She found them exactly where she knew they will be, Lu Yuze sitting on the edge of the bed with his arm around Yuyan, while Chen Xiao sat nearby, close enough to feel included but not crowding. All three looked up when she entered, concern and relief mixing in their expressions.
"Yuyan, are you all right?" Shuyin asked softly, walking over to the bed and sitting down beside her daughter. She pulled Yuyan into a gentle embrace, feeling the slight trembling that still ran through the twelve-year-old’s fra, though it was less intense than before. The girl had cald considerably in the ti Shuyin had been gone, but the trauma of the attack still lingered visibly.
"I’m fine, Mama," Yuyan said quietly, her voice steadier than Shuyin had expected. She pulled back slightly to et Shuyin’s eyes, her expression showing a maturity beyond her years. "I know I don’t need to bla that teenager. Sotis emotions can’t be controlled, especially when soone’s been hurt the way they all have been. He didn’t an to scare . He was just... scared himself."
Shuyin’s heart swelled with pride at her daughter’s compassion even in the face of her own trauma. "That’s very understanding of you," she said, pressing a gentle kiss to Yuyan’s forehead. "You have a good heart, sweetheart. Never let anything change that."
She held Yuyan for a mont longer before releasing her and turning to Chen Xiao, who’d been watching with wide, worried eyes despite not having witnessed what happened. The five-year-old imdiately crawled closer when Shuyin opened her arms, and she pulled him into an equally warm embrace, reassuring him with her presence that everything was all right, that their family was safe and intact.
"Have you both eaten breakfast?" Shuyin asked after releasing Chen Xiao, looking between the two children with maternal concern.
"Yes, we have," they answered in unison, their voices overlapping in that way children’s often did when they were becoming comfortable as siblings.
"Good," Shuyin said, relief evident in her voice. She glanced at Lu Yuze, who was watching the three of them with an expression of quiet contentnt despite the morning’s upheaval. "Then let’s rest for a while. It’s been a difficult morning for all of us."
She shifted to lie down properly on the bed, pulling the covers over herself and making space for the children to settle in beside her. The soft bedding felt heavenly against her sore body, and she sighed with relief as the tension finally began to drain from her muscles. Yuyan and Chen Xiao arranged themselves on either side of her, creating a small nest of comfort and security.
Lu Yuze reached for the remote and switched on the television, keeping the volu low so it provided gentle background noise without being intrusive. So cartoon program flickered to life on the screen, colorful and innocuous, exactly the kind of mindless entertainnt that would help them all decompress from the intensity of the morning.
After a few monts, Lu Yuze stood from the bed, leaning down to press gentle kisses to first Yuyan’s forehead, then Chen Xiao’s, and finally Shuyin’s. His lips lingered on hers for just a heartbeat longer, a private acknowledgnt of everything they’d shared and survived together.
"I’ll go check on the progress with the children’s relocation," he said quietly. "You three rest. I’ll make sure everything is handled properly."
"Thank you," Shuyin murmured, already feeling the pull of exhaustion dragging at her consciousness. Between the lack of proper sleep, the physical aftermath of the night before, and the emotional toll of the morning’s events, she was completely drained.
Lu Yuze left the bedroom, closing the door quietly behind him, and the room settled into peaceful quiet broken only by the soft sounds of the television and the children’s steady breathing.
Shuyin felt herself beginning to drift, her body finally relaxing into the mattress, when Yuyan’s voice pulled her back from the edge of sleep.
"Mama, why is your neck bruised?"
Shuyin’s eyes snapped open, sudden heat flooding her cheeks as she registered what Yuyan had noticed. The hickeys. Lu Yuze’s marks from last night were scattered across her neck and collarbone, visible now that she’d removed the scarf she’d been wearing earlier and was lying down in casual clothing that didn’t cover as thoroughly.
She turned her head slightly to look at Yuyan, who was studying the marks with innocent curiosity, clearly not understanding their origin but concerned that her stepmother had sohow been injured.
"I..." Shuyin started, then paused, her mind racing to find an explanation that was honest enough not to be a lie but appropriate enough for a twelve-year-old. "Your father and I... we were playing last night. Sotis when adults play, they can leave marks accidentally. Like when you and your friends used to roughhouse and you’d get bruises."
It was possibly the most awkward explanation she’d ever given for anything, and from the way Yuyan’s brow furrowed, the girl wasn’t entirely convinced.
"Playing?" Yuyan repeated, her tone skeptical. "What kind of playing leaves marks like that on your neck?"
Chen Xiao, who’d been half-watching the television, now turned his attention to the conversation with the curiosity of a five-year-old who sensed sothing interesting was being discussed even if he didn’t fully understand it.
Shuyin felt her face grow even hotter. "It’s... it’s complicated, sweetheart. When two adults care about each other very much, sotis they...." She stopped, realizing she was about to venture into territory she absolutely did not want to navigate with her twelve-year-old daughter and five-year-old son watching with innocent curiosity.
"You and Papa were being romantic," Yuyan said suddenly, understanding dawning in her expression along with sothing that looked like embarrassnt mixed with amusent. "Oh. Oh! Like in the movies when people kiss a lot and then the cara cuts away."
"Yes," Shuyin said quickly, grateful for Yuyan’s intuitive leap even if it was slightly mortifying to discuss. "Exactly like that. Nothing to worry about. Just... adult things. That we don’t need to discuss in detail."
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