Shen Wenxin entered the password and opened the door.
As soon as she walked in, she saw her stepmom waiting for her at the entrance.
Jin Hanshuang was wearing pajamas with a long knitted cardigan over them, her long hair clipped up, still looking as gentle and elegant as Shen Wenxin remembered.
Jin Hanshuang asked, "Are you staying over?"
Shen Wenxin shook her head, changed into cotton slippers, and walked into the living room. "No, I'll leave once I find it. I have something to do later."
Jin Hanshuang quietly breathed a sigh of relief and asked with concern, "Coming over at this hour, have you eaten?"
Shen Wenxin's voice was already distant as she entered the room, "Not yet, I'll eat with friends later."
Jin Hanshuang glanced at the closed master bedroom door, then followed Shen Wenxin into her bedroom.
Shen Wenxin was rummaging through the bedside table.
She didn't find it.
She then went to the study.
Jin Hanshuang followed her to the study.
Watching her daughter's figure, Jin Hanshuang asked, "What document is it? Do you need my help to find it?"
"No need."
Shen Wenxin pulled out a familiar folder from the desk drawer and opened it to check.
She turned and waved the folder at Jin Hanshuang, looking relaxed.
"I found it."
"Good."
Jin Hanshuang breathed a sigh of relief.
Shen Wenxin walked over and hugged her, "Thanks for tidying up my things, Mom."
Jin Hanshuang lovingly patted Shen Wenxin's head.
She would never throw away a child's belongings, especially Shen Wenxin's.
Whether she understood them or not, they were still the child's things. Even if they needed to be discarded, it should be done by the child herself. Otherwise, if something important was mistakenly thrown away, how could she bear the responsibility?
After hugging her, Shen Wenxin said, "Mom, you seem a bit nervous."
Jin Hanshuang: "..."
Just as she thought, her child was sharp.
"Nervous?" she feigned ignorance.
"A bit," Shen Wenxin joked, "What's going on? Is there someone else in the house that you're afraid I'll find out about?"
Jin Hanshuang's heart skipped a beat.
Just as she thought, her child was sharp!
She steadied herself and joked back, "Yes, there is. Do you want to see?"
Shen Wenxin shook her head, "No, you can date whoever you want. I'm not interested, just don't let it be someone who will hurt you."
Jin Hanshuang patted her daughter's head and made an excuse, "There's no one else. I'm just nervous about accidentally losing your work documents."
"Oh," Shen Wenxin believed her, "It's fine, I found it."
"Good," Jin Hanshuang smiled.
Jin Hanshuang changed the topic, "You haven't eaten yet, right? Go have dinner with your friends, don't go hungry."
Shen Wenxin said, "Alright, alright, I'm going now."
She walked towards the door.
"Wait."
Jin Hanshuang suddenly called out to her, turned, and walked to the dressing room. She came back with a scarf and wrapped it around her neck. "It's so cold outside, why aren't you wearing a scarf? Where's the scarf I bought you?"
"It's in the car."
"Why aren't you wearing it?"
"I was in a hurry to come up and find something, so I forgot."
Jin Hanshuang looked at her helplessly, "You... make sure to keep warm and don't get sick, or you'll be whining again."
"Alright, go have dinner and eat more."
When Shen Wenxin gets sick, she tends to whine like a child, and Jin Hanshuang knows this all too well.
"Got it. Have you eaten?"
"I've eaten."
"Okay, I'm leaving now. Bye."
"Bye."
"Be safe on your way!"
Jin Hanshuang added another reminder, seeing her out and watching her leave in the elevator.
No incidents.
Jin Hanshuang quickly closed the door and walked to her bedroom.
She opened the bedroom door, and the light from the living room poured in, falling right on Lu Yunshu.
She was sitting on the edge of the bed, quietly looking over.
"Did Shen Wenxin leave?"
"Yes, she left."
Lu Yunshu reached out her hand to Jin Hanshuang.
Jin Hanshuang turned on the light, entered the room, closed the door, and locked it.
She rested her hand on Lu Yunshu's, sitting on her lap.
The two locked eyes.
Lu Yunshu held her waist, her gaze still gentle, but her words carried a hint of grievance: "This feeling isn't very good."
A secretive romance isn't good.
She wanted to be open and aboveboard, wanting the whole world to know: Jin Hanshuang is her girlfriend, and they love each other deeply.
At the very least, while they were in love, they shouldn't have to hide because of anyone's arrival.
Jin Hanshuang gently touched her face and said, "Our Yunshu has been wronged..."
Lu Yunshu kissed her palm and suddenly said, "It's been three months."
She looked at her with bright eyes and said, "We've been together for three months. Should we consider telling Shen Wenxin?"
They had been together for three months, and the future would be even longer. They couldn't keep it a secret from Shen Wenxin and others forever.
Unless Jin Hanshuang never intended to make it public from the beginning...
Thinking of this, Lu Yunshu's brows furrowed with worry.
The next second, two fingers pressed on her eyebrows, gently sliding towards her temples, as if trying to smooth her worries.
"Don't frown," Jin Hanshuang said gently, "There will be a way."
"Hmm?"
"There will always be a way to tell Wenxin. We can't hide it from her forever, right?"
"Right."
Lu Yunshu's mood instantly brightened.
After a moment of thought, Jin Hanshuang added, "If we are to tell Wenxin about us, I think you two need to make peace first.
"Once you make peace, everything will fall into place."
Lu Yunshu nodded lightly.
She understood.
When dating, meeting the other person's family requires effort to leave a good impression.
