Chapter 25

Chapter 25

When Shen Ling typed his question, he forgot that the wicked Caibao had an auto-read-aloud function.

On the phone screen, Caibao's reply box popped up with a long string of text, and a polished, announcer-style female voice came out of it, with perfect enunciation and full volume.

"First, let me give you a hug. I really get how upsetting and agonizing this feels. During pregnancy, hormone levels fluctuate significantly, and an increased desire is a very normal physiological phenomenon. There's absolutely no reason to feel ashamed about it..."

Shen Ling: =A=!

Shen Ling snatched up the phone in a panic, his brain not immediately registering to hit the mute button. Both hands slapped over the bottom speaker, but the gentle female voice kept seeping out stubbornly between his fingers.

"We recommend communicating with your partner and appropriately engaging in non-penetrative..."

Shen Ling finally came to his senses and frantically mashed the mute button on the side, hitting it several times before finally cutting off the sound. The living room went suddenly silent.

Shen Ling stood frozen, palm covering the phone. The back of his head was facing Huo Yanshen, and he didn't dare turn around. Everything above his neck was flushed a deep crimson.

After a moment, he slowly turned the phone over and placed it face-down on the sofa, clearing his throat. "H-honey, did you hear that?"

Huo Yanshen was propped against the headboard with a book in his hand—the page hadn't been turned the entire time—his face calm and innocent, a slight twitch of his brow. "No."

Shen Ling confirmed that he really didn't seem to be acting any different, and secretly breathed a sigh of relief. He forced a dry smile. "I think I accidentally pressed something on my phone... yeah, I hit the wrong thing, accidentally clicked a notification."

"Mm," Huo Yanshen closed the book and set it on the nightstand, his tone casual. "Time for bed, baby."

Shen Ling let out an "oh," pulled the covers up to his chest, closed his eyes, and tried to make his breathing slow and steady.

He lay there in the dark for a long time. Huo Yanshen's arm was still draped across his waist as usual, palm resting against his lower belly, body heat radiating through his pajamas.

Shen Ling couldn't sleep.

That fire had been simmering all day. It had shrunk back a little when Caibao's voice-reading startled him earlier, but now Huo Yanshen's arm was wrapped around his waist, his chest pressed against Shen Ling's back, and each breath carried that faint sandalwood scent into his nose...

Shen Ling opened his eyes beneath the covers and bit his bottom lip.

He stealthily scooted to the other side of the bed, then rolled onto his side, turning his back to Huo Yanshen. He pulled a pillow from the headboard down under the covers and drew his legs together.

...

He was completely oblivious to the gaze behind him.

Huo Yanshen half-raised himself up. Moonlight slipped through the gap in the half-open curtains, spilling across Shen Ling's back. He stared at Shen Ling for a few seconds.

Then he reached out, seized the corner of the pillow, and yanked it away.

Shen Ling startled, then whipped his head around.

Huo Yanshen was half-propped on his elbow behind him, dangling the pillow from his hand.

Shen Ling was frozen in place, still in his side-lying position.

"H-honey..."

He quickly pulled his hand out, in a barely-there whisper. "I... didn't do anything. Seriously. My legs were just a little sore, so I propped a pillow there."

Huo Yanshen turned the pillow over and tapped it with his fingertip, his tone casual. "So what's this?"

Shen Ling's brain went completely blank.

Huo Yanshen cocked his head slightly, shifting his gaze from the pillow to Shen Ling's face. The corner of his mouth curved slightly, which inexplicably made Shen Ling's spine tingle. "Baby, did you pee the bed?"

Shen Ling squeezed his eyes shut, wishing he could shrink into the pillow and smother himself.

He reached for the pillow, but Huo Yanshen effortlessly held it out of reach.

Huo Yanshen lay back down, sliding his arm beneath Shen Ling's waist and drawing him into his arms.

Shen Ling's body was his, and Shen Ling's pleasure had to be his too.

When he'd heard Shen Ling's phone notification earlier, he'd been holding himself back. But then Shen Ling had gone and done something the great Jinjiang would never permit all by himself.

Shen Ling didn't know what he was thinking, but he knew he was probably screwed for the night.

...

By the time Shen Ling could finally breathe again, he was curled up against Huo Yanshen's chest. His pajamas had been bunched up in wrinkled folds around his waist at some point, revealing the slight curve of his belly underneath.

