I Miss You Even in the Daytime [Rebirth GL] - Chapter 7

The force of the umbrella frame springing open pushed the woman back, making her stumble. The umbrella temporarily blocked out the surrounding chaos, its dark fabric enveloping the two of them like night. Xu Liming could hear her own heartbeat.

Lu Baitian froze. Her eyes, hidden behind her messy hair, were full of disbelief. Soon, her body began to tremble uncontrollably.

It was hard to tell if she couldn’t believe someone would pull her out of such an abyss, or if she simply couldn’t believe the person was Xu Liming.

How could dawn descend upon a polar night? How could a cloud touch the mire?

But she still raised her arms and used those “unpresentable” hands to grip the hem of the clean jacket before her. Like a drowning person clutching at a life-saving straw, her breathing was ragged. Broken tears fell in clusters, tracing the curves of her lips and nose, yet she made sure not to let a single drop stain Xu Liming.

Xu Liming didn’t notice anything unusual; she just assumed the other girl was terrified. She herself was still shaken—the woman was stout and clearly possessed great strength. Even the counselor couldn’t hold her back, let alone Xu Liming.

And certainly not the frail Lu Baitian.

The pushed-away woman quickly grew even more furious. She lunged forward again, but fortunately, the counselor finally proved useful, wrapping his arms around her waist to restrain her.

“This is a school! A school! How can you use violence?” The counselor finally lost his temper, roaring with a voice so clear his accented Mandarin actually reached broadcasting standards. “I’m telling you, you are threatening student safety! I will call security!”

His roar echoed through the hallway, magnified like a megaphone. The woman was startled and finally stood still.

“Come, come… come inside and have some tea. Let’s talk properly.” Seeing this, the counselor finally wiped away his sweat. His face looked like it had just been dunked in a rain-slicked field—red and wet.

The woman was led back inside. Xu Liming let out a long breath she had been holding. She closed the umbrella. The heavy tug on her clothes eased as Lu Baitian let go.

The girl’s fingertips remained curled, as if she had forgotten to pull them back.

“Lin Wan is inside,” she said.

“I’m not here for her…” Xu Liming started to say, but the door beside them pushed open again. Lin Hengyi walked out with his arm around Lin Wan’s shoulder. When they saw Xu Liming and Lu Baitian, both of them stopped in their tracks.

Xu Liming felt the atmosphere was incredibly strange, though she couldn’t pinpoint why.

Lin Wan’s gaze swept indifferently over the disheveled Lu Baitian and settled on Xu Liming. Xu Liming didn’t look at her; one hand was still hovering protectively near the girl in front of her, her long arm looking quite prominent.

Lin Wan felt a surge of irritation.

Lin Hengyi’s eyes darted around, acting as if Lu Baitian was invisible to him. Finally, he too looked at Xu Liming, quickly resuming his usual refined and elegant demeanor. He reached out a hand kindly.

“Liming, how have you been lately?” he asked with a smile.

“Fine,” Xu Liming replied, frowning.

“That’s good. Thank you for taking care of Wanwan at school. Give my regards to your father when you go back.” Lin Hengyi shook hands with Xu Liming, but when he turned to Lin Wan, he realized she had already walked far away.

Her pale pink knit skirt swayed at her ankles, her long hair curled; she looked as haughty as a princess.

Lin Hengyi gave Xu Liming an apologetic smile before striding after her, coaxing her softly as they went. The hallway grew quiet again. Lu Baitian kept her head down, as if nothing that had happened had anything to do with her.

“Come in, Xu Liming,” the counselor’s face poked out from the door, sounding exhausted.

At the same time, the woman from before was sent out. She appeared much calmer. Although the gaze she directed at Lu Baitian was like a surging tide, she no longer looked like a lunatic.

Only now did Xu Liming see her face clearly. Heavy makeup covered her skin like a mask, but her symmetrical features still held traces of past beauty.

“Hurry up and go,” the woman said, then yanked Lu Baitian forcefully. The girl stumbled as she was pulled away, following in silence.

Her silhouette was thin and wretched. Her hair tie was long gone, her hair was scattered messily, and the red swelling on her face was glaring.

Anyone passing through the hallway would turn back to stare in confusion.

Xu Liming’s frown deepened. She unconsciously tucked her hands into her pockets, her dark eyes blending with her stray hairs.

“Wait,” Xu Liming suddenly called out. She picked up the glasses from the floor and strode toward Lu Baitian. The woman turned back impatiently, about to speak, but Xu Liming interrupted.

“Are you going to let your daughter go out like this?” Xu Liming stood behind them, her voice tinged with anger. She placed a hand on Lu Baitian’s shoulder, causing the girl to jolt.

Then, Lu Baitian was stiffly turned around to meet Xu Liming’s gaze. That gaze was usually nonchalant, but when it fell upon her, it felt like a bright fire in summer—so hot she could barely stand.

Xu Liming didn’t notice Lu Baitian’s inner turmoil. She pulled a hair tie from her wrist, reached behind Lu Baitian’s head, and briskly tied her hair up for her.

Her fingertips occasionally brushed against the girl’s neck. A faint red flush spread from the points of contact, gradually merging with the marks on her face.

Like a spring wind shaking down withered plum blossoms, striking against the snow.

Xu Liming had never looked at Lu Baitian’s face so closely. Only now did she notice a beauty mark at the corner of the girl’s right eye—like a solitary star in the quiet blue sky, bright and piercing.

“Thank you,” Lu Baitian said in a whisper. She frantically fumbled for a mask to cover her face and turned to leave.

The sky hid its light as her stumbling silhouette returned to the crowd of the ordinary.

The woman shot Xu Liming a glare before clattering away in her high heels.

