“Okay.” Lu Jia’s eyes were a little red as he reached out his hand. His fingers gently hooked around Zhao Zhao’s little finger, and then he squeezed it tightly, as if conveying a silent promise and strength.
When Shen Zhi Qiu turned around, she saw this scene. She saw Zhao Zhao and Lu Jia carefully hooking their fingers together, their eyes focused on each other's fingers, as if they were performing a mysterious and solemn ritual.
A warm feeling welled up in Shen Zhi Qiu's heart. She smiled, stood up, walked to their side, and asked, "What's wrong? What are you two doing?"
Before Lu Jia could speak, Zhao Zhao eagerly interjected, "This is our secret, we can't tell Mom." His little face was filled with mystery and pride, as if he and his father had established a special understanding and connection.
"Oh? Is that so?" Shen Zhi Qiu laughed, finding this little secret between father and son quite endearing. Her gaze shifted between the two of them before she looked at Lu Jia gently and said, "Alright, since it's your secret, I won't ask."
Lu Jia smiled gently.
"Zhao Zhao, do you want any toys? Your little sister has already chosen a Barbie doll. Let's see what Zhao Zhao likes."
Shen Zhi Qiu held Zhao Zhao's little hand and began picking out toys in the toy store. She would sometimes ask Zhao Zhao's opinion and sometimes recommend some interesting toys to him. Nian Nian, holding the Barbie doll she wanted, followed beside Zhao Zhao and helped him choose.
Lu Jia watched them quietly, her eyes filled with happiness and contentment.
Finally, having bought their toys, Zhao Zhao and Niannian happily hugged them, refusing to let go, as if they were the most precious treasures in their lives. Shen Zhi Qiu, seeing their satisfied smiles, felt a surge of joy in her heart. She wanted to help them carry the toys, but they both refused, insisting on carrying them themselves. Their little faces radiated pride and independence, as if telling their mother that they had grown up and could take care of their own toys.
"Okay, let's go buy ice cream now!" Shen Zhi Qiu said with a smile, pointing to the ice cream shop upstairs.
Zhao Zhao and Niannian immediately cheered with joy.
Upon reaching the store entrance, because they were too small to see the ice cream scoops in the window, Shen Zhi Qiu and Lu Jia each picked one up for them to choose from. The two little ones stared wide-eyed at the ice cream scoops in the window, as if they were undertaking an important mission.
Zhao Zhao quickly chose the chocolate flavor, his eyes sparkling with anticipation and excitement. Niannian, on the other hand, was torn, wanting both strawberry and orange. Her little face showed hesitation and conflict, as if she were making a difficult decision.
“Then we’ll buy them all. Niannian can try a bite and eat whichever one she likes, and the other dad can eat the rest,” Lu Jia said with a smile. His voice was gentle and doting, revealing his love and care for his daughter.
"Okay!" Niannian clapped her hands happily, her eyes sparkling with happiness.
Shen Zhi Qiu smiled helplessly, somewhat worried that Lu Jia would definitely spoil the children in the future. However, she also knew that the children's happiness was their greatest joy, and that it wasn't a bad thing for the children to be pampered a little while they were still young.
Shen Zhi Qiu led the children to their seats first, while Lu Jia went to get the ice cream.
At that moment, in the restaurant across the street, Song Shiyao, who had come to the capital to visit a friend, was looking out the window somewhat bored after finishing her meal. Suddenly, she saw Shen Zhi Qiu across the street.
Shen Zhi Qiu wore a simple white dress, looking fresh and elegant. Perhaps feeling a little warm, she casually tied her hair into a bun with a rubber band on her wrist, revealing her fair and slender neck. She smiled brightly at the children. Just then, Lu Jia returned with ice cream. He placed Shen Zhi Qiu's ice cream first before distributing it to the children.
Song Shiyao was stunned; she hadn't expected to run into Shen Zhi Qiu here. A slight smile played on her lips as she pulled out her phone and snapped several photos. These photos clearly captured Shen Zhi Qiu's happy moments with the children, as well as her enviable beauty.
"Shiyao, what are you filming? Do you know them?" Song Shiyao's friend leaned over to look, somewhat puzzled.
"Yes, we've known each other before, but we're not close," Song Shiyao replied vaguely, a sly glint in her eyes. She didn't tell her friends about her entanglement with Shen Zhiqi, but instead casually opened WeChat and sent a message to Shen Meiyan.
The caption was glaringly offensive: "Look how happy your sister is, tsk tsk tsk, she's definitely beautiful, heaven really does favor her. Even without the Gu family's support, she's still the eldest daughter of the Rong family. Who wouldn't envy her life like that!"
Seeing this message from home, Shen Meiyan was so angry she almost threw her phone away. She immediately zoomed in on the photo, scrutinizing Shen Zhi Qiu's smile. That smile was so radiant, so pure, as warm as sunshine. Yet, in Shen Meiyan's eyes, that smile was so glaring, so enviable.
"Why does Shen Zhi Qiu get everything she wants?!" Shen Mei Yan shouted angrily. "Is it just because she's pretty?!" She slammed her phone onto the bed, then rushed to the mirror and stared fiercely at her own face.
To be honest, her appearance wasn't bad, but compared to Shen Zhi Qiu, she paled in comparison. Shen Mei Yan had always paid great attention to her appearance and dressing, but no matter how hard she tried, she couldn't seem to achieve the natural and fresh beauty of Shen Zhi Qiu.
Shen Meiyan angrily wanted to smash her phone, but the moment she raised her hand, she suddenly realized that her furious appearance would only play into Song Shiyao's hands. So she suppressed her anger and replied with a cold smile, "So what? I'm about to be married into the Lin family, I don't need her!"
Upon seeing the reply, Song Shiyao's eyes widened in astonishment. "The Lin family?! That's absolutely impossible!" She exclaimed incredulously, quickly asking, "Which Lin family?"
"Which Lin family could there be in Nancheng?!" Shen Meiyan smirked smugly. She had previously heard from a friend in her circle that Song Shiyao seemed to have a crush on the youngest son of the Lin family, but she hadn't taken it seriously. After all, she was still close to Song Shiyao back then, and if she really liked him, she would have known. But now it seemed that the rumors weren't just baseless speculation.
"Impossible! You're lying!" Song Shiyao broke down, her face turning extremely pale. She used the excuse of going to the restroom to call Shen Meiyan.
Shen Meiyan glanced at Song Shiyao's call, casually tossed her phone onto the bed, and looked smug.
Only after the call automatically ended and Song Shiyao called again did Shen Meiyan leisurely answer, "Hello? What's up?"
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