Huo Yanshen's palm rested over it, rubbing in slow circles, as if comforting the little one inside.

Shen Ling remembered now—Huo Yanshen had always been like this.

He'd been so good to him lately—so good that Shen Ling had almost forgotten what this man was really made of. Too gentle. So gentle that Shen Ling had started to believe he'd married a model husband.

But just now, when he'd been stuck in that agonizing in-between state, he'd seen Huo Yanshen gazing down at him through lowered lashes, a barely-there smirk at the corner of his mouth, asking him what was the matter, turning it back on him, counting the times against his ear.

The more Shen Ling thought about it, the more furious he became. He'd been teased so mercilessly, and the only rebellion he could muster was burying his face in the hollow of Huo Yanshen's neck and muttering in a muffled voice, "You're so bad...!"

His voice was raspy and breathy, and the accusation had zero bite—it sounded more like a plea.

Huo Yanshen said nothing. His palm lay on Shen Ling's back, slowly stroking down his spine, his touch so gentle it was like he was a different person from moments ago.

He pressed a kiss to Shen Ling's damp hair tips, then one on the tip of his nose, and finally a feather-light kiss on his pouting lips before pulling him, blanket and all, into a tight embrace.

"Baby, sleep now."

Shen Ling didn't even have the strength to stay mad. He nuzzled his face deeper into Huo Yanshen's chest, and in the last second before sleep claimed him, he mumbled something only he could hear.

"Jerk..."

*

When Shen Ling woke up the next morning, he was still mad.

He was curled into a ball under the covers, only a sliver of the back of his head showing, hair sticking up in bedhead spikes. Huo Yanshen's arm was still slung across his waist. Shen Ling stared at the arm for a full three seconds, grabbed Huo Yanshen's wrist, lifted the arm off his waist, and set it back on Huo Yanshen's side.

He inched a few centimeters toward the other side of the bed and rolled all the blanket off Huo Yanshen.

Huo Yanshen was soon roused by the chill. He opened his eyes to see a blanket burrito at the edge of the bed, its back to him.

Huo Yanshen reached out to reel the blanket burrito back in, but the instant his fingers grazed the corner, the burrito scooted another two centimeters toward the edge.

"Baby." Huo Yanshen called. 404 not found.

The blanket burrito inched another centimeter toward the edge. One more and it would tumble off.

Huo Yanshen sighed and scooped up the whole burrito—person and blanket—back to the middle of the bed. Shen Ling stiffened for a moment in his arms but didn't struggle. He also didn't respond.

He fished his phone out from under the pillow and started scrolling with his back still to Huo Yanshen. The screen glow lit up his face, his cheeks slightly puffed.

Shen Ling decided he wasn't going to talk to Huo Yanshen for the entire day.

Just then, a message popped up on his phone.

Grandma: Lingling, didn't you say you were coming by in a few days? I've got the guest room all set up. Your sister misses you too—she keeps asking when her brother's coming home.

Shen Ling's thumb hovered over the screen. He bit his lip and typed: I'm coming, Grandma. I'll be there in three days.

Grandma: Good, good. Take your time on the road, be careful.

Grandma: Oh, Lingling, he hasn't been making things hard for you, has he? Is he treating you well?

Shen Ling looked at his grandmother's concern, and all the grievances from last night came rushing back. He bit his lower lip, flashes of Huo Yanshen's shitty behavior running through his head—plus how he'd ditched him at the clinic a few days ago. The more he thought about it, the angrier he got.

Pregnancy hormones were acting up again.

Shen Ling typed: Not good.

And added a crying emoji.

A little white rabbit lying on the ground, tears blasting out like two fountains.

Grandma's voice call suddenly blew up his phone. The second Shen Ling picked up, he could feel the fury blasting through the speaker.

"What did he do to you?! Huh?! Tell me the truth!"

"Did he give you a hard time? Is he looking down on our family or what?"

"I knew these rich folks were no good! All that talk about marriage alliances back then—when it comes down to it, they just look down on us!"

"Don't be scared, Lingling. Grandma's here. Worst case, you divorce him. We don't want his damn money anyway."

Shen Ling: "!"

This is bad.

His grandmother's anger had skyrocketed ten times faster than he'd expected.

Shen Ling hurriedly said, "Grandma—"

Shen Ling scrambled, but his grandmother wouldn't let him get a word in. "How much money does he give you a month? Huh? He's keeping it all to himself, isn't he? Let me tell you, men like that are the worst—won't let their wife handle the money, there's definitely someone on the side...!"

