Pregnant With The Pup Of A Wealthy Old Man - Chapter 113

Chapter 113: Shen Xingting vs. Cen Jing

 

Shen Xingting sat by the bed, leaned over, and kissed the lips of the peacefully sleeping young man. Gently rubbing his flushed ear, he said softly, “Baby, wake up.”

 

“So sleepy, stop bothering me. Let me sleep a bit longer.” Cen Jing pushed away the big clingy dog trying to kiss him and buried his head under the blanket, speaking in a muffled voice.

 

Shen Xingting sighed helplessly. “Today is Mid-Autumn Festival, did you forget?”

 

Mid-Autumn Festival?

 

Cen Jing’s eyes flew open. Uncle Shen had called a few days ago, reminding them to come home for the holiday!

 

He threw off the blanket and got up, standing in front of the wardrobe. Rubbing his cheeks, he fretted, “Ahhh, what should I do? I don’t have anything to wear!”

 

Shen Xingting hugged him from behind, looking at the wardrobe where two-fifths were filled with Cen Jing’s clothes. He let out a silent sigh.

 

“Baby, you look good in anything. Besides, this isn’t the first time you’re meeting my dad and the others. Why are you so nervous?”

 

Cen Jing’s delicate and handsome brows furrowed slightly. “It’s different. Before, I was meeting my idol.”

 

Hearing this, Shen Xingting kissed the back of his neck and asked softly, “And now?”

 

“Now?” Cen Jing turned around, hooking his arms around the big dog’s neck. Tilting his head with a smile, he said, “Now, I’m meeting my two fathers-in-law. Of course, I have to take it seriously.”

 

Shen Xingting lightly bit the tip of his nose. “Fathers-in-law? Aren’t they in-laws?”

 

“But the school forum says you’re the bottom one. There’s even evidence with pictures,” Cen Jing teased, his eyes curving into crescents.

 

Remembering the photo someone had secretly taken, Shen Xingting’s face instantly darkened.

 

“That was because you kicked me off the ** and I fell!” he retorted, biting Cen Jing’s neck in retaliation.

 

“Haha, it tickles,” Cen Jing laughed as he tried to dodge, raising his hands to push away the big dog’s head. “I was wrong, haha, I was wrong, okay?”

 

“That’s more like it.” Shen Xingting looked at the faint red marks on Cen Jing’s neck and smiled in satisfaction.

 

“Go wash up and come have breakfast. If you don’t, it’ll get cold.” He pinched the back of Cen Jing’s neck.

 

“Okay, wait for me a moment.”

 

Ten minutes later, the two sat at the dining table, chatting as they ate.

 

Shen Xingting: “Besides Dad and Daddy, we also need to visit Grandpa and Grandma. This year, Mid-Autumn Festival happens to coincide with Teacher’s Day. Grandpa, Grandma, and Uncle are all teachers, so we’ll need to prepare double the gifts.”

 

Cen Jing: “Got it. Let’s also get a few bouquets of flowers.”

 

“Mm.”

 

By the end of the meal, they had finalized their plans for the day.

 

Half an hour later, Shen Xingting held Cen Jing’s hand, dressed in a matching outfit, as they drove back to Lin’an City.

 

…

 

Lin’an City, Chunjiang Huayue Estate.

 

Shen Yunxing and his husband had been busy since early morning. They first went to the market to buy groceries and then picked up Shen’s parents from Seine-et-Marne Estate.

 

Afterward, they left Shen’s father and Fu Tingzhou in the kitchen while Shen’s mother and Shen Yunxing’s mother sat in the living room, casually eating sunflower seeds, drinking tea, and watching TV.

 

“Mom, when are my brother, sister-in-law, and Mumu coming back?”

 

Shen’s parents, now in their seventies, had retired early and taken good care of themselves, looking no older than their early sixties. Shen Yunshu and Shen Yunxing, despite being brothers, looked incredibly young for their age.

 

Mumu, mentioned by Shen Yunxing, was the child of his elder brother Shen Yunshu and Yu Ye. His full name was Shen Muan, and his nickname Mumu.

 

As for why he wasn’t called An’an, it was because Shen Muan found the nickname too feminine and refused to let anyone call him that. So, everyone switched to calling him Mumu.

 

“Yu Ye is on a business trip and can’t make it back. Yunshu and Mumu will probably arrive in the afternoon.” Shen’s mother peeled an orange and handed it to her son. “What about Xingzhou and Xingting? When will they get here?”

 

“Should be soon.”

 

As soon as Shen Yunxing finished speaking, the doorbell rang.

 

“They’re here.” Shen’s mother, who was closest to the door, stood up quickly.

 

Smiling, she opened the door, but instead of seeing anyone, she was greeted by a bouquet of flowers larger than her embrace, accompanied by a pair of long legs.

 

“Wow, such a big bouquet of flowers.” Shen’s mother chuckled. “Xingting, that must be you behind there.”

 

“Grandma, how did you know it was me?” Shen Xingting poked his head out and smiled.

