CH 54

Shen Tiantian was still angry. Despite knowing that Shan Yi was jealous, she gave her a perplexed glance, withdrew her hand, and continued walking towards the cafeteria.

What did she mean by “thinking it wasn’t necessary”?

Just because of this sentence, she felt that she couldn’t simply forgive Shan Yi anymore.

Who knows what else she might be hiding from her? With this thought, she couldn’t help but quicken her pace.

Looking at her empty hand, Shan Yi’s gaze darkened. She kept a stern expression and followed along. Upon entering, she saw Yang Yue and Shen Tiantian chatting and laughing. Shan Yi’s expression grew even darker.

She walked over, “Let me help.”

Before Shen Tiantian could speak, Yang Yue had already spoken, “No need, you’re a guest. Guests shouldn’t help with the cooking, right?”

Although she said so, why did it seem like she was intentionally emphasizing that she was a guest? Shan Yi squinted her eyes, “Although it’s our first meeting, when I’m at my girlfriend’s place, I should still do what needs to be done.”

Shen Tiantian looked back and forth between them, playfully scolding Shan Yi with a glance, “Yuanyuan and I can handle it, you can go chat with the dean.”

Shan Yi thought, ‘My wife is here, why would I go talk to the dean?’

So she said, “I’ll stay here.”

Shen Tiantian pouted and turned her back towards the kitchen.

There weren’t actually many children left in the orphanage. Some had been adopted, so there were probably only about thirty people in total at that moment. The kitchen was a bit small, and two adults squeezing into the tight space made it feel crowded. Their arms were almost touching, and Shan Yi was on fire. To avoid making Shen Tiantian angry again, Shan Yi sat with her legs crossed outside the cafeteria, her gaze never leaving them.

The children’s meals were packed directly in lunchboxes, each box labeled with their names. The boxes came in various colors and sizes, distributed quite evenly. There was also an aunt who had stayed from before at Hongle, but she was resting that day. Their meals were served on plates, and the kids eagerly took the dishes to the office to call the dean.

During the meal, they didn’t talk much, or rather, Shen Tiantian didn’t want to engage with Shan Yi. She spent the entire time chatting with Yang Yue and the dean. Shan Yi felt like an outsider, and no matter how strong her mental fortitude was, it could still be hurt.

In the end, she just stopped talking altogether.

Perhaps it had been too long since she last came, Shen Tiantian was very happy. She didn’t take a nap in the afternoon and played with the children all afternoon. Shan Yi sat not far away, her gaze distant as if contemplating something.

As the sky gradually darkened and it was past 5 p.m., the old dean, who had appeared at some point, slowly sat down next to Shan Yi.

The voice was very faint, but Shan Yi heard the old dean’s sigh. After a while, the old dean spoke slowly: “Tiantian came here when she was very young, around five or six years old.”

“Her parents gave birth to her during their rebellious teenage years, raised her for a few years, and then said they no longer had feelings for each other and wanted to separate. At that point, Tiantian became unnecessary, and the question of who should take care of her became a point of dispute for them. It escalated beyond control, even to the point of physical fights, and Tiantian naturally became their punching bag. Any unhappiness was blamed on her.”

“When she was brought here, she was covered in injuries, blood on her face, her big dark eyes filled with fear, yet she didn’t dare hide behind that person. Her hands and legs were trembling. At that time, I wondered, who could lay such cruel hands on such a young child.”

“When she first came here, she didn’t even dare to speak or play with the other children. The doctors said she was affected by her environment and developed autism. Fortunately, later on, with Wanjun and Yaya, they gradually pulled her out of the shadows.”

“Perhaps because of her childhood experiences, Tiantian never had a sense of security from a young age. Even though she may not say it out loud, she knows it in her heart. Once the other party shows any inclination to let go of her, she will definitely let go first, trying not to burden anyone.”

“Now that she’s chosen you, as her partner, I hope you can be more understanding of her. She’s bringing someone home for the first time, and I think she must already consider you family, especially now that you also have a child.”

Shan Yi’s heart ached as she listened. She looked at Shen Tiantian, who was smiling so brightly that her eyes were invisible, and Shan Yi had never imagined she had such a past.

The old dean’s eyes showed a kind smile, “Go find her and have a good talk.”

“Thank you, Dean.” Shan Yi expressed her sincere gratitude and then walked quickly towards Shen Tiantian.

She admitted that for a brief moment earlier, she had considered giving up and letting Shen Tiantian cool down. The old dean had noticed, which was why he took the initiative to have this conversation with her.

“Tiantian.” Shan Yi called out.

Shen Tiantian, who was playing games with the children, turned her gaze upon hearing her name. She looked at Shan Yi not far away and sweetly waved her hand.

“Let’s go home.” Shan Yi pulled her aside and spoke softly: “You’ve been playing for a long time.”

Shen Tiantian was taken aback by the sudden change in Shan Yi’s demeanor.

She wasn’t a fool, and she knew that Shan Yi had been angry a while ago. But she was equally upset with Shan Yi and chose to ignore her. Now, why did Shan Yi suddenly become so gentle?!

With a hint of helplessness, Shan Yi brushed aside a strand of hair from Shen Tiantian’s forehead, “Let’s go home, okay?”

Shen Tiantian felt like her blood vessels were slightly numb. Looking at Shan Yi, she involuntarily nodded, and the anger in her heart was gradually extinguished by Shan Yi’s proactive approach.

“Ok, let’s go home.”

Shan Yi held her hand, bid farewell to the old dean and the children, and concluded their day’s journey. Having not taken a nap during the afternoon, Shen Tiantian fell asleep shortly after getting into the car. Shan Yi didn’t even get a chance to say a word.