"Grandma!" Shen Ling finally managed to squeeze a word in through Shen Donglian's barrage. "He didn't bully me. I'm just in a sulk with him. I just said it offhand because I was still cranky from waking up..."

The line suddenly went dead silent.

Shen Donglian spoke again, her tone even more certain. "Lingling, you tell Grandma the truth—did he take your phone from you?"

Shen Ling: "..."

"He didn't take my phone. Grandma, really, I just..." Shen Ling's voice grew smaller and smaller, because at the end of the day, the whole thing started because he'd been the one to provoke things and then got outplayed. How was he supposed to explain that to his grandma?

Grandma said firmly, "Don't make excuses for him."

"You tell him to wait for me. When you come see Grandma in three days, bring him with you."

"Grandma, he might have something—"

"Bring him."

"But—"

"Beep—beep—beep—"

The line went dead.

Shen Ling stared at "Call Ended" on the screen, then sent his grandmother a few more WeChat messages to explain. He sent a few voice messages but got no reply.

She'd probably gone out to buy groceries—his grandma never took her phone when she went out.

Shen Ling flipped his phone face-down on the bed, pulled at the corner of the blanket, and stared at the ceiling, dazed.

He was now feeling guilty on both fronts. On one hand, he felt bad for Huo Yanshen—the guy hadn't done anything wrong, and he'd just made him out to be some scumbag who withheld his wife's allowance. On the other hand, he felt bad for his grandmother—he'd scared the old lady half to death first thing in the morning.

Sigh.

Before he could figure out which side he was on, the bedroom door creaked open a crack.

Huo Yanshen had finished washing up and brought breakfast up. He set the tray on the nightstand and sat on the edge of the bed.

Shen Ling didn't pull away like before.

He silently lifted his face from the blanket, glanced at Huo Yanshen, then lifted a corner of the quilt and burrowed into his arms. Like a kid trying to make up for doing something wrong, staying quiet and sulky.

Huo Yanshen looked down at him, one eyebrow twitching slightly.

The little kitten who wouldn't let him touch her just moments ago had suddenly crawled into his arms on her own. The sharp turn in her emotional curve was a little too weird.

Huo Yanshen gently rubbed the hair at the back of his neck with his fingers. "What's wrong?"

Shen Ling shook his head against his chest. "Nothing. Just want to hug you for a bit."

Huo Yanshen didn't force him to speak. He lowered his head and kissed the top of his head. "Baby, last night was on me. I won't do that again."

Then he picked up the bowl from the tray, scooped up a spoonful, blew on it, and held it to Shen Ling's lips.

Shen Ling opened his mouth and ate it. After a few bites, he buried his face back in his chest. "You always say that..."

Huo Yanshen: "..."

He did always say that, and he really could never follow through.

When Shen Ling lay there looking at him with those eyes, his self-control was like paper—one poke and it tore.

Huo Yanshen thought for a moment, then changed tactics. "Want to go out for a walk? The doctor said you need to be around nature more. There's a new walking trail by the park."

Shen Ling was silent under the blanket for a while. He was still thinking about his grandmother's matter, but then again—his grandmother didn't bring her phone when she went out, so there was no point in panicking now. He might as well go out and get some air, and figure out how to handle things in three days.

He reached one hand out from under the blanket, fingertips cool, and brushed the back of Huo Yanshen's hand. "Alright."

Huo Yanshen picked up the glass of warm water and brought it to his lips, watching him drink most of it in small sips before pulling him out from under the blanket.

Shen Ling hung lazily on him, head resting in the hollow of his shoulder, letting him change his clothes, put on his socks, and slip his feet into a pair of soft-soled canvas shoes.

As Shen Ling put on his shoes, he looked down at his belly. At just over two months, the baby bump wasn't really obvious yet, but he had a small frame—any slight curve was hard to hide, and from the side, a rounded line was already visible.

He poked it with his finger and got his wrist caught by Huo Yanshen. "Don't poke at that."

Shen Ling pouted and pulled his hand back.

It took about twenty minutes to wash up and get changed.

Shen Ling wore a loose cream-colored hoodie. Huo Yanshen crouched down to tie his shoelaces for him, then checked the battery on his health monitoring bracelet, and only relaxed once he confirmed it was fully charged.

