At dawn, just as the sky was beginning to lighten, Shen Yunhe opened his eyes in the back seat of the off-road vehicle and sat up.
Thinking about what happened last night, he couldn’t help but let out a bitter smile.
He had angered his wife again—and in a fit of rage, she had thrown him out.
He raised his hand.
On his finger was a clear bite mark.
So cute.
He lowered his head and pressed his lips gently against the mark. The memory of that soft sensation made his gaze darken with emotion. His body relaxed as he leaned back against the seat, his chest rising and falling unevenly.
At the shop, the door opened.
Jiang Banyue casually looked across the street—and immediately saw the off-road vehicle still parked there.
“Jerk.”
She cursed under her breath.
She still cooked breakfast as usual, brought the babies down, and placed them on the carpet to play.
She had already called the two nannies that morning, asking them to come back to work.
After breakfast was ready, she put the babies in their high chairs and fed the twins.
Jiang Huai-jin looked around.
He didn’t see his father.
“Mom, where’s Dad?”
“He left!” she answered bluntly.
“Huh?” the child blinked in confusion.
Didn’t Dad say he would leave tomorrow?
Did he… get kicked out again?
He didn’t dare ask further and lowered his head to eat obediently.
A while later, the two nannies arrived. Jiang Banyue cleaned up and went to make cakes while they took care of the babies.
..
At noon, she glanced outside again.
The car was gone.
She finally let out a breath of relief.
That bastard was finally gone.
She had lived two lifetimes—this was the first time she had ever been treated like this by a man. Embarrassing, irritating… and infuriating.
..
Meanwhile, Shen Yunhe went to the department store.
Tomorrow, his leave would end. He wanted to buy things for the children.
Standing in the children’s clothing section, he looked at the tiny clothes and felt his heart soften. His eyes grew warm as he gently touched each piece.
He liked everything.
In the end, he bought more than ten sets of children’s clothes, including several little dresses.
Then he went to the milk powder counter and bought several tins. With three babies at home, one tin wouldn’t last two days.
At the women’s clothing section, a white long-sleeved dress caught his eye.
It was simple and elegant, with a white silk ribbon at the waist.
He imagined Jiang Banyue wearing it.
It would look beautiful on her.
He asked the clerk to pack it.
His hand lingered on the fabric for a moment before he reluctantly let go.
Next came toys—toy guns and cars for boys, a doll for the little girl.
When he finished, his hands were full of bags.
As he walked out, a loud voice came from behind him.
“Shen Yunhe! It’s really you!”
He turned around.
It was Ji An’guo, a comrade he had known during military training. After graduation, they had lost contact.
Ji An’guo rushed over and hugged him.
“Long time no see!”
They exchanged greetings.
Ji An’guo introduced his wife and children. After a brief awkward encounter, they decided to have lunch together.
At the restaurant, Ji An’guo’s wife left first with the children.
The two men began drinking.
One cup after another.
Shen Yunhe drank heavily, clearly trying to drown something in alcohol.
Slowly, Ji An’guo noticed something was wrong.
“Yunhe, what’s going on?”
“It’s nothing. Let’s keep drinking.”
His eyes were red as he poured more liquor.
“Stop drinking—you’re drunk!”
“Let go.”
He pushed the hand away and downed another cup.
“Did you argue with your wife?” Ji An’guo guessed.
At that, Shen Yunhe paused—and then drank even harder.
Ji An’guo sighed.
“A man shouldn’t argue with his wife. If you lose, you lose face. If you win, you lose your wife. You’ve got to coax her, dote on her—otherwise someone else will.”
That hit him hard.
Shen Yunhe stood up unsteadily, eyes unfocused.
“I’m going home… I’m going to find my wife.”
Ji An’guo hurried to support him.
“Where’s your home? I’ll take you back. You can’t drive like this.”
“Sweet Little House…”
“My wife… she makes cakes… the shop is called Sweet Little House…”
“Alright, alright, I’ll take you there.”
Ji An’guo helped him into the passenger seat and drove toward the cake shop.