Shen Ziyao froze for a moment, then looked toward the doorway.
Behind Shen Qi and Liu Yi followed three young men of striking appearance.
Xu Yunxi couldn't help but exclaim, "No way? What kind of day is this? Outstanding young men are popping up one after another like they're free!"
Wen Yibo was the quintessential playboy and national heartthrob, captivating women of all ages!
"Hello, two big sisters!" Wen Yibo greeted with a grin.
Liu Yi turned back and glared at Wen Yibo: "Don't you dare take advantage of me!"
Fan Sheng and Fan Li immediately broke into wide grins, flashing their teeth as they greeted Xu Yunxi and Shen Ziyao: "Hello, aunties. We're Fan Sheng and Fan Li, 24 years old, unmarried and single. We're both Xiao Qi's friends."
Wen Yibo then straightened up and said seriously, "Allow me to introduce myself. My name is Wen Yibo, male, age 25, height 185 cm, occupation primarily in investments with a broad business scope. If there's anything you two aunties need, I'll be more than happy to help."
Liu Yi snorted, "That's more like it!"
"Oh, so you're all Xiao Qi's friends! Please, come in." Shen Ziyao paused for a moment, gave Shen Qi a meaningful glance, and ushered everyone inside.
Fan Sheng and Fan Li moved in perfect unison, pulling out gifts from behind them and said cheerfully, "This is our first visit, and we weren't sure what to bring. Just a small token, hope you don't mind."
Wen Yibo's assistant stepped forward, pushing a flower cart piled high with countless blossoms.
Wen Yibo said with a smile, "Flowers for beauties. You two aunties are so young and radiant, outshining these blooms. They pale in comparison."
Xu Yunxi shook her head and sighed, "Young people these days..."
Shen Ziyao chuckled softly, "Alright, alright, thank you all. Come on in and have a seat."
He Yining and Feng Manlun sat silently, not saying a word, as if none of this had anything to do with them.
The once-quiet house instantly came alive with the arrival of so many guests.
When dinner began, the group crowded around a single table, filling it to capacity.
The whole house brimmed with vitality.
These young masters were all masters at livening up the atmosphere. Wen Yibo, in particular, was far more adept than He Yining or Feng Manlun at chatting about topics that appealed to women.
He had Shen Ziyao and Xu Yunxi laughing and beaming with joy.
After a lively meal, everyone went off to do their own thing.
Shen Qi slipped over to Shen Ziyao's side and, as her mother put away the last dish, wrapped her arms around Shen Ziyao's waist: "Mom, I'm sleeping with you tonight."
"Alright." Shen Ziyao gently patted Shen Qi's hand. "Go arrange rooms for them. It seems our guest rooms aren't enough."
Shen Qi said, "No big deal. It's not cold this season. Let them sleep on the terrace outside!"
"Nonsense! They're guests, no matter what." Shen Ziyao tapped Shen Qi's nose. "Go and sort it out."
Shen Qi nodded and dashed off.
Before Shen Qi could arrange the night's accommodations, she heard Liu Yi and Wen Yibo bickering again.
"Hey, I poured this water," Liu Yi said, glaring.
"But when I saw it, it didn't have an owner!" Wen Yibo retorted cheekily.
"Hey, Wen Yibo, do you want another shoulder throw?" Liu Yi raised an eyebrow, rolling up her sleeves.
"Hey, Liu Yi! I'm a guest here! Try a shoulder throw on me! Oh, right, your mom's here too! Want to ask her to judge?" Wen Yibo shot back.
"You..." Liu Yi's eyes nearly popped out of their sockets.
Shen Qi stood to the side, covering her face.
What a pair of bickering fools.
Why was it that Wen Yibo and Zhan Bo both had "Bo" in their names, yet their personalities were so different?
"Thirsty, are you?" Liu Yi, seeing Wen Yibo's cocky attitude, got furious. She grabbed the faucet, yanked it off with a twist, and aimed it at Wen Yibo, spraying him: "Drink your fill!"
In an instant, Wen Yibo was drenched from head to toe, looking like a pathetic drowned rat.
He wiped the water from his face and reached for the faucet.
The two wrestled for it, both ending up soaked.
Just then, He Yining, Fan Sheng, and Fan Li walked over. Seeing the two tangled and dripping wet, they exclaimed in surprise, "Wow, playing wet and wild, huh?"
Fan Sheng and Fan Li simultaneously pulled out their phones, snapping several photos.
