After A Secret Marriage With The Trending Queen - Chapter 48

Chapter 48

“You said you’d wait for us at home!”

The Shen siblings stood at the doorway, completely wind-swept and bewildered.

The dining table was spotless, with only a small note left behind. On it, a few lines of messy handwriting read:

“Your dad and I went to the community’s middle-aged and elderly ballroom dance competition. There are leftovers in the fridge. Heat them up to eat.”

Shen Lu clutched the note, her mouth twitching. She quickly opened the refrigerator. Sure enough, there were leftovers neatly sealed in containers with cling film.

“No way, we have to eat this for lunch?” Shen Jing’s face dropped.

Shen Lu tossed the note to him and started taking the containers out one by one. “What else? Just make do; I’m starving.”

“Then who’s making it?” Shen Jing asked.

“I’ll cook; you wash the dishes,” Shen Lu’s tone was firm and brooked no refusal.

Shen Jing opened his mouth, but there was no counter-argument he could make…

After the siblings quickly devoured their food, Shen Lu threw up her hands and went straight to her room. Shen Jing craned his neck and shouted, “Where are you going?”

“To sleep,” came a lazy reply from inside.

“Sleeping right after eating? You’ll get fat as a pig,” Shen Jing muttered.

…

In her room, Shen Lu began unpacking her luggage. The first thing she took out was the dress she treated like a treasure—her first dress as an adult, the one Ye Qin had given her. Shen Lu covered it with a garment bag and placed it in the inner layer of her closet.

After finishing the tidying, she was exhausted and simply collapsed onto the bed and fell fast asleep.

In a moment of shared synchronicity, Ye Qin was also lying on the large bed in her own apartment, wearing an eye mask and sleeping. Everyone had been tired lately, and finally having a day without a script in hand, Ye Qin’s sleep was also deeper and more relaxed.

In the early evening, Father and Mother Shen returned. The house was unusually quiet. If they hadn’t seen the two pairs of shoes by the entrance, they would have thought their daughter and son hadn’t come home.

Mother Shen hung up her bag and quietly went into the kitchen to start preparing dinner. After a moment, Father Shen crept over and whispered in her ear, “The kids are both sleeping.”

“Let them sleep a bit longer. Working in H City during this period must have been tiring. We’ll call them when dinner is ready,” Mother Shen said in a low voice.

Shen Lu had a sweet dream. In it, she was standing on a large grassland, with a blue sky overhead and cattle and sheep below. She was holding Ye Qin’s hand, laughing boldly, unrestrainedly, and sincerely. She laughed happily along with her.

The dream was broken when it was time to wake up for dinner.

Shen Lu washed her face and sat at the dinner table in a daze. Mother Shen finished clearing the dishes and said, “Call Qin Qin to come over and have dinner with us tomorrow.”

Shen Lu was startled, her immediate reaction was, “Why call her over?”

Mother Shen looked surprised. “You two are married. Isn’t it perfectly normal to invite her over to have a meal and gather at our house?”

“No… Mom, we finally have a rest and vacation. Just let me quietly enjoy life without her,” Shen Lu said, picking up her chopsticks to grab a piece of braised pork.

“No manners!”

No manners, so be it. No mentioning Ye Qin during the vacation!

Shen Lu was determined to live a free and unrestrained life for three days… which roughly translated to eating, drinking, playing, sleeping, singing, and howling all by herself.

This state lasted for two days, and Shen Lu was very satisfied.

…

On the third day, everything was shattered.

Ye Qin got up very early that day. She had spent the last two days with her grandmother, but today she had somewhere else to go. She drove to a nearby mall and bought a huge amount of fresh vegetables, fruits, poultry, fish, and all kinds of seafood. Later, she found her entire car trunk was full, and she couldn’t carry it all herself, so she hired a few movers to help.

“Shen Lu, open the door,” Mother Shen, sitting nearby doing embroidery, instructed Shen Lu, who was playing a mobile game on the sofa.

“Shen Jing, open the door,” Shen Lu shouted back without lifting her head.

Shen Jing, who was still in his room, came out in slippers and a messy bun. “You’re both right here in the living room! You want me to open the door?” After complaining, he dutifully went to open the door.

Standing outside were several men, each carrying bags and boxes full of groceries. “Excuse me, is this Shen Lu’s house?”

Shen Jing’s eyes widened. He quickly waved his hands. “Sister! Mom! Come look…”

A few seconds later, Shen Lu and Mother Shen arrived, displaying the same look of surprise.

“Please sign for the delivery.”

“No, wait, I didn’t order these things,” Shen Lu said, bewildered.

“They were sent by Miss Ye.”

Ye Qin? Fine, it must be her. Shen Lu quickly scribbled her name to sign.

“Qin Qin bought all this? She’s so generous!” Mother Shen’s eyes nearly popped out.

The Shen family spent a great deal of effort organizing all the items. Shen Lu sat cross-legged on the sofa, wondering what scheme Ye Qin was up to now. Before she could relax, the doorbell rang again.

Shen Jing immediately ducked into his room. “Sister, it’s your turn to open the door this time.”

Shen Lu sighed and reluctantly put her feet down to open the door. Who could it be this time? The door opened, and Ye Qin elegantly took off her sunglasses and waved at her. “Hi~”

“What are you doing here?” Shen Lu stiffened.

“Why can’t I be here? Don’t you welcome me?” Ye Qin walked in uninvited, warmly calling Shen Lu’s mother “Mom.”

Shen Lu stood behind the door, even more flustered. What was Ye Qin thinking?

Mother Shen was momentarily stunned, then moved to grateful tears. “Qin Qin, what did you just call me?”

“Mom,” Ye Qin called again.

“Oh, my good daughter!” Mother Shen quickly embraced Ye Qin.

Shen Lu twitched her mouth, smiling awkwardly, and walked over to separate the ‘mother and daughter’ who were reconnecting. “Um, do you want something to drink? I’ll get you some.”

“Water is fine,” Ye Qin smiled faintly at her.

This smile made Shen Lu shiver slightly. She felt like the smile hid something sinister. It seemed Ye Qin had tormented her too much, and the trauma was so great that even when Ye Qin was slightly gentle, Shen Lu suspected a conspiracy.

“Sister Qin, you’re here!” Shen Jing jumped out of his room.

“Yes. I just bought some ordinary ingredients and brought them over.”

“Oh my, these are hardly ordinary! It must have cost you a fortune,” Mother Shen patted Ye Qin’s hand, which she had been holding since Ye Qin walked in. She looked exceptionally warm and delighted.

“Not a fortune. It didn’t cost much.”

Shen Lu returned with the water and handed it to her. “Here, your water.”

Mother Shen immediately glared at her. “Can’t you be nicer to Qin Qin? So thoughtless.”

Shen Lu was in no mood to be happy. It was the last day of her hard-won vacation, and she wanted to cry.

Though she hated to admit it, she also really wanted to see her. Was this what they called being willfully contrary?

“Since that’s the case, you two talk. I’ll go prepare lunch for you,” Mother Shen automatically created space for them.

“I just remembered, I haven’t finished my game yet,” Shen Jing also slipped away.

Shen Lu nervously picked at her fingers, avoiding looking at her. Ye Qin, however, kept staring at her, a smile lingering in her eyes.

“How about it? Haven’t seen me in two days. Did you miss me?”

“No,” Shen Lu insisted stubbornly.

“No, huh… That’s not fair,” Ye Qin sighed. “Because I missed you.”