Qin Tianyi took her hand and said, "We still have some little things left for you to hang up yourself."
"You've moved the mall's Christmas tree into your home, it's too grand," Susu followed him to the Christmas tree.
Qin Tianyi smiled and said, "Life needs a sense of ritual. It's rare for our family to spend Christmas together, so of course, we have to do it properly."
"Mmm, you're right, I'll listen to you."
Qin Tianyi kissed her cheek, "That's my good wife."
"Dad, I want a kiss too. Am I not good?" Little Star squeezed between them, standing on tiptoe to get Qin Tianyi to kiss him.
Qin Tianyi said he was good, but in his heart, he was annoyed by the boy who always liked to join in the fun and ruin their mood. When he gets older, he'll send him to a boarding school.
Susu saw through his thoughts and whispered in his ear, "You, why are you competing with your son for affection again?"
"I didn't," Qin Tianyi immediately denied it, picked up Little Star, kissed his cheek, and said, "Let's watch Mom hang those little ornaments together."
Susu picked up a box of ornaments they had left and carefully hung them up one by one, praying in her heart for their family of three to be safe and happy forever.
After decorating the Christmas tree, Little Star clamored to open the gifts under the tree.
Qin Tianyi didn't let him, saying it would be more fun to open gifts together as a family on Christmas.
They coaxed Little Star together and led him back to his room to sleep.
After he fell asleep, they quietly came out of his room. Qin Tianyi breathed a sigh of relief, finally able to have some alone time with Susu.
As soon as he put his hand on Susu's shoulder, Susu turned and asked him, "Are you starting to dislike our son?"
"It seems children can't be spoiled. Now when he throws a tantrum, we both have to coax him. He takes up more of your time, and naturally, my time with you decreases," Qin Tianyi complained like a resentful wife.
Susu said with a laugh, "You can't even handle one child, and you still want me to have another? That's ridiculous."
"If we have another daughter, it will be different. Everyone says daughters are their father's lovers from past lives. Then it will be you two fighting over me," Qin Tianyi said with a proud smile.
Susu retorted, "What if it's a son again?"
Qin Tianyi said indifferently, "Then I'll just have to accept my fate." He then lewdly embraced her and asked, "Have you eaten? Let's go to the kitchen for something."
Susu leaned against him and said, "I've eaten. I had dinner with Sophie. She's finally settled down and can start working at Mishang tomorrow."
"So soon," Qin Tianyi said. "She just arrived in Lancheng. Shouldn't she rest for a few more days and look around Lancheng?"
"I suggested that too, but she insisted on working sooner," Susu sighed. "You haven't seen her. She's like a different person now. She rarely smiles and doesn't talk much."
Qin Tianyi comforted her, "It's probably a matter of time. It's good for her to start working early. With new colleagues and friends, she'll definitely get better in a new environment."
"I hope so," Susu said. They were still standing in the corridor outside the children's room. She looked down at the Christmas tree and suddenly thought of something. "Let her come to our house for Christmas. She grew up in the West. Spending Christmas alone in Lancheng would be very lonely. Coming to our house for some liveliness might help her mood."
"Okay, you go pick her up then. I haven't seen him since we parted in Paris." Qin Tianyi agreed.
Susu turned and kissed his cheek, "A reward for you."
"Just a kiss? That's too stingy," Qin Tianyi immediately stared at her.
Susu stopped joking and said seriously, "Right, when Sophie comes to our house for Christmas, don't get too close to her. She still has psychological trauma and is afraid of men approaching her."
"Okay, I understand. I'll keep my distance from her," Qin Tianyi said, then picked her up, kicked open the bedroom door with his foot, and smiled charmingly, "Don't think about those things anymore. Once we're home, you belong to me. Don't waste such a beautiful night."
"You're so bad," Susu buried her face in his arms.
...
At night, Shu Yan stayed in the simple country house, looking at the child she had finally conceived after ten months of pregnancy in the cradle, and cried incessantly.
Her mother had visited during the day but refused to even look at the child, only telling her to give the child away or abandon it as soon as possible so she could return to the Shu family without any ties and continue to be a young lady of high society.
She knew her mother had a point. Having a child like this, she could no longer rely on Qin Tianyi.
Her mother had also kept it a secret from her father, saying the child was stillborn with congenital defects and that she was in the countryside to recuperate due to grief.
However, her mother also said she couldn't stay in the countryside like this forever. If it dragged on, her father would surely become suspicious. If the secret got out and became known to everyone, there would be no way to salvage the situation.
Her mother had given her an ultimatum before leaving.
"Yan, you can either be kicked out of the Shu family and stay in this village with the child forever, or return to high society. It's up to you!"
Of course, she didn't want to stay in this rural place forever, but who could she give the child to?
This child had blonde hair and blue eyes. The villagers occasionally looked at the child as if it were a monster. Who would be willing to adopt it?
If she abandoned the child, it might freeze or starve to death. What should she do?
Just then, someone knocked on the door outside. "Shu Yan, are you there?"
The child heard the noise and started crying. Shu Yan quickly picked up the child and went to the door to ask, "Who is it?"
"It's me, Huo Jin."
Shu Yan didn't expect Huo Jin to find her here. She opened the door and saw Huo Jin in the dim light by the door. She quickly said, "Why are you here? Come in quickly."
Huo Jin walked into the somewhat dilapidated brick house and couldn't believe her eyes at the simple furnishings inside.
"You've been living here. Are you and the child doing alright?" She glanced at the child in Shu Yan's arms.
Shu Yan wrapped the child in a small blanket, so her appearance couldn't be seen clearly.
"We're fine," Shu Yan soothed the child, asked her to sit down, and turned on the light.
Seeing her dressed elegantly, with light makeup that hadn't changed from before, Shu Yan couldn't help but envy her.
Huo Jin put down the bags of things she was carrying and said, "You didn't tell me you were coming to the countryside before, which made me worry about you. It's good that you and the child are safe. Here are some baby supplies, see if they're useful."
"Thank you, that's very thoughtful," Shu Yan was already troubled about giving the child away. Huo Jin buying so many baby supplies felt like she was deliberately provoking her.
Huo Jin smiled and reached out to move aside the blanket wrapped around the child, saying, "Let me see your little darling. She must be very cute."
But Shu Yan immediately pulled the child away and said, "Don't look. This child isn't cute at all."