When Xu Xiuhe returned to the small building in Qinghe, the employees in the studio had already left for the day. He parked his car and glanced at the lights on the third floor, instantly feeling a sense of belonging.
Upon entering, he went straight to the third floor after closing the door. Shen Yin had her hair tied in two low buns and was stir-frying in the kitchen, while Xu Yunzheng sat on the carpet in the living room, playing with building blocks.
Xu Xiuhe walked into the kitchen and said, "Dear, sorry I'm late. You must be tired." He actually wanted to hug Shen Yin from behind, but was afraid her instinctive reaction might cause her to swing the spatula at his head, so he thought better of it.
"Mm, dinner will be ready soon. Take Xu Yunzheng to wash his hands first," Shen Yin said.
Xu Xiuhe felt that his wife's words were commands now, so he immediately took Xu Yunzheng to wash his hands.
In the bathroom, Xu Xiuhe held Xu Yunzheng up to the sink so he could reach it. Xu Yunzheng played happily with the water, and Xu Xiuhe asked softly, "Xu Yunzheng, did you tell your mom that you were pretending to cry last night?"
Xu Yunzheng was too busy playing with the bubbles on his hands to pay attention to Xu Xiuhe. Helplessly, Xu Xiuhe rinsed the bubbles off Xu Yunzheng's hands, washed his own hands, and dried them both with a towel.
After dinner, Xu Xiuhe took the initiative to clean up the dishes and wash the pots in the kitchen.
Shen Yin sat on the couch with Xu Yunzheng, waiting for the broadcast of "The Legend of Xian Xi."
At 8 o'clock sharp, "The Legend of Xian Xi" started on time. Xu Xiuhe sat on the couch, deliberately next to Shen Yin, their arms touching.
Xu Xiuhe wore a short-sleeved shirt, while Shen Yin had on a casual T-shirt. Sitting so close, their bare skin touched, and they could feel each other's warmth. Shen Yin felt awkward and uncomfortable, so she shifted away slightly. But Xu Xiuhe moved closer again, and Shen Yin shifted once more. Xu Xiuhe clung to her like a leech.
As Shen Yin tried to move again, Xu Xiuhe said domineeringly, "Stop moving. If you keep shifting, Xu Yunzheng will fall off."
Shen Yin didn't dare move anymore. The TV played the opening theme, which Shen Yin found quite pleasant.
"Mommy!" Xu Yunzheng pointed at the TV.
"Xu Yunzheng, that's not Mommy. You're mistaken. Mommy will be sad," Xu Xiuhe said.
"It's Mommy!" Xu Yunzheng insisted loudly.
The opening sequence included a clip of Xian Xi riding a horse with Jiang Yuce, their faces unseen but their silhouettes quite dashing.
Xu Xiuhe looked at Shen Yin and noticed her smiling and patting Xu Yunzheng's head. Could it really be Shen Yin?
If it was indeed Shen Yin, then he was in trouble for not recognizing his own wife and telling his son he was mistaken. Xu Xiuhe thought he might have to sleep on the couch that night.
As the first episode played, Xu Xiuhe's attention had drifted. He messaged Chang Zhiyuan, "Has my wife ever appeared on TV before?"
Chang Zhiyuan was eavesdropping on Xue Jingrui's conversation with Qi Ji, eager not to miss any gossip about their relationship. Seeing Xu Xiuhe's message, he dismissively replied, "I think she rode a horse."
Boom, Xu Xiuhe really felt doomed. "Send me her original video clip of that right now."
Chang Zhiyuan had to ask Wang Ming, who in turn requested the raw footage from the editing team. After much effort, Xu Xiuhe finally saw the unedited video from all angles, revealing the full beauty and grace of the scene.
If one had to describe it in a sentence: "A gentle smile as she gracefully rode by, her natural beauty and poise caught every eye."
The untouched footage showed Shen Yin's determination and inner strength, as well as her gentle, graceful demeanor.
Xu Xiuhe turned to her. "Dear, I was wrong. My eyes failed me. You can scold me however you want, but please don't make me sleep on the couch."
Shen Yin didn't know what was going on, but she felt an urge to laugh at how adorable Xu Xiuhe seemed.
"No talking during the show," she replied.
Xu Xiuhe promptly fell silent. Since Shen Yin didn't say anything else, did that mean he could still sleep in their bed tonight? With that thought, his mood brightened instantly.
Seeing Shen Yin and Xu Yunzheng both engrossed in the show, the latter occasionally calling out "Mommy," Xu Xiuhe had an idea.
He suddenly kissed Shen Yin's cheek and quickly pulled away. Shen Yin was caught completely off guard and touched her face, thinking to herself, "Scoundrel!"
Unfortunately, Xu Yunzheng had witnessed the whole thing. Imitating his father, he seized the moment while Shen Yin was distracted and kissed her other cheek, then giggled mischievously.
"Xu Yunzheng, you can't just kiss girls other than Mommy, understand?" Shen Yin said gently.
Xu Xiuhe had drawn a bath and came to carry Xu Yunzheng in. "Xu Yunzheng, Daddy's going to give you a bath, and then it's bedtime."
As Xu Yunzheng sat naked in the child's bathtub, Xu Xiuhe suddenly said, "Xu Yunzheng, you're growing up."
"Yes, Xu Yunzheng is a big boy now, a real man," Xu Yunzheng proudly slapped his hand on the water.
"Real men can't just kiss girls, including Mommy. I'll give you one more year. When you turn three, you can't kiss Mommy or sleep with her anymore, got it?"
Xu Yunzheng pouted and shook his head.
Having successfully stolen a kiss, Xu Xiuhe decided to let it go for now and teach Xu Yunzheng again when he turned three.
After bathing Xu Yunzheng, Xu Xiuhe put him on the bed in the bedroom and quickly showered himself before joining them.
"Dear, I've drawn your bath. You can go ahead," he said cheerfully.
Seeing that Xu Yunzheng was almost asleep, Xu Xiuhe checked his phone and saw Chang Zhiyuan's messages in the group chat.
"I seriously suspect Xue Jingrui is involved in child trafficking. That girl Qi Ji looks like a minor," Chang Zhiyuan commented.
"No, she's 22, just graduated from university. She has a baby face," Xue Jingrui replied.
"Oh, she does look really young. But she's pretty cute, and has a sweet way of speaking. Not bad, Xue Jingrui. You must have accumulated great virtue in your past life," Chang Zhiyuan said.
"When's the wedding?" Xu Xiuhe asked.
"Getting the marriage license next Monday, wedding ceremony set for mid-next month," Xue Jingrui responded.
"Damn, that's fast. Hard to believe. Does Qi Yan know?" Chang Zhiyuan asked.
Xue Jingrui didn't reply, and Chang Zhiyuan furiously typed away.
"Xue Jingrui, let me tell you, Qi Yan is not the right match for you. You need to let her go. Do you really think she genuinely likes Xu Xiuhe? You think she's after his money? Her family's not short on money either, so why is she pursuing Xu Xiuhe relentlessly? It's because what you can't have is the most desirable. She can't stand losing. A woman's pride and obsession can be terrifying sometimes. How could she not know you like her? But why hasn't she responded? Because having a rich and powerful man pursuing her, being his backup option, is something for her to be proud of and satisfies her vanity. But the moment you stop liking her, just watch, she'll definitely react. So it's best to cut ties cleanly. I think this girl Qi Ji seems quite nice."
