Things were going relatively smoothly. The two remained silent as Shen Yin carefully measured Zhengzheng's bust and waist circumference, jotting down the numbers. "We're done, let's head home."
Xu Xiuhe was still feeling emotional. As a grown man, he had been brought down by his own wife—how humiliating would it be if word got out?
At dinner, to avoid awkwardness and show regret, Shen Yin kept piling food onto Zhengzheng's plate. "Mom, I'm full. Zhengzheng has had enough," the little boy said, looking at the remaining food in his bowl, no longer hungry.
"Okay Zhengzheng, you don't have to eat any more." Shen Yin's mind, however, was occupied with finding a way to escape the situation.
Sometimes, things happen just when you think of them. Shen Yin's phone screen lit up with a WeChat message. She opened it: [Yin Yin, want to go for a run?]
Shen Yin felt Shu Yi was her savior. "Shu Yi's asking me to go for a run. Can you look after Zhengzheng for a bit after you finish eating?"
"Sure," Xu Xiuhe replied, his mood still sour.
Upon hearing his response, Shen Yin put down her chopsticks, grabbed a wet wipe, headed to the hallway, changed into a pair of running shoes, and left—all in one smooth motion.
The Ziyue Courtyard complex had a running track along the roads. With only five villas, there were few residents, and the place was usually deserted. Shu Yi, dressed in a sports top and shorts, was waiting near Xu Xiuhe's villa.
"Shu Yi, I just had dinner. Let's take a stroll first," Shen Yin suggested.
"Sure, let's walk for now. Yin Yin, what does kissing feel like?" Shu Yi asked.
Shen Yin was stunned! How did Shu Yi know about this? Did she have some special power, or could she tell just from a kiss?
Slowing her pace, Shen Yin asked, "Why are you suddenly asking this? How did you find out?"
"Find out what? I have an upcoming role with a kissing scene, so I wanted to know what kissing feels like beforehand," Shu Yi explained her reason for asking.
Shen Yin was relieved—she had thought Shu Yi was asking about her own experience. Perhaps this was a case of a guilty conscience.
"Haven't you kissed before?" Shen Yin inquired.
"I'm a single mother by choice."
"Huh?" Shen Yin didn't quite understand what Shu Yi meant.
"Oh, do I really have to spell it out? I've been single since birth," Shu Yi said in a cutesy voice.
Shen Yin wanted to laugh. She was in a similar situation, but it didn't seem appropriate to say so.
"Haven't you had any kissing scenes before?" Shen Yin continued.
Shu Yi's previous roles were mostly student dramas with no kissing scenes. In the hit drama The Story of Xian Xi, she was the lead, but that was a period piece with no such scenes either. And in her movie roles, she wasn't the main character.
"No, I haven't. So this won't just be my first on-screen kiss, but my first kiss ever. I'm quite nervous," Shu Yi said as they strolled along, slowing her pace.
"So, what does it feel like?" Shu Yi was eager to know the answer.
"I'm not really sure, haha." Shen Yin wanted to change the subject. She truly didn't know—that brief moment earlier had left her completely dazed.
"What?? But you have a two-year-old! How can you not know? Unless... you two have a platonic marriage? Or could it be that Xu Xiuhe is... unable to? But that doesn't seem right, given your son and all." Shu Yi rambled on with her speculations.
Shen Yin didn't know what a "platonic marriage" meant, but she had an idea of what Shu Yi meant by "unable to"—how embarrassing! "Where did you learn all this nonsense?" she asked, flustered.
"Haitang," Shu Yi replied.
Once again stumbling into unfamiliar territory, Shen Yin decided to skip over this topic. "Zhengzheng was an accident. He was drunk, I was out of it, so I'm not too sure about the details," she explained vaguely.
Shu Yi looked as if she had discovered a shocking secret, covering her mouth with both hands. "So you two don't have feelings for each other!"
"Yeah, I guess you could say that," Shen Yin affirmed.
Shen Yin's response piqued Shu Yi's curiosity further. "Then what are your plans, Yin Yin?"
Shen Yin pondered the question. Initially, she had thought about getting a divorce once Xu Xiuhe brought it up. But after that kiss, she was utterly confused about his intentions. It seemed she might have to raise the topic of divorce herself, who knew what else he might do. She did have feelings for him, but she was also afraid—afraid of what, only she knew.
"I'm thinking about divorcing him," Shen Yin said in a small voice, admitting her desire to escape from these emotions.
"Yin Yin, have you thought this through? I think Xu Xiuhe is quite a catch—young, capable, good-looking, and no scandals that I know of."
"But we don't have any feelings for each other," Shen Yin reiterated. In the Dasheng Kingdom, women's status was still decent. If not for her wicked stepmother, she could have had a good life and maybe even married a suitable partner.
"That's true. But I'll support whatever you decide to do," Shu Yi assured her.
"What about you? I feel like Chang Zhiyuan is always taking advantage of you," Shen Yin joked.
Shu Yi's face turned gloomy. "What can I do? I'm an artist under his company, and my contract isn't up yet. I want to escape so badly."
"Then let me teach you some martial arts. If things ever get to the point of no return, you can give him a beating first and then we'll talk," Shen Yin said seriously.
"That's not a bad idea. Yin Yin, you're so cool. Why don't you and I just get together? Then you can protect me," Shu Yi suggested playfully.
"I don't think that's a good idea." The original owner of this body was into women, but Shen Yin wasn't. She couldn't just get divorced and then...
The moonlight was hazy, and to Shu Yi's delight, they could even see fireflies along the small path. Shen Yin, however, was unfazed—she had often caught fireflies with her little maidservants back in Dasheng Kingdom.
"I thought fireflies were almost extinct. I didn't expect to see them here. Is it because of Ziyue Courtyard's great greenery and air quality?" Shu Yi guessed.
"Could be. I should take Zhengzheng out to see them in the evenings over the next few days," Shen Yin replied.
She was conflicted. She didn't know how to face Xu Xiuhe or deal with these feelings. Having never liked anyone before, she was at a complete loss. Whenever her heart grew restless, her first instinct was to avoid and escape, to distance herself from the situation.
But now, she couldn't bear to part with Zhengzheng. What would happen to the little one if they really did divorce? Shen Yin felt like Zhengzheng's real mother, having given birth to him from this very body, her own blood flowing through his veins. Moreover, during this time, it wasn't so much that she had been taking care of Zhengzheng, but rather that Zhengzheng had been keeping her company. Despite his young age, he was exceptionally sensible, often saying things that warmed her heart and made her feel less alone in this world. He had become her bond, her attachment. And a divorce wouldn't be good for Zhengzheng either. What should she do?
