"Hm? Why did you come back so early?" When Chu Lian opened the door and entered the house, Li Mingxue, who was lying on the sofa, lifted her head and looked at her with some surprise.
Because before the girl had gone out, she had said she would probably be back after six o'clock. Yet she had only been gone for a little over an hour before returning. What exactly had happened?
"Well, I ran into an acquaintance and did something that was probably pretty bad, so I came back. Better than overthinking things and making some terrible decision." Chu Lian waved her hand. Aside from the specific details, she did not hide much from her.
"An acquaintance, huh? Looks like you've already dealt with those matters. Coming back now is good too. You can finally do what you wanted to do." Li Mingxue suddenly understood. Her current behavior was completely different from the all-knowing expression she had shown when Chu Lian went out.
It seemed that both Chu Lian and Li Mingxue had secrets they could not let others know.
Even though neither knew just how astonishing those secrets might be, there was still an invisible gap between them.
Of course, no matter how close two people were, this kind of distance always existed. Once people lived together long enough, they would more or less discover some of each other's secrets. And even though Chu Lian had noticed it, she did not ask further, just as Li Mingxue would not pry too deeply into her affairs. The two of them shared an unspoken understanding.
"Mommy~" Anna, who had been dozing off, sensed Chu Lian's return and immediately ran over, throwing herself into her arms. Then she yawned and fell asleep.
"Looks like the little girl is really sleepy." Just yesterday Chu Lian had thought Anna's drowsiness had improved a little, but today it seemed to be returning.
Chu Lian did not really understand what was going on, but having her daughter fall asleep in her arms still made her happy. It represented the little girl's dependence on her.
Bending down, Chu Lian lifted Anna into a princess carry and walked over to the sofa, sitting down on the other side. Looking at Li Mingxue, who was flipping through a book, she hesitated briefly before asking, "Mom, didn't you say you'd go to Japan with me to deal with the Kujou family? When will you have time? I'll make the arrangements then."
"The Kujou family, huh... about two and a half months from now. That's when I'll finally be free. There are still some things I haven't dealt with yet." Li Mingxue thought for a moment and realized it would still take quite a while to prepare.
After all, there were still things that needed resolving recently. If she rushed over there now, then after coming back she would probably end up buried beneath another pile of messes.
It was better not to create that kind of troublesome situation.
Anyway, that old man from the Kujou family had been bedridden for years already. He was not going to die anytime soon, so it did not matter if she went a little later.
Who told him to be so excessive when he was younger? She might as well take this chance to get a tiny bit of revenge.
As she thought this, a smile both adorable and smug appeared on her face. Chu Lian saw it and immediately understood.
Mother had gone dark.
But she said nothing and simply remained silent.
Because she knew very well that although her mother was more serious than anyone when it came to important matters, once someone discovered what she was really thinking, she would very likely become tsundere. And when that happened, Chu Lian would suffer.
Though she would not get beaten up, she definitely would not escape being lectured.
Things were fine as they were now. As long as she did not trigger Mother's tsundere mode, everything would be good.
"Mm, then let's go in two and a half months. By then I should have already finished dealing with all my remaining matters." Chu Lian calculated the time. In roughly two months and ten days, it would be the day Zhao Ziming wanted her to perform on stage for his grandfather's birthday celebration.
Once that matter was done, there would be nothing else left. She could finally go to Japan without worries.
Of course, she would still need to head over earlier.
After all, she also had to resolve Ruriko Nana's situation.
And Lux Lyle's as well.
As for Lux's matter, should she solve it first, or go to England before heading to Japan and settle everything there first?
Tomorrow she would ask the two of them what they wanted.
If things were urgent, then she would make a trip over the weekend.
After removing the restraints that had bound them for so long, they would finally be able to feel at ease.
"You really shouldn't keep yourself so busy. You're still so young, yet you already seem busier than I am. That's no good." Li Mingxue glanced at her and gently advised her.
"I know. But if I don't stay busy now, I might not get another chance later. Besides, even if I had free time, I wouldn't know what to do with it. Living an ordinary daily life for too long eventually becomes tiring. Though I do actually like it... especially with them by my side." Chu Lian knew her mother meant well.
But right now, she truly was someone who could not afford to stop.
Otherwise, too many things would spiral out of control.
"Speaking of them, the lot of you should learn some restraint in the future. Just listen to the sounds you girls were making last night..." As an elder, Li Mingxue cared a great deal about this side of her daughter's life.
Although the voices of the six girls last night had not been loud, to Li Mingxue, whose spiritual sense was incredibly sharp, they had sounded as clear as if they were right beside her.
"Mom!" The moment yesterday night's events were brought up, Chu Lian's face instantly flushed red as she protested coquettishly.
Don't mention it don't mention it don't mention it! Even now I still don't want to remember being pinned beneath five girls and thoroughly toyed with! Why did they have to gang up on me? Seriously! But... being treated so gently like that really did feel wonderful...
No no no! It wasn't wonderful at all! I almost got yandere'd to death, okay? What's good about that? If my rowing skills hadn't been excellent enough to stop the Bad End before they completely snapped, I probably would've already been abandoned by those girls. Why would I still have the mood to think about this?
But... but... being treated like that... even though it was embarrassing... I really do want it to happen again...
As she sank into her own thoughts, Chu Lian completely failed to notice the blush on her face growing deeper and deeper.
