After many days of doctors poking and checking on her husband, they finally determined that he was recovering well without any problems and complications, which brought relief to Lu Xinyi. Shen Yi had been sleeping most of the time last week and only woke up a couple of times to see her.
With her mother-in-law’s help, Shen Yi was taken back home to recover fully. He said he would rather stay at home than to spend another minute inside the hospital he was confined in.
A deep sigh escaped from Lu Xinyi’s lips as she walked through their home. Countless meetings and phone calls had occupied most—if not all of her time for the past two weeks. It took her away throughout the day, only to return to Shen Yi’s side once she was done.
Shen Yi was healing splendidly, now sitting on his hospital bed and resuming working like he used to. He was able to stay awake longer and hadn’t suffered from dizziness lately. His body would sting only when he had to force himself to use the bathroom each time.
Lu Xinyi had been worried that he wouldn’t wake up, but her worries were for naught as he woke up, running his fingers gently on her head while she slept. She’d woken up with a startle and found him smiling down at her, a smile plastered on his face.
Since then, Shen Yi spent his waking time in the garden, watching their children play while Lu Xinyi left to deal with her businesses.
Lu Xinyi peeked into their room where her family was taking a nap. She found the twins splayed on their huge bed while Qing Qing and her husband were nowhere to be found. She found it odd that they weren’t sleeping at this time, especially her husband. Shen Yi usually fell asleep before the kids due to fatigue.
The door slid shut silently behind her as she made her way to the greenhouse to look for her missing husband and daughter. Sighing, she pushed the door of the greenhouse open; and her ears caught the sound of Qing Qing’s laughter inside.
Lu Xinyi slowly made her way deeper, and sure enough, she found who she was looking for. Just as she expected, Shen Yi and Qing Qing were inside. Xiao Bai resting near her husband’s feet as Shen Yi read a book to their daughter.
At the center of the huge greenhouse, Shen Yi sat on a chair with Qing Qing sitting on his lap. The little girl was giggling as they looked through the vibrant and colorful picture book that Shen Yi brought with them.
Lu Xinyi’s heart was instantly filled with joy and warmth as she watched the two interact. She continued to watch them quietly for a few seconds as Shen Yi tried to tickle Qing Qing’s side, making the girl squeal in laughter. Deciding to make her presence known, she cleared her throat and walked towards them.
“Hi, Mommy!” Shen Lingqing beamed a huge smile at her. Throughout the day, it was her father who accompanied her while her mother was gone for work.
“Aren’t you tired? Your Zi Gege and Yan Jie are taking a nap.” Lu Xinyi sat next to her husband.
Qing Qing moved to lean towards her and kissed her cheek. “Not sleepy, Mommy!”
“You’re early today,” Shen Yi told her and handed their daughter to her.
“There’s nothing else for me to do. Yu Gege kicked me out of the kitchen even before I can help them for dinner service,” she informed him. With her brother working as the executive chef for Oriental Bliss, she didn’t really have to worry about the restaurant while Xia Yuhan had already wrapped up everything for the next launching of the collection of Flair Apparel.
“Did my Qing Qing behave today?” She lightly pinched the little chin of her child. “Did my baby cause trouble to Daddy?”
“None at all. Qing Qing has been an angel and behaved well,” Shen Yi said but gave their daughter a wink. “Right, Qing Qing?”
The girl giggled and wrapped her arms around Lu Xinyi’s neck. ρꪖꪕᦔꪖꪕꪫꪣꫀꪶ
“Mommy, put me down, please. I’ll play with Xiao Bai.”
Lu Xinyi did what her daughter asked and let the girl run around the greenhouse with the white tiger trailing behind her. She smiled when she felt her hand being taken by Shen Yi to his.
“How are you feeling?” she asked quietly, her eyes roaming over his form for any indication of his state of health. His gunshot wound was quite deep that made her worry. Fortunately, Zhang Jingwei regularly visited Shen Yi every morning to check for infection and clean his wound.
“Better now that you’re here,” he murmured, his eyes turning from her to look back at Little Qing Qing. His gaze softened as he watched his child. “A little tired but fine.”
“Then, you should retire and sleep with the twins,” she told him softly, “You shouldn’t push yourself too hard.”
“I should be the one who should say that, Xinxin.” Shen Yi stared at her sternly. “I heard what happened to Sun Mingai. Her death… it’s not your fault. You don’t have to blame yourself for it.”
Lu Xinyi’s smile slightly faltered. She couldn’t really hide everything from him. She’d been trying to push away these thoughts from her mind and pretend everything was alright, and yet Shen Yi was able to find the cause of her trouble.
“I know that, Yi. I just wonder if I could’ve done something to save her from it,” she said lowly afraid that Qing Qing might notice her tears.
His fingers slid under her chin, the warmth of his eyes taking her breath away. No one in this world could make her feel she was wanted and loved except for her husband.
“You aren’t a god, Xinxin. You can’t control how people think and decide. Guilt had caused her to self-destruct. This has nothing to do with you.”
Nothing could be heard except their daughter’s laughter as she played with Xiao Bai. What he said made sense to her, and Lu Xinyi had to accept her aunt’s choice even if she disagreed with her.
“How can you say so?” she questioned him. Sun Mingai only decided to take her own life after she found out the truth about their Uncle Jin and her mother.
“If you still don’t know, Sun Mingai has a record of being prone to self-destructive behavior. Her health records showed that she suffered great trauma since Uncle Jin’s passing,” he explained, hoping that she’d let go of this guilt that she didn’t deserve.
Emotional pain and trauma were some most common reasons for people to engage in self-destructive behavior. Coupled with being raised in a dysfunctional family, it was harder for Sun Mingai to cope up with her grief and guilt. Her death must be her way to end everything including her misery.
“Really?”
“You doubt me?” Shen Yi raised a brow and teased her. A smile crossed on his lips as he leaned forward and pressed a gentle kiss on her lips.
“Never.” Lu Xinyi smiled up to him and cupped the side of his face with one hand, her thumb running over his cheek.
If someone had told him years ago that she’d marry a man like him, she would have laughed right on their faces. She never imagined a wife to a handsome but overbearing man like him, but she’d have him nevertheless.
