MMCD - 17

The city’s night sky was devoid of stars. Artificial neon lights decorated every dark corner, hinting at the restlessness of the night.

The long street stretched on endlessly. Only in the distance could one hear the striking of the clock on the tallest building in the city square, one after another, as if striking a person’s heart.

Sheng Wenyan was silent the whole way, only quietly glancing at the person in the back seat through the rearview mirror when they were at a red light.

“Then it wasn’t.”

Shen Zai said it casually and naturally, as if he chose to believe her without any thought.

And it was the same in the study. He didn’t seem to care about Shen Yunni’s comments at all, as if... he only believed what he saw.

Sheng Wenyan felt a little lost and secretly delighted. Although she didn’t want to admit it, it was the first time someone had ever stood by her side like this.

“I won’t be at the company tomorrow. Just bring me the materials for Yuesheng Pictures tomorrow at noon,” he said when the car stopped in Shen Zai’s parking garage.

Sheng Wenyan seemed to come back to her senses. “Oh... okay.”

“Here, this is for you.”

Sheng Wenyan turned around and saw a small Chanel box in his palm. “For me? What is it?”

Shen Zai: “A ring.”

“Huh?”

Sheng Wenyan took it and opened it. Inside lay a silver ring. It was the Coco Crush, the exact same one she had given the electric bike owner that day.

“Did... you buy this?”

Shen Zai: “Don’t casually offer people a price that’s too much higher than the item’s actual value in the future. If it happens again, it won’t be reimbursed.”

Sheng Wenyan’s heart was bursting with fireworks. She quickly took it out and tried it on. She was surprised. “It’s the right size.”

Shen Zai: “Assistant Chen measured your other rings on your desk.”

“Thank you, Mr. Shen!”

“Get out of the car.”

Sheng Wenyan stared at the ring on her index finger. Although she had many other rings, including this one, she didn’t know why, but she felt that the one she was wearing now was exceptionally beautiful.

The two of them got out of the car. Sheng Wenyan happily went around to the trunk to get the stuff.

Before they left, Zhao Shunzhi had prepared a lot of food for both Shen Zai and Sheng Wenyan, saying that she had made it herself and that they should take it home to try.

Shen Zai: “I’ll carry it myself. You can go back first.”

Sheng Wenyan saw that Shen Zai’s hands were almost full. She quickly took a large portion of the food. “It’s fine. I’m not in a hurry. I’ll carry it. I’m the assistant, so how can I let my boss do all the work?”

With that, she turned around and went upstairs. Shen Zai glanced at her back and had no choice but to follow.

Upstairs, Sheng Wenyan carried the things into the kitchen, preparing to put them in the fridge.

“Leave these here for now. You don’t have to put them in the fridge,” Shen Zai came in.

“Why? Do you want to eat them now?”

Shen Zai: “Mm.”

Thinking about it, he didn’t eat much at the Shen family’s dinner. Most of the time, he was talking to the elders.

In fact, she didn’t eat much either. Now, hearing that Shen Zai was going to have a late-night snack, she felt hungry too.

“Should I heat it up in the microwave?”

“Okay.”

A few minutes later, Sheng Wenyan brought a few dishes to the living room. “The food is ready.”

Shen Zai sat down at the dining table. After picking up his chopsticks, he paused and looked at Sheng Wenyan. The latter was standing by the table, staring at him intently.

Shen Zai gestured to the chair next to him. “If you want to eat, sit down.”

Sheng Wenyan’s eyes lit up. She made a fake show of pushing the chair. “Oh? Is that okay? Is this really okay?”

“I’m not forcing you. If you’re not eating, you can leave.”

“I’m not forced, I’m not forced!” Sheng Wenyan quickly pulled out the chair and sat down. “How could I be forced when my boss wants me to eat a late-night snack with him?”

She was a mediocre actress, but she sure was dramatic.

Shen Zai smiled and handed her a pair of chopsticks.

“Mr. Shen, your mom’s food is so delicious. I’ve never had such delicious meat and dumplings.”

Shen Zai’s expression was calm. He said faintly, “You’re exaggerating.”

Sheng Wenyan was serious. “I’m not! It’s because it has that ‘mom filter.’ Food made by a mom is always different.”

