Yueyao opened her mouth to respond, but before any words could form, a soft knock echoed against the wooden fra of the door.
"Master Jin, Young Miss... dinner has been prepared," a servant’s voice carried gently into the room, careful not to shatter the tender air that lingered between them.
Jin Shuren’s brows lifted faintly, his arm instinctively steadying Yueqin as she twisted toward the sound. "Dinner already?" His voice was calm, but sothing flickered in his tone, a reminder of the outside world intruding on this delicate mont.
Yueqin clapped her hands together in delight. "Mama, can we eat together?" she asked, her eyes bright, her body half-turning between both parents as though she were a little bridge straining to connect them.
Yueyao’s chest tightened. The words should have been simple, but spoken aloud they beca heavy, weighted with a yearning she wasn’t sure she had the right to claim.
Jin Shuren’s gaze flickered toward her across the distance, steady, unreadable. "If your mother is willing," he said slowly, his deep voice asured, "then of course."
The servant lingered at the doorway, awaiting instruction, and the room seed to hold its breath.
Yueyao rose slowly from the bed, but her legs wobbled beneath her. The exhaustion clung to her like a heavy cloak, and for a mont, she stumbled back, gripping the edge of the mattress to steady herself.
Jin Shuren’s sharp eyes caught her imbalance imdiately. He set Yueqin down gently on the floor, crouching slightly so his gaze t Yueyao’s across the room. For a heartbeat, he hesitated, his voice low, careful. "May I...?"
The question, as simple as it was, carried the weight of his understanding, he knew her boundaries, knew the wariness that stirred whenever a man approached her. Yueyao’s lips parted, her throat tight, and then she gave the faintest nod, allowing him permission without a word.
In one fluid motion, Jin Shuren stepped forward, sweeping Yueyao into his strong arm. She felt the familiar pressure, the steadiness that had been her tether more than once. Even as she remained tense, the strength in his hold gave her a strange calm, her heartbeat slowing despite her lingering fear.
He bent slightly, extending his other arm toward Yueqin, who giggled in delight and imdiately pressed against him. In a seamless movent, Jin Shuren lifted their daughter, cradling her with ease in one arm while holding Yueyao securely in the other.
In that instant, the space between them ceased to exist. Jin Shuren lifted her with effortless strength, as though this mont, this family, this fragile world, belonged to him alone to guard.
Every step he took toward the dining area was deliberate, sure, a quiet assertion that he could bear them, their fears, and their joys, all at once.
Yueyao’s hands rested lightly against his chest, her body relaxing fractionally as she felt the strength and steadiness beneath her while Yueqin pressed close, whispering small, happy reassurances, her warmth bridging the gap between mother and father.
In his arms, across the span of the room and the burden of unspoken years, they were bound together, sheltered, possessed, and for that fleeting mont, she was his entire world
Jin Shuren carried them both across the room with steady, confident steps.
Yueyao’s fingers lightly rested on his chest, still cautious but gradually surrendering to the quiet assurance of his hold.
Yueqin wriggled happily in his other arm, chattering softly, her tiny legs swinging with excitent.
As they approached the dining room, the warm glow of the lamps revealed Fang Lin who had already seated at the table, a neatly set array of dishes laid out. She looked up in surprise.
Her Uncle was never soone who could hold a woman’s body that easily! Was there sothing she didn’t know of? But then again, the way he had agreed to assist her still baffles her.
She imdiately got up and rushed over to him as he neared the dining table.
"Uncle, wasn’t she all right? Yueyao, how are you feeling?" She imdiately held her waist, dragging her down from his arms, and Jin Shuren let go of her.
Yueyao was glad to see Fang Lin and imdiately stepped down onto the floor.
"I’m fine." Yueyao hoarsely responded as Jin Shuren settled at the dining chair, placing Yueqin in the chair next to him.
With Fang Lin holding her, they went over to the dining table, and Yueyao settled down on the chair beside Yueqin. She only wanted to be close to her daughter.
"Fang Lin.... You are finally ho... You have been giving false promises for the last three years." Yueqin, who had spotted Fang Lin seated next to her mother, naughtily spoke up.
Fang Lin blinked at Yueqin’s mischievous words, caught between amusent and guilt. She reached over to pinch the little girl’s cheek gently, her eyes softening.
"I know, I know. I have been terrible," Fang Lin admitted with a sigh, though her gaze flickered briefly toward Yueyao. "But I’m right here now. And I won’t be going anywhere."
Yueqin tilted her head, studying her with all the seriousness of a child far too perceptive for her age. "You better not... If you dare lie to , I will tell Daddy to punish you."
Fang Lin’s laughter suddenly froze on her lips. For a mont she could only stare at Yueqin, the child’s bright eyes full of mischief and trust.
"Punish..." she repeated softly, the word catching in her throat. Her fingers stilled where they rested on the table.
The last thing she wanted was to get on Jin Shuren’s bad side. This man was cold, cruel, and distant. He had always disciplined her since she was so young. She had left the city and moved to the other because she was afraid of him, afraid of being watched and punished.
Fang Lin’s chest tightened as the mories pressed in, his sharp eyes, the weight of his commands, the way silence itself had once been enough to make her tremble.
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