Lu Xinyi was sitting at the kitchen table with another bowl of strawberries on her lap. She popped a strawberry in her mouth as she watched the twins argue over their homework. These strawberries tasted good; she wondered where Qiao He got them. She made a mental note to ask him later.
It seemed that another round of argument between the twins couldn’t be avoided this time.
“This is your fault, Yu Gege,” Little Yuyan muttered and glared at her twin brother. Her cute face had a small pink plaster on her cheek.
“Oh? Now, it’s my fault? Aren’t you the one who rushed inside and ruined the crops?” Shen Zichen defended himself.
“Arguing again?” Shen Yi arrived from work with Qiao He trailing behind him. He removed the irritating necktie from his collar and grunted when Lu Xinyi laughed at her.
Lu Xinyi enjoyed seeing his annoyed face when it came to his love and hate affair with his neckties. However, she was glad that he arrived because she didn’t want to deal with two troublemakers that ruined the greenhouse earlier.
She’d told him how the two managed to ruin the newest crops he arranged to be planted inside when they raced inside with their bicycles.
Shen Zichen was about to win, but Little Yuyan refused to admit defeat and rushed at full speed. She mistakenly pulled the breaks for the front wheel, which caused her to be thrown forward and hit the newly planted crops.
Lu Xinyi and Fu Rui were also inside the greenhouse when it happened.
Lu Xinyi had a lot to say. She’d never been so scared in her entire life, not even when she was abducted by Zou Yin. Her fear that Little Yuyan had hurt herself was scarier than anything she’d experience.
Fu Shuren had a hard time helping her to calm down as she clutched her chest, heaving with a deep breath, while his brother took the crying girl and scared boy back to the mansion and called Zhao Xi to check on their condition.
Shen Yi’s displeasure was evident on his face that the two instantly lowered their heads in shame. Standing in front of their children, he also had a hard time controlling his temper. He and Lu Xinyi had never scolded them or punished them for their rash behavior before, but today was different. His wife must have been scared to death, witnessing that scene.
“Daddy, don’t be mad…” Little Yuyan started to sob, hoping Shen Yi would let this issue aside like usual.
“I’m not mad, Yuyan,”—Shen Yi slightly raised his voice—”but you gave your mother a good scare. She was terrified.”
Kneeling in front of the twins, Shen Yi regarded them who looked ready to burst in tears. “I cannot be mad at the two of you. Mommy can’t also stay mad, but that doesn’t mean we’re not disappointed in your behavior. What would you do if something wrong happened to your mother while I’m not around?”
The twins couldn’t contain their tears anymore and wailed in unison.
“Mommy, Daddy, I’m sorry!” Shen Yuyan couldn’t stop her tears rolling down her chubby cheeks. She tried to wipe it with her fist but failed to dry it up.
“I’m also at fault. I’m sorry, Mommy.” Shen Zichen’s head hung low as he cried beside his sister.
“Alright. I think the two of you have enough lectures and have learned your lessons today. Go to your room and don’t leave until I say you can,” Shen Yi ordered as the two continued to cry and make their way towards their room. ρꪖꪕᦔꪖꪕꪫꪣꫀꪶ
“Would they be okay?” Lu Xinyi asked her husband. She looked down at her empty bowl and wondered where her strawberries went. Had she eaten them all?
“They’ll be fine. We just need to remind them to be careful next time.” He sighed.
Lu Xinyi placed the empty bowl in the sink before following her husband to the living room and sitting on the couch next to him. Shen Yi was rubbing his temples. This wasn’t what he was expecting when he came home.
“Why didn’t you give me a call when it happened?” he asked her.
Lu Xinyi shrugged and let herself be pulled by him into his embrace. Shen Yi buried his face on her neck, gently kissing the spot below her ear. His arms also encircled her waist with one hand rubbing her stomach. There was already a small bump on it, but it still wasn’t obvious unless some stared at it for some time.
“I didn’t want to worry you. Also, I already expected this will happen when you come home,” she replied.
“Has this happened before?” Shen Yi asked her again. With the number of times he went on business trips these past months, he wouldn’t be surprised if Lu Xinyi hadn’t told him all the troubles the twins had.
Lu Xinyi shook her head.
“No, this has never happened before. The twins had managed to create a few messes but not as heart-wrenching as this.” She laughed awkwardly. “So how was your day? Anything exciting happened at work?”
She was starting to get bored staying within the Shen Mansion, but she didn’t dare to go out in fear that her morning sickness would hit her while she was in public. Urgh, Lu Xinyi could already imagine the media having a feast for throwing her back at the headlines again if it happened.
Shen Yi gave her a pointed stare.
“If I recall it correctly, you told me my day at work might be boring; therefore, I took your advice and didn’t talk about it. I suppose you didn’t want me saying how the women at the marketing department ogled after me when I went to do a surprise inspection.”
She snorted at his words. “As if. Did you enjoy having their attention though?”
“How can you even say that when you’re the only one who interests me?” He raised a brow on her.
Lu Xinyi giggled and kissed the tip of his nose. As if remembering something, Shen Yi adjusted their position so her back would be pressed on his chest while his arms wound around her protectively.
“Li Yuren said that Zou Yin will probably get a maximum penalty for his crime, same as Feng Zexian; but he’s still on the loose.” He told her in a serious tone.
“How’s Ye Xingjie coping up with the situation?” she asked. Zhang Qing and Jiao Jiao would have to stay at the hospital for the next two weeks while Sun Feiyan’s condition hadn’t been stabilized. She was still in the ICU because of the medically-induced coma for her to recover quickly.
According to the doctors, Sun Feiyan was severely malnourished; and her body shut down temporarily due to lack of sleep for the past weeks. Her wound was deep, and she nearly died if the bullet managed to hit one of her major arteries.
Since that night, Ye Xingjie hadn’t left Sun Feiyan’s side and remained at the hospital to watch over her. He sat next to her bed unmoving even when Lu Xinyi paid a visit to her cousin.
Shen Yi shrugged and kissed her temple. “They’ll be able to overcome the problem. They’ll be fine.”
He understood Ye Xingjie. If it was Lu Xinyi who’d been shot that night, Shen Yi didn’t think he would be able to forgive himself.