Shen Zai’s chopsticks paused slightly. He then remembered that the girl in front of him had lost her mother early. When she said the food was delicious, she might have genuinely felt that these dishes were things she didn’t normally get to eat, which was why they tasted so good.

“If you like them, take the rest of them back. I can’t eat that much.”

“Oh, no need. Ma’am also prepared a lot for me,” Sheng Wenyan said with emotion. “Oh, I envy you. Your mom is so nice. I wish I had a mom like that.”

Shen Zai: “...”

The two of them ate for a while. Although Sheng Wenyan was hungry, she was afraid of gaining weight and didn’t dare to eat too much. After eating for a bit, she slowed down.

When her phone vibrated, she simply put down her chopsticks.

It was a WeChat message. To her surprise, it was from Shen Shuyi.

Shen Shuyi: [I heard what Yunni said about you at my house today. She was talking nonsense. I apologize to you on her behalf]

Sheng Wenyan thought for a moment and replied: [It’s okay. She heard it from others too. I just have that kind of reputation, and you thought so too, didn’t you? So she wasn’t talking nonsense]

Shen Shuyi was silent for a few minutes: [...I’m sorry]

Sheng Wenyan was rarely apologetic, so she was curious: [Is this apology for yourself, or for your sister?]

Shen Shuyi didn’t reply for a long time. Sheng Wenyan knew that he was probably struggling. She said: [I’m not teasing you. You don’t have to apologize. I don’t really care anyway]

Shen Shuyi: [As long as you’re not mad at her]

Sheng Wenyan: [I’m not angry. Oh, by the way, congratulations. Don’t worry, if you have a girlfriend, I won’t pester you. I wish you both a long and happy life together]

This time, Shen Shuyi replied quickly: [I don’t have a girlfriend]

Sheng Wenyan raised an eyebrow slightly: [What was her name again? Nianlei?]

Shen Shuyi: [No]

It’s probably more like, ‘Not yet’.

Sheng Wenyan smiled and didn’t reply anymore.

Sigh, that little beauty was indeed pure and pretty. Although she wouldn’t admit it out loud, she couldn’t replicate that artistic vibe.

Whatever, if the flag has fallen, then it has fallen. I just have to buy those people a year’s worth of good wine.

This really stings.

“If you’re going to eat, then eat properly. What are you doing on your phone?” Shen Zai said abruptly.

Sheng Wenyan was obedient in front of him. She quickly put her phone back in her pocket. “It was Shen Shuyi messaging me to apologize for his sister. I just replied.”

When Shen Zai heard Shen Shuyi’s name, he naturally thought of her feelings for him.

Sheng Wenyan probably guessed what he was thinking and quickly said, “But I didn’t reply because Shen Shuyi messaged me. I don’t like him anymore now that he has a girlfriend, really. I was just full and had nothing to do, so I replied to his message.”

Shen Zai said, “Oh,” and asked again, “Shuyi has a girlfriend?”

“You could say he has a potential partner. The girl in the white dress I was talking about at the bar the other day.”

Since they were talking about the bar, she couldn’t help but recall the tragic events of that night.

Shen Zai remembered her crying face that night, with snot and tears everywhere. It was truly brutal. He looked at her now, talking about it so lightly, and said with a half-smile, “Not going to cry this time?”

“Cry... why would I cry?” Sheng Wenyan knew what Shen Zai was talking about. She said with a little embarrassment, “There are plenty of fish in the sea. If this one doesn’t work out, I’ll find another one. There are so many good-looking ones. I’m not going to cry over one.”

Shen Zai shook his head slightly. “A child’s mentality.”

“What?”

Shen Zai: “Nothing. Are you done replying?”

“Yes,” Sheng Wenyan said. “I told him there was nothing to apologize for. She’s just a little girl. Why would I argue with her?”

“A little girl?” Shen Zai let out a laugh. “How much older are you than her?”

“Three years. Three years is a generation gap! Of course, I’m a lot older.”

Three years is a generation gap.

Shen Zai glanced at Sheng Wenyan and subconsciously calculated the age difference.

Nine years. It seemed they had three generation gaps between them.

