After A Secret Marriage With The Trending Queen - Chapter 47

Chapter 47

Stepping from the balcony back into the banquet hall, Ye Qin finally released Shen Lu’s hand. She put on a composed and indifferent facade and slowly melted into the crowd, speaking quietly to Shen Lu. “What did Tan Xueying talk to you about?”

“Nothing much…” Shen Lu pouted.

“That’s good. Don’t have any contact with her from now on.”

“Mhm, I know.”

“Sister, there you are! I finally found you,” Shen Jing rushed out of the crowd, looking excited.

“Why is everyone looking for me?” Shen Lu felt somewhat flattered.

“Sister Qin is here too! The chef finished making the hairy crabs. Let’s go quickly, or they might be gone!”

“You two go. I’m not hungry.” Ye Qin smiled, raising her hand to nudge Shen Lu towards Shen Jing.

Shen Lu paused, then heard Ye Qin add, “Go on, eat more.”

“Aiya, hurry and come with me!” Shen Jing impatiently dragged Shen Lu away from Ye Qin’s line of sight.

Shen Jing pulled her along to the line. Freshly steamed hairy crabs were not in season and thus rare and expensive delicacies. Shen Lu looked back but couldn’t see Ye Qin anymore.

If there were no further issues with the crew, their group would separate tomorrow after the dinner concluded. They had lived and worked together for a few months, only to scatter across the country overnight.

Shen Lu and Shen Jing were finally going home. She was particularly relieved and gratified that her usually spoiled and undisciplined brother had worked this job so seriously for so long. It seemed he had suddenly turned over a new leaf. This lessened her worry, and their parents would also be relieved.

…

Back at the hotel that night, Shen Lu changed out of the dress, washed it, and hung it on a drying rack. She sat and stared at it for a long while. Every time she thought that Ye Qin had given it to her, she felt a warmth in her heart.

A satisfied Shen Jing returned to the hotel and utterly collapsed like a puddle of mud. He had never been so full in his life. But with so much expensive and delicious food, he felt it would be a waste or a loss not to eat it all. He reached up and touched his rounded stomach, which was nearly bursting the buttons of his shirt. He remembered this was a branded suit gifted by Sister Qin and didn’t want to damage it, so he quickly undid the buttons and sighed in relief.

Just then, his phone rang. Though it was an unsaved number, he vaguely recognized it from a previous call.

“Hello?”

“It’s time to pay up, boy. I know where you live. Don’t force me to come to your home to collect the debt.”

“I-I’m almost… almost paying it back. Brother, please grant me an extension. Please don’t go to my house, or everything will be ruined,” Shen Jing stammered, sweat beading on his forehead.

“Then I’ll give you one last month. Otherwise, you know what to expect.”

“Thank you, Brother, thank you.”

After hanging up, Shen Jing was panicked. What should I do? Where would he get that much money to pay those people back? He regretted gambling that money away for fun. Now, he felt helpless trying to clean up the mess. He had actually turned down that huge sum of money! Was he out of his mind?

But that woman surnamed Tan, with her scheming, was truly terrifying.

…

After the dinner, Wang Lin went straight to Yang Li’s place. She had been staying with Yang Li frequently during this time, rarely returning to the hotel.

She returned late at night. Seeing no lights on, she was careful not to make noise for fear of disturbing the mother and son, and she lay down on the sofa without showering.

A moment later, the bedroom light turned on. Yang Li walked out in her pajamas and slippers and called out softly, “You’re back.”

Wang Lin lifted her head. “You haven’t slept yet?”

Yang Li walked out, turned on the living room light, and gently closed the bedroom door. “I didn’t sleep because you weren’t back.”

Wang Lin reached out and naturally pulled her close. “The drama is wrapped. We can go back tomorrow.”

Yang Li was silent for a moment. “Do we really have to go back?”

Wang Lin understood that she was referring to her and her son, not just the three of them.

“We were separated for so many years and finally got back together. I don’t want to be separated from you again, and I won’t allow anyone to separate us,” Wang Lin tightened her grip on Yang Li’s hand.

Yang Li smiled softly. “Okay, then I’ll go back with you.”

Wang Lin smiled with relief and kissed her forehead. The two embraced on the sofa.

…

The next morning, everyone packed up to head back to A City. At the same time, Shen Lu and Shen Jing received good news: three days of vacation.

In Shen Lu’s line of work, a vacation was extremely rare. Their schedule followed the artist’s, and when the artist was busy, the assistant had to work around the clock. Thinking back, she hadn’t had a proper holiday in a very long time. When she received the news, Shen Lu was so excited she nearly bit her tongue.

