Chapter 68

Lin Xu had incredibly strong execution skills, and she didn’t suffer from any internal anxiety or overthinking.

Even the emotionally stable Shu Qingyou occasionally had moments of melancholy at night, but Lin Xu was like she’d been injected with adrenaline, holding her every day on the massive 2.5-meter bed for some exercise.

The benefit was that after each session, their sleep quality improved by more than one level—no more need for sleeping pills.

Lin Xu had even more tricks up her sleeve than a few years ago, with a full set of toys. Before, she wouldn’t let Shu Qingyou touch her, as it hurt her Alpha pride.

Now, Lin Xu had opened the door to a new world and started discussing with Shu Qingyou whether they could take turns, splitting it 37.

Fortunately, aside from this form of entertainment, Lin Xu didn’t go crazy with a kitchen knife threatening bodily harm anymore.

Shu Qingyou rubbed her wrist joint, and as she flexed it, her bones clicked. She smiled wryly. “Tendonitis incoming.”

“That’s not good,” Lin Xu said. She hadn’t put on any clothes yet and poked her chin out from under the sheets early in the morning, resting it on Shu Qingyou’s shoulder as she looked down at her fingers. They were white and tender—a sensory delight in themselves, and even more thrilling when slipped inside.

She touched Shu Qingyou’s sore knuckles and rubbed them righteously. “You should exercise more instead of pinning all your hopes on ointments.”

Shu Qingyou had nothing to say and secretly wondered if she should go to the gym and lift weights.

Her skin turned red from the kneading, and Lin Xu shifted her attention downward. Shu Qingyou grew alert. “It’s seven in the morning right now…”

Lin Xu didn’t commit either way. She loved the warm, moist hot spring. “Nine-to-five schedule—we’re not at work time yet. It’s only seven; we have two hours.”

“But you always work from home.”

“Another way to put it: the morning is the most important part of the day.”

In short, Lin Xu was determined to find an excuse for her shameless morning exercise. Halfway through, the half-closed bedroom door was suddenly pushed open.

Shu Rong didn’t understand why Mommy had made her sleep alone last night. She was scared, but Mommy tempted her with the promise of a toy, so she reluctantly nodded.

Freshly awake, Shu Rong hurried over without delay to claim her toy. She opened the door and saw Mama still in bed, sitting on top of Mommy and moving rhythmically.

Mama’s voice sounded strange, but Shu Rong didn’t pay it any mind. Dressed in her beige chick hooded pajamas, clutching a rabbit doll, she stood quietly by the door.

Lin Xu glanced over at her and gave a permissive look. Shu Rong got the signal and toddled to the bedside, pushing at her oblivious mama.

Shu Qingyou turned her head and nearly jumped out of her skin. She frantically yanked all the covers over herself, exposing Lin Xu’s hand to the cool air.

What a pity—Lin Xu licked her fingertip; she was almost there.

“Baby, you’re overreacting. Kids don’t understand these things.”

No sooner had she said it than Shu Qingyou slapped her hand away hard, scolding her angrily. “Can’t you consider our daughter’s feelings?”

Lin Xu took the hit without any temper. She pouted. “Compared to considering Rongrong’s feelings, maybe I should put on some pajamas first…”

Shu Qingyou finally coaxed Shu Rong away, but Lin Xu had truly pissed her off. Early in the morning, she shot Lin Xu several sharp glares.

Things were different now. Lin Xu took it as Shu Qingyou flirting with her and got all fired up, bustling around in the kitchen to make sandwiches.

Shu Qingyou worriedly communicated with her daughter. “You’re still little—you can’t learn from Mama sitting on other girls, and you can’t let other girls sit on you…”

She rambled on and on, getting more and more worked up, even venting at Lin Xu’s back.

Shu Rong blinked her big eyes, not really understanding why Mama was so nervous or what “sitting on” meant exactly. She just nodded blankly in agreement.

Before long, Lin Xu showcased her culinary skills, swiftly serving neatly cut sandwiches.

The sandwiches were sliced into small triangles—over ten pieces—easy to eat in one bite, with bacon, ham, and cheese neatly layered inside. They looked, smelled, and tasted amazing.

No amount of delicious breakfast could cure Shu Qingyou’s psychological trauma, which continued to expand.

She chewed woodenly at her breakfast, glancing at Lin Xu devouring hers next to her, and let out a deep sigh.

“Lin Xu, can you stop being so insatiable?”

Lin Xu had food in her mouth and couldn’t respond easily. She chewed a few times, grabbed her water cup, swallowed with clear water, and said aggrievedly, “I haven’t been. I just want to make up for everything we lost before.”

“That doesn’t mean you have to do it so many times a day. You think I’m made of iron?”

“It’s not on purpose. I just always feel insecure, like you want to leave me.”

Shu Qingyou did have such plans, so she paused, eating her sandwich with a newfound bitterness in her heart.

After breakfast, Lin Xu didn’t disappoint Shu Rong. Her assistant delivered the gift right on time.

Shu Rong crowded around the tall gift rack excitedly. Lin Xu helped her tear open the packaging, and when the gift was revealed, Shu Rong was baffled.

For a long time, Shu Rong didn’t make a sound—her rare silent stare.

Shu Qingyou came out of the bathroom and saw Shu Rong and Lin Xu standing by the huge rack. She thought she’d walked into the wrong place.

She went back to the bathroom, opened the door again, and asked, “Lin Xu, why did you buy a cat climbing frame?”

