Su Shiyue was momentarily stunned: 𝒇𝒓𝒆𝒆𝙬𝒆𝒃𝓷𝒐𝓿𝙚𝙡.𝒄𝓸𝒎

"How is that possible? You and my brother..."

Su Shiyue’s words trailed off there, her voice fading away. She let out an awkward chuckle, not knowing what to say to salvage the somewhat awkward atmosphere.

"I’ve indeed never been in a relationship." Su Mu was unfazed and didn’t feel awkward, merely smiling: "What happened between your brother and me started abnormally and ended hastily, and even though a child resulted from it, it seems to be unrelated to love. Of course, I won’t deny that I’ve had feelings for him."

Su Shiyue forced a smile:

"I’m sorry, sister-in-law, I didn’t mean to bring that up."

"It’s okay, I don’t mind. But since you’ve asked me this question, I still have something to tell you. I think you’ve fallen for Yu Qingzhou, and I’ve been infatuated with someone before too, probably feeling much like you do now. I don’t know much about Yu Qingzhou, but Lin Ning said your brother knows him. Why don’t you ask your brother and see if he’s really suitable for you?"

"Don’t." Su Shiyue refused outright, getting up from her chair: "I wouldn’t dare tell my brother about something that’s not even certain yet. Even if I really do get together with him, I wouldn’t dare to let him know."

Su Mu smiled:

"I was married at your age. Why are you so afraid of just dating someone? If it’s a good match, your brother won’t stop you."

"I’m just not ready to talk about it yet. It won’t be too late to say something once our relationship stabilizes." Su Shiyue wasn’t sure how she felt; after all, she was in her twenties, and even if she dated someone, Fu Shinian would likely be supportive. But for some inexplicable reason, she just didn’t want to tell: "Sister-in-law, please don’t tell my brother either. I don’t want him to know yet. When the time is right, I’ll tell him myself."

Although Su Mu now regarded Su Shiyue as her own sister, she preferred not to meddle in matters of the heart. Besides, Wei Shaoqin seemed to get along well with Yu Qingzhou, and if he had any character issues, Wei Shaoqin wouldn’t be friends with him. Therefore, Su Mu found no difficulty adhering to Su Shiyue’s request, nodding her head:

"Alright, I won’t say anything."

Su Shiyue smiled:

"Thank you, sister-in-law. You really are the best person in the world."

"Alright, stop buttering me up. Go and check on Qiqi and Shaoyuan. Though I think they’re fine, you should still have a look."

"Okay, I’ll go right now."

Qiqi had long since been consoled by Wen Shaoyuan and was contentedly eating the snacks he brought and playing with the toys he provided in the meeting room. Seeing how happy they were, Su Shiyue watched from the window without entering to disturb them and left after a short pause to attend to her busy schedule.

Su Mu didn’t wait for Su Shiyue to return, assuming Qiqi and Shaoyuan were getting along harmoniously, thereby not dwelling further on the pair. It wasn’t until near the end of work when her phone laid on the desk suddenly rang. Su Mu glanced at it, feeling a moment’s surprise at the caller – Wen Han, whom she hadn’t been in contact with for a while.

She didn’t hesitate about whether to answer the call, as there seemed to be no irreparable animosity between them. After momentarily being caught off guard by surprise, she quickly recovered and pressed the answer button:

"Wen Han."

"Su Mu, is Shaoyuan with you?"

Su Mu was slightly taken aback:

"Yes, what’s up?"

"Nothing, I just thought he was in his room. I wanted to wake him up from his nap since it seemed a bit long and when I checked, he wasn’t there. I asked a few friends and nobody had seen him, so I figured he probably went to see Qiqi."

Su Mu realized then that Wen Shaoyuan had lied to her; he had indeed come alone, but not dropped off by a driver. He had made the decision to come by himself in secret. She paused for a few seconds:

"Sorry, I didn’t know he hadn’t informed home. I should have let you know."

"No worries." Wen Han replied: "I’ll come to pick him up. Are you at the studio?"

"Yes." Su Mu said: "I’m about to get off work too. I’ll take him for dinner nearby, and I’ll send you the location once we’re there."

"Okay, thanks."

The two hung up the phone without bringing up their past conversation – there really wasn’t anything to mention. They were fine with this new status quo, as if the few months before had been a mere dream, waking up as the best of friends. Su Mu quite liked it this way.

She felt Wen Han probably did too.

Upon learning that Wen Shaoyuan had run away from home, Su Mu lost the desire to continue working. After tidying up her unfinished tasks, she stood up and went to the meeting room. Both children had spent the entire afternoon there without showing signs of discomfort. When Su Mu entered, they were still playing happily, mainly Wen Shaoyuan playfully engaging with Qiqi.

Seeing Su Mu come in, Wen Shaoyuan was the first to stand, standing there properly: "Aunt Su."

Su Mu smiled and glanced at the sweaty Qiqi, raising an eyebrow:

"Tired? Let’s go have something to eat."

Qiqi scrambled up from the ground, clapping her hands with glee:

"Yes, yes, I haven’t eaten with Brother Yuan in a long time."

Su Mu responded with another smile: "Before we eat, I think you really need to wash your face in the restroom."

Wen Shaoyuan gave a faint smile and took Qiqi by the hand: "I’ll take her."

"Okay."

After Wen Shaoyuan came out with Qiqi, Su Mu smiled and directly called for Su Shiyue, leading the two children out of the studio. Not too far from there, Su Mu always ate nearby when at the studio, so she knew of a restaurant that had a good taste, and Qiqi also liked it much, so she took them there directly.

It was still a little while before the usual mealtime, so the restaurant wasn’t very crowded. Considering the children’s safety, Su Mu chose a private room and settled the two kids down before taking out her phone to send the location to Wen Han. He replied quickly with a simple:

"Received."

The waiter brought the menu, and Su Mu handed it to Wen Shaoyuan: "Order whatever you like; you’ve had a long afternoon."

Wen Shaoyuan’s face had a gentle smile, glancing at Qiqi:

"No worries, being with Qiqi doesn’t feel tiring at all, I’m very happy."

But he still ordered two dishes, and Su Mu knew right away they were Qiqi’s favorites. She smiled slightly: "Shaoyuan, don’t you have your own favorites?"

"What Qiqi likes, I like too."

For Su Shiyue, this was the first time she formally witnessed Wen Shaoyuan’s way of treating Qiqi, and she couldn’t help but watch for a long time, finding it hard to believe how an 8-year-old boy could charm with such ease and skill.