It was like a piece of crimson jade stained with blood, making anyone who looked at her feel their appetite stir. A beauty so exquisite she seemed utterly delicious.
That shy expression... that half-resistant, half-welcoming allure... the bashful sensuality of wanting it while pretending not to...
Anyone who saw it would feel an irresistible urge to savor her properly.
At the very least, Li Mingxue felt exactly that.
She shifted to kneel on the sofa, leaning her body forward as she reached out and lifted Chu Lian's chin.
Looking at her soft, faintly panting appearance, she sighed softly.
"It's a good thing no one else can see you like this. Otherwise, the entire world would descend into chaos."
Pulling Chu Lian's face closer to her own, Li Mingxue felt the warmth of her breath and turned her head slightly.
"Mm... you really do have the feeling of a beauty capable of bringing calamity upon nations. If you had lived in ancient times, you would've been the kind of peerless enchantress who topples a city with one smile and destroys a kingdom with another. The sort of beauty blamed for throwing the world into chaos and making kings neglect their courts."
"Mom..." Chu Lian felt both shy and nervous, yet there was also a strange emotion she could not quite describe.
What exactly was Mother thinking, treating her like this?
"Oh my, my little Lian'er is getting shy." Chu Lian's reaction seemed to awaken Li Mingxue's teasing instincts. She slowly leaned closer and gently kissed her forehead.
"You're so annoying!" Shaking her head free from Li Mingxue's hand, Chu Lian turned her face away and scooted farther down the sofa, clearly realizing that her mother was teasing her again.
"Alright, alright, I'm annoying." Li Mingxue chuckled softly.
This daughter of hers truly made her feel as though if she held her in her hands, she might accidentally drop her, and if she kept her in her mouth, she might melt.
That natural charm that effortlessly drew people's eyes and made them unable to look away was simply captivating.
"Hmph..."
After huffing once, the emotions in Chu Lian's heart gradually settled.
Remembering what had just happened, she looked up at Li Mingxue, who had already returned to her original seat, and asked, "Mom, weren't you surprised at all that I like girls?"
"I already had a feeling." Li Mingxue set the book down atop her ample chest and looked into Chu Lian's eyes.
"Lian'er, your past held a lot of painful memories. And because of certain things, it's perfectly normal for you to have an instinctive dislike toward men. I noticed that ever since you were very young, so I've always been preparing myself. I kept wondering what I would do if my daughter ended up liking girls instead."
"And the answer is..." Li Mingxue lifted her eyes toward the ceiling and quietly said, "The answer is that I can accept it."
"Although this kind of feeling is considered taboo by society and unacceptable to many people, between my daughter's happiness and being judged by others, I would choose you without hesitation. As long as you like it, then go ahead and do it. Besides... I don't want other boys touching you either. That would make me feel awful."
"It would feel like someone was trying to steal away the person I love most. I don't want that feeling at all." She sighed softly.
"Anyway, you still have an older sister and an older brother. Leave the matter of carrying on the family line to them. As for you, just do whatever you want. I won't interfere. I'll only support you."
"Then... what about Chu Chu?" This was what worried Chu Lian the most.
She herself understood why she liked girls.
It was merely the deepest lingering obsession left behind from her past life as a man.
A longing she could never completely erase from her former life had instinctively shaped her into someone who rejected men and was drawn toward women.
But Chu Chu was different.
She was a perfectly normal girl.
Yet after living together with Chu Lian all these years, she had shown no interest whatsoever toward men, while instead becoming deeply dependent on and attached to her.
And over this past month, certain things had even happened between them that had, in some sense, crossed the boundaries of mere friendship and sisterhood.
She could not help worrying what her mother might think.
After all, Chu Chu had also been one of the six girls from last night.
Mother definitely knew.
"As for Chu Chu, she can deal with her own matters herself. Both you and her are the people I least want to restrain. The two of you possess the ability to soar on your own. If I placed restrictions on you, it would only turn you into ordinary people instead, and that would hinder your growth. So I won't do something like that." As Li Mingxue spoke, she casually played with a strand of her hair.
"Besides, she's my daughter too. The love I have for her is no less than the love I have for you. If my daughter likes something, wants something, or wishes to do something, why would I stop her? As long as she's happy, isn't that enough?" Li Mingxue tilted her head and answered casually.
"Perhaps this is a kind of indulgence. A kind of pampering. But so what? If you don't spoil your own daughters, then who else could you spoil?" Li Mingxue smiled faintly.
"As long as the two of you are careful, it's fine. For the next five years, before you've both reached adulthood, don't let anyone discover this. That's my only request. It shouldn't be difficult to do, right?"
"Of course not. I'll remember it." Chu Lian let out a sigh of relief.
Her mother was truly very open-minded.
She had been afraid her mother might secretly harbor some thoughts about it. Even though she had already expressed her stance before, Chu Lian still wanted to know exactly what she really thought.
Right at that moment, a voice suddenly called out from behind her.
"Lian..."
She turned around and saw the pink-and-white-haired girl leaning against the stairway entrance on the second floor.
The girl was so exquisitely beautiful that she looked as though she had stepped straight out of a CG illustration.
Chu Lian smiled.
"Inori, you're awake?"
"Mm..." The girl looked into her eyes and revealed a dazzling smile.