CH 46

In the car, Shan Yi asked Shen Tiantian what she wanted to eat, and her reply was a simple “I don’t know.”  

Because of her pregnancy, Shen Tiantian had become a bit picky with her food choices lately, and Shan Yi didn’t want her to be uncomfortable eating outside. So, they decided to go to the mall together.  

Knowing that Shen Tiantian liked drinking soup, Shan Yi planned to make another soup for dinner later.

She swore that before being with Shen Tiantian, she had never planned and cooked meals so systematically every day.

But she was glad she knew how to cook; otherwise, she wouldn’t be able to take care of her wife properly now.

After spending nearly half an hour selecting the ingredients, they were on their way home.

Perhaps worried that Shen Tiantian might get hungry, as soon as they arrived home, Shan Yi boiled two eggs for her before slowly preparing dinner.

Shen Tiantian wanted to help, but Shan Yi chased her out of the kitchen. Now she was lounging on the sofa, watching TV without quite understanding the plot.

Suddenly, Shan Yi’s phone, carelessly tossed on the sofa, started ringing with an unfamiliar ringtone. Shen Tiantian took about ten seconds to realize that it was Shan Yi’s phone.

She glanced at the caller ID, which was labeled as “Empress.”

Shen Tiantian: …

Before getting permission, she wouldn’t have the habit of answering other people’s calls. Holding the still vibrating phone, she went into the kitchen. “CEO, it’s your phone.”

Shan Yi glanced at it distractedly as she poured the vegetables into the pot and casually asked: “Who is it?”

“Empress.”

Shan Yi’s expression didn’t change. “It’s my mom, can you pick it up for me?”

Upon hearing that, Shen Tiantian’s hand trembled slightly.

It wasn’t because she knew who the Empress was, but because Shan Yi asked her to answer the call.

She was already hesitant to answer calls from ordinary friends, let alone Shan Yi’s mother’s call. She was even more reluctant to answer it.

However, the call had been ringing for a while now, and if she didn’t answer, it would automatically disconnect.

Subconsciously, she touched her earlobe and reluctantly answered the call.

As she brought the phone closer to her ear, she heard a furious roar from the other end, “What are you so busy with? You’ve been so busy that you haven’t had time to come home for a week?!”

Shen Tiantian immediately moved the phone a bit further away, her lips twitching as she looked at Shan Yi, feeling a bit at a loss.

She was unfamiliar with calling “mom.” She had no idea how to respond.

Hearing Shan Yi’s mom’s words, Shen Tiantian suddenly felt guilty. Shan Yi had been staying at her place all this time, doing everything inside and outside the house. She probably didn’t have to do all these chores at home, right?!

No wonder Shan Yi’s mom was calling to find her.

If she knew her daughter was working so hard, she would probably be very worried, right?

Shan Yi chuckled, pinched Shen Tiantian’s cheek, and took the phone from her hand. Her hand was a little cold, still slightly wet from washing the vegetables.

Shen Tiantian bit her lip, glanced at Shan Yi, and gestured toward the frying pan, indicating that she should handle it.

Shan Yi threw her a reassuring look and brought the phone back to her ear. Her hand didn’t leave the spatula. “Mom, you scared her.”

As Shan Yi spoke, there was silence on the other end of the phone.

“Who?!” After a while, Shan Yi’s mom finally reacted, lowering her voice: “You two are together? Why didn’t you say so earlier?!”

Her yelling just now must have damaged her image in Shen Tiantian’s eyes!

Shan Yi sounded nonchalant: “If I’m not with her, who else would I be with? Besides, how could I have known you would yell at her? It made me feel sorry for her.”

Shen Tiantian blushed, feeling embarrassed and annoyed, she lightly patted Shan Yi.

How could she speak like that?!

What if her mom thought she had instigated Shan Yi to say that? They hadn’t even met, and her image was already tarnished.

As a result, both of them complained about Shan Yi.

Unexpectedly, Shan Yi’s mom softly said: “I didn’t yell.”

