Lu Yinghan sat blankly in the dining room for a moment before snapping back to reality.
It didn’t matter. She could go anywhere.
But right now, she was missing two things…
She still needed to discuss it with Lu Jiansen. If it wasn’t possible, then she wouldn’t go.
Having solidified her resolve, Lu Yinghan wolfed down the rest of her breakfast and went straight to Lu Jiansen’s study.
“Knock, knock, knock.”
“Come in.”
She gently pushed open the door to Lu Jiansen’s study.
Lu Yinghan’s gaze blurred for a moment.
How long had it been since she’d last seen this study?
Shaking her head, Lu Yinghan looked up at Lu Jiansen, who was tidying his clothes and preparing to head out.
“Big Brother, there’s something I’d like to discuss with you.”
Lu Jiansen’s expression immediately turned impatient.
“Just get to the point! As long as it’s not about you not wanting to go to school, anything else is negotiable.”
Lu Yinghan shrugged. She couldn’t wait to go to school—it would mean she wouldn’t have to face all of them all day.
She cleared her throat. “I’d like to borrow some money from you to buy a phone and a laptop. I’ll keep track of it and pay you back later.”
The study fell silent…
“Lu Yinghan…”
Lu Jiansen felt an odd shift in the atmosphere.
His younger sister was using honorifics with him, and she was telling her own brother she’d “borrow” money and pay him back.
Setting aside the money issue for now—
She didn’t have a phone?
Yaoyao had the newest and best tablet and phone. Whenever a new model came out, their father would buy it for her.
He’d always assumed Lu Yinghan would benefit from Yaoyao’s hand-me-downs and have her own tablet or phone.
But clearly, that wasn’t the case.
Lu Xiong’s earlier reaction had also made Lu Jiansen take notice.
“I’ll buy them for you. The Lu family isn’t so hard up that we need to borrow for something like this.”
Those words were meant for Lu Yinghan.
Lu Yinghan nodded obediently on the surface, but in her heart, she still noted this as a debt.
She didn’t want to owe them anything.
Seeing that Lu Jiansen was willing to buy her these two items, Lu Yinghan politely took her leave of him.
She walked out of the study without looking back.
“…”
Lu Jiansen’s brow was visibly furrowing so deeply it was nearly deformed.
But the study no longer held Lu Yinghan’s figure, so he swallowed his dissatisfaction and left for work.
As he reached the entrance, an auntie happened to be carrying trash bags out.
Lu Jiansen, who was adjusting his tie, caught a whiff of lavender in the air.
He turned to look at one of the bags—one that was different from the other bulging ones.
This one was so flat it looked like an empty trash bag.
But lying inside it were a half-finished sachet and some dried lavender flowers.
It was something Lu Yinghan had thrown away.
Lu Jiansen froze at the doorway.
Though he’d never seen this item before, and had never heard Lu Yinghan mention making a sachet for him, he was now certain—this was something Lu Yinghan had discarded.
“Young Master?”
The driver at the door, worried they’d be late for work, turned to Lu Jiansen with a troubled call.
“Got it. Let’s go.”
Getting into the luxury car, Lu Jiansen left the Lu residence.
Meanwhile, the cleaning auntie brought out the trash bags from the other rooms.
She looked at that flat, deflated bag.
Her eyes went wide.
“Huh?! Where’s the sachet?! And the flowers??? Did I lose them? Oh no—where did the trash go!”
Panicking to protect her job, the auntie searched all day, unaware that those two items were currently resting safely in a drawer in Lu Jiansen’s office.
After leaving Lu Jiansen’s study, Lu Yinghan began wandering around the Lu family villa.
Even in her past life, she’d never been familiar with the layout of the house. At most, she knew everyone’s rooms, the dining room, and the small garden. She’d never bothered to explore anything else.
How foolish she’d been.
Lu Yinghan let out a cold laugh inwardly.
She started strolling through the estate.
When she reached the garden, the sound of a child’s bell-like laughter drifted over.
Lu Yinghan looked toward the garden.
The sunlight was perfect, shining brilliantly over the beautiful, ornate garden.
Lu Xuanyao sat on the swing their parents had specially built for her, with her mother pushing her from behind.
Watching her swing higher and higher.
Both of them were laughing with pure joy.
The sunlight brushed across Lu Xuanyao’s young but pale face, making her look as fragile as a crystal doll.
Yet she was breathtakingly beautiful.
It dazzled Lu Yinghan’s eyes.
The cramping in her heart made the tips of her fingers ache as well.
She quickly rubbed her fingers and chest with her hands, trying to ease the stabbing pain.
Lu Xuanyao bathed in sunlight, and Lu Yinghan in her dark room—the two formed a stark contrast.
After watching for a little while longer, Lu Yinghan quietly slipped away, refusing to look any further.
“Hm?”
He Shu, who was feeding Lu Xuanyao water, suddenly felt a jolt in her heart.
She snapped her head up toward the window where Lu Yinghan had just been standing.
Pressing her right hand to her chest, she breathed slowly.
For just a moment, she’d sensed a strange presence—but more than that, it felt like something precious was drifting away from her.
“Mommy? What’s wrong?”
Lu Xuanyao tilted her head to look at He Shu. Clipped in her hair was none other than the hairpin Lu Yinghan loved most.
“Oh, it’s nothing. Mom was just spacing out for a moment.”
Hearing Lu Xuanyao’s voice, He Shu relaxed a bit.
She pushed aside the fleeting discomfort in her heart and cheerfully went back to playing with Lu Xuanyao.
Lu Yinghan had just returned to her room in silence when a knock came at the door.
It was Butler Liu. In his hands, he carried the phone and laptop that she had mentioned to Lu Jiansen that morning.
“Miss, these are the phone and laptop that the young master asked me to give you. Let me activate them for you first.”
Butler Liu knelt on one knee to be at eye level with Lu Yinghan and carefully explained how to operate the phone.
“Thank you, Grandpa Butler. I’ve watched Big Brother work before, so I know how to turn the computer on and off and how to use the phone. Don’t worry.”
Butler Liu gave Lu Yinghan a curious look. She took the phone and computer from his hands.
After a quick demonstration, Butler Liu was left speechless.
“As long as you know how to use them, Miss. If there’s anything you don’t understand, or if anything gets damaged, just call for me and I’ll send someone to fix it.”
“Mm-hmm, thank you, Grandpa Butler! I’ll take good care of them!”
Butler Liu gave a kind look at Lu Yinghan, who was fiddling with her phone. He stood up and bowed slightly toward her.
“Congratulations on your enrollment, Miss.”
She suddenly looked up, and in her eyes reflected the kind old man, smiling gently, offering his sincere blessing.
Her nose reddened against her will, and tears welled up, flooding both of Lu Yinghan’s eyes.
She bit down hard on her molars, refusing to let herself cry.
But those tear-filled eyes struck Butler Liu’s heart with a violent tremor.
Even though he was past sixty and had lived a long life, when he met those eyes—pure, untainted, and piercing straight to the soul—
Butler Liu admitted it.
He could not bring himself to be indifferent to this little girl.