Over the next few days, Xu Ruobing and Chi Yingyu were busy with two main tasks: negotiating the compensation with Si Yina’s mother.
What they both had in mind was how to secure the maximum benefit for Jiang Lai within a reasonable scope.
So they were constantly engaged in busy negotiations, with no time to spare for anything else.
Sometimes, when they returned home, they would just sleep, only to go back the next day to discuss these matters again.
Meanwhile, Jiang Lai, with her newfound free time at home, spent her days living a life of mutual affection with her daughter.
The events of the past had been too chaotic and messy. Now, being able to spend normal time with her daughter before school started, to go out and play—this was something she wouldn’t have dared to dream of before.
From then until now, Jiang Lai had always held onto a long-cherished wish in her heart: how wonderful it would be if their family of three could live together like they used to.
Now, that wish was half-fulfilled. Next, she would be living with her sister-in-law. One could say they were just one step away from living together forever.
Jiang Lai no longer resisted such a future in her heart. As long as she could cross that mental hurdle soon, perhaps she and her sister-in-law would truly be together.
But after the two of them were together, what about her daughter? She couldn’t possibly stay by her side forever.
Even if she could accompany her for another ten years, what then?
Eventually, she would have her own life. She might not even work in this city, but go out to carve her own path in the world.
So, before that inevitable parting occurred, Jiang Lai hoped to spend more time by her daughter’s side, no longer neglecting her feelings like she had in the past.
Seizing her rare free time, Jiang Lai took her daughter to many, many places—places they had repeatedly put off visiting before because she was too busy.
When Jiang Leyi was little, the entire family’s financial pressure rested on Jiang Lai’s shoulders alone.
To give her daughter a more comfortable life, she poured almost all her time into work.
During busy periods, she didn’t even have normal days off. If she didn’t have to sleep at night, she probably wouldn’t have closed her eyes at all.
Thinking about it now, her past self was truly a workaholic. She had thrown her whole body and soul into work, neglecting her daughter far too much as she grew up.
Jiang Lai didn’t expect to make up for all those past shortcomings in just a few short days, but from now on, she would choose to create more parent-child moments with her daughter, moments that belonged just to the two of them.
So, in the few days left before school started, Jiang Lai and Jiang Leyi went to many places they had thought of but never visited together: the zoo, the amusement park, and an aquarium with shows.
In the eyes of outsiders, Jiang Lai now looked only in her twenties, and Jiang Leyi had the appearance of a university student. The two of them looked like a pair of best friends, or close companions.
But regarding this matter, only the two of them understood how much they had yearned for this in the past—to be able to spend time alone together, to go out and play.
Jiang Leyi was overjoyed. She had never been this happy before in her life. She did many things she had only dared to fantasize about in her mind.
So much so that on the last day before school started, Jiang Lai even thought about inviting her daughter out again. She wanted to make up for her guilt toward her daughter as much as possible.
Jiang Leyi, who was packing her luggage alone in her room, heard her “Dad’s” invitation. Although she really wanted to go in her heart, time no longer permitted it.
“Still going out? You haven’t forgotten my classes start tomorrow, have you?”
In the past, Jiang Leyi would have returned to school two days before it started. Rushing like this was a first for her. And all of it was because she wanted to spend as much time as possible with her Dad.
Although she was studying in the same city, her school was located in a relatively remote area. If Jiang Leyi wanted to come home on weekends, just taking the subway would take a full two and a half hours.
Making the round trip was simply too tiring. Even if she was willing to come back, Jiang Lai would feel reluctant in her heart.
“So you’re going back to school today…”
Jiang Lai watched her daughter packing in her room.
As she went over to help, she pondered in her heart whether she should go with her. But her daughter’s luggage was just one bag and one suitcase. If she went, she might just end up getting in the way.
Just as she was hesitating, Jiang Leyi looked at her Dad. In her heart, she really didn’t want to leave. She wanted to stay a little longer, didn’t want to be too far from her Dad.
Once the barrier between father and daughter was completely removed, both had reached a point where they couldn’t bear to be apart.
“Dad, if you don’t mind the trouble, could you take me to school?”
“Of course, sure, I’ll take you.”
Jiang Lai agreed without thinking. She initially wanted to drive her daughter to school, but then it occurred to her—she didn’t have a driver’s license now. Although she knew how to drive, she couldn’t take the car on the road without a license.
“It’s fine. We can take the subway together then. I want to spend more time with you.”
After a simple lunch at home, Jiang Lai and her daughter took the subway to her school. The university her daughter attended was the same one Jiang Lai had once studied at.
The subway window reflected swaying spots of light. Jiang Lai stared blankly at the emergency lights flashing by in the tunnel.
Suddenly, she felt a weight on her shoulder—her daughter had fallen asleep amidst the jostling, her head resting quietly against Jiang Lai’s shoulder.
Jiang Lai watched as the subway headed towards its final stop, “University Station.”
A strange feeling of being in a different lifetime suddenly welled up in her heart.
Now and then were truly completely different. In the past, if you wanted to get to school, taking the bus probably wouldn’t get you there even by noon. Now, it only took a little over two hours to arrive.
But why had that journey, which used to take almost half a day, never felt long back then?
Perhaps it was because, back then, someone had also been by her side like this.
Jiang Lai and her former wife would always return to school together at the start of each term. On the way back to school, the two of them would talk and laugh.
Even a journey of half a day would pass quickly in conversation.
At this moment, Jiang Lai felt a bit hesitant. Was her decision to take her daughter to school right or wrong?
Because on that campus, besides traces of her daughter’s life, there were also countless memories of the steps she had taken with her former wife.
Over a dozen years could really change so, so much.
Jiang Lai had never taken her daughter to university before. On one hand, it was because she was too busy back then and couldn’t spare the time.
But the more important reason was that the campus held too many familiar traces she couldn’t face.
She had never dared to face them.
But now, it was time for her to learn to let go of everything from the past.