Reach an Agreement

Liu Huijuan was left speechless, unsure how to respond, and could only assume Shen Yi was joking.

She released her grip on his ear and instead touched his forehead, muttering in confusion,

"You don’t have a fever, so why are you talking nonsense in broad daylight?"

Shen Yi tilted his head back to avoid her hand and defended himself,

"I’m serious. Every word is true."

Only then did Liu Huijuan sense he wasn’t lying. She gritted her teeth and said,

"You really dare to dream, don’t you? How is this even possible?"

"Do you think those two girls are fools? Letting you mess around like this?"

Shen Yi was well aware it wouldn’t be easy, but how could he know without trying? Rather than letting them fight endlessly, he might as well take the initiative to bring them together.

Their fates had already been intertwined by the simulator’s hand, inseparable now—none of them could walk away.

After a moment’s thought, Shen Yi said,

"I won’t act recklessly. Though the process might be complicated, I’ll try to keep it gentle."

"Mom, you’ve got to help me out here."

Liu Huijuan rolled her eyes and teased,

"Help you? How? Be your accomplice in crime?"

"If you want me to spell it out for them, I can’t bring myself to do it."

Shen Yi waved his hand dismissively and said cheerfully,

"No need for that. Just stay impartial."

"Stay impartial?" Liu Huijuan echoed, puzzled.

"Right. Until things are settled, don’t show favoritism toward either side."

Shen Yi was giving his mother a heads-up.

There was no way around it—both women had already added her as a contact. They’d definitely exchange daily pleasantries, and if anything happened, complaints would inevitably follow.

If his mother couldn’t stay neutral, all his efforts might go to waste.

Gradually, Liu Huijuan caught on and said with realization,

"So, don’t take sides—just play nice with both, like you’re doing."

"Honestly, Shen Yi, who taught you this? It’s shameless."

Shen Yi could only laugh helplessly, accepting the scolding. Not that she was wrong—to pull this off, he had to be a little shameless. Otherwise, he’d just be lying to himself, and what was the point of that?

"Fine, fine, I’m shameless," Shen Yi conceded, clasping his hands together in mock surrender before turning serious again.

"But this is love. You’ve only spent a day with them and already adore them. Do you know how long I’ve been with them?"

"Mom, my heart’s made of flesh too. If I had to choose between them, how could I possibly let either go?"

He didn’t elaborate further, but the situation spoke for itself.

Liu Huijuan understood perfectly. She’d wrestled with the same dilemma last night, which was why she’d rushed to ask him first thing in the morning.

Both were excellent candidates for a daughter-in-law. Whichever one sat beside her and sweet-talked her would melt her heart—keeping things fair wouldn’t be easy.

After this conversation with her son, she slowly sorted out her thoughts and sighed.

"Ugh, giving birth to you must’ve been my karma from a past life."

"Alright, I’ll do my best with what you asked. But you’d better be careful—both are good girls. Hurting either of them... would be terrible."

Seeing his mother agree, Shen Yi’s heart settled. Overjoyed, he planted a kiss on her forehead.

Just as he was about to leave, he heard her hesitant voice behind him.

"Do you really think... this will work? They’ll just revolve around you?"

Noticing her uncertainty, Shen Yi decided to lighten the mood and adopted a mock-serious tone.

"It’s complicated... You’ll understand when you’re my age."

Liu Huijuan froze for a second before her eyebrows shot up in fury.

"You little brat! How dare you!"

What followed was Shen Yi being chased around the yard by Liu Huijuan wielding a broom. He dodged and weaved like a rabbit, pleading for mercy.

"Sorry, sorry, Mom! I was just joking!"

Truthfully, he was agile enough to avoid her entirely if he wanted, but sometimes, there was no need to be so stubborn with your own mother.

At that moment, Shu Yunyi, who had just woken up, came downstairs and witnessed the scene.

Leaning against the doorframe, she smiled at Liu Huijuan and asked,

"Auntie... are you exercising?"

Shen Yi immediately dashed over and hid behind Shu Yunyi, resting his hands on her shoulders as he continued his plea.

"Mom, I’m really sorry! Won’t happen again!"

Liu Huijuan nearly burst out laughing but held it in, softening her expression as she addressed Shu Yunyi.

"Pfft... Xiao Shu, step aside. A tree that isn’t trimmed grows crooked—looks like this one’s about to become a hunchback."

Shu Yunyi turned to look at Shen Yi, puzzled.

"What did you do to make Auntie so mad?"

Without waiting for his answer, she sidestepped and betrayed him without hesitation.

"Auntie, don’t mind me—carry on. I’ll just watch from the sidelines."

"You—!" Shen Yi pointed at her, feigning betrayal.

Liu Huijuan, however, had already set the broom aside. She hadn’t actually planned to discipline him—just venting a little under the guise of punishment.

Ignoring his antics, Liu Huijuan instead focused on Shu Yunyi’s legs with concern.

"What’s wrong, Xiao Shu? Not feeling well?"

Shu Yunyi blinked before forcing a smile.

"No... I just overdid it with exercise yesterday morning. My legs are a bit sore, but it’s nothing serious."

"It’ll pass soon..."

The truth was, after their long separation, things had gotten a little too intense. The pain of losing her virginity still needed time to fade.

She hadn’t expected her slight limp to be so noticeable, but Liu Huijuan had picked up on it immediately.

"Oh, I see..."

"Exercise is good for you," Liu Huijuan nodded, not overthinking it. She propped the broom against the wall and urged,

"Go wash up then. Breakfast is ready—the porridge’s been done for a while."

"Okay, sounds good."

......

Jingyuan City, Tiancheng Group.

A light drizzle had started early in the morning, and instead of letting up, it had only grown heavier.

On the seventeenth floor, there was an open terrace usually reserved for employees to smoke or relax with tea.

But with the rain pouring down, the place was deserted.

Cheng Jun sat alone under the awning, a cup of coffee in hand, listening to the rhythmic drumming of raindrops overhead. For some reason, it brought her an odd sense of peace.

Her expression was calm as she took a sip and set the cup down, staring silently at the curtain of rain outside.

Occasionally, stray droplets splashed in, and though she instinctively shifted her legs to avoid them, she ultimately stayed still, letting the water dampen her skin.

Lately, she’d grown sluggish, indifferent to everything.

Her mind was a tangled mess, and even her dreams were filled with strange scenes that drained her energy.

Click.

The door opened, and Fu Nanzhi hurried in, shielding a folder from the rain.

Squinting through the downpour, she called out uncertainly,

"Cheng Jun?"

Cheng Jun turned at the sound, surprised.

"Nanzhi?"

Hearing the familiar voice, Fu Nanzhi smiled in relief.

"There you are. I’ve been looking all over for you."