Captivating Beauty 116

Chapter 116: Side Story 4

Little Crescent Moon and Shen Yujin stood side by side in front of Shen Shu.

“Mommy, Meimei only ate one slice of pizza, and I made sure she didn’t eat too many fries. We didn’t eat a lot. I’ll tell her to eat more healthy food next time. It was my fault for not stopping her. I’m sorry. You can punish me,” Little Crescent Moon said, her voice full of contrition.

“Yeah, Mommy, I only ate a little bit! And we didn’t waste any food! Mommy ate the rest!” Shen Yujin added quickly.

Xu Jinnan, standing outside the bedroom door: “…”

Shen Yujin, thank you for throwing me under the bus. You’re such a helpful daughter.

She heard Shen Shu’s dry chuckle. “Does she think she has an iron stomach?”

Xu Jinnan rubbed her temples.

The conversation continued.

Little Crescent Moon looked at Shen Shu, who was sitting on the bed, her expression serious. “Mommy, I know I was wrong,” she said, her head bowed, tugging at Shen Yujin’s sleeve.

Shen Yujin looked down at her, then at Shen Shu. “Mommy, I know I was wrong too. I’ll eat healthy food from now on,” she said.

Xu Jinnan, listening at the door, figured the lecture was almost over, and as if on cue, Shen Shu said, “Okay, that’s enough. You two can go now. And tell the one waiting outside to come in.”

Xu Jinnan: “…”

So, I’m “the one waiting outside” now?

The door opened, and Little Crescent Moon and Shen Yujin emerged, looking at Xu Jinnan. Shen Yujin pointed towards the bedroom. “Your turn, Mommy,” she said.

Xu Jinnan: “…”

She clicked her tongue, about to enter the room, when Shen Yujin tugged at her dress.

“Good luck, Mommy,” she said, her voice full of encouragement.

Xu Jinnan smiled faintly, telling Little Crescent Moon to take Shen Yujin to the living room, then entered the bedroom, closing and locking the door behind her.

Little Crescent Moon and Shen Yujin stood outside the door, exchanging glances.

“Jiejie, will Mommy and Mama fight?” Shen Yujin asked, her brow furrowed with worry.

“No, Mommy loves Mama. She’ll just… scold her a little, like she did to us,” Little Crescent Moon replied.

Just then, they heard a voice from inside the room.

“Ah— Babe, be gentle!”

Little Crescent Moon’s lips pressed together, and Shen Yujin grabbed her hand. “Jiejie, did Mama hit Mommy?”

“No, Mommy wouldn’t hit anyone,” Little Crescent Moon replied, thinking, She only bites.

She had seen Xu Jinnan playfully biting Shen Shu’s neck in the living room once, and Shen Shu had said the same thing, “Be gentle.” It hadn’t seemed like a fight.

She didn’t want to scare Shen Yujin, so she took her hand and led her towards the living room. “Don’t worry, they’ll be fine soon,” she said.

Shen Yujin nodded, then, as they walked towards the play area, she asked, “Jiejie, if Mommy and Mama fight, whose side will you be on?”

Little Crescent Moon thought about it, then asked, “What about you?”

“Mommy’s side!” Shen Yujin replied without hesitation.

Before Little Crescent Moon could respond, she continued, “Because Mama can’t beat Mommy!”

—

“Those two little rascals barely ate anything. I was watching them,” Xu Jinnan said, rubbing her lower back. “Babe, can you stop pinching my waist? What if I injure it?”

“When has your waist not been injured?” Shen Shu retorted.

Xu Jinnan: “…”

While her back did get sore sometimes, from sitting or… other activities… for too long, it wasn’t exactly a chronic condition.

“Don’t change the subject,” Shen Shu said. “You know why I don’t want them eating that kind of food.”

She pushed Xu Jinnan’s arm away.

Xu Jinnan, undeterred, leaned closer. “I know, Little Crescent Moon has a sensitive stomach, and Suisui takes after you. You’re worried they’ll get sick,” she said, her voice soft and coaxing.

“Just them?” Shen Shu asked, her eyes narrowing slightly.

Xu Jinnan coughed. “I’ve also had an upset stomach lately. I shouldn’t have eaten that either,” she admitted.

“You know that…”

“And I still took them. It was my fault,” Xu Jinnan said, cutting her off. “Babe, I was wrong. Don’t be angry.” She leaned in to kiss Shen Shu’s cheek.

