CH 74

the next afternoon, shen tiantian and her wife promptly boarded the high-speed train back to city a. upon learning that they were returning home today, during the short journey of less than four hours, mother shan called seven times in a row. each call consisted of the same questions, such as what time they would arrive home and whether she should have shan xu come to the station to pick them up…

even though it had only been a few days, it felt as if they hadn’t seen each other in years. with each call, shen tiantian felt both amused and helpless, yet there was a warm feeling in her heart. the concern and the feeling of someone waiting at home were truly delightful. it made her feel so good that she could laugh out loud even in her dreams. she wished she could stay in this dreamlike world forever and never wake up.

around six in the evening, as the sky began to darken, shen tiantian and shan yi finally arrived home. mother shan warmly walked to the door to greet them, starting to nag at shan yi, complaining that the place she chose was too far away.

turning to shen tiantian, mother shan changed her expression again. “you’ve been outside for so long. you probably haven’t been eating well, right? why does it seem like you’ve lost weight? are you too tired?”

“i ate quite a lot,” shen tiantian replied with a wry smile.

“oh, really?” mother shan looked skeptical, seriously sizing her up before concluding, “hmm, you’ve tanned and lost weight.”

indeed, she had gotten a tan. these days, despite applying thick layers of sunscreen, the outdoor exposure has taken its toll. shen tiantian smiled, took the initiative to hold mother shan’s hand, and walked inside, coaxing, “i’ve been craving mom’s soup.”

in the background, shan yi maintained a smile, following along with a bitter expression. can’t you also look at me? after all, she is the biological one. however, seeing how well her wife got along with her family, shan yi felt much more at ease.

“hey, you’re back?” shan yue, who hadn’t had a proper chance to greet them in a while, was in the living room and greeted them.

shen tiantian smiled, “long time no see, little aunt shan.”

a long time? shan yue touched her chin. they lived under the same roof, but it seemed they hadn’t met for almost half a month. thinking about it, it did feel quite a while.

shan yue patted the seat next to her, gesturing for shen tiantian to sit. once she was seated, shan yue immediately remarked, “your wedding photos turned out great.”

shen tiantian, feeling a bit embarrassed, scratched her earlobe with her index finger and shyly thanked her.

“what’s the name of the bridal shop?” shan yue’s face quickly flashed a hint of discomfort.

shan yue concealed it well, and shen tiantian didn’t notice her unease. she hesitated for a moment, not hearing clearly. it wasn’t until shan yue repeated the question that she confirmed she hadn’t misunderstood.

shen tiantian tilted her head, thinking, “it seems to be called moonlight something. you can find it online.”

“moonlight what?”

“it’s probably moonlight studio?” shen tiantian shook her head with uncertainty. “it was booked by the ceo. i’ll ask her to make sure.”

“okay, please check.”

“sure, i’ll check and get back to you…”

wait a minute, why did shan yue suddenly ask about this?! could it be that she already has someone to marry?! but it’s so secretive; not a hint has leaked out. however, if she has managed to move on from her previous relationship and is starting a new one, shen tiantian would genuinely be happy for her.

it seemed like shan yue could sense her curiosity. without waiting for her to speak, shan yue interrupted, “little sweetheart, don’t ask anything. i promise i’ll introduce them to you when the time comes.”

shan yue not only looked like her wife but also had a similar personality, sometimes aloof and reserved, and sometimes playful and humorous. it was actually quite nice—approachable and enjoyable.

catching a glimpse of shan yi returning with the luggage, they exchanged a knowing look and wisely kept quiet. the timely call from mother shan to come for dinner provided the perfect excuse. shen tiantian and shan yue headed to the dining room one after the other.

“smells so good.” shen tiantian eagerly sniffed the stew placed in her spot. a thin layer of oil floated on top, not too greasy. she suddenly sighed, realizing how fast time had flown. she was already three months pregnant with the ceo’s child. in about six months, they would be upgraded to moms, ready to embrace the new roles of parenthood.

mother shan said with a serious expression, “peanut and pork trotter soup, very nourishing. drink more today.”

“is shan xu and dad working overtime again?” shen tiantian nodded and, noticing the vacant seats across from them, asked.

“they are both very busy…” before she could finish her sentence, she caught sight of the father-son pair walking over from the hall. mother shan chuckled: “speak of the devil, he appeared.”

shen tiantian turned her head, greeted father shan and her younger brother.

“we could have left earlier, but the other party insisted on negotiating the price. i had to talk him into signing the contract.” shan xu rolled up his sleeves, sat down beside his sister, and, while picking up some food, said to them, “welcome home, sister-in-law.”

“were you happy during the travel shoot?” father shan also inquired, wiping his hands with a wet towel. his expression was calm, but a hint of tenderness could be seen in his eyes, like a father’s concern for his daughter.

shen tiantian smiled sweetly, nodding gently. “very happy.”

father shan made a low sound of agreement. “let’s eat.”

watching her excited wife, shan yi found it amusing and lightly covered her hand under the table.

the first meal back home was warm and casual, just like a real family, chatting freely. shen tiantian occasionally added a few words.

after dinner, shen tiantian went back to her room first. knowing that they were tired from the journey today, mother shan didn’t say much and let them go upstairs.