“Oh, then do you want to talk to her?” Shan Yi’s expression turned mischievous, and she tilted her head to see Shen Tiantian shaking her head directly at her.

She really wasn’t good at dealing with elders.

Shan Yi’s mom must have agreed to their relationship. Knowing her daughter has a partner and is pregnant, she probably wanted to bring her back immediately to take care of her. But not only did she not get to see her daughter, but her daughter also didn’t come home, so she had to resort to calling and scolding.

Shen Tiantian hesitated to take the phone, and just as she was about to escape from the kitchen, Shan Yi didn’t stop her. She told Shan Yi’s mom on the other end of the phone: “She’s escaping.”

“Escaping from what?!” Shan Yi’s mom retorted.

“She’s scared of you,” Shan Yi snorted, “Since she doesn’t want to listen, let it be. I’m cooking.”

With that said, without waiting for Shan Yi’s mom to respond, she hung up the phone.

On the other end, Shan Yi’s mom was trembling with anger. It was always like this, she didn’t even get a chance to speak before the call was ended. She thought that when Shan Yi returned, she would need to educate her properly. She was becoming more and more unruly.

Shan Yi tucked the phone under her arm and held a dish in one hand as she went out to face the little woman peeking at her from the couch: “The call has been hung up. Come and eat.”

Shen Tiantian shrunk her neck.

She knew her behavior was quite impolite, but with the sudden phone call, she really didn’t know what to say to the other party.

She had just learned how Shan Yi interacted with her parents; it was more like a conversation between friends.

Earlier, she was very close to Shan Yi, and she heard their entire conversation, including how Shan Yi’s mom was fooled by Shan Yi but then smartly refuted her.

She unexpectedly found this kind of parent endearing.

Shan Yi only saw her blushing and didn’t know what she was thinking. She handed her the phone, flipped the dish, and said: “My mom wants me to bring you home again.”

Shen Tiantian blushed and admitted, “I heard.”

Shan Yi chuckled lightly and then asked her, “So when will you go back with me?”

Shen Tiantian bit her lip, “I…”

Shan Yi didn’t pressure her, she pulled out a chair for her to sit, and gently rubbed her head, “It’s okay.”

Shen Tiantian felt even more ashamed and lowered her head further.

She told herself she should take the initiative, but when it came to actually doing it, she wanted to retreat.

Shan Yi didn’t blame her; she was very patient.

She chuckled and spoke with an almost indulgent tone: “Alright, stop thinking about it. It’s been so long, the baby must be hungry.”

Although it wasn’t the first time she had been called “baby,” she still felt guilty and couldn’t help blushing upon hearing the nickname.

“Thinking about what? I meant this baby,” Shan Yi touched her belly.

Shen Tiantian said: “Get away.”

She felt that Shan Yi was definitely doing it on purpose.

Indeed, Shan Yi was intentional, but it worked well. She successfully diverted her attention.

Shen Tiantian ignored her and focused on eating.

Shan Yi occasionally teased her, “Tiantian, you’re blushing again.”

Shen Tiantian gritted her teeth, glared at her, and continued not to speak, as she knew it was futile to argue with her.

Shan Yi knew when to stop. She served her a piece of hand-shredded chicken for dinner without teasing her further.

Dinner ended with casual conversation. After finishing her food, Shen Tiantian went to take a bath.

When she came out, Shan Yi was no longer in the living room, and she couldn’t find her in the kitchen either. Shen Tiantian furrowed her brows, suddenly feeling uneasy, wondering if Shan Yi was angry because of her avoidance.

During the time they were together, she had never seen Shan Yi lose her temper. Even when she made mistakes, Shan Yi was always forgiving.

On the other hand, she had never done anything for Shan Yi.

Somehow, she recalled what Liu Wanjun said, ‘Being proactive for too long can be tiring.’

As she was drying her hair, she paused and suddenly felt like crying.

If it were yesterday, Shan Yi might have been helping her dry her hair by now.