South Wetland Park wasn't far from where they lived—about fifteen minutes by car.

The park was newly built, with a walking path that wound along the lake, reeds and canna lilies lining both sides, and a large lawn further in.

Shen Ling walked ahead at a leisurely pace, the two drawstrings on his hoodie swaying gently as he walked.

Whenever Shen Ling veered off course, Huo Yanshen would reach out and tug his hood strings to pull him back.

The fresh air seemed to be doing the trick—Shen Ling's mood was visibly lifting.

Walking ahead, breathing in the breeze that smelled of water plants, he finally broke into a smile.

He even stopped and crouched by the roadside to look at a patch of wild speedwell, touching the tiny blue flowers with his fingers before turning to call Huo Yanshen over.

Huo Yanshen bent down for a look, then pulled Shen Ling up and brushed the grass clippings off the back of his hoodie.

Shen Ling was ticklish from the patting, so he shrank his neck, laughed, and dodged to the side.

Seeing him smile, Huo Yanshen finally relaxed.

The damp smell of soil mixed with freshly watered earth was drowsy and soothing.

After walking a while, Shen Ling's calves started to ache, so he sat down on a bench by the path.

Huo Yanshen sat down next to him, his hand settling naturally on Shen Ling's lower back, palm against the sore muscles, kneading them gently but firmly.

Shen Ling leaned against his shoulder, half-closing his eyes as he looked at the open space ahead.

A bunch of older folks were square dancing in the open area. The speaker sat by the flower bed, blasting a square-dance version of "Jasmine Flower"—the melody was nice, but the beat was ridiculously catchy.

Shen Ling watched for a bit, then suddenly remembered something from his childhood.

Back then, he and his younger sister lived with their grandmother in a small house in town. Her favorite thing to do was square dancing. Every evening after dinner, she'd take Shen Ling's hand and walk to the town square, where he'd crouch by the flower bed and watch her dance.

His sister was too little, carried on their grandmother's back in a baby carrier, bouncing to the rhythm of the music.

Shen Ling smiled slightly, then turned to glance at the dancers again. It suddenly hit him that there was a little one growing inside him now—someone who would one day live in a place this lively, this full of everyday warmth.

He walked over to Huo Yanshen and brushed the back of his hand.

Huo Yanshen looked down at him.

Shen Ling's eyes held a faint sparkle as he pointed at the square dancers. "Honey, when we're old, let's come square dance too—it's good for longevity."

Huo Yanshen followed his gaze.

The music switched to a slow waltz, and the older couples paired up, hands on shoulders and waists, spinning around the square.

Every four eight-counts, they swapped partners. The woman in the rose-red top, who'd just been dancing with a guy in a baseball cap, was now doing crossover steps with an older man in a striped shirt.

Huo Yanshen frowned a little. "You want to dance like that?"

His tone was casual, but Shen Ling could hear it—a note of displeasure in that rhetorical question.

Shen Ling caught the barely-there crease between his brows, and the little joy that had just risen in his chest sank fast.

He'd wanted to keep the conversation going from there—about growing old together, still dancing in this same spot, until they were ancient. If Huo Yanshen had played along, they could've even joined the old folks and copied their moves. Shen Ling thought that image would have been fun.

But Huo Yanshen didn't bite.

Shen Ling lowered his eyes and pulled back the fingers he'd reached out, tucking them into his hoodie sleeve.

So Huo Yanshen didn't want to grow old with him?

Maybe Huo Yanshen figured his contract wasn't up yet—that once it naturally ended, he'd go back to his glamorous business world and find someone worthy of him, instead of spending his life with a fragile porcelain doll who had episodes every few days, got knocked up, and couldn't even keep his emotions in check.

He walked ahead slowly, head down, Huo Yanshen trailing behind.

Huo Yanshen noticed Shen Ling's mood shift, realized he might've said something wrong, and hurried over to make it right.

He had no idea Shen Ling was already drafting divorce papers in his head. "Baby, they were dancing too close just now."

Oh, so Huo Yanshen didn't want to be close to him either.

Shen Ling turned his face away and ignored him.

"Baby." Huo Yanshen called after him.

Shen Ling quickened his pace.

Huo Yanshen caught up, his hand sliding from Shen Ling's waist to his lower back, pulling him gently closer. Shen Ling stumbled a little, his shoulder bumping into Huo Yanshen's chest.

