Lu Sibai hurriedly came back to the dining area upon hearing his daughter’s cry. He heard his daughter’s scream, a voice of pure terror that sounded wrong in her childish voice. He made his way to her as fast as he could as her cries faded into ragged sobs.
“What happened?” he asked in panic. He kneeled beside his daughter and wiped her tears dry.
Shen Jinxiu stared at his nephew in disbelief. Just as he was about to think the boy would get along with the girl, Shen Yi made her cry.
“Yi, that isn’t a nice thing to do. Why did you pinch Xin’er?”
Shen Yi shrugged and pushed his untouched food towards Lu Xinyi.
“Eat it. I don’t like it,” he said and looked away nonchalantly.
In truth, he couldn’t admit to his uncle that he pinched the girl because he found her irresistible. Those smooth, chubby cheeks of her reminded him of freshly steamed buns he liked to eat. He couldn’t bite her so he pinched her instead. He didn’t intend to make her cry.
Lu Sibai glared at the boy with contempt. How dare this boy make his little princess cry?
The girl sniffed and eyed the plate. “Really? I can have it?”
“I’ll eat something else. You can have it if you want.” Shen Yi would never admit that he felt guilty for making her cry and giving her his share was his peace offering.
“Okay!” the girl exclaimed, forgetting the pain from her cheek and started to eat Shen Yi’s food heartedly.
Sun Meixiu cupped her chin and smiled as she watched the children interact with each other. She could see right through the boy’s intention.
“How old are you?” she asked the boy.
“Eight,” Shen Yi replied in a monotonous voice, making the woman raise a brow at him.
Shen Jinxiu sighed beside her. “You have to get used to it. If I wasn’t with him growing up, I would’ve thought he’s an old man trapped in a kid’s body.”
Shen Yi was born a genius in the family. He couldn’t make casual conversation about things he found to be trivial and couldn’t make small talk with people. He also was constantly analyzing things that made him an outcast from his peers. This made Shen Jinxiu think that being a genius could also be a curse.
“Still young.” Sun Meixiu giggled. “Yi’er, what do you want to do when you grow up?” she asked him curiously.
“I’ll be a wealthy man,” the boy said as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. Shen Jinxiu choked on his whiskey and was caught off-guard from his nephew’s answer.
“I wanna be a chef like Daddy!” Lu Xinyi chimed in, lifting her spoon to answer her mother that made Sun Meixiu laugh more.
“Why? The Shen family is already rich. You only need to wait, and their fortune will be yours,” she told Shen Yi.
“Why would I spend someone else’s money? I want to be a self-made billionaire. Nothing would be more tragic than not being able to afford the things your loved ones want because of financial difficulties.” Shen Yi pointed out, not knowing he just dropped a huge stone over his future father-in-law, hitting his sore spots.
“Dear, do you regret marrying me? I’m sorry I’m not rich enough to give you a better life than this,” Lu Sibai cried comically at his wife, holding her hand with his. ρꪖꪕᦔꪖꪕꪫꪣꫀꪶ
Sun Meixiu sweatdropped, not sure why her husband took Shen Yi’s words seriously.
“Now, now. You didn’t hear me complaining, right? You’re already doing your best to provide for us. Don’t be hard on yourself, dear.”
In reality, they were living just fine. Sun Meixiu, although removed from the Sun family, had still some investments that gave her income even if she was now a full-time mom to her daughter. She could purchase anything she wanted. It was just that she thought to save her money for Xinxin’s future.
Little Xinxin blinked as she tried to digest what Shen Yi said. She tugged his sleeve to get his attention.
“What do you want?” Shen Yi asked monotonously. For some reason, she made him want to pat her head with that puppy eyes looked that she had.
“Brother, if I’m rich, can I eat all the desserts I want?”
“If you’re rich, you’ll be able to buy and eat anything you want in the world,” he answered.
That made the girl’s eyes sparkled with delight. Just the thought of having all the yummy foods in the world brought her so much delight and satisfaction.
“Then, I’ll become a chef and be a wealthy girl, too!” she decided. To be able to taste and eat all the yummy desserts and food sounded very enticing for the young girl.
The conversation continued between the adults while Shen Yi was pulled by the girl to make a blanket fortress back in the living area, much to her parents’ amusement. Shen Yi begrudgingly pinned the blankets up while the girl took all the blankets and toys she could find.
Beneath the white blankets so brightly adorned with rainbow flowers and ribbons sat the masters of their tiny universe. They built their fort, and now, their games started, slaying dragon chairs and rescuing teddy bears from the deep-blue sea.
For the first time in forever, Shen Jinxiu saw his nephew play like a normal kid. There, in their blanket fort, the two children were the brave soldiers of the world—the ones who fight for truth, honor, and love. They sat there amid the outward-facing chairs, the champions of all quests, protected by the warmth of the quilts.
“There’s a blizzard outside. I don’t think it’s safe for you and Yi’er to drive home this time. Why don’t you stay tonight? You can use the other room; Xinxin will sleep with us,” Lu Sibai commented as he watched the cityscape outside.
A swirling storm of screaming silver-white filled the scenery. There was no way to know which direction to go; the usual landmarks were hidden behind the white that swirled so densely.
“Yes, stay here for tonight. I’m sure Xinxin wouldn’t mind Yi’er’s company,” his wife added.
Shen Jinxiu took a glimpse outside. Outside rages a blizzard so strong that the familiar sight of the streets had been almost erased. The flakes fall slowly, but it was so thick that it almost obscured the view completely.
“Alright, that’ll give me enough time to ask you favor this time, Meixiu,” he said nervously.
“What is it?” Sun Meixiu asked. It was rare to see her friend anxious and wondered what was up.
—
Present time.
“Unbelievable,” Lu Xinyi muttered in disbelief as Shen Yi narrated how he met her parents for the first time with his uncle. She was surprised to find out that she’d met her husband when she was a toddler while he was a young boy.
“Pfft.” Shen Yi covered his mouth with one hand and teased his wife. “Who would have thought that I’ll meet my wife when she’s still in her diapers?”
“S-shut up!” His wife covered her blushing face with both hands. This was so unfair. She couldn’t even remember any of it, putting Shen Yi in advantage to tease her more. “Tell me what happened next,” she demanded.
