Captivating Beauty 117

Chapter 117: Side Story 5

Shen Yujin woke up and, noticing no one had called her for school, happily hopped out of bed, her bunny-eared pajamas a fluffy blur as she ran to the living room. “Mommy! Mommy! Good morning!”

Xu Jinnan, sitting at the breakfast table, turned around and smiled. “Good morning, sweetie. Excited about your first day off school?”

“Super excited!” Shen Yujin exclaimed, her two little buns bouncing as she jumped up and down.

No school is the best!

Xu Jinnan chuckled. “Good. Go brush your teeth and wash your face, then come have breakfast,” she said.

“Okay, Mommy!” Shen Yujin replied, already running back to her room.

A few minutes later, she returned, her small feet padding softly against the floor, and climbed onto her chair at the table, her gaze fixed on the empty plate in front of her, waiting patiently for Xu Jinnan to serve her breakfast.

“Suisui, can you pass me the jam?”

“Okay!” Shen Yujin said, handing her the jar and watching as Xu Jinnan spread a thick layer of jam on a slice of toast, her own mouth watering. She had missed breakfast and was starving.

Then, she watched as Xu Jinnan took a large bite of the toast. After a moment, she said, “Mommy…”

Xu Jinnan, licking a smear of jam from her lip, looked at her. “Yes?”

“Where’s mine?” Shen Yujin asked.

“You can make your own. You’re not a child anymore, since you’re not going to school today. You’re an adult now. And adults take care of themselves,” Xu Jinnan replied.

Shen Yujin paused. “But I don’t know how…”

Xu Jinnan took a sip of milk. “Then you’ll just have to starve.”

Shen Yujin’s lower lip trembled, but she still took a slice of toast and tried to spread the jam herself, then, as she poured herself a glass of milk, her small hand slipped, and some of it spilled onto the table. She looked up at Xu Jinnan. “Mommy, I spilled some. Can you wipe it up for me?”

“Wipe it up yourself,” Xu Jinnan said, taking a napkin and wiping her own mouth. “Sweetie, can you wash Mommy’s dishes too when you wash yours?”

Shen Yujin: “…”

But I don’t know how to wash dishes! she thought, about to protest, when Xu Jinnan said, “Sweetie.”

Shen Yujin’s face lit up. “Mommy!”

“You can’t reach the sink. Bring the stool over first. Mommy has to work now,” Xu Jinnan said.

Shen Yujin: “…”

She looked at the jam-covered plate, the toast in her hand suddenly less appealing.

—

Xu Jinnan, listening to the clinking of dishes from the kitchen, was using plastic plates and cups today, lightweight and easy for Shen Yujin to handle.

Shen Yujin glanced at her a couple of times, her expression pleading, but Xu Jinnan, despite her softening heart, didn’t intervene, simply glancing over occasionally to make sure she wasn’t breaking anything.

After finishing the dishes, Shen Yujin’s expression was a mixture of exhaustion and resentment as she climbed onto the sofa beside Xu Jinnan, her small legs dangling over the edge.

“Mommy, do I have to wash all the dishes every day?” she asked.

Xu Jinnan, her gaze fixed on her laptop screen, didn’t look up. “Yes, since you’re not going to school, Mommy has to stay home with you, which means I have to work from home. And since I’m so busy, you’ll have to do the chores.”

Shen Yujin’s eyes narrowed slightly, a flicker of suspicion in her gaze. Something’s not right.

Then, Xu Jinnan said, “Sweetie, Mommy’s thirsty. Can you get me a glass of water?”

Shen Yujin: “…”

A few minutes later:

“Sweetie, Mommy’s hungry. Do you have any snacks in your room? Can you bring me some?”

Shen Yujin: “…”

Then:

“Sweetie, can you bring me the red book from the bedroom? Love you!”

Shen Yujin: “…”

—

That afternoon, Shen Shu and Tong Jia returned home early from filming.

As soon as they entered the apartment, Shen Yujin ran towards Shen Shu, her speed surprising for a three-and-a-half-year-old, and clung to her leg, her voice a soft whine. “Mommy, I want to go back to school!”

Shen Shu: “…?”

Xu Jinnan, sitting on the sofa, trying to suppress a smile, winked at Shen Shu. See? My plan worked.

Shen Shu’s lips curved upwards. “Okay, then you have to wake up early tomorrow,” she said, gently stroking Shen Yujin’s hair.

Tong Jia, who had heard about Shen Yujin’s “protest” from Shen Shu, had even offered to come over and… reason with her.

“What happened? I thought you didn’t want to go to school,” she asked, amused.