At that moment, she realized how much she relied on Shan Yi. It felt nice, but once it stopped, she felt uncomfortable.

She thought she was being quite melodramatic.

But when she was feeling down, she heard the sound of the front door opening. Shen Tiantian reflexively jumped off the couch, ran to the entrance at the fastest speed, and threw herself into Shan Yi’s arms without even realizing her voice was choked up, “Where did you go?”

Shan Yi was somewhat surprised but embraced her back. She couldn’t help but say: “I didn’t have any clothes to wear, so I asked Shan Xu to bring a few sets over.”

Shen Tiantian heaved a sigh of relief and noticed that Shan Yi was still wearing the professional attire she wore last time. She had been staying at home these days and didn’t mind wearing her clothes, but she couldn’t dress that way when going to work; it would be inappropriate.

“I thought you were angry,” Shen Tiantian said with a hint of grievance.

“Why on earth would I be angry?” 

Shen Tiantian shook her head in Shan Yi’s arms and said, “Because I always avoid things.”

“It’s okay,” Shan Yi smiled: “I’m very patient.”

“When you have time, will you accompany me to visit the orphanage?” Shen Tiantian suddenly said in a muffled voice, reluctant to leave Shan Yi’s embrace.

Shan Yi was taken aback. “Sure.”

Shen Tiantian slowly pulled away from her arms, looking serious: “I want to introduce you to the director, and then I’ll go home with you, okay?”

Shan Yi was pleasantly surprised. She dropped the bags she was carrying on the ground and hugged Shen Tiantian again, kissing her passionately.

After the kiss, Shan Yi gently touched her forehead and said: “It’s settled then.”

Shen Tiantian made a sound of acknowledgement.

“Let’s go inside, and I’ll blow-dry your hair for you.”

Shen Tiantian didn’t say anything, picked up the two paper bags from the floor, and let Shan Yi put her arm around her waist as they entered the house.

“How many sets did you bring?” Shen Tiantian opened the bags and casually asked: “Didn’t you ask Shan Xu to come up and sit for a while?”

Shan Yi cleared her throat: “Why should I ask him to come up? Be a third wheel?”

Shen Tiantian laughed, “He’s your younger brother, and he also brought clothes for you.”

“No need to bother about him.”

“You are so heartless,” Shen Tiantian teased.

Shan Yi pretended to be hurt, “My wife says that, and I’m a bit sad now.”

Shen Tiantian giggled, “I like the heartless you.”

Shan Yi was instantly delighted, and a big smile appeared on her face. She turned on the hairdryer, and both of them fell silent in unspoken agreement.

The sound of the hairdryer was loud, and they could only hear its buzzing.

After completely drying Shen Tiantian’s hair, Shan Yi went to take a shower.

She was still wearing Shen Tiantian’s nightgown, which was a bit short for her, but it didn’t bother her because she loved it. She enjoyed the scent of Shen Tiantian on the nightgown, even after washing it; it still carried the same fragrance of their laundry detergent, a symbol of their intimacy.

Shen Tiantian leaned against the headboard, waiting for Shan Yi. Her eyes caught sight of the pregnancy handbook on the table. It was a gift from Shan Yue.

The book looked a bit old, with some recent creases, indicating that Shan Yi had been studying it recently. Since the incident at the hot springs, Shan Yi had become extra serious about understanding the contents of the pregnancy handbook. Lately, their intimate activities were limited to simple gestures of affection and touching. Shen Tiantian felt irresponsible for not being more proactive in taking care of herself as the biological mother of their child. It should be a joint effort, but she seemed to rely on Shan Yi for everything.

Ever since Shan Yi found out about the pregnancy, Shen Tiantian hadn’t touched the handbook. Shan Yi was the one reading it and occasionally reminding her about things she shouldn’t do or eat.

Shan Yi came out of the shower and was surprised to see Shen Tiantian looking at the pregnancy handbook. With a smile, she climbed onto the bed and leaned in to take a look at the book. “Why are you suddenly interested in reading this?”