“Did you get Rongrong a cat?”

Lin Xu turned her head, her smile undiminished. “The lesbian three-piece set: cohabitation, watching the sea, and a cat. We’ve done two already.”

Shu Qingyou walked closer, scanning around. “Where’s the cat?”

Lin Xu pointed at Shu Rong, who was already touching the cat climbing frame everywhere. Lin Xu grew even smugger. “Right here. Rongrong, meow for me.”

Shu Rong was innocent, not stupid. She didn’t see the fun in it and shook her head in slight disappointment, pounding the frame a few times with her angry little fists.

How desperate was she to make up for things? Shu Qingyou’s head throbbed, displeasure evident between her brows. She scooped up Shu Rong to keep her from catching Lin Xu’s missing-a-few-marbles brain.

“Rongrong wasn’t born for your amusement.”

Lin Xu shrugged. “Why are you so temperamental lately? Fine, I’ll get her a toy car.”

Who knew who was really pissed off? Shu Qingyou felt their communication was mismatched and decided she didn’t want to talk to her all day.

Shu Qingyou shut herself in the study, tending to serious business. She opened her laptop and emailed her ceramics teacher in Japan, applying to be an apprentice at her studio for two years of study.

An hour later, she heard laughter and chatter from outside. She thought Lin Xu was taking good care of Shu Rong and had probably bought the kid a toy she liked.

She opened the door and didn’t react in time—her leg took a heavy hit. She stumbled back a few steps and saw the culprit was her own sweet daughter.

Shu Rong sat in the pricey children’s electric luxury car, gripping the steering wheel and charging around wildly, looking utterly innocent until she crashed into Mommy.

She quickly followed Mommy’s instructions and hit the brake, her eyes filling with thick unease.

Of course, Shu Qingyou wouldn’t hold it against the child. She patted Shu Rong’s head, kissed her forehead, and softly instructed, “Wait for Mommy to come back before you drive the little car around, okay?”

Lin Xu sat cross-legged by the coffee table, casually working and swiping at her touchscreen. Suddenly, a shadow fell over her head, followed by arms appearing on either side of her laptop, ten slender white fingers pressing on the desk.

“Lin Xu, she’s only three. You let her drive around by herself?”

Shu Qingyou’s long hair fell in front of Lin Xu’s eyes. She couldn’t help but breathe heavier, pathetically smitten.

A cheesy CEO line popped into her mind: This woman is damn sweet.

Lin Xu: “Huh? What did you say? I didn’t hear.”

Shu Qingyou had to patiently repeat herself. “Can you take good care of our daughter?”

Of course she could. Lin Xu answered casually. “Rongrong’s super happy. Is there something wrong with how I’m parenting?”

She used to go street racing with friends every few days—it was normal for them. “In our circle, lots of ten-year-olds can smoke cigars already.”

Shu Qingyou’s brow furrowed deeper with anxiety. She wasn’t clear on their internal rules but could guess their daily lives were luxurious and debauched.

Since she planned to leave for a while, and she was entrusting the child to her partner, Lin Xu’s wealth was undeniably the best option.

They faced each other, breaths mingling. She said word by word, deadly serious, “I don’t care about other people’s kids. Shu Rong can’t be exposed to that stuff. A normal life is enough for her lifetime.”

Lin Xu stared at her moving lips, transfixed, licked her own lower lip, and finally processed Shu Qingyou’s words. What a good mom.

Shu Qingyou was dissatisfied with her distraction and sharpened her tone. “Are you even listening to me?”

Lin Xu propped her chin, nodding vigorously like pounding garlic. “Got it. Our daughter just needs to be happily ordinary.”

Maybe Lin Xu really took it to heart. The next day, she headed out early. Shu Qingyou’s biological clock was all messed up from Lin Xu’s antics—she could usually wake at six, but now it dragged to eight.

When she got up, she found Shu Rong already hugging a big tablet, playing simple little games.

At the dining table, breakfast was ready, with a small note under the milk glass.

It thoughtfully instructed her to microwave the buns. Shu Qingyou was a bit stunned and specifically checked the buns in the dish.

Good thing they were from the breakfast shop downstairs—otherwise, she might have been truly moved to give her heart to Lin Xu.

Near noon, the electronic biometric lock at the door beeped.

Lin Xu took off her black coat. The indoor lights were dimmed, and from the entryway, she saw Shu Qingyou curled on the sofa asleep with Shu Rong in her arms.

Two faces carved from the same mold—easy on the eyes. Lin Xu tiptoed closer and tucked the fallen blanket back over them.

At that moment, Shu Qingyou’s lashes fluttered like butterfly wings. She opened her eyes.

Lin Xu pressed a finger to Shu Qingyou’s lips, carried the daughter to the bedroom to rest, and quickly returned.

Shu Qingyou was still drowsy as her lips were covered in softness. Lin Xu kissed her, pressing her back onto the sofa, nuzzling close.

Lin Xu sincerely apologized. “I’ve thought about it. I’ve been wanting you too much lately—I was wrong. I just like you too much, baby.”

Though Shu Qingyou had some doubts in her heart, the kisses left her dizzy. She murmured in a daze, “It’s fine. Correcting mistakes is the greatest good.”

“Yeah, that’s what I think too. So I went out this morning and took care of something big.”

“What?”

Lin Xu was excited, pecking endlessly at Shu Qingyou’s lips, never getting enough.

“I’ve handled Shu Rong’s enrollment. She can start kindergarten next week.”