 

“Every Teacher’s Day, you send sunflowers. So annoying! Your brother knows my preferences better—he always sends the most beautiful roses.” Although she complained about being annoyed, her expression betrayed her as she beamed with happiness.

 

“Don’t worry, Grandma. First, happy Teacher’s Day and Mid-Autumn Festival to you and Grandpa. As for roses, Grandpa can give them to you on Valentine’s Day.”

 

Shen’s mother laughed. “Nonsense. At our age, who still celebrates Valentine’s Day?”

 

Shen Xingting chuckled. “You’re still young. I heard Grandpa got jealous the other day because you charmed a bunch of old gentlemen at the square dance.”

 

“Don’t say that! If your Grandpa hears, he’ll get upset again.” Shen’s mother glanced toward the kitchen, then lowered her voice to complain to her grandson, “He’s gotten more temperamental with age, always jealous.”

 

Once inside, after placing the flowers down, Shen’s mother finally noticed the young man holding her grandson’s hand.

 

The young man was petite, having stood behind Shen Xingting and partially hidden by the bouquet. She hadn’t realized there was a second person.

 

“And who’s this?” Shen’s mother asked curiously.

 

Cen Jing grew nervous and turned to Shen Xingting for help.

 

Shen Xingting squeezed his fingers reassuringly and smiled proudly. “Your grandson-in-law.”

 

He motioned for Cen Jing to greet her.

 

Not expecting such a direct introduction, Cen Jing froze for several seconds before snapping back to reality.

 

“Grandma, happy Teacher’s Day and Mid-Autumn Festival.” His ears turned slightly red as he spoke.

 

Then he looked at Shen Yunxing, standing nearby with a gentle smile. “Uncle Shen, happy Mid-Autumn Festival.”

 

“Oh, you’re Xiaojing? Come in, come in. Xingting’s always talking about you, and now I finally get to meet you.” Shen’s mother took Cen Jing’s hand and pulled him closer, looking him up and down with satisfaction. “This child is so good-looking, much better than Xingting.”

 

“Grandma, what’s this? You used to say I was the most handsome in the world and bragged about me to the neighbors. Why the sudden change?” Shen Xingting protested playfully.

 

“That wasn’t me. Whoever said it, go find them,” Shen’s mother retorted, ignoring her grandson. She pulled Cen Jing onto the sofa, handed him a piece of fruit, and said, “Child, do you like apples? Or would you prefer an orange or something else?”

 

Cen Jing smiled politely. “Thank you, Grandma. An apple is fine.”

 

“Good, Xingting, go cut it for him in the kitchen.”

 

“There’s no need, Grandma. I can eat it like this.”

 

“No trouble. Such a big guy should do more work anyway.” Shen’s mother patted Cen Jing’s hand, her affection growing with every passing moment. “This child, the more I look at him, the more I like him.”

 

“Xiaojing, where’s your family from? How many people are there? What do your parents do?”

 

“Mom, are you conducting a household survey? Don’t scare him,” Shen Yunxing interjected helplessly.

 

Since the son isn’t here, as his father, he felt he needed to protect him more.

 

“It’s fine,” Cen Jing smiled at Shen Yunxing, then curved his eyes into a bright smile and said, “My family is local to Lin’an. There are three people in our family. My parents run a small business, but they’re currently abroad.”

 

“Abroad, huh? That’s a bit inconvenient,” Shen’s grandmother couldn’t help but say, thinking of how the two children would have to split their time traveling back and forth after marriage during holidays.

 

“Don’t worry, Grandma. My parents are already planning to return to the country. They should be back in the next year or two,” Cen Jing replied with a smile.

 

Hearing this, Grandma was delighted. “Really? That’s wonderful. I was worried you two would have to go back and forth all the time after getting together—it would be so tiring.”

 

Cen Jing continued chatting with her for a while. Before long, the doorbell rang—it was Fu Xingzhou and Qin Yanjun returning.

 

“Xiao Jing, let Grandma introduce you. This is your elder brother, Fu Xingzhou, and beside him is Zhouzhou’s partner. You can just call him ‘gege,’” Grandma said.

 

“Grandma, we’ve met before,” Fu Xingzhou said with a smile, putting the items he was holding down. “Xiao Jing, you’re finally back. If you took any longer, Chuan Chuan might’ve had to stay pure for you for life.”

 

“Brother, how many times have I told you not to call me by my nickname? How can you still do it?” Shen Xingting scratched his head awkwardly.

 

Fu Xingzhou smirked. “Sorry, I forgot. Anyway, Xiao Jing wouldn’t mind it, right?”

 

Cen Jing smiled and nodded, “It’s cute.”

 

Being called “cute” by his wife made Shen Xingting even more self-conscious.

 

“Come eat. We’ll chat at the table,” Shen’s father called out.

 

“Alright. Xiao Jing, come sit with Grandma.”

 

The old lady was so fond of Cen Jing that she wanted him beside her even while eating. But Shen Xingting wasn’t happy about it.

