CH 76

shen tiantian opened her mouth slightly, her face filled with astonishment. she had just learned yesterday that her little aunt’s girlfriend was manager tian, and now she was unexpectedly attending the family banquet?!

mother shan noticed her expression and patted shan yi, asking, “what did you say to tiantian?”

“nothing,” shan yi said innocently.

shen tiantian tightened her grip on her wife’s hand. “manager tian is really coming?!”

shan yi nodded, amused, and gently touched her head. when facing her relatives, she had never seen shen tiantian so nervous. why did she become less composed when it came to tian jing?

“are you still afraid of her?”

shen tiantian frowned, apologized to mother shan, and then pulled shan yi aside. “it’s not that i’m afraid, i just don’t know how to face her and little aunt’s relationship.”

“just stay calm,” shan yi said softly, suddenly looking towards the door and lifting her chin. “here they come.”

shen tiantian paused, turned slowly, and saw shan yue holding hands with manager tian. they were smiling and greeting friends and relatives. shen tiantian vaguely heard her introducing tian jing as her girlfriend.

after shan yue finished introducing, tian jing’s expression visibly changed. even from a distance, shen tiantian could see her furrowed brow—a clear sign of anger.

did she see wrong?! is manager tian angry?

unable to comprehend, while shen tiantian was still lost in thought, shan yue and manager tian approached and stopped in front of them. tian jing freed her hand from shan yue’s grip and greeted shen tiantian with a smile, saying, “hey, tiantian.”

“hey…” shen tiantian instinctively responded and then felt it was too indifferent. so, she added, “manager tian, long time no see.”

tian jing smiled, “this isn’t the office, and i’m not your boss anymore. just call me ah jing.”

“ok.” shen tiantian quickly nodded.

after that, tian jing looked at shan yi, courteously nodding, “ceo.”

“likewise, we’re not at the office now, and you’re my little aunt’s girlfriend. just call me xiao yi,” shan yi said in a good mood.

tian jing raised her lips, nodded in understanding, and added, “congratulations to both of you for making it official with someone you love.”

shan yue felt bitter in her heart and was about to speak when mother shan’s voice came, “what are you doing here…oh, xiao yue, who is this…?”

“sister-in-law, this is my girlfriend, tian jing.”

tian jing slightly furrowed her brows, but years of experience in the workplace allowed her to conceal any displeasure effectively. “hello, sister-in-law. just call me xiao jing.”

“oh, xiao jing… you look really beautiful.” mother shan smiled as she looked at tian jing. her small face with a delicate mouth, though the only flaw might be a slightly flat nose. today, she deliberately wore the popular peach blossom makeup, making her eyes sparkle and attract attention.

the family’s taste is indeed good. glancing at her daughter’s wife, mother shan couldn’t stop smiling. “you two can chat; i’ve introduced you enough.”

hearing tian jing’s words, shan yue was happier than the person being praised. “thank you, sister-in-law.”

“thank you,” tian jing smiled and said to mother shan. however, as soon as mother shan left, she didn’t mince her words, “don’t interrupt when i’m speaking.”

shan yue immediately suppressed her laughter, a hint of bitterness flashing in her eyes. “let’s go over there?”

since shen tiantian and tian jing were standing close by, she heard their words very clearly. feeling a bit confused, shan yi shook her hand. “let’s go.”

“oh… okay.” shen tiantian came back to her senses, turning her head to look for liu wanjun’s figure. she noticed that lin haozhi had also arrived at some point. her friend was talking to her husband, and for some reason, after what he said, liu wanjun raised her fist and punched him.

shen tiantian chuckled. she was worried that liu wanjun would be lonely here alone, but seeing her lively interaction, she felt reassured.

“haozhi just arrived. he knows my family, so don’t worry. he’ll take good care of wanjun.” shan yi leaned closer to her and whispered.

she wanted to say she wasn’t worried, but she nodded anyway, letting her lead them to a corner.

the four of them sat together, and shan yue signaled for the servants to bring some snacks. tian jing, sitting next to her, intentionally tried to create some distance, but it seemed as if she couldn’t see it. she shifted her buttocks, moving closer again, and even deliberately touched her leg.

tian jing, displeased, furrowed her brow and uttered two words through gritted teeth, “shan yue.”

the atmosphere became awkward momentarily. even shen tiantian, who wasn’t the brightest, could sense the tension between the two. but if they had such an aversion to each other, why did they come holding hands?!

seeing this, shan yi fed her wife a piece of snack, then took her hand, casually saying: “you two sort things out slowly. we’ll go attend to the guests.”

shan yue glanced at her appreciatively, while tian jing said: “it’s okay, you go ahead. i’ll sit for a while.”

as shan yi and shen tiantian walked away, tian jing, who seemed to have been pretending for a while, couldn’t hold back any longer. “shan yue, don’t push it too far. and as for why i came today, i believe you know the reason very well. if you cross the line again, don’t blame me for embarrassing you in front of everyone.”

upon hearing this, shan yue’s eyes showed a hint of sadness, and under the lamplight, the glistening of tears was visible.

“do you really hate me so much? we used to be so happy together.”

tian jing made a disgusted gesture, causing shan yue’s expression to darken even more.

“you keep talking about the past. i’m not happy now. i was so foolish to be repeatedly deceived by you.”

“i told you it was a misunderstanding. there’s nothing between me and her.”

tian jing snorted coldly, “the usual excuse of a scumbag.”

shan yue: …

“why can’t you believe me for once?” shan yue felt somewhat exhausted, asking in a lifeless tone.

a glint passed through tian jing’s eyes. she didn’t say anything, suddenly stood up, and prepared to go around from the other side.

shan yue immediately grabbed her, “where are you going?”