How can there be a mother like that? The ridge between Xu Liming’s brows grew steeper as she cursed under her breath. The momentary flash of beauty she had seen was quickly pushed to the back of her mind as she turned to handle her own business.

The farce in the office soon spread to the entire class. Because Lin Wan was a lead character in the drama, it even showed signs of spreading to the whole department.

For the next few days, Lu Baitian didn’t appear. It was said she had taken a leave of absence to avoid the gossip.

Freshman year was packed with classes. Xu Liming felt like a donkey racing between various classrooms. Everything she had learned before had long been returned to her teachers; every class felt like a rocky reunion after an eight-year separation.

Because of this, time flew by. In the blink of an eye, it was the weekend. There were no classes on Friday afternoon, so when the lunch bell rang, everyone was chirping about their plans for the break.

“Finally, we can rest!” Tao Ning tossed her copy of History of Chinese and Foreign Cinema onto the desk and let out a long sigh toward the ceiling.

“What are you doing this weekend?” Tao Ning asked Sun Muya, who was dutifully packing her notes.

“I’m going to Suzhou with some classmates,” Sun Muya replied with a smile.

Tao Ning gave a sour “Oh,” then turned to Xu Liming. “And you, Young Miss? A fashion banquet or a luxury cruise?”

Since they had been spending every day together, Tao Ning and Sun Muya had quickly figured out Xu Liming’s temperament and were starting to joke with her.

“Sleeping in the dorm,” Xu Liming snapped her laptop shut.

“Oh, how boring,” Tao Ning said, disappointed.

Sun Muya and Tao Ning had to catch a train, so they left first. Xu Liming was left alone to leisurely pack her things, intending to grab a casual bite and head back to rest.

However, just as she stood up, her phone rang. It was a WeChat message. The contact name was: Xu Sheng.

Her father.

Xu Liming slid her finger, originally intending to delete the message, but a flash of that dream from the other night made her pause.

In the dream, she had recognized her family at the memorial service. Xu Sheng and her stepmother—who she thought had no feelings for her—had actually collapsed in tears and had to be carried away.

Ever since her childhood home had its memories of her mother erased to become their wedding house, Xu Liming had almost never returned.

“Coming back, weekend?” The message was cold as usual. Xu Liming gave a cold laugh but eventually pulled up the keypad and replied with a “1” (meaning “yes”).

If he was cold, she would be colder.

Xu Liming stood in the garage of her own apartment, staring at her dust-covered car for a long time. Ultimately, she didn’t touch it and called a private car service instead.

She hadn’t driven since her rebirth; the pain of that night still cast a shadow.

Outside the window, lights flickered. The city at night looked like a garden under a deity’s hand, scattered with flowing galaxies. The car bypassed the bustling historical streets and entered a villa district hidden in the busy city.

After she pressed the doorbell, the door opened quickly. A Golden Retriever came skidding out, its tail wagging so fast it was a blur. It climbed all over Xu Liming, making her stumble.

“Douzhi!” Xu Liming beamed, crouching down to hug the big dog’s head. She let it bounce around her, revealing a liveliness that didn’t belong to her usual age.

The name was given by her mother when she was alive, and the dog was raised by her mother. It was now twelve years old.

In her past life, it had passed away during her university years. Seeing it now made Xu Liming very happy.

“Liming.” A middle-aged man walked out of the house. He was tall and still wore formal clothes even at home, though he had an apron tied around his waist. He wore black-rimmed glasses and his mouth was set in a stern, humorless line.

“Mhm.” Xu Liming’s expression changed instantly. She retracted her smile, stood up, and bypassed Xu Sheng to walk into the house.

After crossing the cold, pale-colored reception room, the large dining room sat at the end on the left.

“Liming, you’re back?” A woman walked out of the kitchen. She was in her early thirties but looked not much older than Xu Liming. Her face was rosy and beautiful, her expression carrying a hint of ingratiation.

She was also wearing an apron. It seemed this meal was cooked by the two of them personally. Looking at the table full of food, Xu Liming’s mood grew complex.

In the past, Xu Liming always felt she was just putting on a show for Xu Sheng and didn’t like her much. But remembering the scenes from that dream, Xu Liming wasn’t so sure anymore.

So, she called her “Auntie Xue,” which caused the woman—who was used to being ignored—to show a face full of pleasant surprise.

The dinner table was dead silent as usual. But as Xu Liming ate, she suddenly remembered something and broke the silence.

“Uncle Lin says hello.”

“Which Uncle Lin?” Xu Sheng put down his chopsticks and adjusted his glasses before remembering. “Lin Hengyi?”

Xu Sheng and Lin Hengyi were high school classmates. Xu Liming and Lin Wan had met for the first time in high school during one of their reunions. Back then, Lin Wan looked so pure and ethereal that Xu Liming was dazed.

Yeah, ‘visual’ chasers don’t end well, she reflected.

“I remember his daughter goes to the same school as you.” Xu Sheng picked up a napkin to wipe his mouth, his expression more serious than usual. “I heard you two have a good relationship?”

“We don’t,” Xu Liming said decisively.

“Good.” Xu Sheng shook his head. “I don’t like him. Dignified appearance, but bad character.”

Xu Liming thought Xu Sheng would encourage her to spend more time with Lin Wan, so she was surprised by the opposite answer. “Huh?”

“You don’t need to know about such things,” Xu Sheng waved his hand.

Xu Liming slammed her chopsticks down, ready to press further, but Auntie Xue stepped forward cautiously. She tugged at Xu Liming’s sleeve, extinguishing her fire.

“Liming, it’s not a proud matter.”

“Your Uncle Lin was unfaithful to his family. He’s had women on the outside for years. I heard… he even has an illegitimate child.”