Your Wife? Mine! - Chapter 11

Dinner at the Shen household always ran early. By the time they finished, the sky outside had just begun to dim, and the lingering twilight had painted the horizon in a warm, burnished orange.

“Mommy, I’m full!”

Little Wutong hopped down from her chair with the agility of a little squirrel and bolted toward the bathroom. Occidens stood up immediately, his tail wagging happily as he followed his little master step for step.

Shen Xi turned to watch the girl’s energetic retreat, her expression softening. “She really is wonderful,” she murmured, her voice thick with genuine emotion.

She turned back to Meng Xiyao, her eyes clear and honest. “You’ve raised her well. Truly, remarkably well.”

Meng Xiyao stirred the remains of her soup with a porcelain spoon. She didn’t reply, but her silence served as a tacit acceptance of the praise.

A brief silence fell between them. Once again, Shen Xi’s gaze drifted uncontrollably to the gentle, serene lines of Meng Xiyao’s face, as if she could never see enough of her.

Suddenly, Little Wutong came “thump-thump-thumping” back from the bathroom, heading straight for the massive parcel in the corner of the living room. She crouched in front of it and tilted her head back. “Mommy! Can I open the present Auntie gave me?”

Shen Xi snapped back to reality. She glanced at the tiny figure captivated by the gift, cleared her throat, and called out, “Of course you can!”

“I’ll help you,” Shen Xi added. She turned to Meng Xiyao, tossed out a quick, “I’ll go help her,” and hurried over to the girl’s side.

Standing before the parcel, Shen Xi looked down at the “behemoth” wrapped tightly in layers of shipping tape. She rubbed her chin, falling into deep thought. Hmm… this is sealed pretty tight. Where’s the best place to start?

As if reading her mind, Little Wutong scrambled up and trotted to the entryway on her short legs. She grabbed a small craft knife from a familiar spot and ran back, handing it to Shen Xi. “Here, Auntie. Use this.”

Relieved, Shen Xi took the knife. “Thank you.”

She lined the blade up with the seam of the tape and sliced through it cleanly. Little Wutong and Occidens stood side-by-side, a pair of equally curious eyes fixed on Shen Xi’s every move.

“Auntie,” Little Wutong couldn’t help but ask, her voice brimming with anticipation. “What is it? What did you get me?”

Shen Xi kept her hands moving, deftly stripping away the packaging. She glanced at the girl and teased, “Little Wutong is so smart. Why don’t you try to guess?”

“Hmm…”

The girl immediately put her hands on her hips, then rested her chin on a finger in a mimicry of a serious thinker. “Is it Legos?”

Shen Xi shook her head, a playful glint in her eyes. “Wrong. Try again.”

“A puzzle?”

“Nonono…” Shen Xi wagged a finger.

“Then… a giant stuffed animal?”

“Nope, not that either.”

As the two of them went back and forth with their guessing game, Meng Xiyao had quietly made her way over. She leaned languidly against the back of the living room sofa, her gaze softening as it rested on the two figures one tall and one small not far away.

With a focused tug, Shen Xi let out a loud rip, finally tearing away the outermost layer of packaging to reveal the contents inside.

Little Wutong leaned in eagerly, her small face scrunching into a look of bewildered curiosity. “Auntie… what is this?”

Shen Xi tucked the craft knife away, a touch of pride surfacing on her face. “It’s a tent.”

Little Wutong’s round eyes widened. She looked at the object in the box, then back at Shen Xi, confirming it with disbelief. “A tent?”

“Like the kind… you can set up and hide inside? Like a little house but for outside?”

Shen Xi nodded firmly, her smile deepening. “Exactly like that.”

“Whoa!” Little Wutong let out a resounding cheer. She threw her hands up and began spinning like a happy little top, running a wide circle around Shen Xi while shouting at the top of her lungs, “I love it! I love it so, so much!”

“I’ve always, always wanted a tent to hide in! Now Occidens and I will have the most secret little garden ever!”

“Auntie, you’re amazing! You’re the best Auntie in the whole world!”