Returning to the residential area and finding a parking spot, there were no signs that Shen Tiantian had awakened yet. Shan Yi touched her face gently. Although she hesitated to wake her up, she knew she wasn’t confident enough to carry her upstairs smoothly.

Soundly sleeping, Shen Tiantian woke up in a daze. Her neck felt a bit stiff due to having kept her head tilted to one side for an extended period. Gently rubbing her neck, she twisted it a few times, resulting in a succession of cracking sounds reminiscent of bones wailing in agony.

She turned her head to look out of the window and sluggishly exclaimed, “Oh, we’re home already.”

People who fell asleep as soon as they got in the car naturally felt that the journey was quick, Shan Yi thought.

Shen Tiantian stifled a yawn with her hand, opened the car door, and got out. She felt a bit hungry and muttered to herself as she walked, “I should have eaten before coming back.”

Just as Shan Yi finished locking the car and caught up, she heard this sentence. She chuckled and said: “Be good, I’ll make it for you when we get back.”

With a lazy reply, Shen Tiantian entered the elevator first.

Shan Yi observed her expression closely, thinking that this little woman was really tired today. Even her responses seemed like she was just going through the motions.

Once inside the apartment, Shen Tiantian collapsed onto the sofa, propped her legs up on a low table, and soon drifted back to sleep.

Shan Yi felt somewhat helpless, so she rolled up her sleeves and headed into the kitchen.

Shen Tiantian was hungry, but Shan Yi wasn’t planning on making anything complicated. She settled for making a simple dish of vegetable noodles.

In less than half an hour, she had two bowls of noodles ready. She set them on the table with chopsticks and then woke Shen Tiantian up.

Interrupted in her sleep for the third or fourth time, Shen Tiantian was a bit grumpy. She frowned and squinted for quite a while before opening her eyes, only to see a face that seemed magnified many times over. Her drowsiness was instantly chased away.

“W-why are you so close?!” Shen Tiantian suddenly stumbled over her words.

Shan Yi’s smile grew even more pronounced: “I was just thinking whether I should wake up my little princess.”

Shen Tiantian’s face turned a mix of red and green. She was embarrassed and annoyed, saying, “Wha- what…what little princess? Don’t talk nonsense.”

“Alright, get up and eat. It might get cold later,” Shan Yi said.

Shen Tiantian rubbed her face. Wasn’t it all because someone spoke that way? Wasn’t it just too embarrassing?!

“I’ll go wash my face first,” she huffed and ran off.

Shan Yi: …

Ignoring her, Shan Yi sat directly at the dining table, lost in thought as she gazed at the golden-brown fried eggs. She was still thinking about apologizing properly after they finished eating.

After a quick wash, Shen Tiantian emerged from the bathroom, rubbed the water droplets off her hands, gave them a sniff, and although it looked light, the fragrance was still strong enough to make one’s appetite surge.

Without hesitation, she picked up a piece of fried egg and took a bite, then lifted the bowl to drink some soup, but it was a bit hot. She blew on it and continued eating.

Shen Tiantian was genuinely hungry. In just a couple of bites, she finished the bowl of noodles, patting her stomach with a satisfied look on her face, and even licked her lips before she realized.

Shan Yi pushed her remaining half bowl of noodles toward her and asked, “Do you want more?”

Her hand, which had been resting on her belly while it churned, stopped. Shen Tiantian blinked, and her face immediately turned an unnatural shade of red. “I don’t want any more…”

How hungry was she? She had finished her meal even before Shan Yi was done with half of hers. Maybe it was because Shan Yi ate too slowly. Although she wanted to convince herself with that thought, she couldn’t believe it.

Shan Yi smirked with a skeptical look. “You look so eager. I thought you hadn’t eaten enough.”

“I haven’t…” Shen Tiantian abruptly stood up from her chair. “I’m going to take a shower.”

Anxious, Shan Yi followed her into the room, reminding her: “You shouldn’t shower right after eating.”

Shen Tiantian had initially just wanted to escape the awkward situation, but she didn’t expect Shan Yi to follow her in. She had thought about diving under the covers, but considering that she had spent the whole day outside, she was probably covered in dust. So, she dropped the idea.

Seeing that she didn’t go to take a shower, Shan Yi gently wrapped her arm around Shen Tiantian’s waist. Her slender fingers traced circles on the belly that Shen Tiantian had just touched, and she said, “Let me see if our baby is full.”

“Let go of me,” Shen Tiantian tried to wriggle out of her grip, but Shan Yi held firm.

“I’m sincerely, seriously apologizing to you. Can you stop being mad at me?” Shan Yi’s tone suddenly turned affectionate. “I promise I won’t hide anything from you again, no matter what it is.”

Before coming back, Shen Tiantian had already let go of most of her anger. Now, she had no more temper left. She took a deep breath and said: “I’m also at fault. I should have listened to you properly.”

Shan Yi was pleasantly surprised by her response.

“I also need to apologize to you. Lately, I seem to have trouble controlling my temper. Sometimes, I just feel like getting angry for no reason. I don’t even know why,” Shen Tiantian said, her face showing discomfort as she covered her head.

Shan Yi’s hand remained on her belly. “It’s probably because of this.”

Shen Tiantian calmed down and blushed slightly. “Yeah, probably.”

“Shan Yue said things will get better next month. You’ve been through a lot.”

Shen Tiantian shook her head. “You’re the one who’s been through a lot. You have to endure another month of me like this.”

The dean had a talk with her, reminding her not to be too stubborn, which was similar to what Liu Wanjun had said. It made her realize that they were already living their everyday life together, and there would inevitably be various conflicts. It’s important to address misunderstandings properly.

“Everything about you isn’t something to endure,” Shan Yi countered. “And the child you’re carrying is mine…no, I should say, it’s our child.”