"Ah, I see. I thought your daughter was already this grown~" Bai Yiyue gently sipped her hot tea, her mind finally at ease after Ling Ning’s explanation. For a mont, she'd been worried she was too late, almost ready to ask who the father of Ling Ning's child was.
Still, she hadn’t expected such upheaval in Ling Ning's life after she'd left. Perhaps if she hadn’t insisted on chasing unnecessary things and returned sooner, Ling Ning's life might have been easier.
Ling Ning glanced at the quiet Bai Yiyue and said, "I've told you everything about what happened to over the years. Now it's your turn—I want to know about the things I forgot."
Bai Yiyue nodded. "Alright, then I’ll start from the first ti we t. I rember it was when I was five years old. I found a broken fence in the back of the orphanage, and whenever the director wasn’t looking, I’d sneak out to play."
"One ti, while I was playing in a nearby park, I saw a little girl being bullied by so boys..."
At this point, Ling Ning interrupted, “Really? That sounds so cliché. And how did a little girl like you manage to chase off those boys?”
Bai Yiyue nodded. “Hey, don’t underestimate ! Sure, I couldn’t beat them bare-handed, but I had a weapon—the broom we used to clean up after dogs. It worked wonders on people too.”
Ling Ning was left speechless by her words.
"And so, we naturally beca friends. You were incredibly shy back then, only hanging out with . You didn’t have many friends like you do now—you've brightened up so much~"
"Then what about that mory I have of us... kissing?"
“Oh, that!” Bai Yiyue suddenly chuckled at the mory, barely able to hold back laughter. “At the ti, a popular drama was on TV. I’ve forgotten its na, but there was a scene where two girls kissed... with their tongues.”
“You asked why they were, um, swirling their tongues around each other’s lips like that.” Bai Yiyue broke into laughter again. “I didn’t know either, so I suggested we try it. But then you said, ‘Kissing can make you pregnant.’ I’m sorry—I can’t help it!” She doubled over in laughter.
Ling Ning watched her, dark lines practically visible on her face. Was she really that naive as a child, believing that kissing could lead to pregnancy?
“Finally, I dared you into it and got your first kiss,” Bai Yiyue continued, still grinning. “I rember how worried you were afterward, afraid you’d get pregnant. Pfft...”
As Bai Yiyue laughed, Ling Ning found herself wondering if this counted as part of her "black history."
Then, Bai Yiyue continued recounting their childhood mories, and to Ling Ning, it felt like an embarrassing compilation of past follies. Even though she hadn’t directly experienced these monts, the thought that she was one of the main characters in these stories made her feel ashad.
Despite the embarrassnt, each of Bai Yiyue’s mories stirred a vague sense of familiarity in Ling Ning, as if images from the past kept flashing through her mind, bringing her closer to those long-lost mories.
“Oh! Why do so of your songs feel oddly familiar to ? What’s that about?” Ling Ning asked, puzzled.
“That’s probably because you heard them as a child. I wrote those songs for you back then! You always said you liked my singing, so I thought, ‘Why not compose sothing just for her?’ I didn’t know I had that kind of talent back then! They were only fragnts, really, rough sketches of songs. But once I beca a singer, I reworked those lodies, which might be why they feel so familiar to you.”
Ling Ning nearly choked at Bai Yiyue’s explanation. “That’s not just talent! You were so young... were you the one who reincarnated, or was it ?”
After calming herself, Ling Ning asked, “When did you leave the orphanage? Recently, I’ve been having this recurring dream where my younger self is standing alone in the orphanage’s small courtyard, as if I’m waiting for sothing. Could it be... I was waiting for you?”
“I rember we’d made plans to play together after your school holiday. But my birth mother appeared out of nowhere and took away. I didn’t even get the chance to say goodbye. So... maybe you really were waiting for ,” Bai Yiyue sighed.
As Bai Yiyue’s words connected with her dreams, Ling Ning realized it was indeed a strong possibility.
"So, why did you decide to beco a singer?" Ling Ning asked, curious.
"Because you once told that, no matter where I went, you’d find . So, I thought, ‘How can I make it easier for her to find ?’ I happened to see a TV show featuring a popular celebrity at the ti."
Bai Yiyue continued, “That’s when I decided I’d beco a star. If I beca famous, surely, one day, you’d notice . And if you still didn’t, it would an I wasn’t famous enough, and I’d keep climbing higher until you found . That’s why I didn’t reach out to you first.”
"That was my plan, but... I couldn’t resist. I really missed you, Ling Ning! Not just as a friend—I think I fell in love with you. I know it might be wrong, but I couldn’t stop myself from thinking of you!”
"So this ti, I arranged a concert here in S City, planning to see you after it was over. But who’d have thought we’d run into each other this soon? Can you believe it’s been twelve years, five months, and fourteen days since we were last together?"
Ling Ning fell silent, unsure how to respond to Bai Yiyue’s heartfelt confession.
"Mom, I’m hungry..."
Just then, Ling Ye’s bedroom door opened, and an exhausted-looking Ling Ye erged from the room.
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Author's Note:
Two chapters done! This lazy writer is back to work. Guess I won’t be sleeping until two or three tonight.
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