With a joyful cry, Little Wutong launched herself forward like a tiny cannonball, throwing her arms tightly around Shen Xi’s legs. Even the ever-loyal Occidens joined the fray, his big, fluffy head nuzzling affectionately against the back of Shen Xi’s knees.

Caught in a pincer maneuver between a child and a dog, Shen Xi was effectively “surrounded.”

From her vantage point by the sofa, Meng Xiyao watched as Shen Xi’s body stiffened with visible intensity. The Alpha turned into a stone statue as if someone had struck her pressure points; she stood bolt upright, frozen, looking utterly lost as to what to do with her hands and feet.

Watching this comical display, Meng Xiyao finally couldn’t help herself. The corners of her lips curled upward into a faint, shallow arc.

Still clinging to Shen Xi’s leg, Little Wutong tilted her face up. Her big eyes were brimming with starlight as she asked expectantly, “Auntie, you’re so nice… I can I give you a hug?”

Shen Xi blinked, feeling as though the softest corner of her heart had been gently brushed. The sharp lines of her face melted away completely into a soft smile, her voice dropping to a tender whisper. “Of course you can.”

She leaned down, carefully gathering Little Wutong into her arms.

The girl immediately looped her chubby little arms around Shen Xi’s neck and mwah! planted a resounding kiss on her cheek. She didn’t hold back on the praise: “Thank you, Auntie! I really, really, super-duper love this gift!”

That soft, pure kiss was like a magical seal, branded precisely into the most vulnerable part of Shen Xi’s soul. An unfamiliar warmth sprouted in her chest, rippling outward until it filled her entire being.

It was a subtle feeling, mixed with a hint of bewilderment and a sudden, awakened surge of maternal tenderness. For a fleeting moment, she felt she would willingly hand over every beautiful thing in the world to this child.

Yet, hard on the heels of this warmth came a tidal wave of envy and jealousy so fierce it nearly swallowed her whole.

Damn it!

What did Gu Hai do to deserve this? How could she have such incredible luck?!

Shen Xi spent a few moments in internal, teeth-gritting resentment before reigning herself in. She tightened her embrace, cradling the slender, soft little body in her arms with even greater care.

As the warm, vibrant weight of the child rested against her, an uncontrollable image flickered through Shen Xi’s mind.

She imagined herself in a slightly noisy delivery room, carefully receiving a tiny newborn no bigger than a palm from a nurse. She saw herself rocking the baby with clumsy, gentle movements. After a moment, she instinctively turned to look at Meng Xiyao lying on the hospital bed.

In this vision, Meng Xiyao’s hair was damp with sweat and her face was pale, yet her expression was nothing but tender. Their eyes met, and they shared a knowing, silent smile.

“Wah… wah…”

Amidst the loud, spirited cries of the newborn, Shen Xi overwhelmed with excitement and pride suddenly hoisted the child high into the air. Just like Rafiki lifting Simba in The Lion King, announcing this joy to the entire world…

And in reality, she actually did it.

Lost in her fantasy, Shen Xi secured one hand under Little Wutong’s back and used the other to support her. With a slight burst of strength, she lifted the child high above her head.

As the girl let out a small “Whoa!” of surprised delight, Shen Xi turned her head. Her gaze cut across the living room to where Meng Xiyao was leaning languidly against the sofa.

The Alpha spoke, her voice carrying a dreamy, expectant tenderness. “What… What is this child’s name?”

Meng Xiyao, arms crossed as she watched this sudden, bizarre behavior, answered instinctively, “Wutong.”

“Gu Wutong.”

Hadn’t she told her this already?

“Wutong…” Shen Xi turned back, looking up at the giggling child she held aloft, whispering the name to herself thoughtfully.

A few seconds later, she knit her brows in displeasure. “The surname ‘Gu’… it doesn’t sound right.”

“She should take the name Meng,” Shen Xi said, her eyes fixed on the child above her, her tone ringing with absolute certainty. “Her name is Meng Wutong.”

Since this was the child Meng Xiyao had brought into the world, why should Gu Hai get to attach her name to her?

It was simply shameless.

Support