Rewritten Past

Since Wang worked in Public Housing, and since they had so much data, they were probably all freaking out about worst case scenarios and what to do if it all crashed.

'Mm... they could always just go back to manual filing.'

It wasn't THAT hard to do. Just tedious.

But whatever the case, it should be fine.

Yue closed her eyes to get some rest, listening to April's happy sounds as the little girl munched on cookies in the kitchen. Hearing that brought a faint smile to Yue's face.

'Still don't believe in destiny... but Alex was right about April.'

The cute young girl was good for everyone all around. A sweet bundle of positivity and goodwill... minus the trauma bombs she sometimes dropped in the middle of conversations.

It was definitely a key part about why Alex decided to befriend her. And why he was completely unable to deny her anything.

April was almost too good for this world. Sweet, kind, bubbly... the sort of girl who a main character in a movie might see in a flashback after having died tragically in childhood.

'Huh. Maybe that's why he's so worried.'

Alex didn't say it outright, but he seemed fairly superstitious. There were certain habits he had which showed how worried he was about bad things going wrong.

Like how he always interrupted April from saying certain phrases like 'it's too quiet' or 'we should get married some day.'

In hindsight...

'I suppose Al is worried about tempting fate?'

It was like when he nagged Yue to always come back at 7 PM sharp for dinner back when she was recording in Los Angeles.

Instead of mitigating things, he seemed to be in the habit of removing the possibility of something happening entirely.

...Which would explain why he reacted that way on Thanksgiving towards his aunt and uncles.

For a kid who was concerned about variables, the easiest solution was eliminating them.

...And considering how there had never been any follow-ups from Serena's past life or even a report beyond 'gang-related activity' that night she was injured...

'...Just what did you see, Al? And what happened to you?'

That thought always swirled in the back of Yue's mind. She never really dwelled on it. But there were times she couldn't help but think about it.

Like the times when Alex stared at her like she was a miracle he couldn't believe existed. Or when he looked at April like he was worried she would vanish into mist if he was gone too long.

And especially the way that he had so easily and readily slipped into Yue's life, weaving himself into it in a way that prevented her from even considering options she would have taken before he was there.

'I wanted fame. Money. Critical acclaim. And if Alex hadn't entered my life like this...'

Yue wasn't sure what would have happened.

She clearly remembered it.

That summer, she had been at the end of her rope. From May through August, she went all over Los Angeles, auditioning for every role she could find. And she got nothing.

Yue never mentioned it, but that was partially why she had been so eager to babysit Alex. She wanted to prove that she could do SOMETHING right at least.

'If Alex had just cried and kept bugging me to go back to his parents though...'

Yue might have gotten desperate. Maybe she would have tried something else to get a role.

There had been plenty of insinuations. That to make it in the entertainment world you had to do 'favors' to certain people.

And Yue HAD been tempted. If she could land a role, maybe one night... maybe her first time would have been worth it.

Then of course Alex came into the picture and that course of action became completely unacceptable.

How could she face him after doing something like that? Especially when he had such sincere faith in her abilities?

Not only that, but after Serena and April entered their lives too...

If Yue sold 'favors' to get a leg up in that world, it would completely spit on everything Serena had endured just to survive and raise April.

'Huh. Sneaky bastard.'

In hindsight, that was probably why Alex did it.

Maybe that little brat had sensed it that day he saw her.

Yue had tried to hide it, but she HAD been a bit riled up. Desperate... she wasn't quite their yet. But she had been close.

And so Alex made sure to eliminate any chance of her even being tempted to take that course of action ever again.

'...I should get his IQ tested sometime.'

For a five year old, he was ridiculously cunning and competent.

Not only that, but he was clearly good at social manipulations too. After all, he had played them ALL like a fiddle... and they were all still letting him do it.

'Whatever.'

Yue rolled onto her side and mumbled, "As long as he grows up happy, it's fine."

Even if her adorable nephew was creepy sometimes and scary at other times, he was still hers. The little boy who genuinely adored her, believed in her, and chose her above his own parents.

So even if he had secrets and acted in ways no five year old ever should... like absolutely killing a group of armed men that night and never mentioning it again.

Yue wouldn't care.

'As long as he comes home safe and sound.'

That was all that mattered.

Yue just wanted to see Alex grow up supported and seen. No matter what he really was or who he turned out to be in the end.

'...I really should get more sleep.'

Maybe it was the acting. Or maybe she just had too much time on her hands these days since Alex and April were spending time with Mei again.

But Yue had found herself thinking a lot about life recently and what was coming up next.

She had already decided on her life course. Even if she never got another big role or made it big in Hollywood, she was fine as long as she could support Alex.

The whole reason why Yue wanted to make it big in the first place was to prove everyone wrong. To show that she could make it on her own. That she was worth something.

...But she was already Alex's entire world. And, though she would never have considered it, that was more than enough.

Everything else was just extra now.

'...Stupid brat. Making me all emotional like this...'

Her past self would have screamed at her for being stupid and wasting her potential. Her parents would have said the same.

But when Yue thought about how relieved and happy Alex was whenever she returned home, as well as how he always went up to hug her tight...

'...Stupid maternal instincts.'

Yue sighed and placed her arm over her eyes.

...She definitely wasn't feeling like having a child of her own now. Definitely not.

And she definitely wasn't envious of Mei for having a baby girl that would be Alex's sister.

Definitely not...

A soft knock echoed on the door. Shortly after, Serena's voice echoed. "We're back-"

But before she could finish her sentence, Alex's voice interrupted her. Not just his voice, but his singing voice.

"Last Christmas, I gave you my heart~"

A high-pitched and boyish, but completely on key rendition of Last Christmas by Wham!

Yue groaned. "Dammit Al."