Fortunate to Have You This Lifetime

Alexander Summers was still asleep in bed.

He rarely had the chance to sleep in at home, so Purple didn’t want to wake him. She quietly got out of bed, took off her pajamas, and changed into her school uniform.

But as she turned around, she found Alexander propping himself up on his elbow, eyeing her with interest.

Purple: “…”

She silently adjusted her direction, put her long socks on properly, and covered her skirt.

“It’s not like I haven’t seen it before,” Alexander teased, “I’ve seen every inch of you. Why are you still so shy?”

With no good humor, Purple retorted, “Yeah, yeah, it’s not like you haven’t seen it. Then why do you still look!”

“I can’t help it. My eyes automatically search for all things beautiful,” Alexander confessed.

Upon hearing this, Purple’s lips slightly curled up, she glanced at him with a flirtatious twist in her eyes, exuding an enchanting allure.

“Hmph, sweet talker,” she softly rebuked him.

Alexander felt a surge of warmth at that look of hers, and just as he was about to reach out and pull her in for a proper cuddle, Purple anticipated his move, ducked under his arm, and with a giggle, slipped out the door.

After washing up, she went downstairs, where Atra Blanc was setting the tableware.

Purple sat down to eat breakfast, picked up her chopsticks, but then she noticed there was an extra pair of chopsticks next to her bowl.

Purple was momentarily stunned, then quietly observed the table and asked Atra, “Mom, did you place two pairs of chopsticks beside each bowl?”

“Oh, did I?” Atra came to her senses, looked down at the table, and indeed realized she had put out extra chopsticks.

Atra laughed embarrassedly, retracted the spare chopsticks and said, “Ah, Mom is getting muddleheaded…”

She took the chopsticks and turned back to the kitchen.

Purple picked up a soup dumpling, stuffed it into her mouth, and while eating, pondered Atra’s behavior thoughtfully.

Atra was always meticulous. It would be bizarre for her to make such a mistake unless she was lost in thought.

Purple really couldn’t understand it.

What the Summers Family had brought Atra were severed family ties, her children being abused, and the torment of being a mistress. To any normal person, this would be a place to escape from, yet to Atra, it seemed as though there were many attachments, reluctance to leave, as if there was something here she couldn’t bear to part with.

After arranging the chopsticks properly, Atra returned to the dining room. Purple immediately withdrew her gaze and continued with her breakfast.

As she ate, she noticed Atra beside her starting to space out again.

Purple couldn’t bear it any longer and called out to her, “Mom?”

Atra came back to reality, looking at her puzzled, “What’s wrong?”

“If you don’t want to move, we won’t move,” Purple said. “It was just a suggestion. Don’t stress over it.”

Atra smiled, gently shaking her head, “No, your brother is right. We must move out eventually. You’re growing up, and you’ll meet more and more friends. It’s not proper to bring them home and have to explain why we’re not living in the big mansion up front but crammed in this small house instead. What would people think?”

“Let them think what they want. If you’re worried about gossip, I just won’t bring friends home,” Purple casually said.

A deep sadness crossed Atra’s face as she forced a smile: “I’m sorry, Purple, for making you feel embarrassed…”

Purple’s throat tightened, immediately realizing she had misspoken. Her previous comment, although seemingly considerate, was actually suggesting that Atra’s status was awkward and shameful, wasn’t it?

Anxious to explain, Purple interjected, “Mom, that’s not what I meant! I just meant… sigh!… Please, don’t get the wrong idea!”

“Alright, hurry up and eat. Don’t be late,” Atra said with a smile, tenderly changing the subject.

Purple wanted to explain, but it felt like making things worse. Feeling dejected, the soup dumplings no longer seemed as tasty as before.

Upon arriving at school, Purple’s mood was still gloomy.

During the break, she received a text message from Aria Jackson: “Jade Carlson and Nathaniel Summers are getting engaged???”

At that moment, Purple’s mood shifted from gloom to a nauseous disgust as if she had swallowed a live fly…