“Just curious,” Shen Tiantian replied seriously.

Shan Yi chuckled and took the book from her hands, pulling her into an embrace on the bed. “We can read it some other day. Pregnant women should sleep early.”

Shen Tiantian smiled and nestled into Shan Yi’s embrace. “Alright, we’ll follow what mama Shan said.”

Shan Yi kissed her forehead. “Goodnight.”

“Goodnight.”

Shen Tiantian yawned and adjusted her posture, closing her eyes. She didn’t fall asleep immediately as she suddenly thought about going to the 18th floor tomorrow. She opened her eyes and noticed Shan Yi looking at her.

“What’s wrong?” Shan Yi asked first.

“Why aren’t you sleeping?” Shen Tiantian asked, wondering why she was still awake.

“I feel happy watching you sleep.”

Hearing this, Shen Tiantian blushed and couldn’t help but chuckle softly. “I didn’t expect the CEO to have this kind of hobby.”

Shan Yi laughed, “Hobbies depend on the person they’re with.”

Shen Tiantian was overjoyed by her sweet words. “I won’t talk about this anymore.” She then gradually stopped smiling and played with the strands of hair on Shan Yi’s chest. “The handover work on my side is almost done. I’ll be able to go to the 18th floor tomorrow afternoon.”

“Okay, I’ll have Assistant Yang pick you up.”

Shen Tiantian declined: “No need, I don’t have much stuff. I want to know why I’m going up there. I haven’t worked on any other projects before, and I’m not sure if I’m qualified for it.”

“You can handle it.”

“But you can’t act impulsively. I don’t want the colleagues to feel uneasy.”

“We’ll see how it goes,” Shan Yi didn’t want to be too definitive, “You can learn from Assistant Yang for a while and take over her responsibilities once you’ve learned.”

Shen Tiantian widened her eyes, “But what about Assistant Yang?!”

“Let her return to the head office,” Shan Yi said expressionlessly.

Yang Li unintentionally revealed a tangled and complicated look. Although she rarely interacted with Shen Tiantian, Shan Yi couldn’t ignore the occasional hostility displayed by Assistant Yang. She wasn’t a fool.

She didn’t want a day to come when the peace between her and Shen Tiantian would be ruined by unnecessary things, even if there was a slight possibility.

“Why?!” Shen Tiantian didn’t understand.

Shan Yi pinched her slightly chubby cheek and said helplessly, “Alright, pregnant women should sleep early. Let’s not dwell on this matter.”

“Okay,” Shen Tiantian took a deep breath. After all, Shan Yi was her superior, and there were some things she had her principles about.

After exchanging good nights once again, Shen Tiantian finally fell asleep.

The night was still long.

***

The next morning, the sky was already bright.

Before the alarm clock rang, Shen Tiantian was awakened by the feeling of nausea in her stomach.

Although she went through this every day, it still caught her off guard.

Shan Yi was lightly dozing, and as soon as Shen Tiantian got off the bed, she noticed it. Worried, she hurried after her, watching her pale face as she retched due to morning sickness. Shan Yi couldn’t help but feel heartache and gently rubbed her back.

Shen Tiantian retched for five or six minutes, then waved her hand without looking up at Shan Yi. “I’m fine.”

Shan Yi frowned: “She’s too mischievous. Once she comes out, I’m going to scold her properly.”

“oh….move away,” Shen Tiantian chuckled, “You’re worse than her. She hasn’t even come out yet, and as a mom, you already want to scold her.”

“Because she’s too troublesome.”

Shen Tiantian laughed, and the morning gloom seemed to dissipate a bit, “Come on, she’s troubling me, not you.”

“Who says that?” Shan Yi pressed closer, one leg between her legs.

Shen Tiantian understood what she meant and blushed, trying to change the subject, “I need to freshen up.”

Shan Yi playfully let her go but didn’t intend to let her off easily, “You agree that she’s quite troublesome, right?”

