“Wanna tell me what’s bothering you?” Shen Yi popped the question that was bugging him ever since his wife came back with a dejected expression on her face. His hand rubbed up and down on her spine.

Lu Xinyi snuggled closer to him with a sigh while he laid his cheek at the top of her head, her scent deeply engraved on his mind.

“I heard your conversation with your brother. I didn’t know that was the real reason between the feud of our families.” Lu Xinyi confessed but she didn’t have enough courage to tell him she was overwhelmed with what her husband stated to his younger brother. Shen Yi was willing to fight for her, to stay with her and it nearly brought her to her knees and cry.

Shen Yi stiffened for a moment before his body relaxed.

“Grammie will understand. You don’t have to worry about it.”

“But still…”

“No buts. The only thing you should do right now is to study hard and pass those exams.” Shen Yi reminded her. There was no point on thinking about what happened in the past. Just like what he’d told Xue, Lu Xinyi had nothing to do with it.

Lu Xinyi sat up and covered her bare chest with the blanket. Her eyes trying to see if her husband wasn’t bothered by their situation.

“Yi, I don’t want to cause troubles for you and to your family.” Her eyes welled up. If there something she didn’t want to happen, it was for Shen Yi to get hurt just because he chose to be with her.

Shen Yi’s eyes blazed with intense emotion and something that Lu Xinyi couldn’t point out. His hand lifted up to cup her cheek, his thumb wiping away the tears that run down her face.

“You call me by my name.” The corners of his mouth turned up while Lu Xinyi’s brows knitted in confusion. He was happy about that?

“That’s the first time you said my name,” Shen Yi answered her unspoken question.

Flush crept up into Lu Xinyi’s face when she noticed. Taking a deep breath, she leaned on his palm and held his hand closer.

“Then what should we do?” she asked. As his wife, she should obey and respect Shen Yi’s decision. They were a team now and eventually, their marriage will have to face some problems in the future.

“I decided to introduce you to Grammie soon. It’s better for her to learn the truth from me than hear the rumors from other people.” Shen Yi pulled his wife to his chest and twirled a lock of her hair in one hand. “Grammie is an open-minded person but what she hates the most is being left in the dark. It may take some time for her to accept you but we need to prove that this marriage is worth the trouble.”

“Why are you so good to me?” Lu Xinyi choked back her tears. Shen Yi was doing more than enough for her and yet she felt she wasn’t doing her share.

“Don’t you still understand, Xinyi?” Shen Yi asked, taking his wife’s hand and placing it on the top of his chest, letting her feel the loud and steady beat of his heart. “Because of this.” His eyes meeting hers, silently hoping she will see how much she meant to him.

Lu Xinyi threw her arms around her husband and wailed. She couldn’t believe how lucky she was meeting and marrying someone like him. When Gong Yijun cheated on her with Meng Jiao, didn’t she promised that she will never dare to love again? Since then she lost her faith in love.

“You always know what to say, do you?” she let herself to be encased with his arms. They had three months left before they know if they will have to part with each other or not. Passing the exam in Silver Leaf could mean one step closer to her dreams but she knew perfectly well she couldn’t stay away from him for too long.

Not now. Not ever.

“Of course not.” Shen Yi plastered a smirk on his handsome face.

“If ever I make it to Silver Leaf, I promise I will be the best pastry chef within the country!” Lu Xinyi declared, determination twinkled in her brown eyes.

“Not the whole world?” he beamed, liking the way how she smiled back at him.

“No, you’re my world but I’ll conquer each one at a time.” Lu Xinyi laughed, her fingers reaching to trace his jaw and cheek. “I will work hard for you. Until I can stand beside you in public with honor and dignity. Until we’re on the same level and enough to be acknowledged and seen as Mrs. Shen.”

Shen Yi didn’t respond but his eyes were glowing with happiness from her words. He let his wife snuggled comfortably next to him, the silence surrounding them comforting, lulling her to her slumber.

—————————————————-

AUTHOR’S ANNOUNCEMENT

So what could this be mean?

For those who will drop this novel, thank you very much for being part of this journey. I do hope I can still see you in my next novels. For those who will stay, thank you. I’ll do my best to make sure you will get the worth of the ss you will spend.

Best regards,

anjee