Making peace is the good impression.
Jin Hanshuang continued, "The one who ties the knot must untie it. This is your conflict, and how to resolve it is up to you. No one else can help you."
Lu Yunshu remained silent.
Resolving things with Shen Wenxin... making peace with Shen Wenxin? It felt strange.
Jin Hanshuang held her hand, "Yunshu, do you really dislike Wenxin?"
Lu Yunshu instinctively replied, "Yes."
Jin Hanshuang smiled, "Really?"
Lu Yunshu was silent for a moment, then nodded.
Jin Hanshuang gently asked, "Then what should we do? I am Wenxin's stepmother, and we want to tell Wenxin..."
Lu Yunshu raised her eyes to look at her: "Hanshuang..."
"Do you want to hear my thoughts?"
Jin Hanshuang said this.
Lu Yunshu replied, "Yes."
Jin Hanshuang hugged her gently and said, "Actually, I don't think you two really dislike each other."
Lu Yunshu: "?"
Jin Hanshuang smiled and pinched her face, "You still speak up for each other. How can that be considered dislike?"
"Didn't you stand up for Wenxin, saying it was wrong of me to cheat and that Wenxin would be upset?"
"..."
"And Wenxin also protects you, not letting the boys in your class talk bad about you behind your back."
"?"
Lu Yunshu was puzzled, "Did she?"
Jin Hanshuang smiled, "Yes, she did. I saw it with my own eyes when you were in high school."
Lu Yunshu fell silent.
Jin Hanshuang cupped her face, "And Wenxin never made me dislike you along with her. She believed it was between you two and shouldn't involve innocent people. Otherwise, I wouldn't be able to talk to you in front of her."
"Isn't that what you think too?"
Neither of them dragged her into their conflict.
Although they still saw each other in a negative light in front of her, at least they didn't force her to take sides.
Therefore, she always believed that the two of them had the possibility of making peace.
Jin Hanshuang continued, "If you really can't tell whether you dislike Wenxin, then answer me this: When you saw Wenxin's grades ranked higher than yours in school, was your first reaction to dislike Wenxin for always competing with you, or to fear that your father would blame you?"
Lu Yunshu fell even more silent after hearing this.
After a long while, her voice came softly, "The latter..."
Her concern and hostility towards Shen Wenxin all stemmed from her father, Lu Cheng.
Lu Cheng didn't like Shen Minghai, so his daughter couldn't lose to Shen Minghai's daughter.
Therefore, he demanded that she do well, do better, and always be better than Shen Wenxin.
So what happened when she wasn't as good as Shen Wenxin?
She would worry, she would be afraid.
Afraid that her father would ask why she scored lower than Shen Wenxin, and if she wasn't being serious enough.
But even in that fear, she never hated Shen Wenxin.
She was just afraid of her father's blame, afraid of his disappointment, she was just scared...
Her face was gently cupped by Jin Hanshuang.
She saw the tenderness and pity in Jin Hanshuang's eyes.
"I was right," Jin Hanshuang said, "You two are the same."
Lu Yunshu would feel fear, and so would Shen Wenxin.
When the pressure was too much, Shen Wenxin would even cry.
But even so, Jin Hanshuang never heard her say she hated Lu Yunshu.
These two children probably understood that even without each other, there would be others to compete with them. Hating each other was meaningless, as the root of the conflict was never between them.
This was the first time Lu Yunshu heard this.
She had thought that Shen Wenxin might be like her, but it was just a possibility because Shen Wenxin was much more lively and cheerful.
After Jin Hanshuang became her stepmother, Shen Wenxin became even more cheerful.
Until today, her guess was confirmed.
Behind all that cheerfulness, there was also the fear of disappointing her father.
Those years were tough for both of them...
Jin Hanshuang held her in her arms, gently stroking her long hair.
"Now that you've grown up and made it through, you can make your own decisions. Do whatever you want to do. No matter what your decision is, I will support you."
Now that both fathers are no longer around, whether to reconcile should be up to the two of them.
Lu Yunshu looked up into Jin Hanshuang's eyes.
Seeing the gentle look in Jin Hanshuang's eyes, she suddenly made a decision.
"I'll try... to reconcile with Shen Wenxin first."
Jin Hanshuang instantly smiled, "Alright."
Lu Yunshu then asked, "What if she doesn't want to make peace with me?"
Jin Hanshuang rested her face in her hands, looking troubled, "Yes, what should we do?"
Then she gently touched Lu Yunshu's face, looking at her tenderly, "Let's take it slow, give her some time, and give yourself some time too."
After all, these two had been at odds for so many years. Suddenly making peace would definitely feel awkward, and it wouldn't be resolved with just a few words.
But Lu Yunshu's determination was not to be underestimated.
She had liked her for so many years and wanted to be open and honest in front of Shen Wenxin. How could she easily give up on this issue?
Jin Hanshuang comfortingly kissed Lu Yunshu's lips, "I will be with you."
Lu Yunshu's brows relaxed, and her expression became calm and gentle.
Yes, she still has her.
The atmosphere was warm for a few seconds.
At this moment, Lu Yunshu suddenly asked, "Does Shen Wenxin really whine when she's sick?"
Jin Hanshuang: "...?"
She replied with a laugh, "When you're sick, you're still posting serial updates on your Moments."
Lu Yunshu pressed her face into her palm, pretending to be innocent.
Jin Hanshuang pinched her face, smiling with a mix of helplessness and affection.
"You two are really two peas in a pod."