CH 86

The deep, slightly hoarse voice carried a hint of magic as it entered Shen Tiantian’s ears, making her blush. Her body trembled slightly, and she felt a strange tingling sensation.

Shan Yi licked her ear just then, “Wife, you’re blushing.”

Of course she was blushing after being teased like that and discussing such a topic so openly. Anyone would blush, no matter how thick-skinned they were. And her skin was thin to begin with.

Shan Yi’s suppressed voice reached her ears, making Shen Tiantian annoyed. She lightly hit Shan Yi’s chest, “Get up, go take a shower.”

“Together.”

Knowing that Shan Yi would join her even if she refused, Shen Tiantian didn’t bother arguing and took her pajamas into the bathroom.

Meanwhile, Shan Yue drove as fast as she could to Tian Jing’s place. Before getting out of the car, she checked her watch: 8:20 PM. There was still plenty of time.

She took the elevator to the seventh floor, stood at the door, and tidied her clothes. She smoothed her shoulder-length hair and, once satisfied, knocked on the door.

She had planned what to say, but when the door opened, all words got stuck in her throat.

“Oh, Dr. Shan, what are you doing here?”

Shan Yue stared at the woman in front of her, “What are you doing here?”

He Xuanwei, Tian Jing’s senior and her biggest rival in love. For years, He Xuanwei had been by Tian Jing’s side, even when her daughter was born. Shan Yue felt guilty for her absence but was also grateful for He Xuanwei’s help, which prevented Tian Jing and her daughter from struggling too much.

However, this also made her uneasy. Anyone could see that He Xuanwei liked Tian Jing. Otherwise, no one would go to such lengths.

He Xuanwei calmly replied, “Xiaojing invited me.”

“Senior, who is it…” Tian Jing’s voice came from the kitchen. She poked her head out, already dressed in gray loungewear, holding a spatula. Her hair was casually tied up, and her smile disappeared when she saw Shan Yue.

“Xiaojing,” Shan Yue called out.

“What are you doing here?” Tian Jing frowned, her whole demeanor bristling with hostility towards the intruder.

Shan Yue glanced at her rival and squeezed into the room. “I’m here to celebrate my birthday.”

Tian Jing’s face hardened, “Get out.”

Shan Yue sighed, “Today is my birthday. Are you really going to be so heartless as to kick me out?”

Her expression was so serious that Tian Jing hesitated for a moment. She faltered, then looked away awkwardly without saying anything, turning back to the kitchen. This silence was tacit permission for Shan Yue to stay, revealing her soft heart.

Shan Yue lowered her eyes, hiding her delight. She glanced around the room as if searching for something, then pushed open a half-closed door.

The sound of the electronic piano in the room suddenly stopped.

“Tiantian,” Shan Yue called softly, “Auntie is here to see you.”

A little girl called Tiantian jumped off the bed and ran over to Shan Yue, hugging her thigh. She rubbed her chubby cheek against Shan Yue’s leg and sweetly said, “Auntie~”

Shan Yue’s heart melted at the sound of her voice. She bent down to pick up the child and kissed her cheek.

After more than three years apart, she never imagined she would have such an adorable daughter, nor did she ever think that Tian Jing would get pregnant and not abort the child after they broke up but instead give birth to her.

Living in the same city, they missed out on three years of each other’s lives and her daughter’s growth due to stubbornness.

Tian Jing had initiated the breakup. Back then, Shan Yue was troubled by work at the hospital, so she cut off contact. When her anger subsided and she went back to find Tian Jing, she discovered Tian Jing had moved and changed jobs, losing all contact with her.

She never expected Tian Jing to stay in City A and give birth to a daughter. Shan Yue couldn’t imagine how Tian Jing managed all these years, raising a child alone while working and sometimes working overtime.

If it weren’t for their recent encounter at the hospital, she might never have known she had a daughter.

“Auntie wants eat eat….” Tiantian said, pointing to the door.

At not even three years old, Tiantian’s speech was heavily accented and somewhat unclear.

“Alright, let’s go eat,” Shan Yue said softly, rubbing her soft hair and carrying her out of the room.

Tiantian wrapped one arm around Shan Yue’s neck, while her chubby hand pointed toward the kitchen, “Mommy~”

“We’re going to see Mommy cooking.”

“Mommy, Mommy~”

Shan Yue carried her daughter over and saw the two people busy cooking. Her face turned a mix of green and white. She put Tiantian down and squeezed herself between them, “I’ll do it, you go take care of the child.”

Tian Jing: …

He Xuanwei: …

“Mommy~”

Before Tian Jing could refuse, her daughter hugged her thigh. She sighed silently, said nothing, took off her apron, and carried Tiantian out of the kitchen.

She turned on the TV and played a recorded episode of “Magical Girls” for her daughter. Her eyes involuntarily glanced toward the kitchen, her expression distant.

She really couldn’t understand Shan Yue anymore. Back then, she was so decisive, but now she clung on. What was she trying to do?

She remembered that when she suggested breaking up, Shan Yue had agreed without hesitation, even though she was suffering from pregnancy discomforts at the time.

Tian Jing knew her temper had become strange, especially after Wen Wenxue appeared. She became more suspicious and couldn’t understand why.

She thought Shan Yue would understand her unease, but Shan Yue didn’t see Wen Wenxue as a threat. When she angrily proposed the breakup, she was stunned herself. Before she could take it back, Shan Yue agreed.

