
The room suddenly fell into silence.
Sheng Wenyin pushed Feng Xiaoxiao aside and headed to the kitchen. A moment later, she returned with a bowl of porridge and placed it in front of Qi Si.
Ignoring the curious gazes around him, Qi Si picked up the spoon, blew on a spoonful to cool it, and then tasted it.
"Delicious," he remarked.
Sheng Wenyin replied casually, "Obviously! I drank half a pot while cooking it."
Qi Si: …
Everyone else: …
The atmosphere in the dining room quieted significantly after that. The group ate in silence. Once they finished, Feng Xiaoxiao glanced at her phone and announced, "Sister Lan has just landed at the airport."
By ten in the morning, Du Lan arrived at the wedding house.
Although they often chatted in their group, it had been a while since they’d seen each other in person. The reunion sparked excitement, and Feng Xiaoxiao clung to Du Lan without letting go.
Du Lan patted Feng Xiaoxiao’s head, smiling as she greeted Sheng Wenyin and Qi Si, "I brought a wedding gift for you two."
Sheng Wenyin froze, and her gaze toward Du Lan instantly turned as affectionate as one toward a true sister.
Du Lan retrieved a large box from her car. The sight of the enormous gift made Sheng Wenyin’s eyes sparkle with joy.
Unlike the fruit and snacks others had brought, Du Lan’s gift was wrapped in exquisite packaging, clearly of high value. Sheng Wenyin eagerly helped move the box to the coffee table, her hands caressing the gilded exterior. "What’s inside?" she asked with a beaming smile.
As Du Lan opened the box, she explained, "It’s a silk quilt."
Sheng Wenyin: ?
Du Lan pulled out the quilt slightly to display its fine craftsmanship. "It’s handmade from pure silk," she elaborated. "I asked my mom what makes a good wedding gift. She suggested cash, but I thought that was too boring. When I asked for alternatives, she recommended a quilt. She said in her generation, quilts were popular wedding gifts. The word for ‘quilt’ sounds like ‘lifetime,’ symbolizing blessings for the couple to have a long, happy marriage. So, here’s a quilt for you!"
Sheng Wenyin: …
Everyone else: …
The room fell into an awkward silence.
Amid the tension, a soft chuckle broke through.
Everyone turned to find Qi Si laughing, his dark eyes brimming with amusement.
Sheng Wenyin shot him a glare before kicking his shin under the table.
Du Lan, oblivious to the shift in atmosphere, asked, "What’s wrong? Don’t tell me someone already gave you one? It’s fine—you can have extras. They don’t go bad."
"Uh, Sister Lan…" Feng Xiaoxiao hesitantly grabbed Du Lan’s arm, whispering awkwardly, "Who’s supposed to use it?"
"Does it matter?" Du Lan asked, confused. "They can share it. They’re married, after all."
Feng Xiaoxiao: …
Shi Yan hesitantly interjected, "Wait, Du Lan… What do you think their relationship is?"
Du Lan answered, "A married couple, right? Didn’t they secretly get married and then come on this variety show to announce it?"
Shi Yan: …
Feng Xiaoxiao: …
Feng Xiaoxiao lightly smacked Du Lan’s arm and lowered her voice. "Who told you that?"
Du Lan froze. "Isn’t it true?"
"Of course not!" Feng Xiaoxiao exclaimed. "They’re just a simulated couple on a virtual romance show, matched as a pair for the program."
Du Lan stood there, dumbfounded. She looked back and forth between Feng Xiaoxiao and the stoic Sheng Wenyin, realizing they weren’t joking. Her face turned crimson, and she quickly apologized, "I’m so sorry! I must’ve gone brain-dead from filming. I’ve been cut off from the world while on set. When I heard you were getting married, I thought I’d missed a huge headline. I even searched online last night, and when I found nothing, I assumed you were planning to announce it on the show!"
The misunderstanding left Du Lan mortified.
