Shu Qingyou couldn’t quite articulate her feelings… Her daughter couldn’t stay out of school forever, and she wanted Lin Xu to take care of her—it was a win-win.
Lin Xu noticed her sudden silence and felt her heart sink. Shu Qingyou must have been reluctant to let go of the child. She relied on her too much; that wasn’t right. She should depend more on me instead.
Shu Qingyou lowered her eyelashes and slowly looked up, her voice trembling slightly. “Shu Rong doesn’t speak. If she goes to school, she’ll be looked down on.”
Lin Xu had almost forgotten about that, but she wasn’t worried. Her little one was exceptionally smart—she could drive a car at three and fly a plane at five (remote-controlled versions, of course).
“So what if she doesn’t speak? Silence is golden. Whoever bullies her is bullying me, and whoever bullies me is bullying my family…”
Lin Xu puffed out her chest proudly, but as her gaze dropped, she saw Shu Qingyou’s eyes brimming with tears. She immediately fell silent and pulled her into a hug.
She said nonchalantly, “Look at your fragile heart. Leave it all to me. Worst case, we take the kid to see a psychologist.”
Lin Xu touched her chin and muttered to herself, “But seeing a psychologist might hurt her self-esteem a bit.”
Shu Qingyou had already considered this and felt they could wait a little longer. Out of selfishness, she felt guilty, knowing she was the root cause.
The next day, Lin Xu booked an appointment with a renowned psychologist. The doctor gave Shu Rong a picture book to draw in and consulted face-to-face with the parents.
The doctor asked, “When did she stop speaking? Was it sudden? Or did it gradually decrease?”
Shu Qingyou compiled her answers to the three rapid-fire questions. “She hasn’t spoken since she was little. It might have been sudden.”
The doctor pressed, “Think carefully—what exact time point was that ‘sudden’ moment?”
Shu Qingyou hesitated and fell silent. Lin Xu sat beside her, gripping her hand tightly. Her wife was upset by this quack doctor. She shot the doctor a threatening glare.
What was going on? The doctor met Lin Xu’s eyes and felt a chill down her spine. She was just asking normal questions.
After much thought, Shu Qingyou pinned the issue on herself. Right after giving birth to Rongrong, she had been terrified of not taking good care of the child.
On the other hand, Shu Rong had been understanding from a young age, never crying at night, with a very orderly routine.
Shu Qingyou’s face paled slightly. “Maybe… after she and her mom broke up?”
The doctor looked up. The “mom” who was glaring at her was probably it. She cleared her throat, about to offer her professional opinion.
Right in front of the doctor, Lin Xu twisted her body, gripped Shu Qingyou’s shoulders, and kissed her directly, murmuring apologies between kisses.
Stunned by the sudden forceful kiss, Shu Qingyou froze for a moment. Lin Xu kept apologizing frantically, deepening the kiss.
“Baby, I’m sorry. I won’t ever leave you again. It was all my fault before.”
“We’re not seeing the doctor anymore. Don’t be sad.”
The doctor opened her mouth, then turned her head away, staying silent. She felt indignant—why did she, a peony, have to endure this torment? It wasn’t fair.
Glancing at the clock, ten minutes had passed. The doctor’s mouth felt dry; she took a sip of water and let her eyes dart up and down, avoiding the sight of the two wives in heat.
Before losing her reason completely, Shu Qingyou pushed Lin Xu away and shot her several sharp glares. “Doctor… sorry about that. My partner here is a bit emotionally unstable. Let’s continue our discussion.”
Lin Xu touched her nose guiltily and sat back down obediently.
The doctor first learned about Shu Qingyou’s daily interactions with the child. She picked up Shu Rong’s drawing: a little house on the paper, with two figures beside it—one tall, one short—and a cat hiding under the eaves, its eyes wide open.
“She has no language impairment. Her language structure developed normally. From her actions and reactions, she understands every word we say and comprehends contexts.”
Shu Qingyou asked, “Then why doesn’t she speak?”
The doctor concluded, “She just doesn’t want to.”
Lin Xu was furious at the verdict. She kissed Shu Rong’s chubby little face. “I told you our daughter is super duper smart.”
