Sitting on the Fence

Watching Shu Yunyi skillfully navigate the crowd of relatives, Liu Huijuan momentarily lost herself in a daze, as if she truly had such a daughter-in-law.

"How is she so smooth at this?"

She had originally intended to clarify the situation, but given the current scene, it was probably too late for any explanations.

Her mind was a whirlwind of confusion—compared to the twists and turns of today, even her thirty years of life experience paled in comparison.

For now, she had no choice but to go along with the misunderstanding. Whether it was the gathered relatives or this inexplicable "girlfriend" of Shen Yi's, she couldn’t just kick them out.

Thinking of her son, Liu Huijuan couldn’t help but gnash her teeth and mutter,

"Xiao Yi..."

The commotion caught the attention of Shen Rui, who had been weeding in the backyard. He hoisted his hoe and walked to the front yard.

Taking in the crowd, he asked in bewilderment,

"What’s going on here? Brother-in-law, what’s all this?"

Shen Yi’s second uncle, holding a small stool, brightened at the sight of him and said,

"Ah, brother-in-law, perfect timing! Get Shen Yi out here."

"It’s already so late—is he still sleeping? It’s not right to leave Xiao Shu sitting out here alone."

Shen Rui grew even more confused. He blinked and said,

"Xiao Yi? He’s already left."

"And who’s Xiao Shu?"

The uncle was taken aback, then pointed at him and laughed,

"Playing dumb, are we?"

"Come on, don’t act innocent! Look, right over there—"

Shen Rui followed his gesture and froze.

Standing among the crowd was a strikingly beautiful woman, so out of place she might as well have been from another world, her beauty almost surreal.

"Who... who is this?"

Where was his Nan Zhi? Had she been swapped out?

Just as he was puzzling over this, Liu Huijuan’s voice boomed from the doorway,

"Lao Shen!"

"Come here."

"Oh..."

Suppressing his confusion, Shen Rui leaned the hoe against the wall and walked over to Liu Huijuan.

The couple huddled by the door, whispering urgently.

"What’s happening? Where did that girl come from?" Shen Rui couldn’t hold back his questions.

Liu Huijuan lowered her voice and grumbled,

"How should I know? This is your son’s doing!"

"What do you mean? Isn’t he your son too?"

"Ugh, never mind that. This girl showed up on her own, claiming to be Shen Yi’s girlfriend."

"What? That... that can’t be!" Shen Rui’s eyes widened in disbelief. Yet, if she didn’t have the address, how could she have found them? This couldn’t be a coincidence—it had to be connected to their son.

Liu Huijuan leaned in and whispered a guess,

"Do you think... our son might’ve led her on and then abandoned her?"

"Him? Is he even capable?" Shen Rui shot her a sidelong glance. It wasn’t that he wanted to undermine his own son, but having watched Shen Yi grow up, he knew his limits.

Liu Huijuan pursed her lips and teased,

"Well, you never know. He’s your son, after all."

"Hey! Liu Huijuan, what’s that supposed to mean? Explain yourself." Shen Rui frowned, displeased.

Liu Huijuan scoffed and retorted,

"Who knows how much of a playboy you were before we met?"

Shen Rui nearly laughed at the absurdity. "We’re old now—why are you bringing up ancient history? Look at this face of mine. If it weren’t for your kindness, who’d even want me?"

"Besides, didn’t you give birth to Shen Yi too? Whatever mess he’s made, you’re just as responsible."

The words made Liu Huijuan blush slightly. She smoothed her hair and muttered,

"Hmph, fine, you’re off the hook."

"But you’re right—the boy’s changed a lot these past two years. He even dresses better now."

Shen Rui nodded in agreement.

"Of course! If he didn’t clean up, how could he land someone like Nan Zhi?"

Then, with a discreet tilt of his chin toward the yard, he added,

"And... well, that other one."

Just then, Liu Huimin, Liu Huijuan’s second sister, called out cheerfully,

"What are you two whispering about over there?"

"It’s not fair to interrogate Xiao Shu alone. Is Shen Yi not home? Where’d he go?"

Liu Huijuan forced a smile and waved her off.

"Coming... we’re coming."

Then, turning back to Shen Rui, she whispered,

"You go handle them. I’ll call Shen Yi."

"Whether this little brat is two-timing or leading girls on, we need to drag him back here and get to the bottom of it."

She added as an afterthought,

"Oh, and the girl’s name is Shu Yunyi. Don’t mess it up."

Shen Rui nodded and headed back inside.

"Got it."

Watching her husband take charge in the yard, Liu Huijuan sighed and pulled her phone from her apron pocket to call her son.

"Ring... ring..."

When the call connected, Liu Huijuan asked,

"Son, are you there yet?"

"Yeah, got here a while ago. Was about to call you."

"Mm-hmm."

After a pause, Liu Huijuan cautiously added,

"Is... now a good time to talk?"

Shen Yi’s confused voice came through the line.

"Of course. What’s up, Mom?"

Reassured, Liu Huijuan took a deep breath and finally raised her voice.

"Good. Who is Shu Yunyi?!"

"Wait—how do you know about her?"

"Never mind how I know! Just tell me who she is!"

Afraid her volume might draw attention, Liu Huijuan stepped closer to the wall.

"Well... it’s complicated. Let’s just say she’s my girlfriend..."

"Also your girlfriend?!" Liu Huijuan clenched her teeth, wishing she could reach through the phone and yank Shen Yi’s ear.

"What about Nan Zhi?"

"She’s... also my girlfriend."

Though hesitant, Shen Yi’s admission was firm.

Liu Huijuan’s vision darkened. She reminded herself repeatedly that he was her flesh and blood to keep from exploding.

She was so furious she almost laughed. After a long pause, she said sarcastically,

"Well, well. I never knew you had it in you."

"Are two enough for you, or do you have three, four, five more waiting in line?"

On the other end, Shen Yi could only plead for mercy before asking the crucial question.

"Mom, how did you find out about Shu Yunyi?"

Liu Huijuan snorted.

"Oh, you’d like to know, wouldn’t you? Shouldn’t you be the one explaining?"

"The girl showed up at our door—did you even know?"

Shen Yi was stunned into silence.

"Wha—"

"Don’t ‘wha’ me! You have three hours to get your butt back here!"

"Or else!"

With that, Liu Huijuan hung up sharply.

Standing there, she took a moment to steady herself before plastering on a smile and returning to the yard.

No matter how much she scolded him, Shen Yi was still her son. His recklessness could be dealt with later.

For now, she had to clean up his mess.

Such was the burden of motherhood.