Although the two usually acted awkwardly around each other, they ultimately regarded one another as indispensable important figures in their lives. Throughout the years, the word "divorce" had never been mentioned between them.
Precisely because of this, even when they occasionally displayed conflicts openly, Lu Xunli simply regarded it as their peculiar way of showing affection and never presumptuously interfered.
After her anger subsided, Song Zhilan found herself somewhat troubled by the current situation.
She felt that Lu Xiaoxiao had her own opinions, so after hesitating for a moment, she decided to subtly sound out her daughter's perspective.
Having mentally prepared herself, Song Zhilan cleared her throat and forced a seemingly relaxed and natural smile before speaking: "Xiaoxiao dear, your mother has something she'd like to hear your opinion about."
"Well… it's like this. Your mother has a friend who's had some misunderstandings with her husband. She asked me what she should do, but I don't know how to advise her."
Lu Xiaoxiao blinked twice and nodded obediently: "Alright, go ahead. What's the misunderstanding about?"
[Such a classic excuse. If this "friend" isn't actually her, I'll twist my head off and use it as a soccer ball.]
Song Zhilan: "…"
Feeling exposed, Song Zhilan felt slightly embarrassed but pretended not to hear Lu Xiaoxiao's inner thoughts, stubbornly continuing with her imaginary friend story:
"Well, your mother's friend only developed feelings for her husband after marriage through prolonged contact. She's secretly done many things for her husband behind his back, but he doesn't know about any of it. So he said some things that really hurt her feelings, and now she's very upset."
Lu Xiaoxiao wore a complicated expression: "Then why didn't you… I mean, why didn't your friend just tell him?"
Song Zhilan choked up for a moment before answering somewhat guiltily: "Because… because she was embarrassed? How would your mother know what your mother's friend is thinking…"
"Besides, saying these things out loud feels like fishing for compliments. When my friend was doing those things for her husband, her intentions were completely pure – she wasn't doing it for any reward! Not telling him was also because she didn't want him to feel guilty!"
Lu Xiaoxiao's expression grew even more complicated: "So you mean you… no, your friend expects her husband to understand her without knowing the truth?"
"Mom, is it possible that this isn't very realistic? After all, nobody in this world has Mind Reading!"
Song Zhilan grew increasingly guilty, her eyes beginning to dart around nervously.
Well, actually Mind Reading does exist, but seeing how completely unaware her daughter seemed, she didn't dare mention it.
[So why be afraid of making the other person feel guilty anyway? Isn't love precisely about constantly feeling indebted to each other? The relationship becomes better precisely when you owe me a little and I owe you a little!]
[Besides, love shouldn't be something completely positive to begin with, right? It's normal to have mixed positive and negative emotions – love and hate have always been two sides of the same coin! Just like how I often want to stab Lu Yubai when he's being annoying, but I also frequently feel affectionate toward him precisely because he's such an extreme idiot!]
Song Zhilan: "…?"
Song Zhilan was completely stunned by Lu Xiaoxiao's internal reasoning, feeling that the example using Lu Yubai seemed somewhat too aggressive.
But recalling Lu Yubai's clumsy lie last time—claiming Lightning was responsible after he shattered the second-floor window while playing soccer—she felt there might be some truth to calling the boy foolish.
Song Zhilan hesitated for a moment before voicing her final concern: "But Mom's friend's husband never took the initiative to confess his emotional baggage either. If she speaks first, wouldn't it make her seem cheap?"
Lu Xiaoxiao shook her head, responding with an air of profound wisdom: "I believe when both parties harbor affection, no action can be deemed 'cheap'."
Song Zhilan's eyes trembled with realization, feeling instantly enlightened by these words.
Yes—she had already witnessed Lu Yuan's sincerity. Why bother getting tangled up over whose pride mattered more?
They'd been married for so many years and raised a houseful of children together! What could possibly be too embarrassing to discuss openly?
Still, this shouldn't be rushed. She needed to lay some groundwork and mentally prepare herself first.
Having reached this clarity, Song Zhilan joyfully embraced Lu Xiaoxiao. "Xiaoxiao! You're absolutely right! You've helped Mom tremendously! I'm going to tell my friend right now—you finish your breakfast!"
With these words, Song Zhilan rose and returned to her room.
Over the years, Lu Yuan had truly nurtured Song Zhilan well. She maintained her youthful appearance without a trace of aging, and now her retreating figure bounced with such vivacity she resembled a girl freshly awakened to spring romance.
Lu Xiaoxiao watched this scene with quiet emotion.
Every mother was once an innocent, carefree girl. Loving someone is like tending flowers—when treated with care, even women in their forties or fifties can retain their radiant bloom.
Though come to think of it… Why was she, someone with zero romantic experience, so confidently giving advice to married people? This was completely backwards!
Lu Xiaoxiao sighed helplessly and drained her glass of milk with the dramatic flourish of someone drowning sorrows.
Noting she'd finished breakfast, the System inquired: "Host, there are two days left until Lu Yubai's birthday party plot. Have you decided what gift to prepare for him?"
Lu Xiaoxiao responded listlessly: "Even if I bothered giving one, he probably wouldn't accept it. If I saw him throw my present in the trash, I'm afraid I'd beat him into something resembling an ultra-thin sanitary pad."
System: "?"
System: "Host, could you refrain from such… excessive masculinity?"
Lu Xiaoxiao: "Venting anger promptly is great for breast health. You do want your Host to stay physically healthy, don't you?"
The System, as always, found itself unable to argue with her and changed the subject: "But Host, Lu Yubai definitely won't invite you to his birthday party. If you want to trigger this plot point, you'll need to disguise yourself as one of his classmates. They'll stop you at the entrance if you arrive empty-handed."
After frowning in thought, Lu Xiaoxiao first muttered "Troublesome" before assuring the System not to worry—she'd handle the preparations.
On Lu Yubai's birthday, he chose not to celebrate with family, instead throwing his party at a KTV club exclusively for peers.
True to expectations, Lu Yubai left without inviting Lu Xiaoxiao, though he did bring Lu Jiaoyue along.
Lu Jiaoyue had wanted to invite Lu Xiaoxiao to join them, but Lu Yubai managed to coax and maneuver her into the car first.
He had long wanted to introduce his friends to Lu Jiaoyue. Normally, he never missed a chance to boast about how gentle and beautiful his sister was, and today he finally found a legitimate opportunity to show her off. Naturally, he wouldn't let it slip away.
As for that Lu Xiaoxiao… Lu Yubai had no desire to see her on his birthday! What awful luck she brought!