Shu Qingyou let out a sigh of relief, her expression visibly brightening. “Let’s buy some learning supplies for Rongrong.”
At a red light, Lin Xu’s mischievous hand roamed Shu Qingyou’s thigh, saying cheekily, “Sure, but you have to reward me today too.”
Shu Qingyou: “…”
Before Shu Rong started school, Shu Qingyou’s body was practically drained by Lin Xu. Faint dark circles floated under her eyes, so she rarely applied heavy makeup to cover them.
Dropping off their daughter at school meant making a good impression on the teacher. Lin Xu thought she was overdoing it. “Baby, just put on lipstick and you’re stunning. If you do full makeup, no one else can live.”
Shu Qingyou replied, “Instead of discussing this, maybe learn some self-restraint… and curb your desires.”
“Oh, then go ahead and doll up before we head out…”
In Lin Xu’s memory, Shu Qingyou rarely dressed up meticulously. She noticed that even in the depths of winter, Shu Qingyou wore a moonlit satin long skirt underneath, reaching her ankles, cinched finely at the waist.
As she walked, the skirt rippled like a lake stirred by wind, adding an aloof, otherworldly pride to her pale skin.
Feeling inferior, Lin Xu wore only a black hoodie and sweatpants, far from formal.
“Baby, should I change into a domineering CEO suit?”
Shu Qingyou checked that she was dressed warmly and reassured her, “No need. Wear whatever’s comfortable. You’re still recovering from illness—take care of your body.”
Validated by her beloved, Lin Xu floated with joy and boasted, “Right, even if I wore a sack out, people would praise my taste.”
Shu Qingyou ignored it as wind passing her ears. She dressed their daughter adorably. Shu Rong wore a cartoon backpack, still groggy and not fully awake, her mind wandering.
Suddenly, Lin Xu shook her shoulders. Mommy’s voice rang in her ears: “Rongrong’s going to school—to become a big girl.”
Shu Rong didn’t quite understand, only feeling the backpack on her back was a bit heavy.
An hour later, Shu Qingyou carried Shu Rong out of the car and stood before the grand kindergarten gates, wanting to turn away…
Lin Xu had called ahead, so the principal, informed, came out personally to greet them.
The family of three brightened everyone’s eyes. The principal showered praise: “President Lin’s wife is as beautiful as a fairy, and your daughter looks like a porcelain doll from a painting.”
A faint smile appeared on Lin Xu’s face.
Seeing this, the principal assured her profusely, “President Lin, we have specialized early education consultants here. The cafeteria menus are designed jointly by renowned nutritionists and pediatric experts. You can rest assured.”
Lin Xu nodded slightly and said concisely, “My child doesn’t like talking and prefers quiet. I’ll trouble you with that.”
No trouble at all! President Lin was a walking money tree—she’d donated a building and new equipment to their middle school department just days ago.
She smiled. “Quiet is good! Many high-IQ types, artists even, were quiet kids, immersed in their inner worlds. They grow up to be renowned figures!”
After the pleasantries, they neared the classroom. Shu Qingyou held Shu Rong the whole time, hesitating.
The principal asked softly, “Madam reluctant to part with your daughter? That’s normal. First days, parents cry rivers of tears and snot.”
Lin Xu wrapped her arm around Shu Qingyou’s slender waist and whispered in her ear, “You can’t tie Rongrong to you forever, baby. Be good—we’ll pick her up after school together, okay?”
Indeed, she couldn’t be too soft-hearted. Shu Qingyou reluctantly set Shu Rong down, squatting to stroke her little face. “Rongrong, Mommy and Mami will pick you up this afternoon. Be good and listen to the teacher.”
Shu Rong, unaware of what was happening, was led inside by the principal. Suddenly faced with a horde of kids, she fully woke up.
Shu Qingyou watched Shu Rong’s halting figure, biting her lip to hold back tears, her fingertips trembling.
So indecisive… Lin Xu ached for her and nuzzled her. She was less soft-hearted than Shu Qingyou—children were individuals who had to leave their mothers eventually and venture out alone.
Let go early, move on early.
Lin Xu wiped her tear-stained corner with a finger. “Don’t cry here. Others will laugh at you.”
“You’re dressed so beautifully—I don’t want people thinking I bullied you to tears.”
