I Miss You Even in the Daytime [Rebirth GL] - Chapter 8

“But he paid a settlement later and cut off all contact with that woman. His wife endured it for the sake of appearances, so others couldn’t say much. Your father doesn’t like him, but that kind of thing has nothing to do with the younger generation. You don’t need to pay them any mind.”

An illegitimate child? For some reason, Tao Ning’s words flashed back into Xu Liming’s mind.

“I heard the reason her family is so poor is because she’s an illegitimate child.”

“Her mom isn’t a ‘proper’ person; she only had her after being someone’s mistress.”

It couldn’t be such a coincidence, could it? Xu Liming set down her chopsticks and asked tentatively, “That child… how old are they?”

“How should I know? Just stay away from them, regardless.” Xu Sheng disliked discussing these topics and pointed at Xu Liming’s bowl. “Eat.”

“Why didn’t you tell me sooner in my last life?” Xu Liming picked up her bowl reluctantly.

“What life?” Xu Sheng didn’t hear her clearly. “You never asked.”

Fine, it was her own fault. Xu Liming picked up a slightly charred chicken leg and stared at the dark skin in deep thought.

If Lin Hengyi’s illegitimate child was Lu Baitian, then everything that happened in the office—and the reason Lin Wan targeted her—made perfect sense. But could life really be that theatrical?

The image of Lu Baitian’s flushed, tear-streaked face appeared in her mind, and the scales in Xu Liming’s heart tilted.

Even if it were true, the adults made the mistakes. It was Lu Baitian who was pitiable. It truly wasn’t fair.

Xu Liming didn’t plan on staying the night. After playing with Douzhi for a while after dinner, she prepared to head back. Xu Sheng didn’t see her off, but Xue Yi followed her to the door hesitantly.

“Liming, could you… come back a few more times in the future?” she asked softly. “We miss you.”

Xu Liming looked up at the third floor. An orange light glowed from the window, and a gap was left in the curtains.

And here was this woman, a powerhouse in the business world, standing before her with her hands clasped nervously, speaking with such hesitation.

Having died once, Xu Liming’s heart seemed to have softened. Who knew if she’d even make it past twenty-five this time? There were so many things she hadn’t had time to do.

“Depends on my mood,” Xu Liming said with her hands in her pockets, head held high as she turned into the night.

The campus was much quieter over the weekend with her roommates out, but it wasn’t lonely. Xu Liming stood on the balcony, leaning against the railing. Looking out between the buildings, she saw the arc of a rainbow in the distance.

It hadn’t rained today. Many people were running or playing soccer on the field, their laughter drifting over. Groups of students strolled down the tree-lined paths below; some were lugging camera equipment to film, their shouts echoing one after another.

This was the charm of Huachuan. It seemed any kind of person could find a life that belonged to them here.

Xu Liming closed her eyes and listened.

Her phone rang, shattering the moment. She lazily pulled it out and felt a wave of disgust at the caller ID.

Little Baby Wanwan—that’s what the contact said.

She had deleted everything else but forgotten to change the contact name. Xu Liming hung up and deleted the name as if the phone were burning her hand.

Soon, a text came from the unknown number. It was Lin Wan’s tone: “Rehearsal today.”

“Not going,” Xu Liming replied.

“?” A single question mark.

“Xu Liming, what do you mean?” Two more interrogations followed immediately. “You were the one who insisted on joining. How can you be so irresponsible?”

“A director is enough for a rehearsal. What can a logistics person like me do?”

After hitting send, Xu Liming promptly blocked the number. She took a deep, refreshing breath, but her expression soon turned serious. The timing of her rebirth was tricky.

It was already the second semester. In her past life, she had already secured the script, actors, venue, and costumes for Lin Wan. Even if she withdrew now, Lin Wan would still win first prize. The group members assumed they were following Lin Wan; it was impossible to “take back” what she’d given.

My chest hurts from the stress, Xu Liming thought, doubling over slightly.

She soon straightened up, went back inside, and opened the Huachuan University forum. She edited a post seeking collaborators for the Drama Festival and hit publish.

Since she couldn’t take it back, she would simply stage a new play. Xu Liming sat back in her chair with her arms crossed, narrowing her eyes.

Two days passed in a flash. Having grown used to 8:00 AM classes, Xu Liming climbed down from her bed. Tao Ning and Sun Muya were still fast asleep. She looked at them without a shred of pity, grabbed two stainless steel basins from the bathroom, and slammed them together. The two girls bolted upright instantly.

“Help!” Tao Ning gasped, clutching her heart before slowly collapsing again. “No… I can’t. I’m taking a sick day.”

She had rushed back to campus at the very last second before the dorm doors locked last night, so she’d only had a few hours of sleep. Sun Muya was slightly better but equally bleary-eyed.

