Lu Xinyi didn’t know when she last felt this relaxed. With her training and classes ongoing, she had a hard time balancing her time at school and at home. With Xia Yuhan managing the Flair Apparel for her, she was glad that she hadn’t lost too much time to spend with her family.
Seeing that it was the last day she would have free time, she wanted to enjoy the festival to the fullest. Thinking about it the last festival she went to was when she and Shen Yi went to check Grace Palace.
“Well, it’s nice to relax once in a while,” she mused, looking at her reflection in the mirror. They decided to drop by Oriental Bliss so she could put on fresher clothes. She had changed from Oriental Bliss’ uniform into a white floral summer dress that reached past her knees, with a sash tied around her waist. The material fitted her perfectly.
After changing her work shoes into flat sandals, she called after Shen Zichen who was also changing his clothes in the bathroom.
“Sweetheart, are you ready? Daddy is waiting for us downstairs.”
The boy came out of the bathroom, frustrated that he couldn’t button up his own shirt properly. His daddy had taught him days ago how to do it on his own, but Shen Zichen was having a hard time doing it.
Somewhat excited with her date with her husband and son, Lu Xinyi rushed towards the boy and suppressed her laughter upon seeing him. She knelt down and undone the buttons of his shirt.
“You should start here if you aren’t sure where to begin.” She began to button his shirt from the second button from the top downward. “It’s alright if you make a mistake like this; even Mommy had a hard time dressing up when I was younger.”
Once done, the two rushed down to meet Shen Yi downstairs. He was on a phone call when they arrived.
After bidding goodbye to her brother and the Ji family, they stepped outside and took a stroll toward the festival. Shen Zichen held Lu Xinyi’s hand tightly, afraid that he would be parted from her because of the crowd.
“By the way, how did you manage to convince Xue to take Yuyan home with him?” Lu Xinyi asked her husband curiously. She knew that her brother-in-law wouldn’t look after the twins unless he would gain something from it.
“Hmm… I helped him convince your brother to take the remaining steamed buns you made during the competition. The Ji family willingly gave all the buns to him.” Shen Yi responded truthfully. “But not before arguing with Huang Shenghao who also fought for his share.”
Lu Xinyi snickered upon hearing it. Ah, that sounded very much like Shen Xue and Huang Shenghao.
The sky was dark, but the street was buzzing with tourists. Lu Xinyi felt a sense of peace of happiness walking alongside her husband and Zichen. It was a pity that Little Yuyan wasn’t able to join them tonight.
Having her husband walking with her, they received a lot of attention from the crowd, especially from women. However, his eyes were solely set on her; and that was enough to leave a hint of blush on her cheeks.
“Xinxin, your face is red. What are you thinking about, huh?” Shen Yi whispered to her, his eyes full of mischief as he ran his fingers on her arm. Thankfully, Shen Zichen was preoccupied and hadn’t noticed. The boy was too busy checking out the stalls for sweet treats and toys he could bring home for his twin sister. ρꪖꪕᦔꪖꪕꪫꪣꫀꪶ
“N-nothing! You’re just imagining things!” Lu Xinyi harrumphed and refused to meet his eyes.
That didn’t stop Shen Yi from stealing kisses from her though whenever their son wasn’t looking. It only made Lu Xinyi’s face flushed red from his teasing.
“You can’t just go kissing me like that in public!” She complained before covering her face with both hands. Ah, what would people think of it? This damn husband of hers didn’t show some decency!
“Eh? Am I not allowed to kiss my wife whenever I feel like it?” He countered, much to her chagrin.
Shen Yi merely chuckled and stole another kiss before following where Shen Zichen went. At that, Lu Xinyi was left wondering since when did she start caring and loving Shen Yi and how had he ever taken an interest in her.
She wouldn’t consider herself a great beauty. In fact, she thought she looked so plain and boring that men wouldn’t find her attractive at all.
When her boys arrived, each of them brought back several sweet treats and candied fruits from the night market. Shen Zichen was busy eating fluffy cotton candy while Shen Yi passed her the treats.
Lu Xinyi happily accepted the treats and resumed their walk around the night market until they arrived at the same plaza where she competed earlier. There, they watched from the crowd as the dancers performed for the festival.
For once, Lu Xinyi’s mind wasn’t filled with worries and preoccupied with work. She truly enjoyed spending time with Shen Yi. She felt his hand gave hers a light squeeze.
Finally, when the dance performances were finished, Shen Yi found them a good spot to watch the firework display by the hill. The bright and colorful explosion in the night sky made Shen Zichen stunned at awe. This had been his first time seeing a firework display.
Lu Xinyi sat down next to her husband and watched the fireworks light up the sky.
“I think this is my first time seeing fireworks display since my parents’ death,” she whispered to him, “I remember my brother trying to lift my spirit, making cakes and sweet biscuits after our mother’s funeral. My young mind couldn’t understand why I cannot see them anymore. Mom loves firework displays, and Dad will usually prepare ahead to make sure he would be free during the festivities.”
“For us, too. When Uncle passed away, it took us five years until we started to pick up our lives and resume living. I know Grammie still misses him. Sometimes, I think she was strict with Xue because they were almost identical.” Shen Yi looked down at their son who now chose to lay his head on Lu Xinyi’s lap to doze off.
The firework display ended. Others started to walk back at the night market and plaza, but they remained seated.
Shen Yi pulled his wife closer so she could lean against his shoulder. A month without her, he wondered if he would be able to endure it. However, as much as he wanted to come with her, there were still things and issues he needed to settle for her safety.
“Xinxin, I couldn’t go with you, but promise me you’ll take care of yourself and will come back home safely.” The kiss he pressed on her temple was gentle and comforting. “And I promise once you are back, I’ve already got rid of those who tried to harm you.”
Lu Xinyi frowned and pulled back to look at his face.
“What do you mean?”
“The explosion back at the restaurant… it was intentional. Someone wants to take your life.” It was no use hiding these things from her. Covering up the truth might cause trouble and misunderstandings between them in the future. “I’ll take care of it.”
