The next morning, Shen Zhirou and Lu Yao met with the lawyer bright and early. After laying out all the details at the law firm and setting up the bank card for Ning Jianfang’s alimony payments, Shen Zhirou immediately dialed Ning Jianfang’s number.
When Ning Jianfang saw Shen Zhirou’s name pop up on her screen, she let out a cold sneer and ignored the first call. But after a few more rang through, she figured there might still be some wiggle room and finally picked up. “What do you want? Didn’t you already send the cops after me? Why bother calling now?”
“I didn’t want to call, but I’m letting you know that your alimony will be deposited straight into your WeChat every month from here on out. Collect it or don’t—either way, I’ve done my duty. Oh, and for anything else, deal with my lawyer directly. I’m done taking your calls.” Shen Zhirou delivered her piece, then hung up without waiting for Ning Jianfang’s explosive tirade.
Ning Jianfang stared at her phone and unleashed a torrent of abuse. “Shen Zhirou, who the hell do you think you are? If it wasn’t for me, you wouldn’t even exist! Ungrateful little bitch, heartless monster—no wonder nobody wants you.”
She drew in a few sharp breaths as she glared at the silent screen. Fine, at least she’d get money every month—no real loss there. And she had more than one daughter. Surely Shen Yumian wouldn’t cut her off too?
~~~
“Jie Jie, it’s all sorted. Don’t dwell on that mess. Why not take the afternoon off from the company too?” Lu Yao sidled up, worried about Shen Zhirou’s mood, and planted a soft kiss on her lips.
Shen Zhirou took Lu Yao’s hand and led her toward the law firm’s parking lot. As they walked, she had a colleague call in a personal day for her. Once the call ended, she turned to Lu Yao with a smile. “Done. Where to first?”
“I want to go shopping with you, catch a movie, and hit the claw machines.” Lu Yao thought it over, her eyes lighting up. These were all the things she’d wanted to share with Jie Jie for ages.
Shen Zhirou slid into the passenger seat with a chuckle, glancing at Lu Yao. “Who knew my Yaoyao was such a little jealous kitty?”
“I want to do all those things with you too, okay?” Lu Yao gazed at her with sparkling eyes and leaned in to kiss the corner of Shen Zhirou’s mouth.
“Okay,” Shen Zhirou murmured, smiling back.
After grabbing lunch out, Lu Yao dragged Shen Zhirou straight to the arcade. They swapped out a pile of coins, and Lu Yao had already given it a dozen tries without snagging a single plush. Frustrated, she flung herself into Shen Zhirou’s arms. “Jie Jie, help me out—I want that little cow with the tiny horns.”
“Alright, my turn.” Shen Zhirou hit the joystick, maneuvering the claw right over the cow’s head. She tapped the button again, and it clamped down perfectly, dropping the prize into the chute moments later.
Lu Yao’s eyes went wide with delight as she shook Shen Zhirou’s arm. “Jie Jie, you’re incredible!”
But then it hit her: Shen Zhirou must have honed those skills on outings with other girls. Jealousy flared up again. “Jie Jie, you practiced this with her last time, didn’t you?”
Shen Zhirou laughed and pulled her close, kissing the corner of Lu Yao’s lips to soothe her. “Only with you from now on. I haven’t run into her at the company in forever. Promise no more jealous kitty?”
“Mm. Then you have to win me a whole bag of prizes—no, two bags. More than she ever got.” Lu Yao peered eagerly into the machine.
“You got it—until you’re happy.” Shen Zhirou had real talent for it, and by the end, she walked out with two bulging bags of stuffed toys.
Next, they caught a movie. Lu Yao thought it was just your standard romance flick, nothing special, but she adored sharing these everyday moments with Shen Zhirou.
For the next few days, Shen Zhirou and Lu Yao were inseparable whenever she was off work. While Shen Zhirou was at the office, Lu Yao scoured jewelry stores all over Jiangbei, finally settling on a pair of diamond rings engraved with their names. She stashed them away in secret, biding her time for the perfect moment to bring them up.
On Saturday morning, Shen Zhirou and Lu Yao picked up some white chrysanthemums from a shop near the cemetery, then headed in together to visit Grandma.
It wasn’t a holiday like Qingming, so the place was nearly deserted and peaceful. Shen Zhirou carried a small bucket of water and a rag. Together, they tidied up around the tombstone and gave it a thorough wipe-down.
As she cleaned, Shen Zhirou murmured to the stone. “Grandma, I brought Yaoyao to see you. She’s the one I love. We might be getting married before long.”
Lu Yao neatly arranged the white chrysanthemums on the empty patch of ground in front of the tombstone. Standing alongside Shen Zhirou, she spoke up. “Hello, Grandmother. I’m Lu Yao, Jie Jie’s girlfriend. Please don’t worry. From now on, I’ll stay by Jie Jie’s side and take good care of both her and Mianmian for you. I hope you’ll always watch over us as we build a long and happy life together.”
As she spoke, Lu Yao clasped her hands together and closed her eyes. Ever since that incident last time, she’d come to realize the truth of the matter. Someone as sweet-tempered as Jie Jie was highly sought after. She had to keep a close eye on her and make sure no other cats or dogs got too close.
Shen Zhirou’s gaze drifted toward the serene valley nearby. She smiled at Lu Yao. “Don’t worry. Grandmother will surely bless us.”