He Yining added fuel to the fire: "Make sure to send me a copy."
Shen Qi chimed in, "Send me one too."
The two were still fighting over the faucet while the five unscrupulous friends snapped away.
Liu Yi, being a boxer, excelled at close combat, and as time went on, Wen Yibo was no match for her.
Realizing he couldn't win, Wen Yibo, seeing the puddle on the floor, decided to trip Liu Yi.
But Liu Yi's reflexes kicked in—she pushed back, slipped—
Slap—mmph...
Both of them hit the ground, Wen Yibo on the bottom, Liu Yi on top.
Their lips accidentally met.
"Wow, this shot is intense! Gotta capture it!" Fan Sheng and Fan Li's eyes widened with excitement as they kept snapping.
"Yeah, this one could cost him a pretty penny to buy back," He Yining said cheerfully.
Shen Qi was also clicking away: "Wow, Xiao Yi's first kiss! So memorable!"
"Wow, it's her first kiss!" Fan Sheng and Fan Li couldn't help but exclaim. "This deserves to go down in history!"
The two on the ground were frozen.
Liu Yi was completely at a loss.
Wen Yibo's face went stiff as he lay flat on the ground. The seasoned playboy was as flustered as a teenager, utterly unable to react.
After the five had taken their fill of photos, Shen Qi spoke up: "Aren't they cold lying there?"
He Yining nodded, "Still savoring that first kiss? Maybe we should leave them to it."
At He Yining's flippant remark, Fan Sheng and Fan Li laughed so hard tears nearly streamed down their faces.
Shen Qi actually found it reasonable and let He Yining drag her away.
It wasn't until much later that Shen Qi realized, dammit, she was supposed to arrange the sleeping arrangements!
Why had she been following those three around, taking photos the whole time?
Oh, sense of decency, come back!
After washing up that night, Shen Qi, in her pajamas, flopped onto the big bed and rolled around happily.
Shen Ziyao, having finished her skincare routine, wore a light gold nightgown that made her figure look as youthful as an unmarried woman's.
Shen Qi looked at her mother with longing.
"Why are you staring at me like that?" Shen Ziyao smiled at Shen Qi.
"Sleeping with Mom has been my biggest wish for twenty-three years. I never thought it would actually come true." Shen Qi's eyes sparkled as she gazed at Shen Ziyao.
Those words struck a chord in Shen Ziyao's heart.
For other kids, sleeping with their mom was the most ordinary thing.
But for Shen Qi, it had been a lifelong dream.
How could a mother not feel a pang of sorrow?
Shen Ziyao reached out and stroked Shen Qi's head: "Xiao Qi, you've suffered so much all these years."
Shen Qi shook her head gently, her eyes still bright: "Finding you, Mom, has made me truly happy."
"Alright, it was too crowded during the day to ask. How did your father really die?" Shen Ziyao's eyes glistened. "Tell me everything, okay?"
Shen Qi nodded and spoke softly: "Dad, even after the divorce, never stopped thinking about you, I think. I was young, but I remember clearly—he'd always hold up that photo and gently say it was the only one you ever took of him. He said if he ever died, that photo should be on his grave, because only then would you find him."
Shen Ziyao quickly looked away, tears brimming in her eyes.
She tilted her head back, fighting to keep them from falling.
"And then, his words came true. When Dad was buried, I begged Shen Cui to put that photo on his headstone. When I visited his grave a few days ago, he looked just like he did eighteen years ago." Shen Qi's voice was low and soft, but each word weighed heavily on Shen Ziyao's heart, making her choke up.
"Growing up, I always thought Shen Cui was my mother. There was no trace of you anywhere in the house. Every time my brother and I were bullied, I'd wonder—were we really her kids? Why were we treated like this?" Shen Qi continued. "When Dad was alive, Shen Cui wasn't too bad. After he died, she married Shen Gang right away, sold the company, and moved to H Province, using Dad's money to become a middle-class family there."
"To be fair, Shen Gang was good at licking boots, groveling like a dog at the He family's feet. Coincidentally, someone met Shen Gang and told the He family that the Shen family had a daughter fit to be a wife. Just like that, my fate was sealed." Shen Qi sighed. "I'm not complaining. I just think it's all been such a twist of fate. When Dad was killed, I wasn't home. My brother was playing in Dad's office, got tired, and hid in the closet to sleep, so he saw the whole thing. Shen Gang only said Dad was killed by someone from an international assassin organization, but he never said who."