Five months later…
Shen Zichen and Little Yuyan were running around the garden, trying to find the hiding white tiger that went missing after their breakfast. Their laughter could be heard from Shen Yi and Lu Xinyi’s bedroom.
Zhang Qing and Jiao Jiao set a place for her to have her late breakfast and had chosen a good spot under the oldest and largest tree they could find in the garden.
The weather was the kind that felt like a kiss of summer without the fiery heat of noontime. The gra.s.s was a soft green that almost had a hint of blue, and in the sky was enough pristine white clouds to show how beautiful the sky was. How perfect.
Spring ended, and summer started. Lu Xinyi felt that time pa.s.sed by too quickly for her liking. Had it really been almost a year since she met her husband on the cruise vacation they were in?
Hearing the giggles and laughter made by her children, she didn’t regret taking that vacation that led her to Shen Yi and the twins.
Lu Xinyi stretched out her arms into the early summer morning. She always knew it would be a fine day when she couldn’t feel the temperature of the air.
Outside had the sweet fragrance of freshly cut gra.s.s and birds chirping in the trees. The sky was blue with just a few stratus clouds making their unhurried way toward the ocean. The sun was already a friendly ball of yellow above, promising more heat as the day progressed. All in all, she couldn’t have asked for better weather.
When she went outside, she felt the warmth of the brilliant rays on her face. This was her much-awaited weekend as her days were filled with intensive training and cla.s.ses. She barely had alone time to relax.
With the school year about to end, the finals were just around the corner. Tian Lingyu and Ye Xieren had successfully earned and won the champions.h.i.+p for Interschool Culinary Compet.i.tion, which made their position in the school ranking stable.
It had been five months, and Huang Shenghao had challenged her brother for three consecutive cooking battles but still failed. Meanwhile, Ye Xieren had been holding the first rank for the junior year while Lu Xinyi had been stuck in the third-place since the selection.
With her brother’s graduation approaching, Lu Xinyi expected that he would be leaving the country again soon to process his enrollment and attend the 60-week intensive cooking cla.s.s scholars.h.i.+p he won from the compet.i.tion. This meant that it would take months again before they could see each other.
Wasn’t this what he was aiming for from the start? The only reason why he attended Silver Leaf Academy?
Lu Xinyi supported her brother’s decision, but in one condition! He wasn’t allowed to go MIA again and should send her at least one email per day. Tian Lingyu begrudgingly agreed, knowing he wouldn’t be able to say no to her wishes.
While Tian Lingyu was preparing for his departure, Ye Xieren decided to finish his two-year course at the academy. Having won the compet.i.tion alongside Tian Lingyu, Ye Xieren could also drop his studies at Silver Leaf to pursue the cla.s.s at Country F, and yet he decided to stay to hone his skills.
Lu Xinyi sighed. The World Patisserie Challenge would be held next month, and the training was starting to affect her sleeping time. Waking up late today, she wasn’t able to greet her husband with a good morning kiss and share breakfast with their children.
Hearing her sigh, Jiao Jiao stopped pouring tea midway to glance at her mistress. The days since the wedding had been peaceful but didn’t mean they should slack with their responsibilities as her bodyguard.
With Shen Yi’s frequent business trips, the four of them were always at the end of their wits to convince Lu Xinyi to stay home during her free time to avoid troubles. It had been months, and none of them knew about Feng Zexian’s whereabouts. Thankfully, Lu Xinyi was very cooperative and hadn’t encountered danger so far.
“Miss, what’s the matter? Are the foods not to your liking?” Jiao Jiao asked.
Lu Xinyi took a steamed bun from a platter on her right side and bit it. She turned her head as she saw Xiao Bai forcing his way out of the bushes as the twins chased after him. His silvery-white fur gleamed under the bright sunlight with his majestic form striding towards her with curiosity.
Xiao Bai was now larger and looked fiercer now that he matured. When he reached Lu Xinyi’s side, he sat on his hind legs and waited for her to speak up. This had been their daily routine.
The white tiger had to look over the twins when she and Shen Yi weren’t home to make sure no one would dare to harm them. When Lu Xinyi was staying home, he’d be by her side with undivided attention.
Fu Rui once told Lu Xinyi that her white tiger spent most of the time sleeping in the same room where the twins were and only went active when she was around.
“No, it’s fine. I just think that we haven’t visited my grandmother for a while now. My Uncle Shui called me last night to invite us over for a family dinner,” Lu Xinyi replied.
A month after her wedding ceremony with Shen Yi, Tang Lingfei decided to move back to the Tang Mansion, saying she couldn’t stay for too long. Else, Lu Xinyi wouldn’t be able to conceive a child anytime soon.
Lu Xinyi only laughed at that. She’d been off from her contraceptive pills for weeks now, and yet with their busy schedule, they could only see each other at night before another long day ahead was waiting for them.
“Ah, so then should we prepare ahead for your visit tonight?” Zhang Qing asked, who was standing behind Jiao Jiao.
“It’s okay, Jiao Jiao. My husband will be coming home from his one-week business trip tonight. He said Qiao He will do the necessary preparations.”
At the mention of Qiao He’s name, Zhang Qing’s body stiffened, and she looked away while Jiao Jiao coughed lightly on her hand, clearly teasing the other woman.
Lu Xinyi arched a brow, deeply aware that there were unspoken words between her bodyguards.
“Zhang Qing, is there something wrong with Qiao He?” she asked bluntly, making Jiao Jiao laugh when she saw Zhang Qing’s face turned white to red instantly.
Lu Xinyi frowned and turned to Jiao Jiao. “What’s so funny?”
Jiao Jiao brought down the tea kettle on her hands and wiped the tears at the corner of her eye.
“I’m sorry, Miss. It was just Zhang Qing had a heated argument with Mr. Qiao the other day because of Zhang Sheng. She said Mr. Qiao was teaching her brother unnecessary lessons.”
“That idiot. He’s supposed to teach my brother cybersecurity not to teach him to hack some p.o.r.n sites over the internet.” Zhang Qing gritted her teeth in anger.
“What did Qiao He say? Did he deny it?” Lu Xinyi followed up with her question.
Jiao Jiao shook her head.
“No, he didn’t. Instead, Mr. Qiao said it’s usual to encounter such sites for a man like Zhang Sheng, but Zhang Qing said her brother was too young to be exposed to that. In the end, he decided not to let her know what kind of lessons he’ll give in the future.”
Lu Xinyi watched as Zhang Qing’s face flushed red, but she had no idea if it was from embarra.s.sment or anger. Nevertheless, this was the first time she saw her out of her character.