“Sister, what are you going to do on vacation?”

“Vacation… Of course, I’m going to sleep for three days and three nights at home!”

“No ambition,” Shen Jing rolled his eyes at her.

“But speaking of which, why isn’t Sister Wang here yet? We’ve been waiting a while,” Shen Jing said, checking the time from the driver’s seat.

“I don’t know,” Shen Lu looked out the window.

“Here she comes,” Ye Qin also saw her.

Wang Lin emerged, and with her were two other people: a simply dressed woman and a small boy. The nature of this relationship immediately sparked speculation.

Ye Qin had known Wang Lin for seven or eight years and had never seen her in an intimate relationship with any woman. Even though Ye Qin was aware of Wang Lin’s sexual orientation, seeing this scene, she seemed to guess and understand something.

“Sorry to keep you waiting,” Wang Lin said.

“This is…” Shen Lu asked.

“Let me introduce you. This is Yang Li, and her son, Liner.”

Shen Lu looked at Ye Qin with curiosity. Although Ye Qin didn’t speak, she replied to Shen Lu’s guess with a look. Shen Lu immediately understood, leaving only Shen Jing completely in the dark.

“What’s going on with all of you? Tell me too,” Shen Jing turned to lean over the seat.

“Drive your car,” Shen Lu reached out and turned his head forward.

Shen Jing reluctantly started the car. In the back, Ye Qin and Wang Lin started chatting. “They’re coming back with us, right?”

Wang Lin nodded. Liner, a bit shy, sat in the back row, clinging to his mother’s embrace.

“I’m planning to have them stay in one of my empty houses in A City first.”

Ye Qin nodded. “That’s a good idea.”

Anyone with a clear eye could roughly figure it out: a woman with a child, yet her true love was also a woman. There must have been many hardships and setbacks, but fortunately, the hard times were over.

“Sister Wang, you should also take a few days off when we return to A City. Take them out, relax, and put work aside for a bit. I’m quite tired too,” Ye Qin said.

“Mhm…” Wang Lin looked back at Yang Li. Just looking at her gave her a sense of profound stability.

“Mommy, are we going to Auntie Wang’s house?” Liner looked up and asked in a sweet, childish voice.

Yang Li gently stroked her son’s face. “Yes, Auntie Wang has a big house, and you’ll have your own little room. You won’t have to squeeze in with Mommy anymore.”

“Then will you sleep with Auntie Wang?”

The son’s innocent eyes blinked. Yang Li’s face instantly flushed, and she didn’t know how to answer. Wang Lin, sitting in the front, secretly smiled.

Of course, being in the same car, Shen Lu and Ye Qin could also hear. To break the awkward atmosphere, Shen Lu took the initiative to liven things up.

“Sister Qin, what are your plans for our vacation?”

“I… I’m resting,” Ye Qin stammered. In fact, she already had plans but wasn’t going to tell Shen Lu.

“Oh… Will you go visit Grandma then?”

Ye Qin raised an eyebrow. “Why, do you want to come with me? This is your rare three-day holiday.”

Shen Lu had no choice but to pout. “I think I’ll just enjoy my holiday then.” Who knew how busy work would be afterwards?

…

A few hours later, the group arrived smoothly in A City.

Shen Jing drove Wang Lin and the others to the designated location to drop them off. Wang Lin and Yang Li took Liner upstairs to the new home. This apartment was one of Wang Lin’s properties, purchased with luxury renovation, so it was ready to move into at any time. It seemed she had foresight, and now it could be put to good use.

Little Liner was stunned the moment he walked in, excitedly tugging his mother’s hand and saying, “What a big and beautiful house!”

Wang Lin crouched down. “Liner, this will be your home from now on, okay?”

Yang Li stood nearby, her eyes subtly moist. At this moment, she couldn’t articulate her inner feelings.

Next was to drop off Ye Qin. Shen Lu and Shen Jing acted as laborers, working together to carry Ye Qin’s luggage upstairs. They were huffing and puffing, breaking a sweat in the December weather.

Ye Qin personally brewed two hot coffees for them. “Do you want to take a shower here before heading back?”

“No, no, no!” Shen Lu quickly waved her hands in refusal. “Mom and Dad are waiting for us at home, right, Shen Jing?”

Shen Jing was confused and was pulled away by Shen Lu before he even got a chance to tour Sister Qin’s luxurious apartment.

On the way back, Shen Jing suddenly said, “Sister, I actually think Sister Qin is really good to you.”

“Is that so?” Shen Lu was startled.

My simple brother, that’s because you’ve been fooled by her facade.