CH 91

The yoga class was booked, with two sessions a week, leaving plenty of free time. 

When they got home, Shan Yue and Tian Jing were already gone, and Shen Tiantian felt a bit tired. After dinner, she went upstairs.

After taking a shower, Shen Tiantian was half-lying on the bed playing with her phone. Shan Yi asked her if she wanted to go back to work with her. Without even looking up, Shen Tiantian refused, saying: “I’ve already resigned, what would I go back for?!”

“To watch me work,” Shan Yi said seriously, “Otherwise, if you’re home alone, I’m afraid you’ll start overthinking things.”

Shen Tiantian found this amusing and finally looked up from her screen, unable to suppress her laughter: “I’m not the one who overthinks things, you are.”

Shan Yi: … 

She put down her tablet and climbed onto the bed, pinning Shen Tiantian down. “Don’t you want to spend time with me?”

Shen Tiantian laughed out loud, mimicking her movements and pinching her face, “I do want to spend time with you, but I have other things to do.”

“Like what?”

Shen Tiantian smiled mysteriously, unlocked her phone, scrolled through her chat history, and then showed it to Shan Yi.

“You want to learn flower arranging?” Shan Yi asked in surprise.

Shen Tiantian nodded, “Yaya said that women shouldn’t be without a career. What if one day you don’t want me anymore, what will happen to me and the baby?”

Shan Yi frowned unhappily, “You still think I’d ever not want you?”

Noticing that her wife was upset, Shen Tiantian quickly reassured her: “No, no, I was just joking. I just think that since I have free time now, I might as well learn something. When the baby is born, I can still work while taking care of the baby.”

She paused and blinked at her wife, “Don’t you think that sounds wonderful?”

Shan Yi remained stern-faced, “What’s so wonderful about that?”

Shen Tiantian gave her a quick kiss on the cheek, full of affection, and counted on her fingers, “Look, we wouldn’t have to bother Mom with the baby. I could find a shop near your company, and then we could have lunch together. In the evening, you could come by my shop to pick me and the baby up after work. This way, I’d have a job and we’d get to see each other every day. Isn’t that nice?”

“No,” Shan Yi was unmoved.

Shen Tiantian pouted, feeling dejected. Maybe joking earlier wasn’t such a good idea. Was her wife being serious now?

She sulked and lightly smacked her own mouth. Shan Yi immediately grabbed her hand, tenderly touching the spot she had hit, “Why are you hitting yourself?”

“Did you take my joke seriously?” Shen Tiantian asked cautiously.

Her wife treated her so well, saying such things must have hurt her. The more she thought about it, the more uncertain she felt. She wrapped her arms around Shan Yi’s waist and nuzzled her face against her cheek, “I’m sorry.”

Shan Yi had indeed been hurt by Shen Tiantian’s words earlier. She thought she had made her position clear, but Shen Tiantian’s words made her feel that she hadn’t been fully accepted yet. She sighed and rolled over to lie on her side.

Shen Tiantian turned her head to look at her, sensitive to the change in Shan Yi’s mood. She swallowed, tugged lightly at her sleeve, and asked gently, “Are you really angry?”

Shan Yi didn’t deny it, “Yes.”

Shen Tiantian bit her lip, then straddled her waist, cupping her face and planting gentle kisses on her face and neck. Shan Yi held her back, “Don’t play with fire.”

“Then don’t be angry. I was just joking. You know I can’t stay idle; I need to find something to do or I’ll go crazy.”

“Where do you plan to go to learn with your big belly?”

“I’m planning to start by buying books and watching videos to teach myself first.”

Shan Yi hummed in response and said nothing more.

Shen Tiantian continued to kiss her, seeking her forgiveness. Before long, Shan Yi, unable to resist, flipped over and pinned Shen Tiantian beneath her, reaching out to tickle her.

Knowing full well that she couldn’t do much, Shen Tiantian still insisted on teasing her. Shen Tiantian couldn’t handle the tickling and soon surrendered.

Seeing her gasping for breath, Shan Yi stopped, worried about hurting the baby. As she was about to withdraw her hand from Shen Tiantian’s belly, her palm was suddenly nudged. Shan Yi looked at her wife in disbelief, “Just now…”

Shen Tiantian’s eyes were wide with surprise, just like her wife’s, “My belly… it moved.”

“Did our daughter kick me?” Shan Yi added.

