"Give me a kiss, please~ A kiss on my heart~"
Driving his Mercedes, Shen Lang hummed a little tune, feeling giddy as he called his landlady.
"Hey, Xia, are you done with work?"
"I just picked Mengmeng up from her teacher's place. Now I'm chopping vegetables. Are you done with your day?"
Her tone clearly hinted at asking how Shen Lang's Valentine's Day with Li Liusu went.
Their relationship was complicated. They were in a sort of romantic phase, but Xia Shuyi didn't mind Shen Lang seeing other women. It wasn't exactly a sugar baby situation either, as there was no financial dependency—everything Shen Lang had, including the car and money, was stuff Xia Shuyi insisted on giving him. They were just fulfilling each other's needs: Xia Shuyi for a family feeling, Shen Lang for her body, and also because he genuinely liked her.
What Xia Shuyi didn't know was that besides the girl next door, Shen Lang was also seeing another lively girl. Even more surprising, these two girls attended the same school and might have even seen each other there. However, even if Shen Lang told Xia Shuyi about Su Lexuan, she probably wouldn't react much. She was already okay with him and Li Liusu being together.
Shen Lang just needed to make sure Su Lexuan and Li Liusu never found out about each other. If they did, no matter how charming he was, he couldn't guarantee he could win both of them back.
"Yeah, I'm done."
Shen Lang quickly changed the subject: "Are you cooking tonight? Why don't we take Mengmeng out to eat?"
As they say, never talk about another woman with the woman you're with. Even if Xia Shuyi didn't mind, Shen Lang knew better than to bring up Li Liusu again.
"No need, we'll just cook at home. You just come back early, everything's almost ready here."
Xia Shuyi's voice softened, teasing: "Mengmeng's been insisting on spending Valentine's Day with you, even though she doesn't really get it."
"I do get it! I asked Teacher Li, and she said Valentine's Day is a day to spend with someone you like!"
Mengmeng's voice came from the phone: "I like brother Shen a lot, and I love Mommy too, so we can spend Valentine's Day together."
"Did Teacher Li tell you that you need to be as tall as Mommy to spend Valentine's Day with brother Shen?"
"No, that's not fair! I just want to spend Valentine's Day with Mommy and brother Shen."
Listening to the mother-daughter banter over the phone, Shen Lang felt a wave of happiness and responsibility. There's nothing better than coming home to such a warm scene after a long day.
"Haha, did you hear that, Xiao Shen?"
Xia Shuyi said with a smile: "This little girl wants to spend Valentine's Day with you!"
"Yeah, I heard."
Shen Lang smiled and said louder: "Mengmeng, wait for Dad to come home. We'll spend Valentine's Day together as a family."
"Yay! Yay! Daddy, come home soon. Mommy's made lots of yummy food!"
"Alright!"
Shen Lang responded firmly, secretly deciding he wanted a daughter as cute as Mengmeng one day.
Xia Shuyi didn't hang up right away, and Shen Lang could hear her breathing softly on the other end.
"Xia."
"Yeah, what is it?"
Her voice sounded a bit flustered.
It was the first time Shen Lang had openly acknowledged being a father, and Xia Shuyi was caught off guard, feeling unexpectedly happy.
Shen Lang kept driving and said: "There's some traffic, I might be a little late."
"Okay, I understand."
Xia Shuyi replied gently, like a wife waiting for her husband to come home, full of tender reliance.
"I'll wait for you. Drive safe."
"Okay, give me a kiss~"
"You're impossible! Mengmeng is right here. I've got to finish cooking, so drive safely."
Xia Shuyi said shyly before hanging up.
Despite enjoying sweet talk with Shen Lang, Xia Shuyi was always mindful of the practicalities, never forgetting to remind him to drive safely. Only when they were alone would she show her more tender side, longing to be pampered by Shen Lang.
That's just the kind of mature and sensible woman Xia Shuyi was.
Shen Lang navigated to the nearest jewelry store, planning to get Xia Shuyi a Valentine's Day gift. What happened with Li Liusu and Su Lexuan was unexpected. Shen Lang had never really celebrated Valentine's Day before, let alone with three women in one day. But now, with more time, he wanted to get something special for Xia Shuyi.
For a woman like her, a gift wasn't necessary, as she had everything she needed. What she lacked was emotional support. Spending time with her and Mengmeng was already a great Valentine's Day gift. Still, getting a small present wouldn't hurt. No girl dislikes receiving gifts on such a special day.
...
When Shen Lang returned to Fulong Garden, it was already 9 PM, more than 40 minutes after he had called Xia Shuyi.
He rushed into the building, took the elevator to the familiar 3rd floor, and knocked on the door of unit 1702.
"Daddy Shen is back!"
He could hear Mengmeng's voice from inside.
"Daddy Shen!"
The little girl opened the door and happily jumped into Shen Lang's arms.
Shen Lang picked her up, pinching her little nose: "Didn't I tell you? Just call me Daddy."
"Hehe, okay, Daddy!"
The little girl giggled, cuddling in his arms.
"You're back?"
Xia Shuyi came out holding a plate of steaming food, beaming at the "father and daughter" pair: "Mengmeng, let Daddy change his shoes first."
While saying this, she subtly observed Shen Lang's reaction.
Shen Lang paused for a moment, then embraced the warmth of the family scene, responding with a smile: "Yeah, I'm back!"