Shen Shu raised her hand, blocking her lips. “You say that, but you’re probably thinking I’m being unreasonable, restricting your freedom,” she said, her voice still slightly cool.

“No, I’m not!” Xu Jinnan exclaimed.

Shen Shu’s gaze softened slightly.

“I would never think that,” Xu Jinnan continued, her voice gentle. “I’m… happy that you care enough to… scold me. It means you love me.”

Shen Shu’s expression relaxed, and she let out a soft “hmph.”

“Not angry anymore? Kiss?” Xu Jinnan asked, leaning closer.

“Go away… mmmph.”

Xu Jinnan’s lips silenced her, the kiss soft and tender at first, then deepening as she pulled Shen Shu closer, her hand gently caressing her waist.

Shen Shu was wearing a black silk robe over her nightgown, the smooth fabric a sensual reminder of their earlier intimacy.

Xu Jinnan tossed the robe aside, her gaze lingering on the delicate straps of Shen Shu’s nightgown.

As her hand moved lower, Shen Shu stopped her. “Later… the kids are still awake,” she whispered.

Xu Jinnan’s face nuzzled against Shen Shu’s neck, her lips brushing against her collarbone. “The door is locked. Just a quick one? I’ve been thinking about you…” she murmured.

“They’re just playing in the living room,” Shen Shu said, her own body responding to Xu Jinnan’s touch, her voice slightly breathless.

“Little Crescent Moon is watching them. She’ll call us if anything happens.”

Shen Shu gently pushed her away.

Xu Jinnan, her hand still hovering over Shen Shu’s waist, watched as she sat up, then lay back down on the bed, sighing dramatically.

“Fine,” she muttered, turning over, her face buried in the pillow.

Shen Shu, watching her, her gaze lingering on the curve of her back, the outline of her body beneath the thin fabric of her dress, her breathing still slightly uneven, reached out and gently patted Xu Jinnan’s backside.

Firm and toned.

Xu Jinnan moaned softly, about to turn around, when she felt a weight on her back.

Shen Shu wasn’t heavy, even when she was lying on top of her.

“Don’t tease me if you’re not going to… follow through,” Xu Jinnan murmured, her voice husky, Shen Shu’s warm breath on her neck sending shivers down her spine.

Shen Shu’s hand gently patted her thigh.

“Lift it up a little,” she whispered.

Xu Jinnan: “…”

She complied, her voice increasingly hoarse. “Babe, we agreed on four times a month, you being on top. How many times have you… cashed in that favor already?”

“And we also agreed that if you misbehave, you’re on the bottom,” Shen Shu retorted.

Xu Jinnan: “…”

Shen Yujin, I’m sacrificing so much for you, she thought.

Of course, Shen Yujin, oblivious to her mother’s suffering, was happily corrupting her.

—

At the kindergarten event, Xu Jinnan, accompanying Shen Yujin, saw Xiaohan’s mother, the woman she had spoken to earlier.

The event involved some simple games and activities, followed by a baking session, where the children and their parents would make cookies together.

Xu Jinnan, a skilled cook, found the baking task easy, earning praise from the other parents.

She wasn’t particularly interested in their compliments, but Shen Yujin, standing beside her, her back straight, her voice full of pride, said, “My mommy is the best! She can do anything!”

“Suisui, can your mommy teach my mommy?”

Xu Jinnan turned around and saw Xiaohan, the little girl Shen Yujin had rejected.

Just then, Shen Yujin tugged at her dress.

“Mommy, Mommy, can you teach Xiaohan’s mommy? She’s not very good at baking,” she said.

Xu Jinnan bent down slightly, her voice low. “If she needs help, she can ask me. I’ll be happy to teach her, but I can’t just… offer unsolicited advice.”

Shen Yujin nodded. “Oh, I understand!” she said, then ran off.

Understand what? Xu Jinnan wondered.

A few minutes later, Xiaohan’s mother approached her, and Xu Jinnan patiently showed her a few techniques.

She hadn’t noticed the teacher taking photos until Xiaohan’s mother showed her one later.

“Look, Suisui’s mommy, we even have a photo together!”

Xu Jinnan glanced at the photo, then saw a comment below it.

Xiaohan’s mommy, is this your wife? I’m so jealous I missed the event today!

Xu Jinnan: “…”

Xiaohan’s mother, seeing the comment, chuckled. “Oh dear, that’s a misunderstanding,” she said, then, typing a message in the class group chat, asked Xu Jinnan, “By the way, I’ve never seen you in the group chat. Should I introduce you?”