Xu Jinnan chuckled, rubbing her wrist. “She… changed her mind.”

Shen Yujin, still clinging to Shen Shu’s leg, thought, Staying home means washing dishes, making my own breakfast, running errands for Mommy, and sharing my snacks… It’s too much work!

“I want to go to school!” she said firmly.

Tong Jia, amused by her sudden change of heart, picked her up. “School is fun! You can play with your friends! Don’t you miss them?”

Shen Yujin, who had actually shed a few tears earlier, her eyes still slightly red, nodded. “I do.”

“Then you can see them tomorrow! Don’t cry. Auntie Tong Jia is here,” she said, her voice soothing.

Shen Yujin looked up at her, her eyes filling with tears again. “But I did so much work today! I washed the dishes and the cups! And Mommy ate all my snacks!”

Tong Jia chuckled. So dramatic. She was perfectly fine earlier, but now that she has an audience, she’s putting on a show.

“I bought those snacks,” Xu Jinnan said.

Shen Yujin sniffled. “No, you didn’t! Godmother said all your money belongs to Mommy now! So, Mommy bought them!” She started crying again. “My Wangzai milk candies! My strawberry pudding! My cheese sticks! Waaah!”

Xu Jinnan: “…”

Tong Jia burst out laughing. “You’re so smart, Suisui! You know everything!”

Shen Shu also smiled, then, sitting down beside Xu Jinnan and taking a sip of her water, she said to Shen Yujin, “Suisui, Mommy has something to tell you. The mommy who buys your snacks won’t be home for the next two days. Only Mommy can buy you snacks now.”

Shen Yujin’s cries stopped abruptly, and she looked at Shen Shu, then at Xu Jinnan, her eyes wide, her earlier tears forgotten, her face a mixture of regret and a stubborn refusal to admit defeat.

Tong Jia, unable to contain herself any longer, burst out laughing.

She carried Shen Yujin over to the sofa and sat down, her voice still tinged with amusement. “Suisui, your mommy said you think kindergarten is too easy.”

“Mm-hmm,” Shen Yujin mumbled, nodding.

Xu Jinnan, who had been typing on her laptop, paused and took Shen Shu’s hand, hearing her whisper, “Did you really eat all her snacks?”

Xu Jinnan chuckled. “No, I hid them in our room,” she whispered back.

They both looked at Tong Jia and Shen Yujin.

“How about ‘bread’?” Tong Jia asked, seeing Shen Yujin’s hesitation, then added, “It’s okay if you don’t know…”

“Auntie Tong Jia, ask me something harder,” Shen Yujin said.

Tong Jia glanced at Xu Jinnan and Shen Shu, and Xu Jinnan shrugged, signaling for her to continue.

Tong Jia pointed at the coffee table. “What’s this?”

“Tea table,” Shen Yujin replied without hesitation.

“Finance?”

“Finance.”

…

“Dictionary?”

“Dictionary.”

Even Tong Jia was impressed. She glanced at Xu Jinnan, who nodded calmly. “She’s right.” There was a hint of pride in her voice.

Tong Jia: “…Seriously? How did you two even produce such a genius child?” If Shen Yujin hadn’t been there, she would have assumed Xu Jinnan was making a suggestive comment.

She knew Shen Yujin was intelligent.

Xu Jinnan and Shen Shu were both incredibly smart, one a business prodigy, the other a talented actress with a sharp mind.

With such intelligent parents, it was only natural for Shen Yujin to be gifted as well.

But for a three-and-a-half-year-old, this was a little… much. Even Tong Jia struggled with some of those English words.

And there were even more impressive feats Xu Jinnan hadn’t mentioned.

One day, she had taken Shen Yujin to the office and let her play on her computer. Later that afternoon, after the housekeeper had picked her up, Xu Jinnan had found a message on her computer – “Mommy, I love you,” written in a fancy font.

She had later learned that Shen Yujin, while visiting the IT department with Xu Jinnan, had learned some basic coding from one of the technicians.

He had typed it out once, and Shen Yujin had memorized it.

Assuming it was just a good memory, Xu Jinnan had asked her to do it again at home, and Shen Yujin had even modified the code, the message now reading, “Mommy, Mama, mwah~”

Xu Jinnan had been both amused and proud.

While she considered herself tech-savvy, she hadn’t learned to code at the age of three.

She had told Shen Shu about it, but no one else; they were already attracting enough attention… It was best for Shen Yujin to have a normal childhood.

A three-year-old coding prodigy would definitely make headlines.