Just then, out of the corner of his eye, Shen Ling caught sight of a figure in the square-dancing crowd.

The figure wore a dark red athletic jacket with graying hair. She was spinning to the music, half a beat behind the other aunties. As she turned, she wasn't looking at her partner but glancing toward Shen Ling and Huo Yanshen, head tilted slightly, like she was sneaking a peek.

Shen Ling squinted. Something about that figure looked familiar...

*

Shen Donglian had gotten her grandson's two messages that morning and hadn't even finished her breakfast. She slammed her chopsticks down on the table, switched her shoes, and headed out the door.

She hadn't told Shen Ling she was coming and had left her phone at home—she never carried it when she went out anyway. That heavy thing in her pocket was just a pain.

She wanted to see for herself how that Huo bastard was treating her grandson.

Shen Donglian had always carried a heavy weight in her heart when it came to this grandson.

Her good-for-nothing son, Shen Guoliang, had been a gambler in his youth. When he lost money and came home smashing bowls and cursing, she could still chase him around with a broom.

Later, after Meng Yuan left and her own health went downhill, Shen Guoliang showed his true colors and got even worse.

Once, Shen Donglian went to drop off some pickled vegetables and saw through the window Shen Guoliang grabbing Shen Ling by the hair and slamming his head against the wall. The kid's cries were sharp and hoarse. She pushed the door open and rushed in, shoving Shen Guoliang off balance. But he didn't give a damn about mother-son ties—he raised his hand and slapped her across the face.

That night, she took Shen Ling and Shen Yao away, cut ties with Shen Guoliang, moved to town to rent a place, and stayed there for over a decade.

She would always feel guilty toward Shen Ling. If only she had taken him in sooner, he wouldn't have been beaten so many times.

Shen Donglian arrived at the garden near Shen Ling's villa, ready to spy from a distance. She spotted a group of her old sisters square dancing.

She was usually the lead dancer back in town, so she walked right over and blended into the group, swaying to the beat for a couple of moves before starting to sneak glances toward the park entrance, dancing while she waited.

Before long, she saw Shen Ling walking over with a man.

The man was nearly a head taller than Lingling, broad-shouldered and wide-backed, with sharp, cold features. He wore a dark gray casual shirt but still carried an imposing, unspoken pressure—like a wolf patrolling its territory.

That's him!

Shen Donglian kept sneaking glances while kicking her legs and spinning in place.

She saw Lingling looking up at the man, talking to him, lips moving, eyes sparkling, like she was being all cutesy.

The man said something, and Shen Ling's face changed in an instant. His mouth drooped, and the sparkle in his eyes went out. He trudged ahead, sulking, while the man followed behind, like he was trying to make it up to him—but Shen Ling wouldn't give him the time of day.

Shen Donglian's temper shot straight up.

So he really was mistreating her grandson!

She was about to duck out of the line to go confront them when she suddenly saw the man reach out and wrap his arm around Shen Ling's waist from behind.

Where the hell do those pig trotters think they're going?

She watched that hand slide slowly from Shen Ling's lower back around to the front, palm flattening out and pressing snug against his lower belly.

Lingling's belly curved out just a little under his T-shirt, but he was still skinny overall—except for that one spot, round and poking out a bit, held steady in the man's palm.

Shen Donglian narrowed her eyes.

Okay, so he's touching his belly—but why does it look so weird?

Just as she was thinking that, she saw the man duck his head and say,

"...Did the baby give you a hard time today?"

Shen Donglian: "..."

Shen Donglian: "???"

Her dance partner spun around, arm halfway out, only to find she'd vanished. She gave her a confused look and just danced on past her.

Baby. What baby? Whose baby? A baby in Lingling's belly?

She stared at Shen Ling's belly again and again, making sure she wasn't seeing things—that was definitely Shen Ling, her oldest grandson, a guy.

How the hell can a guy have a baby???

Shen Donglian tried to find some logical footing in this info-dump of a morning.

She marched forward, cutting through the square-dance crowd at a speed no seventy-three-year-old should've been able to manage, making a beeline for Shen Ling.

Shen Ling was standing under the osmanthus tree, pretending to admire the flowers while sneaking glances at Huo Yanshen's hand on his lower belly. The ache in his chest hadn't even settled when he suddenly felt something barreling toward him.

He looked up and locked eyes with his grandmother.

Shen Donglian's gray-white curls were a little windblown, her chest heaving, her face a mess of anger, shock, and a touch of bewildered confusion.

