"You should ask him when he wakes up," Yuyan decided with the confident authority of a twelve-year-old who had just made an executive decision. "I bet he’d like it. And Mom would definitely like it."
The ntion of "Mom" brought the worry back to Yuyan’s face, and she pushed her congee around in her bowl without eating.
"Young Miss, you promised to eat everything," the maid reminded her gently.
"I know, I know..." Yuyan sighed and took another bite.
Just then, they heard footsteps in the hallway outside, asured, adult footsteps that made both children look up hopefully.
But the footsteps passed by their door, heading in a different direction.
"Who else is here?" Yuyan asked, perking up slightly. "Is that Uncle Ah Ling?"
"There’s a visitor downstairs," the maid said carefully. "A young man who ca to see your mother. He’s waiting in the sitting room."
"A visitor? To see Mom?" Yuyan’s eyes went wide. "Who is he? Is he a friend? Does he know Mom is sick?"
"He’s been inford that she’s resting," the maid said. "Now finish your breakfast, both of you. The adults will handle everything."
But Yuyan was already plotting. She could see it in the way her eyes darted between her breakfast and the door, the way her little mind was clearly working through possibilities.
"Yuyan..." Chen Xiao said quietly, recognizing that look. "Don’t do anything that will get us in trouble."
"I’m not going to do anything!" Yuyan protested, but her cheeks flushed slightly, giving away that she’d absolutely been considering doing sothing.
The maid hid a smile. "Young Miss, your father was very clear. No one disturbs the master bedroom. That includes energetic little girls who might think they can just peek in quietly."
Yuyan slumped in her chair, caught. "Fine. But as soon as Dad says it’s okay, I’m going to see Mom first thing. Before anyone else."
"That sounds very fair," the maid agreed.
They finished their breakfast slowly, the food settling their restless energy sowhat. By the ti they were done, Yuyan was yawning again despite having just woken up, the worry and the full stomach making her drowsy.
"Can we go play in my room?" Yuyan asked. "Maybe... maybe we can draw pictures for Mom? So when she wakes up, we can show her?"
The maid’s expression softened completely. "I think that’s a wonderful idea, Young Miss. Let get you both so paper and colored pencils."
As the maid left to fetch the supplies, Yuyan turned to Chen Xiao. "I’m going to draw Mom with all of us together. You, , Dad, and Mom. Like a real family."
Chen Xiao nodded slowly. "I’ll draw one too. Maybe... maybe it will help her feel better when she sees it."
"It will!" Yuyan said with absolute certainty. "Mom loves us. I know she does. Pictures from us will definitely make her happy."
They settled in to wait, two children trying to help in the only way they knew how, while along the corridor their parents slept, recovering from a night that had nearly torn everything apart.
And downstairs, a celestial prince sat waiting for his sister to wake, carrying news of a family reunion five years in the making.
The mansion held its breath, waiting for the next Chapter to unfold.
— — — — —
"Aww!" Shuyin yawned, feeling utterly exhausted and lazy.
Her entire body ached with a deep soreness, as if she’d been through a battle, which, she supposed, she had.
She turned over to face the other side of the bed, seeking a more comfortable position.
She ca face-to-face with Lu Yuze, who was already awake and watching her.
"What are you doing in my bed?" she mumbled groggily, her hand lifting automatically to swat at him out of habit.
Lu Yuze caught her hand smoothly before it could connect against his body, his fingers warm and gentle as he brought her hand to his chest instead.
"This is our bed, my dear," he whispered, his breath tickling her ear as he leaned closer.
"Aaaahh?" Shuyin blinked, her sleep-fogged mind slowly catching up.
She glanced around the room, the familiar master bedroom, the morning light filtering through the curtains, the masculine touches mixed with her own belongings.
Right. She was married. This was their bedroom.
Her gaze landed on the clock on the nightstand. "It’s 10 already?"
She tried to sit up, exhaustion pulling at every muscle. She had company etings to attend, responsibilities to handle. She couldn’t just lie in bed all day.
"Mnnnh... sleep more," Lu Yuze murmured, his arm sliding around her waist as he gently pulled her back down into his embrace. "I sent Ting Fei to handle the etings. You don’t have to worry about anything today."
Shuyin settled back against him, noticing for the first ti that she was clean, slling fresh of soap and sothing floral.
She was even wearing clean pajamas, the soft navy cotton set, not the ruined silk ones from last night.
"Mother is really attentive," she whispered shyly, assuming her mother had taken care of her. "She made sure I was clean before bed, even in her condition..."
"Your mother fell unconscious right after you did," Lu Yuze corrected quietly, a hint of amusent in his voice despite the seriousness of the statent. "It was I who cleaned you. Thoroughly."
How could he let soone else take credit for taking care of his wife?
"You did?" Shuyin’s eyes flew open wide, heat rushing to her cheeks as the implications sank in.
He had... he had seen... everything?
Her hand shot out to punch his chest. "Hooligan!"
Punch.
"Hooligan!"
Punch.
"How dare you!"
Lu Yuze caught both her hands easily, holding them gently but firmly against his chest as a soft chuckle escaped him.
"Wifie," he said, his voice warm and patient, "we are husband and wife. Is there really a need to hide anything? Whether now or in the future, it doesn’t change the fact that I would see your body. All of you belong to now, just as all of belongs to you."
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