Chapter Fifty-One: I’m Sorry
By the time Yifu returned home, it was close to dusk. As she pushed open the door, Leia was quietly sitting beside a pile of fabric, looking somewhat drowsy from waiting too long.
Her petite body was curled up on the sofa, her hands tightly hugging her knees, and her little head bobbed up and down, as if she might fall asleep at any moment.
Upon hearing Yifu open the door, the initially sleepy Leia immediately perked up.
She looked towards the doorway and saw the figure of Yifu, whom she had been thinking about.
Excitedly, she jumped off the sofa and, forgetting how cold the floor was, rushed barefoot into Yifu’s arms.
“Mom, you finally came back.”
Leia’s voice was tinged with a hint of tears, and her soft tone tugged at Yifu’s heartstrings.
After all, Yifu had promised to help her solve her problems, but Leia had been waiting for a long time without seeing Yifu return, and as the sky darkened, Leia’s mood grew heavier.
She began to regret causing Yifu such a big trouble.
She even wondered if she had created too much trouble that Yifu might not want her anymore.
“Did you wait a long time? I’m sorry, I ran into some issues and got delayed. Where’s Qianzhi?”
Yifu looked around the spacious room and saw that Leia was the only one there.
This girl tended to overthink, and Yifu couldn’t imagine what thoughts she had gone through while she was away.
“Qianzhi said there were things to handle at home and needed to attend a very important dinner party, so she left first.”
“I see. Have you eaten dinner yet? Let’s have something to eat before we start making your dress, okay?”
Yifu looked at the Leia tightly hugging her, refusing to let go, and couldn’t help but soften her tone a little.
“I’m not hungry, and I don’t need a dress anymore. I don’t want to trouble you any further, I’m sorry…”
“Why do you say that?”
“Because… because I can’t create value and only cause trouble, the only outcome is being heartlessly left on the roadside.”
Leia trembled as she spoke her inner worries, which were also the only rule of survival instilled in her by this harsh world.
Hearing such words from a young child honestly touched Yifu deeply.
How old is she? At such a tender age, as she gets to know the world, all the beautiful words Yifu could think of should be concentrated on this child in front of her…
However, Yifu did not see the innocence and joy unique to children in her; instead, she saw a painful maturity reflected on her youthful face.
“Who taught you these words?”
“Ugh…”
Leia let out a sob, feeling wronged. No one taught her; she had simply summarized her experiences while crawling through the mud of life.
“I don’t want to be left on the roadside.”
“Who would leave you on the roadside…”
Looking at the gloomy night outside, Yifu could roughly understand what this girl was thinking.
During the time she and Qianzhi had been away, Leia must have been constantly reflecting on herself with her personality, right?
Clearly, she had done nothing wrong; she only caused Yifu a little trouble, but that was enough for this sensible child to feel guilty for a long time.
If tonight she had not returned due to other matters, Yifu couldn’t even imagine what kind of shadow it might cast on her.
Unbeknownst to her, Yifu had already become Leia’s whole world.
“It’s alright, no one will blame you, really. You haven’t done anything wrong, don’t think too much about it, it’s all in the past.”
“Tomorrow is your big day; let’s make a breathtaking dress together, and completely turn the page on your past troubles, okay?”
Yifu gently held Leia’s small face, wiping away the tears on her cheeks with her fingers.
“Can we really turn the page?”
“Of course, I said I would protect you for life. I keep my promises…”
In the blink of an eye, it was already late at night.
Leia, curled up next to Yifu, was too drowsy to keep her eyes open.
Meanwhile, the dress Yifu was making was only halfway done.
To be honest, Leia didn’t care much about having a beautiful dress for tomorrow; she was already content as long as she could attend the graduation ceremony with Yifu.
Staying beside Yifu now was not about the dress but simply the desire to be with her.
Unfortunately, children couldn’t stay up late; holding the thread for Yifu, she quickly fell asleep.
“Hiss.”
A drop of blood emerged from Yifu’s beautiful fingertip, and she hurriedly put her finger in her mouth.
She had lost count of how many times she had pricked her hand. While she was skilled at making the dress, small mistakes were inevitable.
Almost every time Yifu pricked her finger, Leia would come over with a worried expression, understandingly pouting her lips and blowing on Yifu’s injured finger.
But this time, Leia showed no reaction; Yifu turned her head and saw that, indeed, this girl had fallen asleep leaning against her.
Yet even in her sleep, her expression remained heavy.
“Sigh, I can’t even dream peacefully.”
Yifu helplessly picked up Leia and took her to her bedroom door, but after a moment’s thought, she brought Leia into her own bedroom.
If the girl were to suddenly wake up in the night and see Yifu sleeping beside her, it might provide her with a little comfort, right?
“What a poor child.”
Yifu tucked Leia in and silently vowed that she would do her utmost to create the most perfect dress for Leia.
She wanted everyone to see that Leia was not just a wild child. She had someone who cared for her and loved her!