“just now, our little aunt asked where we took the wedding photos,” shen tiantian suddenly said as she laid on the bed.

shan yi raised an eyebrow while absentmindedly massaging her stomach. “did you tell her?”

“yeah, i did.” shen tiantian, feeling comfortable from the massage, let out a cat-like hum and squinted. “do you think little aunt is going to get married too?”

“who knows.”

“what kind of person do you think little aunt would like?”

shan yi sighed: “darling, you’ve asked that twice already.”

shen tiantian pursed her lips. “i’m really curious.”

“what’s the use of being curious? judging by her demeanor, whether she can catch up with someone is still a question,” shan yi said indifferently, and the motion of massaging his stomach gradually took on a different flavor.

shen tiantian, who was focused on shan yue, hadn’t noticed and asked: “do you know something?!”

“no,” shan yi shook her head, then suddenly added: “but the photos she keeps on her bedside have never been put away.”

she had even seen shan yue kissing the person in the album as if it were a precious treasure. she recognized that person, an employee of hers. three months ago, she saw the person in the album for the first time. at first glance, she thought she was mistaken, as the person looked much more mature in appearance and temperament than in the photos.

“photos?” shen tiantian looked puzzled.

“yeah, forget about her,” shan yi sighed, “let her handle her own affairs.”

shen tiantian shrugged, but the gossip enthusiast in her couldn’t resist. “i really want to know what kind of person little aunt likes. they must be handsome, right? i wonder why they’re not together?”

“baby, focus more on your wife, okay? look at me,” shan yi pinched her face, pleading.

“but i really want to know,” shen tiantian was itching with curiosity. “i’ll go talk to little aunt about it.”

shan yi quickly held back her fidgeting petite body. “really want to know?”

shen tiantian nodded solemnly.

“give me a kiss, and i’ll tell you.” saying that, shan yi pointed to her own lips with her index finger.

without hesitation, shen tiantian held her wife’s face and kissed her, even cleverly slipping her tongue in. she knew shan yi too well. instead of settling for just one kiss, she would want another, so it was better to get it over with from the start. she liked kissing, and she wasn’t losing out.

the kiss lasted for over a minute. shen tiantian felt a bit breathless when she pulled away, leaving behind a thin silver thread.

“is that enough?” shen tiantian’s voice was a bit breathy.

“tian jing.”

shen tiantian was momentarily stunned, not processing it. “huh?”

shan yi leaned in for a kiss, softly repeating, “i said, little aunt’s girlfriend is tian jing.”

initially, shen tiantian didn’t react, just widening her pupils. eventually, her mouth remained agape, maintaining that expression for over a minute.

“are you kidding me?” shen tiantian said in disbelief.

shan yi chuckled softly, “what do you think?”

“so it’s true?!”

shan yi just smiled, leaving her to digest the information.

“oh my god.” shen tiantian held onto her hair with both hands, her mouth wide enough to fit an egg.

“oh my god, oh my god…”

she couldn’t fathom that the person shan yue liked was manager tian. after all, it seemed like they had no chance of interacting at all. combining what shan yi had said earlier, it appeared they were alumni and had been together since their school days.

her expression was more exaggerated than if she had seen a ghost. shan yi used her hand to close her gaping mouth. “alright, stop with the ‘oh my god.'”

“they…”

shan yi frowned and interrupted her, “stop with the ‘they.’ it’s late, go take a shower.”

shen tiantian still couldn’t believe it, and it took her a while to digest the information. even after she finished showering, she was still pondering whether it was true or not.

shan yi regretted telling her. that wasn’t her intention; she didn’t mean to make her more conflicted. “keep thinking and i’ll get angry.”

“let’s not think about it.” shen tiantian shrank her neck, pounced over, and hugged her wife, rubbing against her neck. “don’t be angry, okay?”

shan yi’s expression softened a bit. she rubbed her hair and diverted her attention. “take one more day off tomorrow, and let’s go register for our marriage certificate?”

“didn’t we tell assistant yang that we’d be back to work tomorrow?” shen tiantian shook her head in disagreement. she had rested for a long time already. if she continued, her colleagues might think the company belonged to her family.

“aren’t you tired?”

“i’m fine.” shan yi had been taking care of their daily life. she had been enjoying the fruits of her labor. “are you tired these days?”

thinking about this period, shen tiantian suddenly felt a bit guilty. it seemed that shan yi had always been pampering her, and she hadn’t done anything for her in return.

to be honest, shan yi was a bit tired, but the more her wife depended on her, the more accomplished she felt. moreover, her wife was carrying their child, so pampering her didn’t feel like a burden at all. instead, it reinforced the idea of spoiling her until she couldn’t do without her.

shen tiantian felt like she was asking a silly question. how could shan yi not be tired? so she said, “it’s okay, i’ll go to work tomorrow, and you can rest at home, okay?”

shan yi asked: “what if i want you to accompany me?”

shen tiantian innocently looked at her and, after a while, sweetly said: “then i’ll accompany you.”