Bai Lu grew silent, drank some wine, and the slight buzz that had lifted his spirits faded away; he grew inwardly annoyed at his own tactlessness—casual conversation was fine, but why did he insist on uncovering old wounds?
After a while, Bai Lu passed the wine glass to Yan Xu, and took a big gulp with his head tilted back, "I'm sorry…, I shouldn't have brought that up."
Yan Xu smiled, "Nothing is off-limits with you, just don't tell Mommy, okay?"
Bai Lu quickly nodded, "I definitely won't tell. I understand how you feel. When I had just returned to the country, my grandfather was ill, and Mommy was forced to take me back to the Zong Family. I felt almost the same as you did when you were little—wishing I could just grow up overnight to protect my Mommy from the idle talk of the Zong Family. It wasn't until Daddy came back that I felt somewhat relieved."
As Bai Lu recounted these old memories, Yan Xu could similarly empathize.