Shen Xue was pissed, but he couldn’t find it on himself to complain to his brother. Shen Yi and Lu Xinyi had found out that he was sneaking into their house early in the morning to steal food from their kitchen.
The last time he dared to do it, he was surprised to see two boxes of premium donuts in Shen Yi’s fridge. Imagine the sparkle in his eyes when he saw it: it was like he was just in for a treat, only to find his brother’s note telling him that they would start charging him for all the meals he will consume within Shen Yi’s home.
His face darkened when he remembered how Shen Yi took it upon his own hands to charge everything to his previous salary. That was charged twice! Shen Xue mumbled to himself as he poked the sweet and sour pork in his bowl.
Grammie and their father had decided to pay a visit to Shen Yi’s house that day. Of course, Lu Xinyi took the opportunity to prepare ahead and, with Madam Jin’s help, had managed to cook several dishes for them to eat for dinner.
Shen Xue eyed the different dishes served on the long table. Most of them were his favorites, but his kind brother had forced him to accompany Lu Xinyi to shop and pay for her purchases that morning. Looking at the delicious food that was served to them, he made up his mind to enjoy everything since he was the one who paid for it.
“Uncle Xue, pass the spring rolls, please?” Little Yuyan, who was sitting between him and Lu Xinyi, pointed at the spring rolls at his right side. Shen Xue gladly gave the little girl three pieces of it.
“How’s your company doing, Yi? It seemed like you’re paying more attention to it recently.” Shen Huang asked his eldest son. Shen Yi had barely shown himself to the Shen Group lately.
“It’s only been a week, Dad. I was just busy doing some formalities for its subsidiaries. Lu Xinyi would also need some financial assistance for her tuition fee so I better prepare before the school year starts.” Shen Yi replied. He thanked his wife when she placed another roasted duck on his plate.
“Is this usually a busy time before the school year?” Lu Xinyi asked curiously.
“Not really. We just have a lot of work to do,” Shen Yi said with a shrug.
“Don’t tire yourself too much, Yi. How can you and Xin’er conceive a baby if you keep working till late at night?” Madam Shen asked.
Lu Xinyi tried to suppress her blush as she remembered the wedding gift the old woman gave her.
“I wouldn’t worry about it, Grammie.” She awkwardly laughed while her husband gave her a glare which she vehemently ignored. “He knows what will happen if he continues to work overtime.”
Shen Xue’s brows rose, his chopsticks stopping mid-air as he stared at his sister-in-law.
“You’ll lock him out?” he asked before laughing at his brother.
Lu Xinyi nodded. “I don’t like my sleep being disturbed. He knows that he should be here before dinner, and he always forgets to give me a call whenever he is doing overtime.”
“Poor man.” Shen Huang shook his head, but he could understand why Lu Xinyi was mad for not giving her a call. “The couch must be uncomfortable to sleep on.”
Lu Xinyi thought Madam Shen was giving her a thoughtful look since the old woman arrived with Shen Huang, but she decided that she was probably imagining it.
“Xin’er, you look different today. Did you gain weight?” The Shen matriarch asked, giving Lu Xinyi an expectant look. Shen Huang frowned slightly as he tried to put his finger on what was different with his daughter-in-law that his mother noticed.
“Really? I think I’ve put on a bit of weight so that might be it.” Lu Xinyi wasn’t sure where this question came from.
“Have you?” Shen Huang asked, “You look the same to me.”
“Have you ever thought that you might be pregnant?” The words from the Shen Matriarch’s mouth made all of them freeze in their seats and stare at her with wide eyes. She calmly took a dumpling and bit the savory dish that Lu Xinyi cooked. Ah, so flavorful. So this was the reason why her other grandson moved out from her mansion and chose to live beside his brother’s home.
“I…” Lu Xinyi stuttered. She knew she had gained weight but not because she was pregnant. Poor Madam Shen. She must have been waiting for a piece of good news from her and Shen Yi so she had decided to pay them a visit.