CH 58

As Shan Yi spoke, her gaze remained fixed on Shen Tiantian the entire time, capturing her reactions. She rubbed her slightly reddened earlobe.

Her belly, two months pregnant, didn’t show any visible changes yet. Only upon touching could one feel its softness.

“I’ll handle the wedding dress style and location, how about that?” Shan Yi asked.

Smiling and not saying anything in response, Shen Tiantian once again moved her hand away and walked ahead. What should she do? She was so happy, happy enough to sing.

Shan Yi quickly grabbed her hand again, pressing her palm against hers and intertwining their fingers. If she didn’t speak, she would take it as her agreement.

This time, there was no struggle. She obediently let herself be led by her.

The garden of the old mansion was quite large, almost surrounding the entire villa.

Due to her mother’s habit of planting small flowers and vegetables in the garden whenever she had free time, and with summer approaching, the garden’s plants were all lush and green. The flowers might have wilted a bit in the afternoon compared to the morning, but it didn’t affect their beauty at all.

They walked for quite a while. It seemed like the Shan family’s garden had no end. If not for the tall surrounding walls, Shen Tiantian would have thought they were strolling in a park.

Chatting and admiring the flowers, they walked for about ten more minutes, circling around the villa from the other side and returning to the main entrance, completing a full loop around the house.

‘Really big’, this was the first impression that struck Shen Tiantian as she stopped in her tracks.

She glanced at the time; it wasn’t even four o’clock yet.

Shen Tiantian sneakily glanced at the woman who was almost half a head taller than herself. She looked so beautiful that no matter which angle you looked from, Shan Yi was captivating and made hearts race.

Catching her wife’s gaze, Shan Yi grinned mischievously, giving her cheek a playful rub. Then she suddenly asked, “Want to go visit Wanjun’s place?”

With an “ah” sound, Shen Tiantian took a moment to register the question. Realizing it had been a while since she’d seen her best friend, she nodded, “Sure.”

“It’s right nearby. Let’s walk over,” Shan Yi suggested.

Shen Tiantian responded with an “oh” but turned her face away slightly, feeling a bit guilty. The CEO’s smile was so mischievous. Had she caught her stealing glances? She was so perceptive; she probably had, right?

However, Shan Yi didn’t say anything more. She held her hand and led her out of the Shan residence through a small door beside the black iron gate.

The Lin residence was just across the road from the Shan residence, only a few hundred meters away. Shan Yi pressed the doorbell, and with a click, the door quickly swung open. Facing them was a slightly short and thin elderly woman wearing an apron. Her face was squeezed into a smile, and her eyes were almost disappearing.

The elderly woman was a servant of the Lin family and had worked there for over thirty years. She had essentially watched Shan Yi grow up, so naturally, she knew her well.

“Hello, Miss Shan. Madam has asked me to escort you inside,” the elderly woman said.

Shan Yi politely thanked her and then inquired, “Is the young madam at home?”

Li Sao made a welcoming gesture while responding to Shan Yi’s question, “Yes, she is. However, the young madam is currently in a special condition and is taking a nap. She hasn’t come downstairs yet. I’m not sure if she’s awake.”

Listening to their conversation, Shen Tiantian felt a bit tongue-tied. The titles used for the host in these prestigious families were like this…so old-fashioned?! 

The style here was completely different from the Shan residence. Alongside the path was a large lawn, and in the middle stood a spacious gazebo. Inside, a pink princess swing chair swayed slightly in the wind, reflecting Liu Wanjun’s favored style. Shen Tiantian guessed that it must have been built by Mr. Lin for her.

Mr. Lin seemed to be genuinely kind to her. Shen Tiantian thought this while glancing at Shan Yi, smiling to herself. The CEO was also treating her very well.

Perhaps she got too lost in her thoughts and didn’t notice the stone platform in front of her. Shen Tiantian stumbled a bit and ended up losing her balance, falling forward.

Oh no, she instinctively protected her belly.

However, instead of the expected sensation of pain, an additional arm appeared in front of her, securely catching her fall.

