Captivating Beauty 125

Chapter 125: Side Story 13

For Shen Yujin’s fifth birthday, Xu Jinnan and Shen Shu had decorated the apartment, transforming their living room into a fairytale castle, complete with a pink, princess-themed playhouse, fulfilling the little girl’s dreams.

Little Crescent Moon and Shen Yujin had been ecstatic, their laughter echoing through the apartment.

That evening, Tong Jia and Viola arrived first. Tong Jia, a few months pregnant, had been mostly staying home, resting. Her pregnancy had been much easier than Shen Shu’s, with minimal morning sickness.

While Xu Jinnan and Viola prepared dinner in the kitchen, Shen Shu, Tong Jia, Little Crescent Moon, and Shen Yujin played games and chatted in the living room, their laughter a warm, comforting melody.

Then, the doorbell rang.

Little Crescent Moon and Shen Yujin jumped up and ran to the door.

Viola went to answer it, and Xu Jinnan, from the kitchen, heard Cai Ying’s cheerful voice. “My little Crescent Moon! My little Suisui! Did you miss me?”

Little Crescent Moon and Shen Yujin, one on each side, dragged Cai Ying into the apartment.

“Godmother! Where’s my birthday present?” Shen Yujin asked.

Cai Ying pinched her cheek playfully. “Ask Auntie Zhou Qing,” she said, and just then, Zhou Qing entered, carrying a few bags. “Here,” she said, her voice gentle. “I was on a call. Happy birthday, Suisui. And I have a gift for Little Crescent Moon too.”

They had made it a tradition to give both girls gifts, regardless of whose birthday it was.

Little Crescent Moon and Shen Yujin ran over, each taking a gift, thanking her politely.

Little Crescent Moon patiently waited to open hers, but Shen Yujin, unable to contain her excitement, immediately ran off with her large, brightly wrapped present.

“You ungrateful little…” Cai Ying muttered, shaking her head.

“I love you, Godmother!” Shen Yujin called out as she ran away.

Little Crescent Moon turned to Cai Ying. “I’ll get your bag,” she offered.

Cai Ying bent down and hugged her. “You’re such a sweet girl, Little Crescent Moon. And you’re growing up so fast!”

Zhou Qing, watching them, smiled faintly, her eyes softening.

On the sofa, Shen Shu and Tong Jia exchanged a look.

Tong Jia took a bite of her apple. “Those two are still… quiet, aren’t they?” she whispered.

“I don’t know,” Shen Shu replied.

Since joining the Cai family business, Cai Ying had become completely engrossed in her work, and Mr. Cai, impressed by her dedication and her quick learning, had even entrusted her with managing most of the company’s operations.

With the Cai family’s focus on import/export, Cai Ying’s schedule was now filled with business trips and meetings, leaving her with little free time.

Shen Shu hadn’t seen her much lately, and she didn’t know how things were progressing between her and Zhou Qing, though she liked Zhou Qing, her calm demeanor and gentle nature a welcome contrast to Cai Ying’s sometimes overwhelming energy. They had become good friends.

After all the preparations were completed, Cai Ying asked, “Are we ready to start?”

Xu Jinnan glanced at the time. “Not yet,” she replied.

She had told Xu Yincheng to arrive at 7 p.m., but knowing his… unpredictable nature, she suspected he might arrive earlier. He always appeared and disappeared without warning, his movements shrouded in secrecy.

And even those who knew him pretended not to, maintaining the illusion of his absence.

As expected, the doorbell rang a little before 6:30 p.m.

“Shen Yujin, let’s guess who’s here,” Xu Jinnan said, lifting Shen Yujin onto her lap.

Shen Yujin, her cheek resting on Xu Jinnan’s shoulder, thought for a moment. “Is it… Auntie Li Lan?” Then, her eyes lighting up, she exclaimed, “Uncle!”

Xu Jinnan smiled and went to open the door.

“Uncle! Uncle! I guessed right!” Shen Yujin exclaimed, throwing her arms around Xu Yincheng’s neck as he entered.

He was so tall that she looked like a small doll in his arms.

“There, there,” he said, his voice gruff but gentle.

He carried her over to the sofa, where Little Crescent Moon, slightly more reserved, less familiar with him than Shen Yujin, was waiting.

“Little Crescent Moon, aren’t you happy to see Uncle?” he asked, bending down, one arm still around Shen Yujin, his other hand gently ruffling Little Crescent Moon’s hair.

“I am!” she replied.

He wasn’t exactly the warm and fuzzy type, his demeanor often cold and intimidating, even when he was smiling, but Shen Yujin, fearless as ever, had taken to him immediately, grabbing his finger when she was only a few months old.

And now, at five, she was completely unafraid of him.

“Uncle, Uncle, who do you love more, me or Mommy?” she asked, clinging to his neck.