“Mm.” Lu Yao desperately wanted to pull Shen Zhirou into a hug right then, but with Grandmother still watching, she restrained herself and didn’t dare get handsy in the cemetery.
Once they left the cemetery, the two headed to a public restroom to wash their hands clean. Then they made their way to the Japanese restaurant they’d reserved earlier. Shen Zhirou had invited her sister to come, wanting to formally introduce her to Lu Yao.
Shen Yumian knew about their previous breakup, though she wasn’t privy to the details. She only knew that the two of them had gotten back together recently.
Lu Yao and Shen Zhirou sat together in the private room, waiting for Shen Yumian. Just before they arrived, Lu Yao had specially picked out a platinum brooch for her—not too expensive, but elegant and tasteful. After all, this was their first official meeting, and she wanted to make a good impression on Jie Jie’s sister.
Shen Yumian soon arrived at the private room. Her eyes lit up the moment she saw Shen Zhirou. She merely gave Lu Yao a faint nod in greeting.
Shen Zhirou knew her sister was still upset on her behalf over the breakup. With a light laugh, she made the introductions. “Let me formally introduce you two. This is my sister, Shen Yumian—nicknamed Mianmian. And this is my girlfriend, the one I’m going to spend the rest of my life with. Say hello.”
Seeing the smile on her sister’s face and knowing she was doing well now, Shen Yumian nodded to Lu Yao. “Hello,” she said coolly.
Lu Yao smiled back at Shen Yumian. “Hello, Mianmian. From now on, I’ll take care of you alongside Jie Jie. This is a little meeting gift for you. I hope you like it.”
Shen Yumian hadn’t expected Lu Yao to prepare a gift for her. Still, you couldn’t slap a smiling face, so she shot her sister a pouty look before accepting it. Glancing at the platinum accessory, she felt it was too valuable. “This is too expensive. You should take it back.”
“It’s a gift for our first official meeting. If you don’t accept it, does that mean you’re still mad at me about our breakup?” Lu Yao looked at Shen Yumian, wanting to clear the air.
“Yeah, and you know it,” Shen Yumian muttered.
Shen Zhirou laughed softly and cut in. “Alright, the past is the past. Mianmian, just accept it for my sake, okay?”
“Mm.” Only after hearing Shen Zhirou say that did Shen Yumian reluctantly pocket the gift. She didn’t forget to warn Lu Yao. “Then you better take good care of my sister.”
“Don’t worry.” Lu Yao smiled at Shen Yumian, breathing a silent sigh of relief deep down. After all, Mianmian was the family member Jie Jie cared about most. Only if she got along well with Mianmian could Jie Jie truly be happy.
During the meal, Lu Yao went out of her way to look after Shen Yumian, treating her almost like a little kid. This had Shen Zhirou stifling laughs beside them nonstop, while Shen Yumian kept shooting pleading glances at her sister. She was twenty-two, not three—she wished Lu Yao would tone down the enthusiasm.
Midway through the meal, Shen Yumian received a video call. The moment she picked up, a childish, milky voice piped up from the speaker. “Mommy, aren’t you coming to play with me today? Mommy’s out, and it’s just me and Auntie Yang at home.”
The video was on speaker, so Shen Yumian glanced at the two older sisters across from her, then at the little one on the screen. She let out a deep sigh. It looked like she couldn’t escape her sisters’ interrogation after all.
But first, she had to soothe the child. “Has Niannian been a good girl playing at home by herself?”
“Yes, Mommy. Teacher Feng assigned painting homework, but I don’t know how to do it without you.” The little one kept up the babyish whining, pulling out all the stops to act cute.
Hearing that sweet “Mommy” over and over made Shen Yumian’s face flush red. The kid sure knew how to say it smoothly.
“Oh? What kind of homework is so tricky?” Shen Yumian asked the little one on the screen.
“It’s super hard anyway, Mommy~ Niannian misses you. When are you coming over to play with me?” The little one’s voice turned even milkier as she amped up the coquettishness.
Shen Yumian smiled helplessly and soothed the Little One. “Alright then, I’ll come over to keep you company right after I eat, okay?”
“Yay! I love Mommy the most.” The Little One beamed at Shen Yumian while putting on her most adorable pout.
“You’re always such a charmer. Okay, I’ll head over in a bit to help you with your homework, alright?” Shen Yumian cooed at the Little One on the screen.
“Okay, bye-bye, Mommy. I’ll be waiting for you at home.” The Little One replied politely.
“Bye-bye.” Shen Yumian waved at the Little One before finally ending the video call.
The moment she hung up, she noticed her sister and Lu Yao staring at her with wide eyes.
“Mianmian, it’s only been a few days since we last saw you, and now you’ve got a kid? When did this happen?” Shen Zhirou asked curiously.
Shen Yumian rubbed her brow and explained, “Sis, it’s not what you think. That’s President Sheng’s daughter. The poor kid is still so young and doesn’t have a mommy—it’s heartbreaking. I only let her call me Mommy when it’s just the two of us. Please don’t misunderstand.”
“Oh.” Shen Zhirou let out a skeptical “oh,” clearly not entirely convinced. She had thought her little sister would be more reliable working for a top female CEO, but now it seemed like she wasn’t any better off. In just a few months, she was already stepping into a mommy role for the woman’s child.
“Hey, Sis, what’s with those looks? Don’t doubt me like that.” Shen Yumian pinched the bridge of her nose, feeling like her explanations were falling on deaf ears.