Seeing Shen Tiantian about to fall forward, Shan Yi’s heart nearly stopped, but luckily she caught her.

Frowning, she whispered: “What are you thinking?”

Shen Tiantian shrunk her neck a bit and blurted out, “I’m thinking about you.”

Shan Yi: …

Well, that took all the frustration away.

Li Sao was also startled and exclaimed: “Is this young lady alright?”

“I, I’m fine,” Shen Tiantian waved her hand with a red face.

So cute, I really want to kiss her.

Shan Yi looked at her blushing face and nonchalantly cleared her throat.

Seeing that Shen Tiantian was okay, Li Sao patted her chest, opened the door, and invited them in, providing them with cotton slippers to change into.

“Oh my, how come Xiao Yi has the time to come over today?” 

Before they even entered the living room, a soft voice echoed, and as they looked up, they saw an elegant lady walking over, her eyes filled with smiles. For a moment, Shen Tiantian seemed to catch a glimpse of a different version of mother Shan.

That smile was almost identical.

Shan Yi introduced them in a friendly manner, raising the hands of the two that were tightly intertwined, and with a smile, “This is my girlfriend, Auntie should recognize her.”

Mother Lin had noticed Shen Tiantian earlier, but she only found her familiar and didn’t recognize her. After all, she had makeup on that day, and today, being makeup-free, she looked a bit pale. Mother Lin didn’t dare to identify her.

After giving the person a thorough look from top to bottom, she asked with some uncertainty: “Is this Wanjun’s best friend?”

Shen Tiantian smiled, not as nervous as when meeting mother Shan, and her speech was much smoother, “Yes, Auntie, long time no see.”

Mother Lin clapped her hands, indeed. She suddenly became even happier, her face full of curiosity as she looked at Shan Yi, “I didn’t expect you two to be together. Tell me quickly, did you hit it off at a wedding? If that’s the case, our family indirectly became matchmakers.”

“Well, kind of,” Shan Yi chuckled.

It was just a glance at the orphanage, secretly falling for the person she saw. After the break, she returned to school, thinking they would never meet again. But she didn’t expect to encounter Shen Tiantian again at the Lin family’s wedding.

Shen Tiantian had gained a bit of weight compared to a few years ago, and she had also grown taller. With makeup on, she looked a bit more mature than her high school years, yet traces of her past self could still be faintly seen.

She didn’t recognize her at first glance. From the moment she saw her at the wedding, she had been observing her. It wasn’t until Shen Tiantian stumbled over to her while drunk that she suddenly remembered.

“That’s wonderful. Whenever you two get married, you must invite our family,” Mother Lin greeted them and took a seat, while the servant promptly served them tea.

Shan Yi smiled and replied: “Of course.”

After exchanging a few more pleasantries, Mother Lin then said to them: “Please have a seat. I’ll go upstairs and call Wanjun.”

Shen Tiantian quickly said: “There’s no need, Auntie. Since Wanjun is resting, we won’t disturb her. We can come another day.”

However, by the time she finished her sentence, mother Lin had already disappeared from view.

Shen Tiantian: …

“Her personality is quite similar to mother Shan’s,” Shen Tiantian said with a wry smile.

Shan Yi agreed, “It does seem that way. Maybe it’s because they often play mahjong together.”

Both being from wealthy families and neighbors for decades, it was quite normal. Shen Tiantian didn’t find it strange and simply nodded.

Mother Lin returned with a sleepy Liu Wanjun in tow. Liu Wanjun was still in her pajamas, and she covered her mouth with her hand, letting out a hearty yawn.

“Why did you guys come?” Liu Wanjun plopped down in the seat mother Lin had just vacated, looking a bit lazy, as if she hadn’t fully woken up yet.

Mother Lin smiled brightly and said, “You two chat. I’ll go get some fruit for you.”

“Thanks, Mom.”

Indeed, having been in high-level corporate positions, Liu Wanjun was completely at ease around Lin Haozhi’s mother. She addressed her naturally, without any restraint. After being together for more than two years, they should be accustomed to it by now. Moreover, their mother-in-law and daughter-in-law relationship was excellent, resembling that of an ordinary mother and daughter.

