Chapter 18: Returning to the Old Trade

“So, the man the renovation team mentioned before—the one who made the same request as I did—was Yu Baichuan.” Li Wanbai gazed at the beautiful glass house, her expression dim.

The things she still loved now, he had already grown tired of a decade ago. Was it the endless, meaningless arguments between them that had worn him out, prompting him to dismantle the glass house? She had no way of knowing the answer, and perhaps she would never know, not even in the years to come.

“Come on, get a grip! No matter what, they’re just a renovation crew—not your family, not me—and yet you let them into your home and left them here for an entire day?” Su Chengzi was beside herself, pacing with frustration, her teeth clenched. “What are you waiting for? Go check if anything important’s gone missing!”

She looked at Li Wanbai with exasperation.

After all this time, Li Wanbai still hadn’t realized she was a public figure now; her every move could have enormous consequences.

At this rate, it would probably take her a few more years to adapt to a life like this.

Li Wanbai was unfazed. “It’s fine, no need to worry. There’s nothing valuable in this house anyway. If something’s missing, so be it. Having such a beautiful glass house is worth the risk of losing a few things, in my opinion.”

Su Chengzi was rendered speechless, utterly helpless.

She knew Li Wanbai too well; these were her true feelings, the principles she lived by. She would always handle things this way.

In other words, she had mastered the art of letting things be—sometimes utterly indifferent, sometimes remarkably proactive.

When nothing was happening, Li Wanbai managed to be both apathetic and full of optimism.

Some people change their environment, some flee from it, but Li Wanbai simply lay down and let the world pass over her.

“Since this is a home I share with Yu Baichuan, wouldn’t installing a glass house without telling him be rather unneighborly?” Li Wanbai mused, stroking her chin, but after only a moment she waved it off. “Who cares, anyway? I’ve never actually seen Yu Baichuan come back to live here.”

No sooner had she spoken than the sound of footsteps echoed from the staircase. Both Li Wanbai and Su Chengzi looked up to see Yu Baichuan leaning against the upstairs banister, his head tilted, a faint smile on his lips. “Never come back to live here, have I?”

“…Damn.” Li Wanbai finally managed to squeeze out a response after a long moment.

Of all the times he could have come home, he just had to walk in at that exact moment—how could she not suspect he’d returned just to prove her wrong?

“Well, what brings Boss Yu home today?” Su Chengzi grinned. “Didn’t you hear? This is Xiaobai’s house now. As an outsider, perhaps you should take your leave sooner rather than later!”

It was the three of them again, but without Xu Tu, and this was no corporate boardroom. They joked and bantered, just like old times, laughter lighting up their faces.

Yu Baichuan seemed momentarily dazed—a haze that had hung over him, peaking when he saw Li Wanbai and Su Chengzi walk in together, and now returning once more.

He murmured, almost to himself, “When was the last time you two stood before me like this? Eight years ago? Or was it nine?”

“The last time doesn’t matter,” Li Wanbai answered lightly. “What matters is that we’re both here now. Comrade Yu, why dwell on the past instead of the present—what are you really after?”

Yu Baichuan burst out laughing, but a second later his expression returned to its usual blankness. “I was going to discuss the divorce with you, but since Su Chengzi’s here as well, we’ll leave it for another day.”

“What? Wait!”

He paused on the stairs, raising his eyes to her. “Is there something else?”

Caught off guard, Li Wanbai quickly reviewed every interaction she’d had with Yu Baichuan since she’d awakened, and declared with certainty, “You still love me! So I don’t want to get divorced.”

What an outrageous claim—utterly absurd.

At the very least, Yu Baichuan was so thrown by her words that he laughed in disbelief. “How on earth did you come to that ridiculous conclusion? No matter what you say, the divorce is an unchangeable fact in our lives. We’re not talking about it today, but sooner or later, we will.”

Li Wanbai could only watch him leave.

She had wanted to meet with Yu Baichuan to explain her lost decade of memories, but as he had said, memory loss could not erase everything that had happened in those ten years.

The wounds she’d inflicted on Yu Baichuan still lingered, indelible as ever.

A simple “I can’t remember the past ten years” was no longer enough to win him back.

“It looks like my quest to win him back will be as long as your redemption campaign,” Li Wanbai sighed, glancing at Su Chengzi.

Su Chengzi’s lips twitched. “Have you no shame! Who do you think I’m trying to redeem myself for? Don’t you ever think about that?”

“Honestly, I’ve been thinking about it. A big part of the reason why you’re hated all over the internet now is Yu Baichuan’s popularity. You owe your rise to him—and your fall as well. From the perspective of my redemption campaign, your divorce would actually help me tremendously!”

“So for your redemption campaign, I should get divorced. But what about for you, personally?” Li Wanbai looked at her, curious.

Su Chengzi snorted. “You know the answer! Personally, of course I want my two best friends to find happiness. But, Xiaobai, there are many ways to be happy. Marriage isn’t the only one. If this is nothing but torment for you, it’s better to let go sooner rather than later.”

Li Wanbai paused. “This is so strange. Why are both of you telling me to give up now, when you used to urge me to chase after love?”

“And why do you think? We were young, naïve, thought that chasing love always led to a happy ending. Reality’s not so simple.”

Su Chengzi was deeply moved. After all they’d been through in the past decade, she felt she had the right to say things that only the old and experienced might. She paused, then smiled, “Alright, enough of this sentimental nonsense. You really want to win Yu Baichuan back, don’t you? Easy! You’ll never run into him at home, but you can stake him out at his company. Haiya has been his life's work all these years; as chairman, he’s involved in everything.”

“Honestly, Yu Baichuan’s really something. He debuted as a singer, and just as his career was taking off and he’d amassed a legion of fangirls, he went public with you without hesitation. You have no idea how much hate he got back then—it was even worse than what you’re getting now!”