You Are My Omega - Chapter 77

Before making her visit, Xu Shijiu first went to the mall and carefully picked out a wide variety of dolls. She bought all shapes and sizes, filling the entire car until there was no space left. Only then did she stop. She knew her sister had probably already prepared all the supplements and necessities, so her main purpose today was to bring toys for Fantuan.

Fantuan was already six years old and had just started first grade. She had a special love for dolls, especially the really big ones. Not long ago, Xu Shijiu had a giant stuffed bear custom-made just for her. When she gave it to her, Fantuan’s smile stretched from ear to ear. For several days afterward, she kept begging the housekeeper to help her video call her little aunt.

Before Xu Shijiu even rang the doorbell, she heard quick footsteps approaching from inside. Then the door opened.

“Little Aunt!” Fantuan threw herself into Xu Shijiu’s arms, her face glowing with excitement. Her messy bed hair and wrinkled pajamas clearly showed she had just climbed out from under the covers.

Xu Shijiu caught her steadily but didn’t lift her like she used to when Fantuan was smaller. Even though her legs had recovered, her body was still too weak. She wasn’t worried about herself. She just didn’t want to risk dropping Fantuan by being careless.

“Hello, my sweet Fantuan. Oh my, look at your little face. Red marks and drool everywhere.” Xu Shijiu looked at the child who was rubbing her face against her coat as if it were a towel. She couldn’t help but laugh.

Liu Lingyan came running out and sighed as soon as she saw them.

“I just dragged this little rascal out of bed and was about to wash her face when she suddenly ran off. I figured it had to be you, Shijiu. The doorbell never rang. I don’t know how she knew it was you.”

“You wouldn’t understand, Mom,” Fantuan replied seriously, hands behind her back. “I’m like a radar for Little Aunt. I just know when she’s near.”

A proper radar never needed a doorbell to know her little aunt had arrived.

Fantuan stood there with her wild bedhead, red cheeks, drool at the corner of her mouth, and her pajamas buttoned wrong. Her messy appearance made Xu Shijiu, Liu Lingyan, and the housekeeper who had just come out from the kitchen burst into laughter.

“You’re amazing, Fantuan.” Xu Shijiu smiled as she gently patted the little girl’s head in praise.

“Hee hee!” Fantuan was so proud that she almost started wagging an imaginary tail. She tugged at her aunt’s sleeve, her eyes sparkling. “Little Aunt, where’s my present?”

“I brought it for you. It’s in the car. Don’t be in such a hurry.” Xu Shijiu chuckled and led Fantuan outside to get the dolls.

They brought them into the house one by one, placing them in the room that had been set aside just for toys. Liu Lingyan watched as the collection grew and felt a headache coming on. They had already cleared out the study for Fantuan’s dolls. At this rate, they would have to clear out another room soon.

“Shijiu, you’re spoiling her too much,” Liu Lingyan said while wiping Fantuan’s face.

Fantuan immediately protested. “Mom, I’m Little Aunt’s favorite niece. If she doesn’t spoil me, who will?”

“Fantuan is absolutely right,” Xu Shijiu said, laughing. The world of children was so much simpler than that of adults. Just being with Fantuan lifted her spirits and helped clear away the emotional mess caused by Lin Xinyi’s return.

Liu Lingyan said nothing more. She watched Xu Shijiu laugh so freely and listened to the joyful exchanges between her and Fantuan. In the end, she chose to stay quiet.

The news of Lin Xinyi’s return had been everywhere. Liu Lingyan knew about it of course. She didn’t know what had really happened between Lin Xinyi and Xu Shijiu in the past, and she didn’t dare to ask. She was afraid of touching a wound that still hadn’t healed. Now that Lin Xinyi was back, she couldn’t help but wonder whether something might happen again between the two of them.

Liu Lingyan chose not to bring it up, but that didn’t mean Fantuan wouldn’t.

Even though Fantuan didn’t use her phone much, she still liked to check the news. Her mom was in the entertainment industry, and Fantuan enjoyed seeing her in articles or videos. Because of that, she had seen the headlines about Lin Xinyi.

Later, when she had a quiet moment with her aunt, she tugged gently at Xu Shijiu’s sleeve and spoke hesitantly.

“Little Aunt, can I ask you something?”

“Of course,” Xu Shijiu said, not yet realizing what was coming.

“Aunt Lin…” Fantuan said the name softly and then quickly looked at her aunt’s expression to see her reaction.

The cautious look in her eyes made Xu Shijiu’s heart ache. She quickly composed herself and smiled gently.

“Yes, Fantuan? What do you want to ask?”

When she didn’t see any signs of discomfort in her aunt’s expression, Fantuan gathered a little more courage.

“Did Aunt Lin come back? I saw her in the news yesterday. Mommy was in the video too.”

Fantuan could no longer remember the last time she had seen her mother. These days, she could only see her through news reports and old pictures.

