Ancestral Grave Emitting Smoke

Shen Yi paused, recalling the scene he had witnessed that day.

Shu Yunyi and Cheng Jun had been arguing fiercely, their confrontation as heated as a kiln, with neither holding back.

Cheng Jun had moved all the way here just to live across from him, and unless Shu Yunyi could believe his explanations about other matters, there was no point in hiding the truth.

So he came clean without hesitation.

"She’s my girlfriend."

Shu Yunyi wagged a finger in front of his face and corrected him without missing a beat.

"Wrong! Ex-girlfriend."

As for why she was an ex, well, that was naturally because Shu Yunyi had appeared.

Leaning against Shen Yi with confidence, she declared:

"Now that you have me, she can only be a thing of the past."

Her eyes curved into crescents as she spoke, the frustration from her earlier argument with Cheng Jun dissipating. A smug satisfaction settled in her heart—she had, after all, emerged victorious.

Then, stroking Shen Yi’s chin, she muttered:

"It’s just… how come I never heard about her before?"

Her question carried no real emotional weight; she was merely puzzled by Cheng Jun’s sudden appearance.

The fact that Shen Yi had a girlfriend didn’t bother Shu Yunyi. Was it really so strange? He was twenty-five—had she expected him to never have dated before?

After asking, she quickly lost interest. Since it was all in the past, she waved a hand dismissively.

"Never mind, it doesn’t matter. You can tell her she’s officially an ex now."

"Just make sure you break it to her gently."

Shen Yi seemed to choke on his words.

"Uh..."

"……"

Truthfully, there might not even be a need to say anything. Ever since that night when Cheng Jun had guessed his secret,

Shen Yi had laid his cards on the table. Cheng Jun couldn’t accept what she learned, and now, she had likely become part of his past for good.

Just then, Shen's Mother entered with a fruit platter, smiling warmly.

"Xiao Shu, come have some fruit."

Shu Yunyi quickly straightened up, taking the plate and setting it on the coffee table.

"Thank you, Auntie."

She picked up a toothpick, speared a piece of watermelon, and held it out to Shen Yi’s lips.

"Here, Xiao Yi, try this first."

Shen's Mother watched the exchange, exchanging a meaningful glance with Shen's Father behind her, their expressions unreadable.

Only after Shen Yi took the bite did Shu Yunyi help herself to a piece, closing her eyes in delight.

"So sweet. Delicious."

The saccharine display made Shen's Mother feel like the melon in her own mouth had lost its flavor, but she still offered politely:

"Have more if you like. I can cut another if this isn’t enough."

"Okay."

Liu Huimin observed Shu Yunyi’s behavior—it was clear her heart belonged entirely to her son. The sweetness between them was almost overwhelming, even without trying to notice.

She glanced at Shen Yi, secretly wondering if he was really her biological child or if some imposter had taken his place.

Just yesterday, Nan Zhi had been sitting here. Now, the person had changed—faster than switching clothes.

The real problem was that both women were so outstanding. Liu Huijuan felt a surge of irritation just looking at Shen Yi. She had no idea where he’d inherited this… talent.

She shot him a discreet glare, resolving to settle this with him later.

She remembered how surprised Shen Yi had sounded on the phone earlier. Clearly, Shu Yunyi’s visit had been a surprise to him too.

For now, it was impossible to tell which woman held his heart, so Liu Huijuan had to cover for him.

With that in mind, she turned to Shu Yunyi with a smile.

"Xiao Shu, where are you from?"

Shen Yi jumped in to answer:

"She’s from Jingyuan."

Shen's Mother shot him a look.

"I wasn’t asking you. Focus on your melon."

Shu Yunyi folded her hands neatly over her knees and replied gracefully:

"Xiao Yi isn’t wrong. My hometown is Yuchuan, but I rarely go back. I work and live in Jingyuan now."

"Oh..."

Shen's Mother nodded in understanding before probing further.

"So you and Xiao Yi must’ve known each other for a long time?"

Shu Yunyi covered her mouth with a light laugh. If she counted their past life, the timeline would be impossible to explain. So she kept it vague:

"Yes, quite a while."

"We met when Xiao Yi first started university."

Shen's Mother gave Shen Yi a questioning look, as if to say,

‘Why haven’t I heard about this?’

Shen Yi coughed lightly and clarified:

"Yun… Sister Yun was actually my lecturer in college. That’s why we met early."

Shen's Mother gasped in surprise.

"She was your teacher?"

Now even Shen's Father, who had been silently watching TV, subtly turned down the volume and pricked up his ears.

Shu Yunyi watched Shen's Mother’s reaction with a sense of nostalgia.

Unlike in her past life, where she’d been shy about it, she now admitted it openly:

"Yes, but we only got together after Xiao Yi graduated."

"So it doesn’t count as a student-teacher romance."

That wasn’t what Shen's Mother was concerned about. She studied Shu Yunyi carefully before asking:

"Xiao Shu, forgive me for asking, but… how old are you?"

Shu Yunyi knew this was the crucial question, but she didn’t hesitate.

"I’m thirty-four."

Shen's Mother and Father both inhaled sharply, doing the math in their heads.

"That means you’re nine years older than our Xiao Yi?"

Suddenly, Shen's Mother understood why she’d instinctively called Shu Yunyi "little sister" earlier.

She had known Shu Yunyi wasn’t young—her demeanor and style made that obvious.

But she hadn’t expected such a gap. Judging by her face, she would’ve guessed late twenties at most.

The atmosphere grew awkward until Shen's Father stepped in with a chuckle.

"Well… they say a three-year gap means a gold brick."

"Nine years means three bricks. That’s a good omen."

Shu Yunyi’s tension eased, and she lowered her head with a bashful smile.

Then she glanced at Shen Yi in confusion. In their past life, those words had come from Shen's Mother, not Shen's Father.

And their attitudes were slightly different too—back then, they’d accepted it much faster.

Shen Yi knew why. If Nan Zhi hadn’t appeared first, his mother would’ve accepted Shu Yunyi without a second thought.

She’d be grateful her son wasn’t doomed to bachelorhood, let alone bringing home such a beauty. What more could she ask for?

But now, with options on the table, she couldn’t help comparing—and hesitation followed.

After that little episode, the conversation turned casual before everyone retired for the night.

It was too late for Shu Yunyi to leave, so she was given the same room Nan Zhi had stayed in upstairs.

Once the lights were off and the house quiet, Shen's Mother lay in bed, sighing.

"One girl coming home is a pleasant surprise. Two is just a shock."

She turned to her husband.

"Lao Shen, which of these two do you think is better for our son?"

Shen Ruiping, drowsy from alcohol, mumbled:

"What we think doesn’t matter. It’s up to him."

Shen's Mother knew he was right, but she couldn’t help lamenting:

"Nan Zhi and Xiao Shu are both such good girls. Marrying either would be a blessing. It’s hard to choose."

Half-asleep, Shen's Father thought vaguely:

‘Even if you can’t choose, you can’t have both. For that, the Shen family ancestors would need more than smoke—their graves would have to be on fire…’