By the time Xu Liming finished washing up and was ready to go, the two finally scrambled out of bed, shoving each other to get to the bathroom first.

Ignoring the fierce competition, Xu Liming opened the forum to browse. Her brow furrowed deeper and deeper. There were only a few replies to her post, half of which were her own bumps.

No inquiries, no one adding her contact. Unconvinced, she opened WeChat and blasted everyone she knew, but by this time, most Drama and Film students were already teamed up. Any “leftovers” weren’t interested.

Not to mention the script. There wasn’t enough time to write one from scratch now. It would be best to find an existing script from the Playwriting major; that would make it easier to find actors.

Xu Liming bit her lip. Just as she was about to put her phone away, a new reply appeared under the empty post.

Only one sentence: “I have a script.”

Xu Liming’s heart jumped. she tapped out a reply.

“My WeChat is… add me to talk details.”

“Can you send me an outline first?”

“Didi (Hello?)”

She waited a long time, but the other side went silent. With Sun Muya already rushing her, Xu Liming had no choice but to pocket her phone and head out.

After morning self-study, they had two consecutive hours of Stage Physical Technique. The classroom was massive, with floor-to-ceiling mirrors on both sides. Most students had arrived and were gathered in small groups taking selfies in the mirror.

It was said to be the students’ favorite class. No one ever missed it—not because they were diligent, but because the teacher was gentle and beautiful, rumored to have been the lead dancer of a provincial opera house in her youth.

The room was warm. As soon as Xu Liming entered, she shed her coat, revealing a form-fitting black knit shirt. The soft fabric followed the curves of her frame; her broad shoulders and narrow waist drew envious looks from several people.

She tied her hair up with a band. Her features looked sharp and cold, like the wind outside.

“Xu Liming, with your looks and figure, why are you studying Directing? You should be a model!” Tao Ning reached out to touch her, but Xu Liming pressed her hand against Tao Ning’s forehead and pushed her away.

“Mind the public image,” Xu Liming said with a dry smile.

Lin Wan stood in the first row. When she turned her head, she saw Xu Liming looking down and unconsciously lingered for a moment.

Xu Liming’s eyes usually looked full of affection. In the past, those dark eyes were always fixed on Lin Wan. Whenever they met eyes, Xu Liming would smile so brightly you could almost see a tail wagging behind her.

Now, those eyes hadn’t looked at her for a long time. Lin Wan felt a flicker of irritation.

The bell rang. The students lined up. Just as the teacher began roll call, there was a knock on the closed door. Lu Baitian, who had been on leave for days, walked in.

“Sorry, teacher. I’m late,” she said softly.

She had changed clothes today: gray sweatpants and a gray tracksuit. Her hair was still tied meticulously. Under her black frames, traces of redness and swelling were still faintly visible.

The teacher, a gentle woman in her thirties, didn’t get angry at the interruption. She teased with a smile, “You’ve timed it well. If I’d read your name a second later, I’d have to deduct points.”

It was a simple comment, but it was like dropping bait into a fishpond. The room erupted into laughter—laughter that was clearly malicious. Lu Baitian’s face gradually turned red amidst the noise.

The teacher looked a bit confused; she didn’t know about the recent incidents, but she could sense the weird atmosphere.

“Alright, hurry in,” the teacher said, cutting off the laughter. She turned on the projector and began the lesson.

Lu Baitian stood in the corner of the back row.

Twenty minutes later, the teacher told everyone to form random pairs to help each other with stretching. The room quickly became lively. Most were roommates pairing off; popular students were being fought over.

“You’re with me!” Tao Ning grabbed Xu Liming, while Sun Muya was dragged away by a girl from the next dorm.

Xu Liming looked up at the stretching movements on the screen. Tao Ning suddenly nudged her and leaned in to whisper, “Look behind you.”

Xu Liming didn’t turn around. Instead, she raised her eyes and took everything in through the clear mirror in front of her.

Around Lin Wan, several boys and girls were looking at Lu Baitian, whispering to each other and giggling.

“Gosh, I actually feel a bit sorry for her now,” a girl with glasses whispered. “No one wants to pair with her.”

“Sorry for what? She’s a thief, and she hits people. I wouldn’t dare,” another short-haired girl sneered. “Save your ‘Saint Mary’ heart. No one’s bullying her; she brought it on herself.”

The teacher at the front couldn’t hear them. Seeing someone left out, she called out to a boy who was also alone: “Zhou Zihao, why are the three of you huddling together? Can’t you see there’s a classmate in the back?”

“Teacher, we’re a group!” the boy said, hugging the person next to him. “We can’t be separated!”

The room erupted in laughter. The teacher looked frustrated. “Enough. Pairing up doesn’t mean you’re being broken up. You’ll need groups for the rest of the course anyway. Are you going to leave her alone the whole time?”

“Li Yunfeng, you go!” The gentle teacher was genuinely annoyed now.