He adjusted the bow in her hair. “Your mommy,” he replied.

Shen Yujin’s face fell. “But I love you the most! Can’t you love me the most?” She had been asking him this question since last year.

But his answer was always the same – Xu Jinnan.

“She’s my little sister. I love her more. But she’s your mommy, so she loves you more. Isn’t that fair?” he said, his logic impeccable.

Shen Yujin, though not entirely convinced, couldn’t argue with that.

He always managed to appease her with the same explanation.

The others were used to this by now, especially Tong Jia, who still remembered her first encounter with Xu Yincheng, his cold demeanor and imposing presence intimidating.

Yet, around Xu Jinnan, he was like ice melting in the sun, his usual coldness replaced by a gentle warmth.

He sat down on the sofa beside Little Crescent Moon, placing Shen Yujin on his lap.

“Uncle, where’s my birthday present?” Shen Yujin asked.

Shen Shu, overhearing her, said, “Shen Yujin, is that any way to ask for a gift?”

Shen Yujin pouted. “But Mommy asked Mama for a gift on her birthday too~”

Shen Shu: “…”

It had been Xu Jinnan’s birthday last year.

Xu Jinnan had wanted to surprise Shen Shu, and both Little Crescent Moon and Shen Yujin had prepared gifts, but Xu Jinnan, besides the cake, hadn’t given her anything.

It had been the first time.

Shen Shu had waited patiently, but even after putting the girls to bed, Xu Jinnan hadn’t given her anything, and she had been slightly annoyed.

As Xu Jinnan was cleaning up in the kitchen, she had finally asked, “Where’s my gift?”

“The cake doesn’t count?” Xu Jinnan had asked, feigning innocence.

Shen Shu’s face had fallen. “Xu Jinnan, it hasn’t even been seven years yet,” she had said, referring to the “seven-year itch.”

Xu Jinnan, wiping her hands, had pulled her into a hug, chuckling. “Okay, okay, I can’t keep it a secret any longer. You look like you’re about to devour me.”

Just then, they had heard giggles, and they had turned around to see Little Crescent Moon and Shen Yujin, who had apparently woken up, standing at the doorway, watching them.

Shen Shu’s thoughts returned to the present.

Xu Yincheng, holding both girls in his lap, said, “I have presents for both of you. We’ll go after dinner.”

“What is it, Uncle?” Shen Yujin asked.

“I want to know too,” Little Crescent Moon added, her voice soft.

“You’ll see,” he replied.

After a lively birthday dinner for Shen Yujin, Xu Yincheng took them to another villa nearby, the others following curiously.

“Don’t tell me you bought her a villa for her birthday,” Xu Jinnan said, rolling her eyes. It was a bit much, even for him.

“Do you think I’m that tacky?” he retorted.

Xu Jinnan didn’t reply.

For Shen Yujin and Little Crescent Moon’s birthdays in previous years, his gifts had been extravagant – checks for over twenty million yuan, mountains of toys and clothes.

And for Shen Shu and Xu Jinnan’s birthdays, and every other random anniversary, he had always been incredibly generous.

They had received their first check from him on the day they learned about Shen Shu’s pregnancy. It had been New Year’s Eve, and he had been the last guest to leave, handing Xu Jinnan an envelope as he left.

She had assumed it was a card, but later that night, as they were lying in bed, she had opened it to find a check for twenty-two million yuan.

“What’s the extra two million for?” Shen Shu had asked.

“I don’t know,” Xu Jinnan had replied, unable to decipher his motives.

It wasn’t until later, when a comment she had made on their CP super topic’s giveaway post had resurfaced and trended online – It’s a joke that I want that 200,000 – that she had finally understood.

And the giveaway’s creator’s ID – WhoDaresBreakUpMyCP.

She had remembered the extra two million, a belated birthday gift, disguised as a CP fan’s extravagant gesture of support, and she had chuckled, a warmth spreading through her.

The children’s excited squeals brought her back to the present.

Xu Yincheng hadn’t taken them far, just to another villa in the same complex, the largest one.

As he opened the door, everyone, not just the children, gasped in surprise.

The four-story villa had been transformed into a giant indoor playground.

While smaller than a commercial playground, it was still an impressive feat.

Shen Yujin and Little Crescent Moon, their hands clasped together, ran inside, their excited squeals echoing through the vast space.

“The perks of being rich,” Tong Jia muttered, taking out her phone to record a video. “Cai Ying will be so jealous! This is amazing! Wifey, let’s move here when we get a bigger place.”

Viola, her arm around Tong Jia’s waist, smiled. “Whatever you want.”

Xu Jinnan, hearing this, put her arm around Shen Shu’s waist, pulling her closer, not to be outdone.

Shen Shu smiled faintly, leaning against Xu Jinnan.