“She’s gotten even smarter,” Tong Jia said, impressed by Shen Yujin’s vocabulary. “Kindergarten is clearly not challenging enough for her.”

Shen Yujin, hearing this, her eyes widening in alarm, scrambled off the sofa and clung to Tong Jia’s leg, her face turned towards Xu Jinnan and Shen Shu. “No, it’s not! Kindergarten is great! I learned everything there!” she exclaimed. “Mommy, please send me back to kindergarten tomorrow! I miss school!”

Tong Jia: “…?”

Shen Shu, amused by her sudden change of heart, leaned closer to Xu Jinnan, her voice a soft whisper against her ear. “How did you do that?”

The familiar scent of Shen Shu’s pheromones, amplified by their close proximity, made Xu Jinnan’s ear tingle, and she touched it lightly. “I’ll tell you later,” she whispered back.

“Okay,” Shen Shu said, smiling, then took Xu Jinnan’s hand, her fingers gently massaging her wrist. “Are your hands sore?”

“A little. I’ve been typing all day,” Xu Jinnan replied.

Shen Shu frowned slightly. “You should take more breaks. I’ll massage them for you.”

Xu Jinnan’s lips curved into a smile. “Okay,” she murmured.

“Hey, you two, get a room! Some of us are still single!” Tong Jia exclaimed, watching them.

Shen Shu, her hand still clasped in Xu Jinnan’s, her fingers gently massaging her wrist, asked, “I forgot to ask, what’s going on between you and Viola?”

Tong Jia’s smile faltered. “We almost had a fight last night. We haven’t spoken all day,” she said, her voice slightly subdued. She and Viola had gotten married when Shen Yujin was a year old.

Xu Jinnan, noticing Shen Yujin’s curious gaze, her eyes wide with interest, exchanged a look with Tong Jia, silently agreeing to change the subject.

After putting Shen Yujin to bed, Xu Jinnan asked, “What happened? Viola seemed… distracted today.”

Tong Jia’s eyes widened. “Really?” she asked, and seeing Xu Jinnan nod, she continued, “She wants a baby, but I’m not ready… We’ve talked about it a couple of times, and it always ends… awkwardly.” Viola had brought it up again last night, during their… intimacy, which hadn’t been very enjoyable.

“And then, before we went to sleep, she suddenly asked if I was still hung up on Qiao Rui. That made me angry,” Tong Jia said, taking a sip of water. “You know how I am; I said a few things I shouldn’t have said.” Actually, she had been the one who had started the argument, her tone sharp and accusatory, and Viola had been the one to back down.

They had slept separately.

“This morning, she made me breakfast, then just said… ‘I’m leaving.’ And she hasn’t contacted me since,” Tong Jia finished, her voice tinged with sadness.

“Why aren’t you ready?” Xu Jinnan asked. Tong Jia, like Cai Ying, doted on Little Crescent Moon and Shen Yujin, showering them with gifts and affection. She clearly loved children.

“Too much pressure. The company is doing well, but it’s a lot of responsibility. I want to wait a couple of years,” Tong Jia replied.

“Have you talked to her about it?” Shen Shu asked.

Tong Jia shook her head. “I don’t want to pressure her. I already earn more than she does…”

Xu Jinnan hadn’t realized she was indirectly responsible for their disagreement.

“Perhaps I should give her a raise,” she said.

Tong Jia chuckled. “Maybe.”

Xu Jinnan smiled faintly. “I doubt that’s the reason. I think you should talk to her,” she said, then turned to Shen Shu. “Right, babe?” They had both learned that lesson the hard way.

Shen Shu, remembering her own struggles with communication, nodded. “Yes, you should talk to her,” she said, her voice gentle.

“Enough, you two. We get it. You’re the perfect couple,” Tong Jia said, rolling her eyes, then sighed. Her hair, still short, was now a dark gray instead of silver, her demeanor more mature, more subdued.

“I’ll talk to her after dinner. She hasn’t contacted me all day. It’s a little… awkward to initiate contact now,” she said.

“It’s up to you. But someone has to make the first move,” Shen Shu said gently. If they both waited for the other person to reach out, time would simply slip away, a precious commodity they could never get back.

Xu Jinnan understood. It had been Shen Shu who had made the first move, bridging the distance between them, and she had always been grateful for her courage, her willingness to be vulnerable.

Tong Jia, her thoughts drifting to her own relationship, realized that Viola was usually the one to initiate contact, to apologize, to make amends. She bit her lip. “I’ll send her a message,” she said, already taking out her phone.

She wasn’t one to hesitate.

Just as she was typing a message, her phone rang. The caller ID: Wifey.