Lu Xian Li was surprised that she was being asked this."Before I tell you how I knew, answer me one question."

Lu Meili knew it couldn't be anything good. "Go ahead."

"Does daddy really hate me because I almost caused mother's death?"

Lu Meili felt as though she had been electrocuted. "Huh? What kind of far-fetched nonsense is that?"

"It's not true?"

Lu Meili touched her forehead. "Whatever it is, you have to tell me who it is that has been filling your head with nonsense."

Lu Xian Li smiled slightly. So her father didn't hate her either. Then what was the meaning of everything she had believed for years? Was it all a lie?

Lu Meili knew what the young lady was thinking. "Xian Li, It's true that I was sick and our parents had to have another child to save me. However, that doesn't mean they wouldn't value you like their child. They love you.

Actually, mom was at a loss when you were born. She knew that if she made it obvious that she loved you more, I would feel unloved. So she made sure to love us equally."

"I know that mother cares about me. But what about daddy? He wouldn't care if I left. He would even disown me." Obviously, this fact had hurt her the most.

Lu Meili looked at the girl sternly. "Why were you leaving, was it because you really want to study overseas, or is it because you want your family to worry about you?"

"Well..."

"You hesitated. That means you only wanted us to worry about you, right?"

Lu Xian Li stuck her fingertips together. "I wanted to know if he would follow me. Specifically him."

Lu Meili sighed. "Now I get why he was ready to ground you for so long . He must have taken it as one of your absurd rebellious spells."

Lu Xian Li didn't look too disheartened. "At least something good came out of it. I finally got along with my sister."

Lu Meili chuckled. "You silly thing. You still have a bone to pick with daddy."

"I know. But Sis, can I sleep with you tonight?"

Normally younger sisters would want to stick to their elder sisters. Her sister had missed out on that for too long. "Sure. But first, let's go speak to daddy. Mom must be home too."

"Okay."

___

In Lu Aotian's study.

Lu Aotian still looked unhappy when Wan Jia arrived.

"What happened? You look like you will explode any second."

Lu Aotian explained what had happened word by word.

"I don't know what to say about you anymore." Wan Jia sighed. "It was Meili years ago and now It's Xian Li. Next time when Xian Yu wants to do something different from what you expect of him, will you use that threat on him too?"

Lu Aotian was even more upset. "Xian Yu and I have already talked before he chose to go to business school. I really don't want to fight with them over anything.

But Xian Li is different. She doesn't want to follow any dream. She simply wants to rid herself of her original identity for no good reason. Would you let that happen?"

"Of course not. But I wouldn't ground her for three months either.

What would you do if Meili suddenly decided to reconcile with Xu Tang? Would you fight with her again?"

Lu Aotian didn't want to even think about it. "If she must, Xu Tang would have to prove that he is the right man for her."

Wan Jia was speechless. Although he loved his daughters and it was more or less justified, he still thought of them as porcelain vases that could shatter at the slightest touch. He must still think that they were as delicate as they were when they were tiny girls.

She was about to speak when they heard a knock.

She shot Lu Aotian a look. If It's Xian Li, don't be impulsive.

"Come in."

In the next second, their daughters who had never spent a peaceful minute in the same room walked in, hand in hand and with smiles on their faces.

Wan Jia looked at their hands and her mind went blank. "Eer..."

"Mom, you're back." Lu Xian Li spoke first.

Wan Jia looked at her daughter like she was an impostor. "You are smiling at me?"

One had to know that although Lu Xian Li didn't hate her mother, she had never smiled at her. She rarely smiled to begin with, unless she was sarcastically picking fights with her elder sister.

Wan Jia looked at Lu Xian Li carefully, as though trying to find a flaw that would give her away as an impostor.

Lu Meili found the whole scene comical. Wan Jia looked like she had been transmigrated to her next life. "Mom, let's go and chat for a while. Xian Li has some matters to talk to daddy about."

Wan Jia looked even more confused. "Is this your new way of fighting? It's much more scary than the usual."

Lu Meili dragged her mother away, laughing at her terrified antics.

...

In Lu Meili's room, twenty minutes later.

"So That's what she has been thinking all this while. No wonder she has never been truly happy. But she never told your dad and I anything whenever we asked about it. My poor baby. It has been hard on her."

"At least she spoke it out in the end." Lu Meili had a slight smile on her face. Sometimes, the past didn't matter. Even if one kept it in their minds, there was nothing that could possibly be done about it. This was one of them. No matter what they did, they would never change the fact that Lu Xian Li ahd felt unloved all her life. Instead of pursuing it, they should instead use that time making her feel more comfortable and loved.

Though... she strongly believed someone had told Lu Xian Li all these things when she was still a clueless child. Children would never forget the things that made them feel worthless even if decades passesed.

"Your engagement party is in a few days now. Are you nervous?" Wan Jia changed the topic of discussion.

"Not exactly. But I haven't picked the right gown to wear to my engagement party yet."

"Don't worry. Leave that to mommy. I am currently making you a really beautiful gown. You can wear it if you will like it."

Lu Meili hugged her mother. "I will like it. As long as mommy made it, it will be the most beautiful engagement gown in history."

Wan Jia rubbed her head. "Okay baby. I will make it as beautiful as possible."

"Then can you make one for Xian Li in the same series too?"

Wan Jia was really not used to this. But of course, it was every mother's wish for her children to love each other so she was pleased. "As you wish."

____

That night, Lu Xian Li brought a pillow from her room and went to her elder sister's.

Lu Meili had just taken a bath and was about to start drying her hair. It was so long that it was tangled. She had trouble drying it and was considering cutting it a few inches shorter.

"Sis, you are so beautiful even without make up. No wonder you have hundreds of millions of fans." Weren't women supposed to look less beautiful with damp hair and no make up? How come her sister looked even more beautiful?

Lu Meili blushed. This was the first time Lu Xian Li ever complimented her. "You are very beautiful too."

"You think so?" Lu Xian Li was blushing too.

"Yeah. How did it go with dad?"

Lu Xian Li giggled. "He's no longer angry but you know how mad he can pretend to be."

"Let's forget about him for a while. I have some pictures of you." Lu Meili took out a box she had been keeping since she was a child.

Lu Xian Li took the pictures curiously.

"Sis! You are so mean!"

How could she take such embarassing photos? They were of Lu Xian Li ripping stuffed toys, plucking flowers and destroying a bicycle. The tiny girl looked too naughty.

Lu Meili held her tummy and laughed. "Sometimes when I feel moody, I will look at them and laugh my heart out."

In embarassment, Lu Xian Li grabbed a pillow and smashed her sister with it.

Lu Meili caught it and threw it back.

___

The master bedroom.

Boom!

Smack!

Clang!

"What are they breaking?" Lu Aotian didn't know what to say about his daughters anymore. Why did it sound like they were fighting the walls? "Do they secretly work for a demolition company?"

Wan Jia closed the door to the master bedroom to lock out the sound. "I guess that's what happens when your kids don't get along as children and instead start playing together when they are all grown up."

___

Good news coming up in the next chapter.