However, no matter what, Shen Tiantian still felt a bit envious. She wasn’t sure when she would be able to interact with mother Shan like this. In the end, she was still too nervous.

“The CEO mentioned that your family lives around here, so we came to visit.” 

Since their last meeting, she knew that Shan Yi and Lin Haoyi were neighbors. Hearing this, Liu Wanjun suddenly realized and nodded her head, raising an eyebrow, “Are you back to discuss the wedding?”

It was considered half true, Shen Tiantian nodded while also pondering.

“What’s the result?”

Shen Tiantian turned her head and looked at Shan Yi, throwing the question to her.

Receiving her wife’s gaze, Shan Yi smiled and replied simply: “We’re planning to take pre-wedding photos first, then get the marriage certificate and hold the wedding reception.”

“That works too. It wouldn’t look as good if you wait too long to take the photos,” Liu Wanjun found the plan feasible, then paused and asked: “Why not get the marriage certificate first?”

Shen Tiantian said: “I think either order is fine.”

Liu Wanjun yawned and turned to Shen Tiantian, asking: “Have you told Yaya about it?”

“Not yet.”

Liu Wanjun nodded in understanding and said, “I’m going to wash my face.”

Just then, mother Lin returned to the living room, inviting them to have some fruit. Seeing Liu Wanjun wasn’t there, she learned that she had gone to wash her face and didn’t say anything further. She started chatting with Shan Yi and Shen Tiantian, until Liu Wanjun came back to join them.

Unbeknownst to them, it was already past five o’clock. Suddenly, Shan Yi’s phone rang, interrupting mother Lin’s conversation. The ringing made them realize that it was almost six o’clock.

Shan Yi raised a slightly apologetic smile and answered the phone. Single Mom’s angry shouting came through from the other end of the line, audible to almost everyone present.

“I asked you where you took her? Come back home now!”

Shen Tiantian was close to Shan Yi, so she heard more clearly, feeling a bit embarrassed all of a sudden.

They were here to meet the parents, and yet after just eating a meal, they disappeared. Shen Tiantian was already nervous, and her previous performance wasn’t great. Judging by mother Shan’s tone, she was definitely angry.

Ah, Ah, Ah, why did it turn out like this?!

Despite mother Shan’s agitation, Shan Yi remained calm. “We’re at Uncle Lin’s house. We’ll be heading back now.”

With that, Shan Yi ended the call and turned to mother Lin and Liu Wanjun, saying with helplessness: “My mom wants us to go back.”

Mother Lin, experienced in such matters, only had them come over to visit for a bit and then let them leave. Liu Wanjun walked them to the door and said, “Never thought we’d become neighbors one day.”

Shen Tiantian chuckled softly, “Me neither.”

“All right, go back quickly. Make sure to behave well,” Liu Wanjun encouraged with a thumbs-up gesture.

Deliberately ignoring Liu Wanjun’s words, Shen Tiantian pulled Shan Yi along. On the way, she was still worried, “Is auntie really angry?”

“It’s okay, don’t worry.” Shan Yi patted her head, “My mom won’t scold you.”

She really wanted to shout that it wasn’t about scolding or not! It’s about the impression, whether it’s a good one or not. If she had known, she wouldn’t have gone to see Liu Wanjun.

“You’re too nervous,” Shan Yi sighed, “In the future, she’ll be your mom too. You don’t need to treat her so formally. Otherwise, she’ll be even more upset.”

The original intention of going to the Lin’s house was for Shen Tiantian to observe how Liu Wanjun interacted with Lin Haozhi’s mother. But this little woman didn’t understand her intentions at all.

So clueless, but she likes it.

Shen Tiantian hesitated and lowered her eyes. She knew that Shan Yi made sense, but how could she not be nervous?

Shan Yi squeezed her hand in return and softly said: “Stay calm, try treating them like family?”

Shen Tiantian nodded gently. Soon, they were back at the entrance of Shan Yi’s house. Shan Yi added: “Don’t be nervous when we go in later, okay?”

“I know.” Her voice was soft and lacked conviction.