Shen Tiantian exclaimed in delight, “She moved? She moved!”

Shan Yi sat up excitedly, hesitantly but gently placing her hand on Shen Tiantian’s belly. For the first time, she felt a bit overwhelmed—so this is what it feels like to be a mother? It was amazing.

From the time they met to the pregnancy, Shen Tiantian had never seen Shan Yi like this—so childish and adorable.

She placed her hand over Shan Yi’s, guiding it over her belly, hoping the baby would kick again so they could both feel it clearly.

Almost four months pregnant, this was the first time she felt the baby move. Luckily, neither of them missed it.

However, despite waiting for a long time, the baby didn’t kick again. It was as if the baby was tired from that one kick and was now sleeping peacefully in her mother’s belly.

Even though it was a hurried and unexpected moment, Shan Yi clearly remembered the sensation. The baby was still small and didn’t have much strength, so the kick was gentle and soft. She wondered if it was the baby’s tiny hand or foot.

Because of the baby’s movement, Shan Yi was excited for a long time and didn’t fall asleep until after two in the morning, her hand still resting on her wife’s belly.

The next morning, Shen Tiantian was woken up by Shan Yi’s kisses.

She waved her hand groggily and asked, “Mmm, what are you doing?”

“I’m going to work. If the baby moves again, call me,” Shan Yi whispered in her ear, gently nibbling on her earlobe.

“Got it, Boss. I’m so sleepy.” Shen Tiantian, also excited about the baby’s movement, hadn’t fallen asleep until after midnight and was still very tired.

Shan Yi chuckled indulgently, stopped teasing her, grabbed her handbag, and left.

Shen Tiantian only heard the door close with a click before falling back into a deep sleep. When she woke up again, it was already past eleven.

After washing up, she prepared to go downstairs for breakfast. She paused by Shan Yue’s room, opened the door a crack, and peeked inside.

No one was there?!

The only person who could make her sister-in-law stay out all night was Manager Tian, right?

After having guessed wrong twice before, Shen Tiantian didn’t dare to make any assumptions this time.

Manager Tian usually seemed like a good person, but she had a strange temper—perhaps that strangeness was directed only at Shan Yue?

She shrugged, quietly closed the door, and carefully made her way downstairs, one hand on her waist and the other on the handrail. Mother Shan was watching a soap opera. When she saw Shen Tiantian coming downstairs, she quickly put down her sunflower seeds and hurried over. “I heard from Xiao Yi, the baby moved?”

Shen Tiantian smiled and nodded, “Yes, the baby moved.”

Mother Shan asked, “Did you ask Xiao Yue to take a look?”

“Auntie isn’t home.”

Mother Shan asked again, “When is the next prenatal check-up?”

Shen Tiantian smiled at the soon-to-be grandmother, who was more anxious than herself, and said softly, “I just had a check-up a few days ago.”

“So, what did the doctor say?”

Shen Tiantian recounted what the doctor had told her and then added, “So I signed up for a yoga class with Wanjun, two classes a week.”

Although still a bit worried, Mother Shan was never a domineering person. Knowing that this kind of exercise was good for both the baby and the mother, she nodded, “You must be hungry. I’ll heat up your breakfast.”

“Thank you, Mom.”

Mother Shan gave her a playful look: “What are you planning to do later? Want to go shopping with me?”

Shen Tiantian was a bit surprised. She realized that since coming to the Shan household, she hadn’t gone out with her mother-in-law yet. She agreed almost without hesitation, “Sure.”

Breakfast was simple: just a sandwich and hot milk. Shen Tiantian combined breakfast and lunch into one meal.

Mother Shan had a natural beauty, but with makeup, she looked even more refined and graceful.

Shen Tiantian touched her own face. She hadn’t been taking much care of her skin lately, but luckily, she was getting enough sleep, and her fair skin and natural charm weren’t outshone by her mother-in-law.

The family’s only driver was designated for Father Shan, and although they had other cars, Mother Shan seldom drove, and taking a taxi wasn’t convenient, so they had the driver come back.

Shopping with her mother-in-law was different from shopping with her wife. Her wife would hold her hand the whole time, while with her mother-in-law, their roles were reversed. Shen Tiantian had always thought that Mother Shan had more vitality and a gentler personality compared to other women her age. It wasn’t until they went shopping together that she realized Mother Shan had a strong youthful spirit. She nearly let herself go, but considering Shen Tiantian’s pregnancy, she restrained herself a bit.

