Breakfast at the Yang mansion was an event in itself - a spread of delicate dim sum, stead buns, scallion pancakes, warm chicken soup and seasonal fruits arranged ticulously, all credit to Yang Bingqing. Yang Bingqing was very proud of the feast she had prepared.
Jia sat at the edge of her chair, quietly holding the ceramic bowl with both hands. The red bean porridge inside was warm but her fingers felt cold. She was still trying to get used to this world where each corner of the Yang mansion whispered a different story than the one at her own small apartnt.
"Did you sleep well last night, Jia?" Bingqing asked, her voice warm and gaze beaming.
"Yes, Aunt," Jia said, trying not to flinch under her gaze. "The room is very beautiful...B-But-"
Bingqing nodded in appreciation. "If you don’t like the room, you can tell . I will arrange another one right away! How about the closest one to mine?" Her eyes sparkled.
"I..."
Mingshen frowned. "Why does it have to be your bedroom? Do you want Spicy to hear your and Dad’s passionate, ungodly noises in the middle of the night?"
Yang Cheng paused his movents and looked away, as if Mingshen touched a very valid point.
"Shut up!" Yang Bingqing glared.
He sneered. "Don’t worry, Mom. We youngsters won’t stop you from enjoying your bodily functions in the limited ti you have left. That’s why Spicy can shift in my room~"
She jeered back. "So these were your true intentions, after all. No way am I allowing that!"
"Who is asking for your permission here? It’s all upto Spicy. Right, Spicy?" His beaming countenance landed at her. "It should be easy-peasy right? After all, we have shared a bed before~"
Jia choked while the chopsticks fell from Yang Bingqing’s hands.
"W-What...You two have..." she gasped.
"No, Aunt!" Jia exclaid. "It’s not like what you are thinking!"
Mingshen nodded. "We were tightly wrapped around each other’s arms. Spicy wasn’t willing to let go the next morning either."
"Stop talking, Mingshen or I will kill you right now!" She then quickly looked at the couple. "Uncle, Aunt, trust . Nothing of that sort happened between us."
Tears pooled in Yang Bingqing’s eyes. "Oh my God...Cheng...we might hear good news soon."
A look of horror laced her expression.
What good news?
His brows furrowed. "That depends if her cycle-"
"Don’t get into those biological specifics!"
"It’s science," he insisted.
Mingshen grinned. "Do you want a boy or a girl, Spicy~? I wish for a girl."
"You truly wish to breathe your last today, don’t you?" Her gaze darkened.
"At least let see my daughter’s face," he pouted.
Jia breathed erratically. As she peered into Mingshen’s trickster gaze, she knew that all this conversation upto this point was only to make her more comfortable and normal, to let her ease into the family and forget what had happened last night.
"I... I really think I shouldn’t stay here..."
Yang Bingqing pouted. "Cheng, I told you. It’s definitely the room. She would feel at more ease near us!"
"No, it’s not about the room," Jia quickly said, panicking. "It’s too comfortable. Too... perfect. It just feels like I’m intruding. I didn’t co here to be a burden."
She gasped. "But the real burden here is my son! You are my lovely Jia!"
Mingshen yawned, unaffected. "A very handso burden, if I may add so."
"Zip your lips, Mingshen before I sew them shut!"
Another wave of panic washed within Jia. "Pe-people will talk if I-"
"Let them talk," Bingqing snorted, waving her hand in dismissal. "They talked when Mingshen beca the youngest, full-fledged doctor in the country. They talked when he built his own dical research lab instead of working in the hospitals. We don’t live for people’s opinions, especially not the Yangs," she smirked.
Jia lowered her spoon. Her throat ached. She didn’t know why kindness from them felt heavier than the accusations from those strangers at the last night’s party.
"Still..." she said hesitantly, "I-I cannot live here for free. It’s too...luxurious."
Mingshen bead. "That’s why I am saying to shift in my bedroom~ You can pay the rent with your body every night~ Should my lawyer draft the contract? It will be a fun roleplay to be your landlord~"
"I will be jabbing the fork through your lips if you utter one more word now," she glared. "You are impossible!"
"And you are stubborn," he replied easily, reaching over to place a dumpling on her plate. "Now eat before the soup gets cold."
As if on cue, the maid stepped in through the open doors. "Young master, Miss. Xie is here. She insists on speaking with you."
"Mulan?" Bingqing blinked, a crease forming between her brows. Then she gasped. "Ah, yes! Weren’t you two at the award ceremony in London? She must be wondering about your abrupt departure."
Before anyone could rise, Mulan strode into the dining hall, sleek in a fitted blue suit and heels.
"I apologize for the sudden intrusion," she smiled with grace.
"Mulan," Bingqing brightened. "You look lovely, dear."
"Thank you, Aunt."
Mulan smiled briefly before turning to Mingshen which was when her gaze also fell on Jia beside him.
"Ah," she said slowly, blinking twice. "You didn’t ntion you had company."
"She’s not company," Mingshen frowned in dissatisfaction. "She’s family."
The words hit Jia like a loud chi of a bell.
Mulan’s brows arched slightly but her expression remained composed.
"I see," she said. "Still. You just suddenly left during your speech. You didn’t notify the organizers or anybody else."
"It was an ergency," he replied coolly.
"Was it a patient?"
Mingshen pointed towards Jia and smiled. "My wife."
Jia choked for the second ti.
"Wife?" She slightly widened her eyes. "When did this happen?"
"No, no, Miss. Xie. He is just-"
"At this point, the marriage papers are just a formality~ I am Spicy’s husband with all my heart, soul and body~" he blushed.
Jia - "..."
What is this man saying!?
Jia tried to laugh it off, albeit miserably. "He is...really just fooling around."
Mulan blinked. "But he suddenly left such an important award ceremony and ca all the way back to Beijing because of just one phone call. Is it...really fooling around, I wonder?"
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