Shen Yi shook his head.
“Till now, I have no idea what it is,” he admitted to his wife.
After his uncle’s pa.s.sing, he tried to find out what it was but failed. Lu Xinyi, together with her parents, left the capital the day after Shen Jinxiu’s funeral. There was no other way for him to find the answer unless he talked to Sun Meixiu himself.
Shen Jinxiu insisted on seeing the Lus that day in spite of the bad weather. The favor must have something to do with Sun Mingai for his uncle was subtly supporting that woman by investing in her projects by using another name. Whatever that favor was, it was the reason why Shen Jinxiu lost his life.
“But Grammie…” Lu Xinyi didn’t know how to deal with her husband’s grandmother if she really held that enmity towards any members of the Sun family.
Noticing her doubt, Shen Yi ran the back of his fingers on her cheek.
“Don’t worry about her. Grammie only said those words out of anger. She didn’t mean to blame anyone, for she knows it was an accident. She let me marry you, didn’t she? Not that she could force me to divorce you, but if she really was against you for being a Sun, she would’ve said it outright.”
Lu Xinyi hummed and agreed with him. The Shen Matriarch had been good to her since meeting her. The woman also gave her the deed for Grace Palace that was now worth millions. As far as she knew and based on the impression the old woman had on her, the Shen Matriarch had a good head over her shoulder and didn’t judge a person easily.
“You’re right. I should have known Grammie isn’t like the Suns.” She kissed his palm and sighed, enjoying the warmth of his hand against her cold skin.
The couple decided that it was also time for them to retire for the night as both had a long day. Shen Yi held his wife close and watched her sleep. He was tired, but sleep seemed to evade him as his mind was full of thoughts of what happened in the past and what was waiting for him and Lu Xinyi in the future.
True, when he was reunited with Lu Xinyi during his cruise vacation, he felt that a part of what he’d lost after his uncle’s death came back to him. When he married her, he thought that it was sort of a way to fulfill what Shen Jinxiu wished when he was still alive.
Shen Yi sighed as he played with a strand of his wife’s hair, wondering if he did the right thing… marrying her, with all the problems arising from her aunt’s insanity over Shen Jinxiu’s death and his lurking enemy waiting to strike on his weakness.
Perhaps, this was unfair for Lu Xinyi, but he couldn’t find it on himself to regret marrying her. Lu Xinyi had brought him peace. After that accident, Shen Yi was in a deep depression. There were nights where the last moments before the impact played in his head while the unbearable pain in his legs wouldn’t allow him to forget the tragedy.
Lu Xinyi hugged him a little tighter as if sensing his distress.
His ears listened to her steady breathing, his fingers running on her thick hair enjoying its softness. He was amazed at how her mere presence could calm his mind and how comforting her smile was, something he’d almost forgotten for years of being alone.
Shen Yi sighed once again; no one could understand his pain except her. Lu Xinyi was strong. She was tough. She handled everything better than he did after her parents’ pa.s.sing. It must’ve been hard for her all these years to be alone, with nothing to rely on. She was physically weaker than him but had more courage than he could muster in different ways.
Her fingers came up to hold his. He stiffened then relaxed once he realized she wasn’t awakened by his touch.
Indeed, Little Xinxin had managed to steal his heart on day 1, stormed into his life unexpectedly, and took care of his heart even after all these years. Her smile etched in his memory was the saving grace he had even if he’d slowly forgotten her face.
Now that she was back, he wasn’t letting go of her ever again. Lu Xinyi being in his life had made him feel complete; having the twins around was sort of a bonus.
—
Lu Xinyi woke up alone with a note on her nightstand from her husband, telling her to rest and not to force herself to move around. She chuckled at his demanding tone, but she knew better not to push her body to the limit, or else it would backfire on her.
For a change, Lu Xinyi overslept and let the other look after the twins in the morning. She woke up past lunchtime, feeling refreshed and energized. With the harsh, chilling weather outside, school and work had been suspended.
She got out of the bed still in her bunny pajamas and walked towards the top of the stairs, watching the twins combing the thick fur of her white tiger taking a nap on the floor with the fireplace ablaze to keep the children warm.
She squeaked when a set of arms scooped her up. Her arms reached up to be thrown around his neck as he glared down at her with a scowling face.
“Aren’t you supposed to be resting?” he asked.
“I was, but you aren’t there. It’s boring,” she said in defense. “I also want to eat,” she added.
Shen Yi frowned at her but didn’t say anything as he carried her down the stairs. His wife giggled at his arms, letting him carry her although she was capable of walking herself.
“Mommy, are you sick?” Shen Yuyan asked, racing towards them as soon as she saw Shen Yi brought down Lu Xinyi to the couch.
“No, dear. Mommy’s fine. She just needs to sleep more because Mommy was really tired yesterday.” Lu Xinyi a.s.sured the young girl.
Shen Yi’s phone chose that time to ring. His eyes slightly widened at the sound of his younger brother’s voice at the other line.
“Hey, Bro.”
“Xue? What are you calling me for?” As far as he knew, Shen Xue’s appointments and meetings were now handled by his wife’s cousin. As to how the two ended up working together, Shen Yi had no idea and wasn’t interested to pry on his brother’s private life, so long that Lu Xinyi wouldn’t be affected by it.
“Oh… um… well, I-uh, can I talk to Xin Jie?”
“What?” Shen Yi’s brow raised on that. His younger brother had been calling his wife ‘Big Sis’, and this was the first time hearing him calling her formally as his older sister.
“Uh, I need to talk to Xin Jie. Please tell me she’s with you.” Shen Xue’s voice was almost pleading, picking up Shen Yi’s curiosity.