After two hours of walking, Mother Shan worried that she might be tired and suggested they rest for a while at a dessert shop in the plaza.

“You sit here for a bit. I’m going to the restroom,” Mother Shan said after putting down their things.

Shen Tiantian nodded, “Okay.”

After Mother Shan left, Shen Tiantian, feeling bored, took out her phone. She snapped a selfie on a whim and sent it to her wife.

Shan Yi replied quickly.

——Are you outside?

Shen Tiantian: Yes, out shopping with Mom.

——Where are you? Send me your location, and I’ll come over.

Shen Tiantian: Why would you come over?!

——Mom goes a bit crazy when shopping. I’m worried.

Shen Tiantian laughed at her wife’s message, realizing she had experienced the same. However, she felt capable of handling it and declined, but she still sent her location.

“Hello, here are your papaya ginger milk and strawberry mousse.”

Shen Tiantian looked up from her phone and smiled slightly, “Thank you.”

“Shen Tiantian?” A voice behind the waiter suddenly called her name. Shen Tiantian looked over and immediately recognized her.

It was Li Siying, who had been fired by Shan Yi some time ago.

“What a small world,” Li Siying walked over and sneered.

Shen Tiantian had caused her to be fired from Yue Feng, losing her high-paying job. It wasn’t a good time to find a job, and no major companies were hiring secretaries. She had to resort to job hunting everywhere, but fortunately, her boyfriend hadn’t abandoned her. However, seeing the person who caused her downfall again, she couldn’t help but feel angry.

Her eyes fell on Shen Tiantian’s bulging belly, and with a cold sneer, she said, “So you can get pregnant even with a woman. Your behavior is really disgraceful. I wonder whose bastard you’re carrying. But since Shan Yi is willing to accept it, she probably isn’t that noble either.”

Li Siying, no longer working at Yue Feng, spoke without restraint. Shen Tiantian found her completely unreasonable. “When my wife first fired you, I felt sorry for you. But now, it seems you don’t even know what you did wrong, or maybe you don’t think you were wrong at all?”

Though Shen Tiantian felt no need to explain about the baby, hearing her child being called a bastard repeatedly made her very upset. “Moreover, my child is indeed Shan Yi’s biological child. With advanced technology, you should feel ashamed of your ignorance.”

“Fake sympathy. If it weren’t for you, would I have been fired? All my misery is because of you,” Li Siying retorted. She had worked at Yue Feng for over three years and hadn’t planned to leave. Getting fired over a few words was a hard pill to swallow, and she felt justified in expressing her anger.

“You should reflect on yourself,” Shen Tiantian said, feeling both furious and disgusted by Li Siying’s words. She tried to stay calm, her hand rubbing her increasingly uncomfortable belly.

“Why should I reflect? I did nothing wrong,” Li Siying replied venomously, her eyes fixed on Shen Tiantian’s belly. “I hope you safely deliver that bastard.”

Finishing her words, Li Siying steadied her bag and prepared to leave, but Shen Tiantian grabbed her.

Shen Tiantian stood up abruptly, her breath quickening. “How can you be so cruel? Why curse my unborn child?”

Li Siying, feigning innocence, replied, “Aren’t I wishing you a safe delivery?”

By now, a crowd had gathered to watch the drama unfold.

Shen Tiantian was so angry that her chest heaved. “You are vile.”

Seeing more people gathering, Li Siying panicked and forcefully shook off Shen Tiantian’s hand. “Let go.”

Shen Tiantian, standing in front of a table, lost her balance and fell back, her swollen belly hitting the table with a dull thud.

“Oof!”

In an instant, Shen Tiantian broke out in a cold sweat.

Li Siying was also startled, taking a couple of steps back. Seeing everyone staring at her, she waved her hands defensively. “I didn’t use much force. She must be faking it.”

Shen Tiantian, in too much pain to straighten up, clutched her belly with one hand and braced herself against the table with the other, biting down on her hand to endure the pain.

When Mother Shan returned, she saw a crowd gathered around Shen Tiantian’s spot. She squeezed through and saw Shen Tiantian bent over, holding her belly, and was shocked. “What’s wrong, Tiantian?”

“Mom…..go to the hospital, I don’t feel well,” Shen Tiantian said weakly.

A concerned passerby had already called an ambulance. “This lady shouldn’t be moved. It’s better to wait for the paramedics to assess her condition first.”