Clearly, that remark hit home again, and so Lin Xiaolu fell silent once more.
She cradled the rice bowl in one hand and held chopsticks in the other, remaining still for a long time in a rather comical pose. After a while, she put down her bowl and chopsticks just like Lin Yun had.
The porcelain bowl made a dull sound as it touched the wooden tabletop.
She picked up a napkin from beside the table, meticulously wiped clean the corners of her mouth, then her hands, and threw the napkin into the bowl. With her arms crossed, she leaned back against the chair.
With her head down, her lips first pursed tightly, then parted slightly. Fingers curled around her sleeves on her arms but gradually relaxed.
— "Can you promise not to tell Emerald Sparrow and the others?"
In the end, she looked up, her gaze at Lin Yun filled with doubt, yet also tinged with a bit of hope.
"If you ask that of me, I can certainly keep it a secret for you," Lin Yun nodded, his face expressionless.
After all, the moment he knew, Emerald Sparrow was already aware. There was no need to go out of his way to pass on the message.
Thinking this, he maintained the demeanor of an outsider, signaling Lin Xiaolu to continue.
So Lin Xiaolu took a deep breath, composed her emotions, and slowly began to explain to Lin Yun her reasons for suddenly wanting to move back home.
His first impression was that Lin Xiaolu's ability to express herself needed improvement.
She spoke very slowly, the order was somewhat jumbled, and the logic was chaotic because of the heavy mix of personal emotions; her personal thoughts were intertwined with the events, leaving many of her statements quite incomprehensible.
But as her account grew longer and more detailed, Lin Yun gradually began to understand the whole story.
Then, his expression grew complicated as well.
If at first he was eager to understand the problem to help analyze the cause and find a solution, by the time Lin Xiaolu finished her tale, that willingness had all but vanished.
In its place was intense embarrassment and confusion.
— "So, I feel I can't go on . If I continue to rely on Emerald Sparrow subconsciously, it's irresponsible behavior. To continue with such presumptuous expectations will only add to her pressure. Wouldn't that turn me into an annoying clingy person? Rather than letting myself get to that point, I might as well move back now, take some time to cool off, and think about what I should do next..."
On the other side, Lin Xiaolu was still rapidly firing off her thoughts like a barrage of bullets; her speech had gone from the initial slow pace to the rapidity of a storm, pouring out her emotions like a true downpour.
After rambling on until her mouth felt parched, Lin Xiaolu finally came to a stop, then looked at Lin Yun with anticipation: "What do you think? That's roughly the situation, what do you think I should do?"
Faced with this question, Lin Yun found himself momentarily at a loss for a response.
Not to mention giving an answer, even processing the information in Lin Xiaolu's words proved somewhat difficult.
Because if he were to summarize what Lin Xiaolu had just said, it would roughly translate to:
[I know dad, you and Emerald Sparrow are no longer in a romantic relationship, but I personally want this stepmother. If you two can't develop any ethical ties between you, could you tell me how I could officially acknowledge this stepmother and how to be sure I'm not deluding myself?]
To be honest, he felt his daughter wasn't making any sense.
But now that it had come to this, what was the best thing to do?
Lin Yun's gaze shifted slightly upward, fixating on the incandescent light on the dining room ceiling.
Now, the number of people troubled by this problem had grown from one to two.