“But it depends on the person. For example, you and I don’t have a generation gap.” She said this suddenly, as if she could read his mind.

Shen Zai put down his chopsticks and stopped eating. “Stop talking to yourself. Go home when you’re done eating.”

“I’m not! I’m telling the truth. You look like you’re almost the same age as me. Could it be, Mr. Shen, that you think there’s a generation gap between us?!”

Shen Zai said indifferently, “If you talk less, the generation gap will be a little smaller.”

“...Oh.”

In the end, when Sheng Wenyan left Shen Zai’s house, her hands were still full of food. With the food Zhao Shunzhi had prepared for her, her hands were completely full.

After she got home, she specifically told the auntie to store it carefully before running back to her room.

But after taking a shower and lying in bed for a long time, she couldn’t fall asleep. Her mind was filled with what Shen Zai had said today.

The more she thought about it... the happier she became.

Shen Zai could be a little temperamental and his words a little harsh sometimes. But she thought he was a good person, and a very good one at that.

________________________________________

Sheng Wenyan had been interning very seriously lately. Probably because of this, Sheng Tianhe was very happy and had been especially good to her these past few days, even buying her a lot of expensive things.

Sheng Wenyan was happy at first. After all, she had been living a much more ascetic life than a nun for over a month and hadn’t bought anything.

But to her surprise, not long after she was happy, she saw a hospital ultrasound report on the coffee table in the living room.

She just picked it up to take a look, and as a result, she saw words like “pregnant” and “gestation” on the report.

She was stunned for a moment and looked at the name on the report: Tian Jiao.

Stepmom’s report...

She was pregnant?

A chill suddenly spread through Sheng Wenyan’s heart, and a very strange feeling crept over her entire body.

So that’s why she was pregnant. No wonder her dad had been so happy lately. No wonder he had bought her so many things... What was this, a way to appease his eldest daughter?

“So the report was here.” Tian Jiao walked over. “I just put it down casually and forgot about it.”

Sheng Tianhe walked in behind her. “Walk slower, be careful...”

He then saw that the report was in Sheng Wenyan’s hand, and his expression froze slightly. “Wenyan, did you see it? I was just about to tell you. Your stepmom is pregnant.”

Sheng Wenyan didn’t say that the report was from a few days ago. If he really wanted to tell her, he would have done so already.

She numbly said, “Oh. Congratulations.”

“Oh, you child. Why are you congratulating us? Hey, Mom and Dad are going to your grandparents’ house for dinner later. You should come too...”

“I’m not going. I have to go to the company.”

Sheng Tianhe: “Didn’t you say this morning that you had the day off? Why are you going to the company again?”

Sheng Wenyan: “It’s urgent. Shen Zai asked me to go.”

When Sheng Tianhe heard Shen Zai’s name, he didn’t doubt her at all. “Okay, then you go. I’m very happy to see you working so seriously.”

“Mm, I’m leaving now.”

“Okay, drive safely.”

After she left the house and closed the car door, the sounds of them happily discussing the child finally disappeared completely.

Sheng Wenyan looked down at her phone, her feelings complex and subtle.

To say she was angry... not really. She had known they were trying for a baby and had grown used to hearing about the child from her grandparents.

To say she was sad... maybe a little. Seeing how much they were looking forward to the new life, she felt a little jealous.

But more than anything, it seemed to be a sense of frustration, as if... she would be completely ignored from now on.

“Hello? What’s wrong?” a deep, magnetic voice came from the phone.

Sheng Wenyan suddenly came to her senses, realizing that she had already made the call. She put the phone to her ear and said in a low voice, “It’s me. Are you at the company?”

Shen Zai paused because of her tone.

“Yes. What’s wrong?”

“I... I just told my dad that you asked me to go back to work. So, can I go back now?”

Shen Zai: “You have the day off today.”

“I know...”

“Sheng Wenyan, what’s wrong?”

She didn’t feel like anything was wrong, but when he asked her that, she suddenly felt a little wronged, so much so that she even felt the grievance was a bit excessive.

She lowered her head and leaned on the steering wheel, mumbling, “Shen Zai, my dad is going to have a new baby.”