Along the way, Shu Qingyou listened to Lin Xu’s comforts—wiping her tears, offering gentle hugs—and took her to a café to relax. To outsiders, she truly seemed like a reliable Alpha.
“Baby, ah…” Lin Xu lifted a silver fork with sweet cream cake impaled on it. “Eat something sweet; it’ll lift your mood.”
In public, Shu Qingyou’s ear tips flushed pink. “I can feed myself… Thank you for earlier.”
“No need for thanks with me? So cute.”
Shu Qingyou fell silent after that, focusing on a few bites of cake. Her phone rang; she answered with a hum, hung up, and said, “Lin Xu, I sent your phone for repair a few days ago. They just notified me it’s fixed.”
Lin Xu kept her eyes fixed on Shu Qingyou, agreeing to whatever she said.
They left the café and went together to the phone store to retrieve it. Shu Qingyou handed it to Lin Xu to check the contents. Despite the store’s repeated assurances of integrity and no funny business, one could never fully trust people.
It was an older model; her assistant had already sent the latest from every brand. Lin Xu didn’t need this one, and there were no secrets inside. But since Shu Qingyou cared, she went along.
Lin Xu casually swiped the screen open with her thumb. Shu Qingyou glimpsed the wallpaper flashing by and froze—was that a photo of her?
Soon, Lin Xu pocketed the phone and lifted her chin. “Thanks, baby. Phone’s perfectly fine.”
Shu Qingyou said, “Good. I was worried you’d lose important info and rushed the repair.”
Lin Xu replied, “Pretty important. Thanks—I’ll reward you.”
“Reward what?”
“Two french fries.”
At first, Shu Qingyou didn’t know what “french fries” meant, thinking it was food. Later, Lin Xu explained and demonstrated—it was for another mouth to “eat,” with fries in quotes.
Shu Qingyou: “……Can I take back my concern now?”
Back home without Shu Rong around, Lin Xu had no restraints and fully indulged the idea of “rewards.”
Shu Qingyou couldn’t take it anymore. Two hours later, she begged Lin Xu to stop, panting heavily and incredibly thirsty.
Lin Xu licked the water stains from her lips, her eyes gleaming wolfishly. She rolled out of bed. “Baby, I’ll get you some water.”
Endless… Shu Qingyou lay boneless on the bed, face turned toward the floor. Their outer clothes and underwear were scattered messily.
She suddenly recalled Lin Xu’s phone wallpaper—that photo. How did Lin Xu have it? Or had she seen wrong?
Then, the phone on the bedside table buzzed with an email. She opened it and read every word, her face lighting up with joy.
Ignoring her sore core and weak waist, she quickly added the teacher’s instant contact.
The other side welcomed her anytime, just needed a firm date from Shu Qingyou.
After the brief excitement, Shu Qingyou hesitated—should she tell Lin Xu straight up?
Lin Xu brought two glasses: water and fresh orange juice. She sat, kissed Shu Qingyou’s forehead. “Drink up. Or do you want me to feed you?”
Shu Qingyou waved it off, saying no need. She sipped the warm water, her lightly reddened eyelids drooping as she watched the ripples spread.
After a moment’s thought, her heart stirred. She slowly lifted her teary eyelashes and fluttered them twice.
Lin Xu downed most of the orange juice, catching Shu Qingyou’s expectant gaze, and teased, “Shall we continue?”
“This… later,” Shu Qingyou said, hands wrapped around the warm glass, smiling gently. “Lin Xu, I want to go to Japan to study ceramics for two years.”
Upon hearing this, Lin Xu’s eyes cooled bit by bit, darkening deeply. Her smile froze, lips flattening as she took the glass from Shu Qingyou’s hand.
“Lin Xu?” Shu Qingyou swallowed, her fingers clenching suddenly.
Lin Xu coldly finished the remaining juice and stayed silent for a moment.
The air grew heavy.
Bang—!!!
Both glasses shattered on the floor into countless shards.
Shu Qingyou’s bare body was covered in red marks from Lin Xu. She stiffened abruptly, her blood freezing solid.
Lin Xu stared at the messy floor.
After a long while, her lips moved.
“Shu Qingyou, have I spoiled you too much?”