Sheng Wenyin was nearly in tears from embarrassment, unsure how things had escalated to this point.
Qi Si, on the other hand, glanced at the quilt and remarked thoughtfully, "We might still use it in the future."
Du Lan hurriedly pushed the box toward Qi Si. "Then it’s a gift for you, Teacher Qi. It’s excellent silk. When you get married, you’ll definitely need it!"
Qi Si accepted the gift with a smile, throwing Sheng Wenyin a meaningful glance. "In that case, on behalf of my future wife, thank you, Teacher Du."
Du Lan waved it off, eager to move on from her blunder.
With Du Lan’s arrival, it was almost lunchtime. Sheng Wenyin and Qi Si decided to buy groceries, leaving Sheng Xingmeng at home to entertain the guests.
At the supermarket, Sheng Wenyin hesitated before asking Qi Si, "Will they join us for lunch? Should we prepare more?"
Qi Si, catching her drift, frowned slightly. "No need."
"They’ve left already?" Sheng Wenyin asked, surprised.
Qi Si’s calm "hmm" brought an instant wave of relief to her. Her mood brightened visibly.
Qi Si, noticing her uplifted spirits, questioned, "If you didn’t want them around, why didn’t you say so?"
Caught off guard, Sheng Wenyin scratched her head. "It’s not that I dislike them; it’s just…"
"Uncomfortable?"
Sheng Wenyin lowered her head, silently fiddling with the vegetables on the shelf.
Qi Si sighed softly and ruffled her hair. "It’s okay. If you ever feel uneasy, just rely on me."
Sheng Wenyin shot him a look. "Yeah, right. Yesterday, you were so busy chatting with my brother and the others that you ignored me. I kept looking for you, but you didn’t even glance at me!"
Qi Si: …
"I had no choice," Qi Si explained helplessly.
Sheng Wenyin huffed, turning her back to him to focus on picking vegetables, ignoring him entirely.
By lunchtime, as expected, Sheng’s family didn’t show up.
After the meal, the guests began to leave one by one. Gu Jitong needed a hospital check-up, so Sheng Xingmeng accompanied him. Feng Xiaoxiao and Shi Yan had work commitments, and Du Lan had to return to her film set.
Once everyone had left, Sheng Wenyin and Qi Si, exhausted, retreated to their respective rooms for a nap.
Later in the afternoon, Qi Si woke up and noticed the garden window on the first floor was open.
Walking outside, he saw Sheng Wenyin perched on the tall garden wall, legs swinging as she tore dried meat into pieces to feed an orange kitten.
The kitten, no more than a few months old, leapt nimbly onto the wall.
Leaning against the doorframe, Qi Si crossed his arms and asked with a faint smile, "Where did the cat come from?"
Hearing his voice, Sheng Wenyin looked down and saw him awake. She jumped off the wall, explaining, "I heard it meowing in the yard earlier, so I grilled some jerky for it."
The kitten followed her down, rubbing affectionately against her legs. Sheng Wenyin found it adorable, scooping it up and cradling it. "It’s definitely better looking than the monkey. Don’t you think?"
Qi Si chuckled, reaching out to pet the cat.
"Meowww!"
The kitten hissed sharply, claws bared, and swiped at Qi Si.
Qi Si withdrew his hand just in time, avoiding a scratch.
Alarmed, Sheng Wenyin checked him for injuries and, seeing he was unharmed, lightly tapped the kitten’s head. "Why did you suddenly get so aggressive?"
The kitten shrank back but quickly nuzzled Sheng Wenyin’s fingers, seeking her attention.
Qi Si watched with narrowed eyes, his expression darkening. "Throw it out," he said abruptly.
Sheng Wenyin froze.
"Get rid of it," Qi Si repeated, his tone cold.
"Qi Si…" Sheng Wenyin hesitated.
His face was now stormy. Looking at her, he asked pointedly, "Me or the cat? Choose."
Thanks for the chapter