“Yes, yes, yes…” Shen Tiantian answered perfunctorily, squeezing toothpaste and starting to brush her teeth. The nauseous feeling surged again, and she quickly finished brushing her teeth and rinsed her mouth.

Shan Yi stood next to her, freshening up as well, their actions almost synchronized except for the occasional dry heaves.

Shen Tiantian left first and thought of how it had been Shan Yi who made breakfast all this time. Suddenly, she also wanted to prepare a meal for her beloved.

Thinking about it, she opened the fridge and took out the ingredients.

When Shan Yi walked over, she was frying eggs, and the toaster beeped. Shen Tiantian opened it and took out the toasted bread slices.

The bread was bought at the mall yesterday and still had a hint of freshness.

The first time Shan Yi tasted Shen Tiantian’s breakfast, she felt extremely pleased, and on her way back to the company, she couldn’t help but smile.

As soon as Shen Tiantian entered the office, Tian Jing called her into her office.

Tian Jing’s face was calm as she said: “Put your things away, you can go up now.”

Shen Tiantian was somewhat surprised: “But I haven’t finished organizing…”

“It’s okay, I already have a general idea,” Tian Jing interrupted her.

Shen Tiantian hesitated for a moment, then nodded, “Alright, then I’ll head up.”

Tian Jing glanced at her belly and gave a low “Hmm.”

As if it had all been arranged, just after entering the office, Shen Tiantian was called in by Manager Tian, and right after leaving, she was questioned by Lu Xiaochun.

Shen Tiantian gave her a faint smile, packed her things, and calmly informed her that she was going to the 18th floor now.

Lu Xiaochun looked sad and held onto her, talking to her for a while.

Shen Tiantian didn’t have many personal belongings, so she finished packing in about ten minutes. Under envious and reluctant gazes, she left the office where she had spent nearly three years.

Before pressing the button for the 18th floor in the elevator, she sent a message to Shan Yi.

Shan Yi was in a meeting, but as soon as she received the message, she asked Yang Li to go out and meet Shen Tiantian.

Yang Li had only just learned that Shen Tiantian was coming to the Secretarial Department today. When Shan Yi asked her to go out and meet someone, she was visibly surprised, followed by a barely noticeable hint of resentment.

She concealed it well and walked out in her high heels.

Shan Yi didn’t notice it as she pointed at the decomposition diagram of a mask on the projection screen, focusing on the content of the meeting.

It was almost half an hour since Shen Tiantian sent the message when Shan Yi announced the end of the meeting.

Shan Yi quickly left the meeting room and, as expected, there was an extra table next to Yang Li, and Shen Tiantian was sitting there obediently.

Perhaps sensing that intense gaze, Shen Tiantian lifted her head and met Shan Yi’s eyes directly.

As if being burned, Shen Tiantian quickly averted her gaze.

At that moment, Yang Li walked over, “CEO, everything is arranged here.”

Yang Li was a very intelligent woman, although a bit rigid in her approach, she was very meticulous in her work and hardly made any mistakes in the two years she had been with Shan Yi. Her work ability was very strong, and it felt like she was overqualified to be an assistant.

“Teach her well, take it slow if necessary, no rush,” Shan Yi looked at Yang Li expressionlessly and said.

Yang Li nodded and said she understood before returning to her seat and pushing some documents in front of Shen Tiantian. She explained some things to Shen Tiantian.

Shen Tiantian glanced at Shan Yi, who gave her a thumbs up and mouthed “Good luck” before going back to her office.

Shen Tiantian smiled shyly, but a cold female voice suddenly came, “When I’m talking to you, listen carefully. If you make such low-level mistakes again, don’t blame me for not warning you.”

Shen Tiantian was startled and quickly apologized.

She didn’t expect Yang Li to be so serious while working.

Yang Li continued: “Also, this is the company. No matter what your relationship with the CEO is, please respect her and do your job well.”

“Okay.”