“Yes. She came back from overseas yesterday, and my sister went to pick her up.” Xu Shijiu wasn’t surprised that Fantuan had seen the news. When she first discovered that the little girl followed the entertainment headlines just to catch glimpses of her mom, it had made her heart ache deeply.

“I see…” Fantuan began picking at her fingers.

Xu Shijiu gently stopped her from doing that and spoke softly. “If you want to say something, just tell me. You don’t have to hide it from me.”

“I want… I want to see Aunt Lin.” Fantuan finally said it, after struggling for a while and being encouraged by her aunt’s kind expression.

Xu Shijiu froze for a moment. She hadn’t expected that. Ever since Lin Xinyi left the country three years ago, Fantuan had never mentioned her.

She didn’t have to guess why. It was likely that Liu Lingyan had warned her not to bring up Lin Xinyi for fear it would upset her.

Fantuan had been hopeful. But when she saw her aunt hesitate, she quickly shook her head.

“Little Aunt, just forget what I said.”

Her mother had told her that Little Aunt and Aunt Lin had some kind of falling out. Mentioning Aunt Lin would make her sad. So Fantuan had always tried her best not to bring it up. She didn’t want her aunt to be hurt. But when she saw Aunt Lin’s photo yesterday, she just couldn’t hold it in any longer.

If Fantuan had insisted, Xu Shijiu might have found an excuse to say no. But it was this kind of quiet withdrawal that hurt her even more. She couldn’t bring herself to reject her.

“Then I’ll contact her now and ask Aunt Lin to come visit you. Would you like that?” Xu Shijiu asked gently.

But instead of getting excited, Fantuan hesitated again. She looked up at her aunt and asked softly, “Are you sure?”

She really did want to see Aunt Lin. But would that make Little Aunt sad?

“I’m sure. I haven’t seen her in a long time either. This is a good chance to catch up,” Xu Shijiu said with a warm smile.

What made her feel most regretful and heartbroken was Fantuan’s constant need to tiptoe around others. If the past had gone differently, if her sister and Liu Lingyan had stayed together, then Fantuan wouldn’t have grown up with this cautious personality.

Just then, Liu Lingyan walked in and heard Xu Shijiu’s promise. She frowned slightly but quickly softened her expression when Fantuan looked her way. She stepped forward and said with a smile, “It’s nap time for my little sweetheart. Time to rest now, Fantuan.”

Fantuan was reluctant to go to sleep. Xu Shijiu gently tapped the tip of her nose and said, “You have to take your nap if you want to grow up big and strong.”

“Alright then…” Fantuan finally gave in. She really did want to grow up quickly.

“Little Aunt, you’re not allowed to leave,” she said worriedly before falling asleep.

Xu Shijiu held her little hand and reassured her, “Don’t worry. I promised to stay with you all day. I won’t leave early.”

Even after falling asleep, Fantuan seemed uneasy. One of her hands still clutched Xu Shijiu’s finger, and the other held tightly onto Liu Lingyan’s.

In the end, Liu Lingyan had to gently place two stuffed dolls into her arms, one on each side. Only then were they able to quietly slip away.

They stepped out of the room and carefully closed the door behind them. Once they were in the living room and seated on the sofa, Liu Lingyan finally asked, “Are you really going to call Xiaoyi?”

She didn’t know exactly what had happened between Lin Xinyi and Xu Shijiu, but she could clearly see that Xu Shijiu had not yet forgiven her.

“Yes. Fantuan wants to see her,” Xu Shijiu replied with a nod as she took out her phone and started scrolling through her contacts to find Lin Xinyi’s number.

She had memorized Lin Xinyi’s number long ago.

But instead of dialing it digit by digit, she scrolled slowly through her contacts, starting from the top of the list under “A.”

She didn’t want to admit how much she still cared. She didn’t want to admit that even now, she had not truly escaped the prison that was Lin Xinyi.

“If it’s too difficult for you, then maybe don’t contact her after all,” Liu Lingyan said softly as she watched Xu Shijiu looking down at her phone, scrolling.

Lin Xinyi had only just returned. Even if there was no bad blood between them, it was impossible to resolve everything in just one day, especially with how complicated things had been.

Xu Shijiu shook her head. “I can’t let Fantuan be disappointed. I promised her.”

“You could talk to her and explain—”

“Lingyan, I already gave her my word. If I break it now, do you know how hurt she’ll be?”

Xu Shijiu cut her off gently. She understood that Liu Lingyan was looking out for her, but she just couldn’t go back on her promise.

“It’s just a message. Nothing more. It’s really not that big of a deal,” she said lightly.

Liu Lingyan studied her expression but couldn’t find anything unusual. She let out a quiet sigh. Xu Shijiu had truly grown up. Even she, a veteran actress, could no longer clearly tell whether what Xu Shijiu said was sincere or whether she was forcing herself.

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