Win My Husband Over to Find My Child
Chapter 365: Should I Mess with Her Make-up and Dress?

Chapter 365: Should I Mess with Her Make-up and Dress?

To give Leslie and Irene some alone time, Calix brought Calliope for a stroll. He deliberately enticed the little one to ride her pink tricycle one lap around the huge lake.

"Papa~ Poppy’s helmet, where?"

"Here!"

Laughing, Calix put a pink bunny helmet on Calliope’s head. He brought an umbrella in case the afternoon sun became too strong for his little princess. The towering trees around the lake provided good shade as well.

Leslie and Irene sat in the pavilion, enjoying the cooling breeze under the trees nearby. They smilingly watched Calix and Calliope start their little adventure in the backyard.

"How’s your school, Irene? No one tries... to make it hard on you?"

Sitting on the plush chair, Leslie cast her gaze on Irene. The teenager was enjoying her second cup of mango strawberry pudding. Her youthful countenance expressed her small joy.

"Hehe, are you afraid of me getting bullied?" Irene licked her spoon, already thinking of her another cup of the pudding. She grinned at Leslie, "The students are nice. Tho I became more popular once they knew my brother-in-law is the Xu’s second young master."

Irene’s words earned an amused smile from Leslie. She recalled that particular time Calix went to the teenager’s school to pick her up[01]. Irene’s close friends came to greet him.

"You may drag your brother-in-law to your... school. Charge anyone who wanna... get his autograph..."

Irene burst out laughing as she listened to Leslie’s suggestion.

"Hahaha! He should be our class’ mascot for this coming school festival!"

Blossom Jade High often held its annual school festival in the summer, usually after the Dragon Boat Festival.

The students could freely choose from setting up food and beverage kiosks or game centers in their classes, including doing plays or broadcast movies.

Leslie and Irene saw Calix and Calliope stopping somewhere near the lake. It seemed like the little one’s attention was piqued by the flowerbeds. She left her tricycle and crouched opposite them.

"Big Sister, you look happy, happier."

"...en?"

Pulling her eyes away from Calix and Calliope, Leslie placed her gaze on Irene. The high school girl had a soft smile on her lips, its mellowness reflected in her eyes.

Irene leaned against the backrest of the plush chair. Kicking off her shoes, she hugged her legs close. Her eyes remained on Leslie’s face.

"You already looked happy when I first came here. Now that I met Poppy, I can see you’re even happier than before."

Irene’s smile faltered. A hint of regret flickered in her eyes as she recalled everything Leslie had just told her earlier.

Never did she expect her elder sister to be banished from their family home that year because of her unexpected pregnancy. Instead of showing some support, their maiden family cruelly sent her sister far away.

What upset Irene the most was their parents’ unwillingness to fight against this ridiculous punishment.

Sensing how upset Irene was, Leslie extended a hand toward the teenager. She curled up her lips while squeezing Irene’s right hand.

"I’m indeed happier. I mean... I’m the happiest right now..." Leslie softened her voice. She hoped to reassure Irene that she was fine, "Thank you for your concern, Irene... I really appreciate it..."

Despite not spending much time with Irene, Leslie had come to treasure this teenage girl. She believed Irene was the only rare gem within the crooked Li family.

Lowering her gaze, Irene smiled sadly as she looked at Leslie’s hand covering hers. She raised her other one, gently placing her palm on the back of her elder sister’s hand.

"I don’t know how to face Mom and Dad once I get home but, I won’t say a word about Poppy."

The thought of facing Rowan and Bianca annoyed Irene. Her mind couldn’t comprehend their lack of backbones in shielding their own child when she was in danger.

Irene was aware of how much Rowan and Bianca cared for her from a young age, after all, she was a sickly child. Yet, they didn’t extend the same level of care toward her elder sister.

How could they?!

"Thank you, Irene. I know that I can... trust you..."

"That’s the least I can do," Irene murmured. Her expression lost a little bit of its sparkle, "I stand behind you, Big Sister."

Smiling, Leslie squeezed Irene’s hand again.

"Thank you..."

Irene said nothing. She simply smiled at her elder sister.

Leslie felt bad for dragging Irene into this mess but, it was better to inform the teenager sooner. At least, Irene could prepare herself before the big fallout between her—Charlene Li—and the Li family.

The two sisters continued enjoying the dishes left on the table. Irene picked another cup of the pudding.

"Urgh, I don’t wanna celebrate the festival with them," Irene scrunched her nose, regretfully thinking of the coming Dragon Boat Festival, "Should I mess with Sister Gladys’ make-up? Or perhaps, her dress?"

"Hehe, she’ll raise hell if you do that..."

Shaking her head, Leslie was relieved to know she wouldn’t have to celebrate the festival with the Li family. None of them knew she had been awake for almost three months already.

"Big Sister, I have something to ask."

Leslie caught the hint of caution in Irene’s voice. Raising her brows, she asked, "What is it, Irene?"

"En... I’ve been thinking from earlier but, I didn’t dare to ask you."

Irene lowered her head, unsure how to bring this particular issue out. Fiddling with her fingers, she looked at Leslie before her eyes drifted to the lake.

The shimmering lake appeared so majestic in her eyes, but...

"When did you can stand being near a lake? I mean, a big body of water? Weren’t you... afraid of them? The lakes, seas, pools?"

Irene knew how immense her elder sister’s fear of such big bodies of water was. It took the latter years to gradually let go of her fear but, she would only appreciate them from afar.

Not like this – being on a deck floating above the lake.

"...it just happened. Haha, I’m no longer afraid of them ah."

Leslie laughed awkwardly. She had forgotten how scared Charlene was with big bodies of water.

Because this body didn’t react negatively toward the lake and else, Leslie learned about it much later from the Charlene’s memories and diaries.

How could she tell Irene that Charlene had stopped fearing them after she tried to drown herself[02]?

Never.

Telling Irene amounted to breaking her heart.

"Well, that’s good," Irene nodded her head, "It’s just... I’m upset with myself because I didn’t know it until now. If not, we could go to the beaches or lakes more often in the past."

"We can start doing it now..." Leslie patted Irene’s back, trying to reassure the latter not to dwell in the past, "What do you think?"

Irene smiled sheepishly, earning Leslie’s laughter.

"Ladies."

Leslie and Irene turned to look in the direction of the voice at the same time. They saw Calix and Calliope.

"Calix? Have you..."

Calix cut Leslie off before she could finish her words. His usually mellow voice had a razor-sharp bite.

"We might have uninvited guests."

"Might? ...who?"

Sensing something was wrong in the way Calix coldly smiled, Leslie and Irene glanced at each other.

They received their answers soon.

Rowan and Bianca!

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Reference:

1 - 79

2 - 229