Li Yunfeng was the boy Xu Liming had poured coffee on. He looked at Lu Baitian with his arms crossed and said loudly, “Teacher, I don’t want to pair with her. If you insist, I’ll just take an ‘absent’ mark for the class!”

“What is wrong with this Directing class? I’ve never taught students so disobedient!” The teacher was truly angry now, slamming her remote onto the table.

Lu Baitian, who had been clutching the hem of her shirt the whole time, acted as if she hadn’t heard. She walked over to the barre to prepare to stretch her legs alone.

Suddenly, a clear female voice with a hint of cold raspiness rang out from the side.

Xu Liming had one hand in her pocket, the other slightly raised. The wooden bracelet on her wrist glinted in the sunlight. “Teacher, I’ll do it.”

Her words broke the deadlock and drew everyone’s gaze—especially Lin Wan’s. Lin Wan’s beautiful eyes grew colder as her hands, which had been preparing for a move, dropped to her sides.

Lu Baitian gave a slight tremor.

“She’s doing it on purpose, isn’t she?” Tang Qian frowned and nudged Lin Wan. “Why show off at a time like this?”

Xu Liming ignored them. She looked at Li Yunfeng, her chin raised in a silent challenge.

“Happy now?”

Li Yunfeng raised his head too, but he just craned his neck like a fighting goose, not daring to speak.

“Wait, I don’t want to pair with a guy…” Tao Ning whispered, pulling at Xu Liming’s shirt. Xu Liming raised a finger and whispered back.

“A week’s worth of dinners.”

“A guy is fine,” Tao Ning nodded immediately.

The teacher, relieved of the tension, looked at Xu Liming with a touch of gratitude. She said softly, “Good. Since everyone is paired up, let’s begin. Make sure your movements are standard; I’ll be checking everyone.”

The AC hummed overhead, and the fluorescent lights flickered. The students stopped dwelling on the interlude and dispersed to their spots.

Xu Liming stood behind Lu Baitian. There was a sweet scent lingering on Lu Baitian; warmed by the AC, the fragrance seemed to ferment, as intoxicating as wine buried for a century.

Lu Baitian’s limbs felt sealed by the scent. She stood rooted to the spot, unable to move. The noise of the room faded into the background; it was so quiet she could hear the other girl’s breathing.

“What’s wrong?” Seeing her motionless, Xu Liming reached out to tap her shoulder. Unexpectedly, she startled the girl again. Lu Baitian spun around and stepped back sharply.

As her waist was about to hit the barre, Xu Liming reached out with lightning speed and caught her. Lu Baitian couldn’t retreat further.

She lowered her head. Before her was Xu Liming’s black knit shirt and the subtle curves beneath it. An exquisite jade pendant hung around Xu Liming’s neck, half hidden in the collar, the other half resting warmly against her skin.

Those hands were soft and hot, supporting her waist.

Lu Baitian felt like she was going to faint. She hurriedly covered her still-flushed face and broke free from Xu Liming in embarrassment.

“Th-thank you,” Lu Baitian said.

Xu Liming found it baffling from start to finish, but she didn’t take it to heart. She gave an “Mhm” and began the stretch according to the instructions, pointing to the floor for Lu Baitian to lie down.

Lu Baitian obeyed. She lay flat on the floor nervously. The floor was carpeted, so it wasn’t cold or hard. Xu Liming sat beside her and reached out to grasp her ankle.

Lu Baitian instinctively tried to pull away. Predicting this, Xu Liming tightened her grip on the ankle and frowned. “Tell me if it hurts. Why are you running?”

“Sorry.” Lu Baitian clutched her shirt. The thin fabric was damp from her sweaty palms. The fluorescent lights overhead were blindingly bright. Xu Liming lifted her leg and moved it to the side.

Everything about her was exposed to Xu Liming. Lu Baitian began to blame herself intensely: Why hadn’t she changed into newer shoes? Why hadn’t she waited for the bruises on her face to fade more?

These pants had an oil stain from her job; she had scrubbed it for a long time but couldn’t get it out completely. It was a very obvious patch—she must have seen it, right?

Would she think she was dirty?

Lu Baitian began to shake. Her teeth bit into her lip until the taste of iron spread. She tried hard to focus on the ceiling, but it was no use.

Xu Liming soon noticed the abnormality. She quickly let go. The girl on the floor had her face turned away, but her trembling was visible to the naked eye.

“What’s wrong? Does it hurt that much?” Xu Liming was utterly confused. She hadn’t felt much resistance when applying pressure, which meant Lu Baitian was quite flexible. It shouldn’t have hurt that much.

A dark stain began to seep into the light-colored carpet. A buzzing sound erupted in Xu Liming’s brain; her hair almost stood on end.

I actually made her cry?

I really wasn’t bullying her!