Shen Tiantian knew it was her mistake, so she didn’t have much to complain about. But the last sentence sounded harsh, and if she hadn’t realized that Yang Li had biases against her, she could have resigned and gone home to retire right now.

“First, check these documents to see if there are any mistakes,” Yang Li seemed to realize that she was getting angry and softened her tone, “Be serious; the CEO often signs directly without checking.”

“Okay.”

Shen Tiantian nodded seriously, unable to find a two-word answer better than this.

The Secretarial Department only had six people, all female, and they weren’t immune to gossip. Ever since Shen Tiantian arrived, they had looked in her direction countless times, discussing her identity.

Yang Li was the head of the Secretarial Department and handled all major and minor affairs. She was their direct supervisor, and she should have spoken up to stop them. However, she didn’t say anything and allowed them to gossip louder and louder, gradually steering the discussion in a skewed direction.

Shen Tiantian felt uncomfortable. She hated this kind of work atmosphere and didn’t expect to encounter it right from the start.

She lowered her head, trying to focus on the documents and not listen to their conversation.

Shan Yi’s office was designed with fully coated glass, allowing her to see everything outside clearly, while people outside couldn’t see inside.

On Shen Tiantian’s first day at the Secretarial Department, Shan Yi had no interest in work. With one hand supporting her chin, she watched the diligent young woman inside, feeling extremely pleased.

Time seemed to pass quickly; one diligently studied outside, while the other watched intently inside. Before they knew it, it was already noon.

Shen Tiantian had finally completed the tasks assigned by Yang Li. Yang Li exchanged a pile of documents with her and said expressionlessly: “Take a look at these as well.”

Rubbing her uncomfortable waist and abdomen, Shen Tiantian apologized: “I need to go to the restroom.”

Yang Li glanced at her, “Go ahead.”

The design on the 18th floor was much more sophisticated than the 17th floor, so Shen Tiantian didn’t ask anyone where the restroom was.

Perhaps due to maintaining the same posture for too long, when she stood up, the bones in her waist and pelvis made a cracking sound, startling her. However, when she moved again, she realized there was no pain and slowly walked out from behind Yang Li.

Following the signs, she found the restroom without asking anyone and finally dared to stretch her waist with force. She let out a deep sigh, looking at herself in the mirror and gently touched her belly.

Fortunately, the baby was well-behaved today.

Shen Tiantian slightly curved her lips, turned around, and was about to enter the stall when she caught a glimpse of a dark figure from the corner of her eye. She looked again and saw Shan Yi, the mother of her child.

Shan Yi smiled and hugged her, giving a peck on her neck, “You’ve worked hard.”

Shen Tiantian inexplicably felt a bit aggrieved, pouting as she returned the embrace, “Why did you come here too?”

“Seeing you come out, I wanted to find you.” Shan Yi said as she kissed Shen Tiantian’s cheek, “You look quite tired. Is the workload Yang Li gave you too much?”

Shen Tiantian fell silent for a moment, then shook her head: “Learning new things is tiring.”

“You promised me not to force yourself, alright?”

Shen Tiantian chuckled lightly and replied, “I’m getting anxious. Can the CEO let me off now?”

Shan Yi chuckled, teasingly poking her belly with her index finger, “Get in quickly; we’ll go out for lunch later.”

Shen Tiantian nodded and entered the stall, closing the door.

Shan Yi suppressed her smile, crossed her arms, and left the restroom in her high heels.

Shen Tiantian was unsure what had happened. When she returned to her desk, the five or six folders that were originally placed there were gone, and Yang Li was nowhere to be seen.

She looked across at the other assistants; their idle chit chat had turned into a busy atmosphere.

What happened?!

Shen Tiantian looked bewildered.

Just when she didn’t know what to do, Yang Li came out of the CEO’s office, her expression not looking too good.

Yang Li sat down beside her with a serious face, “Take note of the CEO’s work habits, I want you to remember.”

“Okay.” Shen Tiantian couldn’t find any paper, so she quickly opened the notes app on her phone.