Tong Jia rolled her eyes. “CEO Xu and her competitive spirit,” she muttered.

Xu Yincheng, watching them, his usual coldness melting away, his gaze softening, turned to the children, who were exploring their new playground.

After a few minutes, Xu Jinnan walked over to him. “I thought you were retiring,” she said.

He sighed. “They won’t let me. I’m too valuable. We’ll talk about it later.”

“Then… what about… Li Lan? She’s waiting for you,” Xu Jinnan said.

He raised an eyebrow, patting her head condescendingly. “Mind your own business, little sis.”

Xu Jinnan: “…”

“I heard there’s an Alpha pursuing Li Lan. Quite aggressively. Don’t say I didn’t warn you, you might end up alone,” she said, her voice teasing.

“Good for her,” he replied calmly.

He walked over to a chair and sat down.

Xu Jinnan followed him, her voice low. “I remember what you said,” she said, referring to his earlier advice not to do anything she would regret.

“I’m worried you’re the one who’ll end up regretting this,” she added, referring to his relationship with Li Lan.

He instinctively reached for the cigarettes in his pocket, then stopped himself. “Nannan, I can’t save everyone,” he said, his voice quiet.

Xu Jinnan paused. “Do you… like her?”

“I’m not made of stone. Of course I… feel something. Li Lan is a good woman, but I don’t have the… capacity for a relationship. It would make me… weak. It’s difficult to explain. We’re not suited for each other. It would never work,” he said, then added, “And since it’s not possible, there’s no point in giving her false hope. If she finds happiness with someone else, that’s… the best outcome.”

Xu Jinnan bit her lip, sighing inwardly. “It’s a shame. She would have made a great sister-in-law.”

He chuckled. “Anything but that. That’s never going to happen.”

“You don’t have to worry about me. I want you to be happy,” Xu Jinnan said sincerely.

She knew he had been protecting her, discreetly, since the Xu family incident.

He had been a silent guardian angel, his influence a powerful shield, always one step ahead, anticipating potential threats and neutralizing them before they could even materialize. He had devoted so much of his energy to protecting her that his own life seemed almost… an afterthought.

“Your happiness is my happiness,” he said, his voice soft, then added, “And I’m… content with my life. Not everyone needs a relationship to be happy.”

Much later, Xu Jinnan and Li Lan had a long conversation, Xu Jinnan gently trying to persuade her to pursue a relationship with Xu Yincheng, relaying his feelings for her.

She considered Li Lan a good friend, especially after she had been demoted and almost lost her job for helping Xu Jinnan with the Xu Li investigation.

She felt incredibly guilty about it.

And Li Lan deserved better.

Roses were a symbol of love, not just for their beauty, but also for their thorns.

Love was beautiful, intoxicating, but it could also be painful, a source of vulnerability and heartbreak.

She didn’t want Li Lan to suffer.

Li Lan, after a long silence, had said, “My… waiting has become a part of me. I’ve grown accustomed to it.”

“Perhaps in a few years, perhaps sooner, I’ll… move on,” she had continued. “But it doesn’t matter.” Because she had never intended to give up.

Ten years later, Xu Yincheng and Li Lan, sitting together, their relationship now a comfortable, easy companionship, were discussing their… complicated history.

“Why didn’t you come back for me sooner? Ten years, Xu Yincheng,” Li Lan asked, her voice soft, her gaze meeting his.

His face, usually cold and impassive, softened slightly. “I was too late,” he admitted.

She leaned her head against his shoulder.

“Not too late. Just… it took a while to melt your icy heart,” she said, her voice teasing. “In my next life, I’ll be your little sister. Then you’ll have to be nice to me.”

He chuckled, gently stroking her hair. “I’ll be nice to you in this life too,” he murmured.

Li Lan smiled faintly.

She didn’t regret the long wait; not everyone could wait, and not everyone was worth waiting for.

But she had waited, and he had returned.

And they had the rest of their lives together.

He smiled, a sudden thought crossing his mind.

“What’s so funny?” she asked.

“I’m laughing at myself, for being so wrong,” he replied.

He had once said he would never have a sister-in-law.

He hadn’t expected to give his heart away.

Her reunion with Xu Yincheng had been a strange coincidence, during Shen Yujin’s twelfth birthday party.

She had been planning to attend, but an urgent mission had called her away.

It had been a raid on a violent criminal organization, a chaotic scene, gunshots echoing through the abandoned factory.

She had been shot while protecting a colleague.

They had underestimated the criminals, and as her team, their faces pale with fear, waited for backup, Xu Yincheng, with two bodyguards, had appeared, flanking the criminals and taking them by surprise.

She only remembered falling, Xu Yincheng catching her, his arms a comforting warmth around her.

“Li Lan!” he had yelled, his voice sharp with concern.

Even if I die now, it’s worth it, she had thought.