After that, she found out she was pregnant.

Besides Shan Yue, she hadn’t even held hands with a man. All her firsts were with Shan Yue, so it was impossible for her to be pregnant.

She felt confused, conflicted, and scared for a long time until her belly grew, and she finally believed she was really pregnant.

She was carrying Shan Yue’s child and didn’t know what kind of monster she would give birth to. She tried to contact Shan Yue to ask what was going on, but her phone was always off.

Later, she heard that Shan Yue had long had enough of her, and she believed it because she had completely lost contact with Shan Yue during that time.

After being scared and uncertain for a while, she decided to resign and return to her hometown to give birth to the child.

Her parents were both teachers with relatively conservative views. If they knew she was pregnant out of wedlock with another woman’s child, they would be furious. So, to this day, her parents don’t know about her premarital pregnancy or Tiantian’s existence. Whenever she visits home, she goes alone.

In recent years, her parents retired and, having more free time, even arranged blind dates for her. Last year, she had no choice but to confess about Tiantian, which ended up causing her father to be hospitalized from the shock.

The weight on her chest brought her drifting thoughts back to reality. She focused on her daughter’s face, looking at the little face that resembled Shan Yue by seven or eight points, and felt a pang of sadness.

It was her who had risked everything to give birth, yet the child looked so much like Shan Yue, so much so that Shan Yue immediately recognized the child’s parentage upon their first meeting.

“Dinner is ready.”

He Xuanwei brought out the dishes, and Tian Jing snapped back to the present, giving her daughter’s cheek a kiss. “Mommy needs to help out. Little Tiantian will soon have her favorite squid tentacles to eat.”

Tiantian nodded in a daze. “Tentacles, want to eat~”

Tian Jing couldn’t resist kissing her again. She had never regretted giving birth to her daughter.

She loved Tiantian.

As for Shan Yue, no matter what she wanted to do, Tian Jing would never give up Tiantian. Her daughter was her untouchable bottom line.

Tian Jing set her daughter on the sofa and went to tidy up the table. She looked up to see Shan Yue coming out, carrying the half-cooked fish ball soup.

When did she learn to cook?

Though curious, Tian Jing didn’t ask.

She went in to bring out the remaining dishes. She knew it was Shan Yue’s birthday today. Shan Yue had been pestering her for days to spend her birthday with her.

After all, Shan Yue was Tiantian’s biological mother. Unable to resist, Tian Jing agreed. She had gotten up early to go to the market and had ordered the cake days in advance, which was now in the fridge. However, Wen Wenxue’s words had once again caused her heart to plummet, never to recover.

They had ended things four years ago, and logically, whoever Shan Yue dated now shouldn’t matter to her. But why did it have to be Wen Wenxue?!

She thought that after everything she had been through, she had developed an indomitable heart. Yet, whenever she encountered Shan Yue, she would lose control, and that had never changed. Shan Yue always made her feel like she was debasing herself.

“Eat, eat~” Tiantian climbed down from the sofa, smacking her little lips and tottering towards the enticing smell.

Shan Yue dried her hands and picked up her daughter, heading to the washroom. “Good kids wash their hands before eating.”

Tiantian giggled and rubbed her hands together. “Wash hands, wash hands~”

Tian Jing stood still, watching the interaction between mother and daughter, a touch of softness in her eyes.

He Xuanwei subtly approached Tian Jing. “When did she and Tiantian become so close?”

Tian Jing looked a bit uneasy. “These past few days…..she’s been staying here.”

She would rather sleep on the couch every night than go back to the Shan family villa.

Yep, she was asking for it.

He Xuanwei: …

Even she didn’t know when Shan Yue had become so shameless, yet Tian Jing couldn’t refuse her.

When Shan Yue and Tiantian finished washing their hands and came out, Shan Yue noticed how close Tian Jing and He Xuanwei were, a flash of displeasure crossing her eyes. But she quickly concealed it, placing Tiantian in her high chair and thoughtfully serving her a bit of soup in her special bowl.

Tian Jing smiled at He Xuanwei. “Have a seat, Senior.”

He Xuanwei acknowledged her with a nod and sat down beside Tian Jing, giving Tiantian a piece of squid tentacle. “A reward for our little Tiantian.”

Tian Jing said, “Tiantian, what do you say?”

Tiantian softly replied, “Thank you, Godmother~”

Shan Yue: …

Her daughter called her rival godmother and called her aunt? How could there be such a big difference in terms of address? Especially since she was Tiantian’s biological mother.

Shan Yue felt a bitterness she couldn’t express and didn’t dare question Tian Jing for fear of making her angry again.

He Xuanwei placed some food on Tian Jing’s plate. “You should eat more too.”

Shan Yue: …

Tian Jing glanced at Shan Yue out of the corner of her eye and saw her struggling to contain something, her eyes practically boring into He Xuanwei with an intent to devour. Tian Jing’s heart began to race.

She could tell Shan Yue was jealous. In the past, Shan Yue might have already driven He Xuanwei away and then punished her severely…

Realizing what she was thinking, Tian Jing’s ears turned hot. She quickly refocused on her daughter, taking care of Tiantian and chatting with He Xuanwei, deliberately ignoring Shan Yue. 

Shan Yue: …

Her heart ached.