“I’m not in the group chat,” Xu Jinnan replied, already opening her chat with Shen Shu. “My wife is.”

—

Shen Shu wouldn’t normally be bothered by such things; she understood that Xu Jinnan hadn’t done anything wrong.

“Teacher Xu is just… charming. Talented and kind. It’s natural for people to be drawn to her,” she would say, her voice a soft murmur against Xu Jinnan’s skin as she kissed her stomach, her words a playful tease, a subtle reminder of their own intimacy.

And Xu Jinnan would simply explain that the woman hadn’t meant anything by it, that she was just being friendly, that if there had been anything more, she wouldn’t have helped her.

Of course, explanations were one thing, and actions were another, and she always made sure to appease Shen Shu, her attempts to resist Shen Shu’s advances always crumbling under her soft touch, her whispered pleas, her tear-filled eyes.

And it was always Shen Shu who ended up crying, her body trembling with a mixture of pleasure and a strange, almost overwhelming sadness.

—

With Into the Dream‘s success, Shen Shu’s schedule was packed with promotional events, endorsements, and new scripts, her calendar filled until the end of next year.

Xu Jinnan handled most of the household chores, including taking care of the two children.

Little Crescent Moon was relatively easy, but Shen Yujin always managed to find new and creative ways to cause trouble.

That morning, Shen Yujin had refused to get out of bed, despite Little Crescent Moon’s best efforts, and Xu Jinnan, seeing the time, had told Little Crescent Moon to go ahead.

She stood at Shen Yujin’s bedroom door. “Do you not want to go to school today, or do you not want to go to school ever again?” she asked.

Shen Yujin poked her head out from under the covers, her eyes wide and innocent. “I don’t want to go… ever again,” she mumbled.

Xu Jinnan’s heart sank, assuming something had happened at school.

She sat down on the edge of the bed. “Tell Mommy what happened,” she said gently.

Shen Yujin blinked. “Can I?”

Her hesitation confirmed Xu Jinnan’s suspicions. “No matter what it is, Mommy is here for you. Don’t be afraid. Tell me,” she said, her voice soothing.

“It’s too… childish,” Shen Yujin said, her voice a soft whine.

“?”

She emerged from under the covers, her face scrunched up in a pout. “Mommy, can’t I just skip kindergarten and go straight to university?”

Xu Jinnan: “…”

“Why not just skip university and inherit the company?” she retorted dryly.

After a moment of serious contemplation, Shen Yujin replied, “I’m not ready yet.”

Xu Jinnan, looking at her, her expression a mixture of amusement and exasperation, then, after a moment, asked gently, “Do you think you already know everything the teachers are teaching?”

“Mostly,” Shen Yujin admitted.

“So, you’re bored. That’s why you don’t want to go, right?”

“Mm…” Shen Yujin paused. “Mommy, are you angry?”

Xu Jinnan shook her head. “No.”

—

That evening, she discussed it with Shen Shu, and they decided to hire a tutor for Shen Yujin, but she would still have to go to kindergarten.

No matter how intelligent a child was, they still needed to interact with their peers, to experience the joys of childhood.

“The problem is she thinks school is boring,” Shen Shu said, her brow furrowed as she looked at the script in her lap.

Xu Jinnan, lying beside her, her arm around Shen Shu’s waist, said, “Don’t worry, I have a plan.”

“What plan?”

“Do you really think she can stay home all day?”

Shen Shu considered it. She had a point. And seeing Xu Jinnan’s confident expression, she said, “Then I’ll leave it to you.”

“Okay,” Xu Jinnan replied with a smile.

Seeing Shen Shu pick up her script again, she said, “Still working? It’s late. Go to sleep.”

Shen Shu gently pushed her hand away. “Just finishing this scene. I want to be prepared for tomorrow’s rehearsal. You go ahead,” she said softly.

“Okay.”

Xu Jinnan, picking up her phone, her expression slightly sullen, scrolled through her messages.

Shen Shu had been working late lately, often reading scripts after returning home, and Xu Jinnan hadn’t wanted to disturb her. They had barely spoken today, except for the brief discussion about Shen Yujin.

Shen Shu, noticing her mood, leaned closer and nudged her shoulder playfully. “Babe.”

Xu Jinnan, not looking up, simply said, “What?”

Shen Shu’s lips curved into a smile. “I took a day off next month. Let’s go horseback riding, or to the hot springs,” she whispered.