“to the restroom.”

“i’ll accompany you.”

tian jing refused: “no need.”

“the shan family house is quite big. i’ll take you there; i’m afraid you’ll get lost.”

shan yue restored her smile, and her voice became very gentle, as if the despondent person from a moment ago wasn’t her.

“i’m not a child.”

“for someone who can get lost coming back from the classroom to the dormitory…”

“enough.”

tian jing quickly interrupted her, her expression colder than before.

she wasn’t directionally challenged; initially, shan yue had mistakenly thought she was lost and insisted on escorting her back. she explained, but shan yue believed she was saving face. later, she just stopped explaining. she didn’t expect that shan yue still thought she was directionally challenged.

“i came today just to repay your favor. although i don’t know where the restroom is, i can ask shen tiantian to show me the way. you should go and bond with your relatives. it’s a rare opportunity; don’t waste your time on me.” after saying this, tian jing left without looking at shan yue’s expression.

tian jing found shen tiantian and asked her to guide her to the restroom. shen tiantian glanced discreetly at shan yue and saw her hanging her head, her hair covering half of her face. it was impossible to see her expression or know what she was thinking.

“thank you,” tian jing expressed her gratitude and quickly entered the restroom, closing the door behind her.

shen tiantian slowly returned to the living room, suddenly linking arms with her wife, and whispered with a sly smile: “i think little aunt and manager tian have something going on.”

“are you gossiping again?” shan yi asked, amused and helpless.

shen tiantian nodded slowly, then, realizing the implication of her words, suddenly patted her hand, “this isn’t really gossip. she’s your aunt; shouldn’t you be concerned?”

“yes, yes, yes, you’re just concerned,” shan yi chuckled.

shen tiantian furrowed her brows. it seemed like she wasn’t getting anywhere with this conversation. however, now wasn’t the time to dwell on this issue. “didn’t you say they had a romantic history? why would it be like this?”

“i genuinely don’t know about this,” shan yi shrugged. “why don’t you go and ask the people involved?”

ask manager tian? shen tiantian admitted that she didn’t have the courage to do that, and she wasn’t close enough to ask such questions. as for asking shan yue? she might not tell her.

“so let’s not meddle in their affairs,” shan yi gently pinched her wife’s face, causing her cheeks to puff up. with her mouth forced open, she chuckled and kissed her, slipping her tongue in easily.

shen tiantian widened her eyes. wasn’t she considerate of the situation?!

shan yi naturally knew when to stop and gracefully withdrew. “i’m already looking forward to tonight.”

“get away,” shen tiantian blushed, immediately putting some distance between them. “you really are…”

“hmm? what am i?” shan yi raised an eyebrow.

shen tiantian glared at her. “i’m going to find mom.”

for the first time ever, shan yi didn’t stop her. instead, she said: “go ahead.”

after her wife left, shan yi glanced toward the direction of the bathroom and slowly approached shan yue, sitting beside her.

“care to share?”

that person didn’t move.

“tsk, feeling melancholic?” shan yue suddenly leaned toward shan yi’s shoulder. “xiao yi, do you think persisting in liking someone who dislikes you will eventually lead to a positive outcome?”

“maybe,” she replied, but such miracles wouldn’t happen to her. just like with celia. liking was liking, and there was no way to turn the feeling around if someone was disliked.

“i feel a bit sad. will you accompany me for a drink tonight?”

shan yi fell silent for a moment and then said slowly: “tonight is the bridal chamber candlelit night. do you think that’s suitable?!”

shan yue: …….

she was already feeling so down, and she wanted to torture her like this?!

mother shan hurried over, looking anxious. “what are you two doing here? come and have dinner.”

“got it,” shan yi responded, patting shan yue’s shoulder. “let’s go.”

“hey.” shan yue weakly stood up, and just as she saw tian jing coming out of the restroom, she smiled and reached out her hand. “it’s time for dinner.”

tian jing glanced around. “no one’s here. no need to pretend.”

“it’s not pretending.” shan yue stabilized her emotions and said calmly: “didn’t you say you owe me a favor? pay up now.”

tian jing stared at her for a moment, a hint of anger flashing in her eyes. she reluctantly handed over her hand.

shan yue held onto her cold hand tightly, bringing it to her lips and blowing on it. it was a familiar gesture—whenever the weather was a bit chilly, tian jing’s hands would be cold, and she would warm them up by blowing on them.

tian jing wanted to pull her hand back but restrained herself. the fleeting affection in her eyes was hidden.

she spoke in a low voice, “after paying back your favor today, will you stop bothering me?”

in her eyes, had her actions already turned into a form of pestering? shan yue felt a bit desolate. she didn’t say anything, just gripped tian jing’s hand even tighter.

“answer me.” tian jing said displeased: “is it true?”

shan yue stopped in her tracks, turned to look at her, and with narrowed eyes, said very seriously: “no, i will keep pestering you, until death do us part.”

tian jing was momentarily stunned by her gaze. by the time she regained her composure, they had already reached the dining table. trying to break free wasn’t so appropriate now because everyone was watching them.

“come, take a seat.” mother shan didn’t notice their awkwardness and quickly invited tian jing to sit.

“uncle and aunt, i’m here!”

just as everyone took their seats, a female voice suddenly sounded at the door, instantly drawing everyone’s attention.

translator note:

i apologize for going mia for several weeks, i’ll be posting extra chapters to make up for it and will try to get back to the regular schedule!