Chapter 341
It was the last quarter of the year. A bright full moon was hanging in the sky now that the storm finally passed, shining brightly and casting its light upon the inn where they were staying. When the moonlight filtered through the open window of the lounge of Shen Yi—which he shared with his wife, it lit up the area without disturbing the sleeping woman on the bed.
Shen Yi lifted his head up to behold the moon outside. A sense of contentment and fulfillment warming his heart.
As he let Lu Xinyi take her much-needed sleep, he enjoyed watching her, thinking of what could be waiting for them in the future. Now, as he sat stood by the window—staring at the full moon in the sky in a daze, the loneliness from the previous week had lessened.
The spring breeze brushed over his skin while the moonlight gave his devilishly handsome face an ethereal glow. A demon under the moonlight.
Lu Xinyi rolled on his side with a low groan. She slowly opened her and found her personal heat source missing beside her and sat up in a daze. She yawned with one hand covering her mouth and pushed the quilt that keeping her warm. She moved to sit on the side of the bed and saw a man’s shadow cast on the floor.
There was only one light source in the room, and that was the moon outside. Lu Xinyi easily spotted her husband standing by the window. She found it strange that Shen Yi wasn’t sleeping at this time when she knew he had a long day yesterday.
“Yi? Why are you still awake?” She slipped her feet to her slippers and walked towards him. “Is there’s something wrong?” she asked sleepily.
Shen Yi took in her appearance and noticed her drooping eyes. She was still sleepy, and yet she took the time to check on him. He reached out and pulled her into his arms. Warmth filled his heart as he looked at her.
“Nothing to be worried about. Why are you awake?”
His dear wife working hard for her dreams. How could he not do the same? She was struggling to stay awake, but her eyes were ready to shut to continue her sleep. Her body leaned on his for support with her head against his chest.
“You weren’t in bed. You know I’m having a hard time sleeping without you by my side,” she mumbled sleepily.
Shen Yi let a small smile on his lips. He kissed the top of her head. It was the same on his part. It was still hard for him to retire for the night knowing her absence.
He noticed that she was about to sleep again and wrapped an arm around her waist to keep her steady.
“Go back to sleep, dear,” he whispered. Lu Xinyi bobbed her head in agreement and dozed off.
Shen Yi chuckled. She was like a child sometimes, but he wouldn’t want her to change anyway. He bent down and moved Lu Xinyi’s arms around his neck and scooped her up into a bridal carry in one swift movement. Following that, he strode quickly back on their bed and laid his sleeping wife back on the warm sheets.
Instead of going back at his side, Shen Yi stayed seated on the bedside for a moment and stared at her sleeping face. He watched how her chest slowly moved up and down, reminding him that she was indeed right beside him and not just another dream.
He slipped beneath the quilt and laid beside her. Out of habit, Shen Yi reached over and tucked his wife into his embrace. With his wife’s familiar scent, all the thoughts and worries were thrown out of the window, and sleep started to dawn upon him.
—
“You were more fun when we were kids,” Tian Lingyu sighed. He was having a late breakfast with his sister and Huang Shenghao. “You worshiped me then. It was so cute. I was the dragon; you were the evil princess. What had happened?”
“When we were kids, you weren’t such a colossal prick.” Lu Xinyi huffed as she continued to eat her meal. She pierced and sliced her omelet with her chopsticks and brought it on her mouth.
Tian Lingyu laughed and cupped his cheek with one hand. “Now, you know that’s not true. You changed. Not me.” The laugh dropped into something more contemplative, softer, and yet no kinder. “Why did you have to? You were my little sister who always depended on me.”
“Not anymore.” Lu Xinyi looked away. If her brother knew how the Sun family repressed his chances at any restaurant he was working, he would blow out in anger. It was because of her why he’d never moved up on kitchen ranks in spite of the fact that he was very capable, more than his superiors.
“I’m not a little girl that you always have to look out for,” she added.
