“Yes, yes. Coming!” Wang Tingxue brisk-walked into the store with Sang Yu.
Lin Xinyan grinned as she observed them. “Talking about me behind my back?”
Sang Yu just gave her a faint smile. “Tingxue merely wondered if you had kids since you were buying kids’ clothes. I told her that you are a mother of three and she commented that you looked so young!”
“Also, that you are very beautiful,” Wang Tingxue quickly added.
Lin Xinyan simply smiled slightly as she heard this. After all, she was human, and any human would be secretly glad that others appreciated them for their beauty– it was just that she did not make it obvious through her facial expressions.
“Is this for the boy?” Wang Tingxue noted that the red hoodie that she held up looked to be for boys.
Lin Xinyan nodded.
The sales assistant chimed in, “This hoodie would look good with black casual pants or jeans.”
Lin Xinyan herself was very good with colors. There was, in fact, no need for the sales assistant to tell her what would look good with the hoodie. She was a fashion designer and had a unique eye for clothes. This was also why her children often appeared as though they were very fashionable.
She asked Sang Yu and Wang Tingxue to help because they were young and could offer her a fresh perspective. She wanted to enrich herself by listening to their insights.
Wang Tingxue looked at the mannequin and saw that it was dressed in the same red hoodie with black casual pants.
“I think that it will look good.”
Sang Yu nodded. “White sneakers would look nice too.”
Wang Tingxue gestured to a pair of chunky sneakers and pointed out, “I think that chunkier sneakers look better.”
“No, white canvas sneakers.”
The two continued their debate on the matter, while Lin Xinyan just watched them as they enjoyed their time.
How nice it is to be young again!
While she looked young, she was much more emotionally mature than them.
At long last, Lin Xinyan bought two sets of clothes at the store and continued shopping at other stores. She managed to get about two to three sets of new clothes for each kid.
Lin Xinyan got her driver to send Wang Tingxue back to school before heading to the villa with Sang Yu.
The baby was awake when they reached home. He is so cute, with his big, round eyes! Sang Yu quickly washed her hands and played with the baby, while Lin Xinyan brought the newly-purchased clothes into the room. Then, she fished out her phone and texted Shen Peichuan: Come over for dinner.
At the same moment, Shen Peichuan was alone at home watching TV. It was just a random show about crime and society. Needless to say, he felt quite bored when Sang Yu was not around.
He rushed to pick up the phone as the notification rang. He thought that it was Sang Yu who texted. When he saw that it was Lin Xinyan, he looked a little disappointed. He did not feel like going out and replied: I don’t think I’ll be heading over.
Very quickly, Lin Xinyan sent another message: Sang Yu is here. Your choice.
After sending that message, Lin Xinyan placed her phone down and walked out to the living room. Sang Yu was playing with the baby on the sofa. As she saw Lin Xinyan, she remarked, “He’s growing to look more and more like you.”
“Really?”
“Yes. They all say that a boy is blessed to look like his mother, and a daughter is blessed to look like her father. It seems like this little one is a very lucky baby!” There was actually no scientific proof to this, and she merely repeated what she had heard from her elders. Nonetheless, it still sounded very auspicious and any parent would appreciate it if their child resembled them.
Lin Xinyan sat down next to her and rubbed her baby’s cheeks. She asked Sang Yu, “Are you tired?”
The latter shook her head.
She actually did not feel tired at all. There were seats in almost every store that she had walked into earlier. Not much walking was done.
Lin Xinyan instructed Aunt Yu to prepare a few more dishes, which she immediately acknowledged.
After half an hour, Zong Jinghao returned. Then, Shen Peichuan arrived.
Right after Shen Peichuan received Lin Xinyan’s second message, he asked: Why would Sang Yu be at the villa? Isn’t she in school? She told me that she was staying at the hostel and that she had no time to come home due to her lessons. Even if she’s back, she rarely has time for me. Why would she be with you now?
Lin Xinyan did not check her phone, and hence, she failed to reply to him. The man was too anxious, and he rushed over after not receiving a reply from her.
When he arrived, Lin Xinyan was the one who opened the door for him. He was about to ask what was going on when Lin Xinyan interrupted him and invited him in, “Come in. Sang Yu is here too.”
She pretended that it was Shen Peichuan who had visited on his own accord.
Sang Yu almost spat out her water when she saw him at the door. Shen Peichuan is here?
Why is he here?
Instantly, she panicked.
“Sang Yu,” Shen Peichuan greeted as he stepped in.
The moment Sang Yu raised her head to look at him, she felt like she was going to cry.
Her gaze darted away from him.
She understood the man well. In fact, based on his personality, she already expected him to behave the way he did. However, it was as though he had vanished into thin air after their moment of intimacy– no calls, no messages.
Even when he contacted her on rare occasions, he behaved very coldly too.
Needless to say, she paid mind to such behavior. She was a maturing young woman and had hoped that the man would shower her with more care and concern.
Lin Xinyan decided not to stay in the living room any longer. She headed upstairs so that the couple could have their space.
Shen Peichuan sat beside Sang Yu. With a low voice, he asked, “Didn’t you say that you were busy with school? Why…”
“I have lessons in the day, not at night. In addition to that, I have to eat anyway. I can’t just ignore my meals when I have lessons,” Sang Yu told him nonchalantly.
Shen Peichuan observed her for a moment and felt as though something was amiss. Locking his gaze onto hers, he asked her once more, “Are you upset at me?”
Sang Yu denied it. “No.”
Shen Peichuan did not know what he did wrong either. He just felt a certain tension in the air.
“Sang Yu, you need to tell me if you’re unhappy. I’m here to listen, alright?” He finally broke the silence after a while.
Cupping her hands around her mug, Sang Yu replied, “I’m not unhappy. Look at me, I’m still going about my day. Apart from school, I have to intern as well, and my schedule is always full. I wouldn’t even have the time to feel unhappy!”
By now, Shen Peichuan could feel that something was really wrong. She never acted like this before. Why do her words sound so sarcastic?
After a moment’s thought, he probed again, “Did I do something wrong?”
Sang Yu shook her head.
Right when he wanted to speak again, Zong Jinghao and Lin Xinyan came downstairs. He immediately kept silent as he did not want to embarrass himself. There was no way that he would start a row with Sang Yu as guests of Zong Jinghao’s, no matter what happened between them.
Zong Jinghao had already taken a shower and changed into casual clothes. Despite dressing down, his attire still accentuated his broad shoulders and his good figure.
He asked about Shen Peichuan’s work.
While the two men chatted, Sang Yu took the opportunity to help out in the kitchen.
Shen Peichuan glanced in her direction as she walked away, and gradually, a slight sadness crept into his eyes.