 

“Grandma, how can you compete with your grandson for his wife?” he complained.

 

“Come on, we’re the younger generation; it’s our duty to make the elders happy.” Cen Jing instinctively patted his head, smoothing his hair. Only after doing so did he realize it wasn’t appropriate for the setting and blushed furiously.

 

“Fine, I’ll listen to you,” Shen Xingting said reluctantly. “Grandma, I’ll lend you Xiao Jing for a while, but make sure to give him back after dinner.”

 

The old lady chuckled. “Alright, alright, now I’ll return him immediately.”

 

Shen Xingting was pleased. During the meal, he kept serving food to Cen Jing and peeling shrimp for him, barely eating himself. This made Cen Jing feel a bit awkward, but seeing the others smiling at them put him at ease.

 

“Don’t feel pressured. Your Uncle Shen and I are very open-minded,” Fu Tingzhou said with a smile, noticing Cen Jing’s nervousness.

 

“Yes, just treat this as your own home,” Shen Yunxing added with a smile. “You’ve been here a few times before, haven’t you? I remember you used to smile a lot back then. At that time, I thought, ‘What a beautiful girl—she’d be perfect as a daughter-in-law.’”

 

Hearing this, Cen Jing smiled shyly.

 

Back then, he’d been in disguise, dressed as a girl. He’d worried that Uncle Shen and Uncle Fu might mind, but they hadn’t. Instead, they’d kindly told him not to worry.

 

After lunch, Shen Yunxing called Cen Jing into the study. This made Shen Xingting incredibly anxious. He thought his father might make things difficult for Cen Jing and couldn’t sit still in the living room. He paced back and forth until the others were dizzy.

 

“Chuan Chuan, stop pacing. If you keep going, we’ll all get dizzy,” Fu Xingzhou said, rubbing his head. “Dad’s not that kind of person; he won’t make things hard for Xiao Jing.”

 

Shen Xingting nodded but couldn’t help glancing upstairs with concern.

 

Upstairs in the study, Cen Jing was looking at the contents of a brocade box with some hesitation.

 

“Uncle Shen, this is too valuable. I can’t accept it.”

 

Shen Yunxing, now forty-one, still looked youthful despite a few fine lines around his eyes. He smiled and said, “Does it seem a bit over the top? Back when your great-grandfather gave me a welcome gift, it was far more extravagant than this. I was worried about scaring you off on our first formal meeting, so I prepared something more modest. I didn’t expect it to still startle you.”

 

Cen Jing truly was taken aback. Looking at the deeds, property titles, and various jewelry inside the box, he didn’t know how to respond.

 

Although his family had some money and he’d seen plenty of wealthy individuals abroad, this was the first time he’d received such a generous gift. And it came from Shen Xingting’s father, which made it even more overwhelming.

 

“It’s fine, just take it. Your Uncle Fu and I decided long ago to give each child a starter fund when they found someone to spend their life with. Zhouzhou and Junjun received theirs as well,” Shen Yunxing said.

 

Hearing this, Cen Jing nodded and accepted the box.

 

“Thank you, Uncle Shen. I’ll take good care of it.”

 

“Alright. Chuan Chuan can be a bit stubborn sometimes, but if you sweet-talk him a little, he’ll come running back with a smile. He’s not hard to handle.”

 

“Uncle Shen, he has a great temperament,” Cen Jing replied.

 

Shen Yunxing raised an eyebrow. A great temperament? He wasn’t entirely convinced, but if his daughter-in-law said so, it must be true. As long as the two were happy together, that was all that mattered.

 

“Let’s go. If we take any longer, Chuan Chuan will think I’m giving you a hard time.”

 

Cen Jing nodded.

 

As they opened the door, they almost bumped into Shen Xingting, who was waiting outside.

 

“Xiao Jing,” he walked up to Cen Jing and asked in a low voice, “Did my dad give you a hard time?”

 

Shen Yunxing glanced at his silly son before turning away.

 

Cen Jing held up the brocade box and shook his head. “No, Uncle Shen gave me a gift, but it’s a bit too much. You should keep it instead.”

 

Seeing the box, Shen Xingting immediately understood what his father had done. He’d seen this box before—it was prepared for his future wife.

 

“I can, but it’s a gift from my dad to his future daughter-in-law. Are you sure you don’t want it?” He raised an eyebrow and added, “If you don’t want it, I’ll give it to someone else…”

 

“I do! I never said I didn’t want it!” Cen Jing hugged the box tightly and glared at him. “If you dare give it to someone else, I’ll go back to Y Country and never return!”

 

“Dummy, who else would I give it to besides you?” Shen Xingting kissed him lightly on the lips and whispered, “I’ll always be yours, my dear princess.”

 

Cen Jing smiled brightly, took his knight’s hand, and said, “Let’s go downstairs, Sir Knight.”

 

“As you wish, my dear princess.”

 

—

 

Author’s note:

The younger brother’s story has come to an end—countdown to completion!