“Mom and Dad left me in charge. I’ve been taking care of you since you were little. Do not hide anything from me again.” His tone became serious, and then out of curiosity, he asked, “Would you ever consider divorcing President Shen?”
“Why are you mad at him?” Lu Xinyi snapped back. “What did he ever do to you?” ρꪖꪕᦔꪖꪕꪫꪣꫀꪶ
Tian Lingyu smiled bitterly. His sister wouldn’t understand. It was for the simple reason that Shen Yi had taken away his only sister without getting his permission. Thinking about it, maybe he was worse because he was willing to give her to Li Yuren without her knowing.
—
“You know your sister got a point. Why won’t you give President Shen a chance to prove that he’s serious to your little sister?” Huang Shenghao encircled an important part in his book. It was the weekend, but that didn’t mean he should waste his time and forget his bookwork.
“Xinxin doesn’t have much experience in love. No matter how mature she looks like, I’m afraid that President Shen is leading her on. She will change his mind about him once she sees his true colors. Shen Yi is called a demon king for a reason.” Tian Lingyu flipped another page of his book as he sat on the windowsill.
“You think President Shen is the type who plays with women?”
“Does it matter? He must be acting good in front of Xinxin. She’s a naughty girl, but my sister is a good person. She’d been hurt and abused by everyone who should love and protect her.”
“Lingyu, if you are wrong, you do know how much you’ll hurt her. If she’s really serious and you dare to step between them. You are already on the losing side because as far as I could see, she wouldn’t give up on Shen Yi that easily.” His friend reminded him.
“I don’t know, Shenghao…” Lingyu brought down his book and sighed, “I just feel that this is the best for her. The Shen and Suns aren’t in good terms anyway. One way or another, she might get hurt.”
“Can’t Sister Lu decide for herself? Don’t get me wrong. I know you only have each other as family now, but eventually, you will have to accept Shen Yi as your brother-in-law.” Huang Shenghao leaned his torso at his table, feeling bored.
“She’s still young and inexperienced. They are still considered newly married. Married life and being in a relationship isn’t always filled with sunshine. Also, as a student of Silver Leaf, she has so much potential as an amateur chef.”
Huang Shenghao gave up with his homework and threw himself back on his bed. The previous week was exhausting and stressful. No wonder Lu Xinyi overslept and only woke up when the sun was above her head.
He stared at the ceiling, deep in his thoughts. He wasn’t really convinced that Shen Yi was a bad guy with the way he looked and cared for his wife. He had the face of a man fallen hard for his woman.
“I understand that you are concerned with your sister. You know her better than I am. Don’t you trust her judgement? I’ve only met her today, but I could say she’s level-headed and reasonable. Don’t you think you also need to take her seriously? She deserved to be heard since this matter concerns her.”
Tian Lingyu didn’t answer immediately. He stared outside with his elbow resting on his raised knee.
“She barely knows her husband. If you think about it, their marriage was unplanned. I’m thinking they made some kind of deal, and once that deal has fulfilled, Shen Yi will leave my sister. The more time she spends with him, the more she will get hurt if he betrays her.”
Outside, Shen Yi was walking along the corridor, with his younger brother following him. They both halted when familiar voices reached their ears, coming from the half-closed room at one of the rooms nearby.
“Bro…” Shen Xue whispered. He accidentally overheard the conversation between Tian Lingyu and Huang Shenghao.
So this was the reason why Lu Xinyi was abducted by her brother.
After the conversation between the two, Shen Yi motioned his brother to follow him silently, climbing down the stairs to meet someone.
“Her brother doubts you…”
“I won’t let him ruin our marriage. I don’t care what he wants. This is about Xinxin. The only reason why he wasn’t limping in pain is because of her.”
Shen Xue smirked.
“I know. I wouldn’t question what you feel for her anymore.” He could clearly see that they were both head-over-heels with each other. His brother was happy. If his brother was happy, that only means fewer problems on Shen Xue’s part.
“What if Tian Lingyu refused to consider you as her husband?”
“Then I’ll make sure to teach him a lesson he will never forget.”