"Lingling, tell me the truth—that Huo guy just said baby... what baby? Whose kid is it?"

!!!

Shen Ling felt his soul halfway out of his body.

He grabbed Huo Yanshen's wrist, trying to pry his hand off his belly, but Huo Yanshen didn't move an inch.

Shen Ling stammered guiltily, "Gr-Grandma, there's nothing, no, it's KFC's baby."

Grandma: "What the—?"

Shen Ling shut his eyes in despair, forcing a smile that was uglier than crying. "Wallace's... or maybe Pizza Hut's. I've been eating a lot lately, and my stomach got big. He was asking if the KFC baby and Wallace baby were giving me trouble."

Grandma: "...the hell?"

The music in the square hit its peak, the suona blasting to the heavens.

Huo Yanshen glanced down at Shen Ling's ears, which were practically on fire, pulled him in closer, gave his lower back a couple of soothing pats, then looked up at the old lady again, his tone calm and formal.

"Grandma, Shen Ling is about two months pregnant."

Shen Ling shut his eyes. The sky was falling.

*

By the time they got back to the villa, it was already dark.

Shen Donglian stood in the entryway, on a cream-colored wool rug, and looked up to see four or five stuffed animals tossed all over the living room sofa.

She'd pictured Huo Yanshen's place before. Word on the street was that this guy had taken over the Huo Group at a young age, with a ruthlessness sharper than anyone else's.

She'd figured his place would be either black-and-gray minimalist or obsessively tidy.

But when Shen Donglian slipped on her slippers and walked into the living room, she saw a neat row of claw-machine prizes lined up on the TV stand, including a big rabbit with its head tilted, wearing a little plastic gold crown.

This big, scary-looking guy had a surprisingly playful side to his place.

Shen Ling had already curled up on the couch.

The walk back from the park had drained whatever energy he had left in him. He sank into the cushions, lashes drooping, eyes half-lidded and glued to the TV. Huo Yanshen grabbed a fleece blanket, shook it out, and bent down to carefully tuck it around Shen Ling.

The TV was playing a nature show.

A mother emperor penguin passed her egg to the father penguin in a blizzard, then turned and waddled off, unsteady, toward the coastline.

The narrator's baritone voice announced in that standard broadcast tone: "She'll cross nearly a hundred kilometers of ice field alone, heading back to the sea to feed. Along the way..."

Shen Ling watched the mother penguin's retreating figure and felt sad for no real reason. He took a bite of a strawberry, juice running from his fingers down to his wrist, and forgot to wipe it off.

Huo Yanshen poked his head out from the study, caught a glimpse of Shen Ling's mournful face, strode over, grabbed the remote, and the screen went black.

"Not watching this," he said, tossing the remote back onto the coffee table and switching channels for Shen Ling. "Cartoons from now on."

Shen Ling reached out from under the blanket and shoved the strawberry stem into Huo Yanshen's palm, expressing his displeasure at the forced channel change. But he was too sleepy to even muster a proper protest, mumbling something incoherent before his head lolled against the cushion and his eyes closed.

Huo Yanshen sat on the armrest of the sofa for a moment, waiting until he confirmed Shen Ling was asleep, then bent down and scooped him up.

When the bedroom door clicked softly shut, only Shen Donglian and Huo Yanshen remained in the living room.

Huo Yanshen came out of the bedroom and sat down on the sofa across from Shen Donglian.

He sat upright, back straight off the cushion, knees slightly apart, hands clasped in front of him.

The posture wasn't deliberate, but Shen Donglian inexplicably felt she wasn't facing her grandson-in-law, but some corporate representative here to negotiate with her.

She admitted she was a little intimidated.

Not because of the rumors, not because of the legendary tactics—just the overwhelming steadiness of his presence.

But she showed no sign of backing down. Shen Ling was pregnant; if her husband treated him poorly, how would he get through this? So she straightened her back, folded her hands on her knees, and lifted her chin slightly.

Huo Yanshen spoke first: "There's something I'd like to ask you."

"Go ahead."

Huo Yanshen: "Shen Ling's mother, Meng Yuan." His tone was steady and solemn. "Do you know which city she went to after leaving Xuncheng?"

Shen Donglian's fingers, folded on her knees, twitched.

"If there's still a chance to find her," Huo Yanshen said, "I want to go look for her on his behalf."