Becoming a Scum A in an Old-School Melodramatic Novel - Chapter 18

Even though Shen Xian had a bit to drink last night, her ingrained habits were unshakable. After her morning jog, she went back and made cheese sandwiches and milk for the little one and the others. Tempted by the aroma, the half-asleep little one woke up hungry. On top of that, since she hadn’t seen Shen Xian the night before, she immediately started fussing about wanting to see her as soon as she woke up.

“Mom, Mommy made breakfast! It smells so good! Tian Tian wants to see Mommy,” Shen Tian mumbled, rubbing her eyes in a soft, sleepy voice. Because she’d been tossing and turning in her sleep, a few strands of messy hair were sticking up from the top of her head.

Lin Qinghan, always defenseless when it came to her little one, smiled softly and gently patted those messy strands. “Okay, let’s wash up first, then go see Mommy, alright?”

“No, no! Tian Tian hasn’t seen Mommy in forever. Let me see Mommy first, then I’ll wash up.” Before Lin Qinghan could respond, the little girl slid off the bed on her own, slipped on her slippers, and toddled off toward the kitchen.

In the kitchen, where Shen Xian was busy cooking, she suddenly felt a weight on her thigh. Looking down, she found a small one clinging to her leg like an accessory.

The little leg-hugger shook her head as she complained, “Mommy, why didn’t you say anything when you came back yesterday? Tian Tian missed you! I want a hug~”

Faced with such adorable whining, Shen Xian had zero resistance. She surrendered instantly and scooped the child into her arms, soothing her, “When Mommy got home last night, Tian Tian was already asleep. I didn’t mean to ignore you. It won’t happen again, okay? Mommy will come home earlier next time to be with Tian Tian.”

Clinging to Shen Xian’s neck, Shen Tian spoke in a serious tone, her voice still babyish, “Okay, but Mommy has to be a good girl too. You can’t come home so late. Tian Tian and Mom will worry.”

“Alright, it won’t happen again. Mommy promises,” Shen Xian said as she hugged her close, gently ruffling her little one’s messy hair.

Not far away, Lin Qinghan leaned against the wall watching the heartwarming scene. Shen Xian’s affection for Tian Tian didn’t seem fake at all, and Tian Tian clearly adored her too. But Lin Qinghan wasn’t sure whether this was a good or bad thing. Who knew how long Shen Xian’s kindness would last? If Tian Tian got used to having Mommy’s love only to lose it again, it could hurt her even more. Even she herself had started to get used to Shen Xian preparing breakfast every morning.

Lin Qinghan forced herself to push those thoughts aside and called out, “Tian Tian, come wash up now. Otherwise, you’ll turn into a little stinky baby.”

Shen Tian’s eyes went wide as she quickly denied it, “Ah! Tian Tian isn’t stinky! I’m a fragrant baby! I’ll go wash up now. Mommy, put me down!”

Shen Xian was amused by her antics. “Alright, let Mommy check first if you’re fragrant or not.” As she spoke, she lifted the little one slightly and sniffed at her.

Shen Tian stared wide-eyed, waiting for Shen Xian’s verdict. Shen Xian smiled and nodded. “Not stinky at all. Tian Tian smells the best.”

Watching their interaction, Lin Qinghan couldn’t help but smile as well. “Alright, that’s enough. If we don’t hurry, we’ll be late. No more playing around.”

Only then did Shen Xian set Shen Tian down. The little girl ran over and hugged Lin Qinghan’s leg. Lin Qinghan pinched her cheek affectionately and said, “You little rascal, always acting cute.”

She led Shen Tian to the bathroom, brought out her personal little stool, and squeezed toothpaste for her.

Shen Tian took her small toothbrush and brushed her little white teeth up and down. Lin Qinghan held her steady from the side to keep her from falling off the stool.

By the time mother and daughter finished washing up, Shen Xian had finished setting breakfast on the table. As soon as Shen Tian saw the delicious food, her eyes lit up. She immediately took a bite and her little face brightened with joy. “Mommy, this is yummy!”

Seeing how much the little one enjoyed it, Shen Xian laughed as well. “If you like it, Mommy will make it for you again tomorrow.”

With her two little pigtails bouncing, Shen Tian nodded. “Okay!”

After sending Shen Tian off, Shen Xian went back to monitoring the stocks she had recently purchased.

On the other side, Lin Qinghan headed to work at the hospital as usual. She worked at a private hospital, so it was always busy, and there were plenty of patients. She barely had time to rest between scans. Finally getting a short break around noon, her colleague Han Rui came over to chat.

“Qinghan, Director Zhao, the new guy, is treating everyone to dinner tonight. He asked me to let you know.”

Lin Qinghan sighed. She disliked post-work dinners the most — they felt like a complete waste of time. Besides, she still had to take care of Tian Tian. She usually didn’t attend such gatherings. Over time, that gave rise to plenty of gossip around the hospital. Some said she was too attached to her kid, others said she was stingy. After Lin Zhixin caused a scene at the hospital once, the rumors only got worse.

“I still have to coax Tian Tian tonight, so I won’t go,” Lin Qinghan said while packing up her things.

“Sister Lin, if you don’t go, people are definitely going to talk again. He’s our supervisor — just show your face at least,” Han Rui urged. The hospital was full of people, and gossip was rampant. She didn’t like those types either, but since they all worked together, she usually turned a blind eye.

Lin Qinghan knew many at the hospital didn’t like her, but she was just being herself. Was she supposed to hang out with the gossip crowd every day just to be considered a team player? That sounded exhausting.

When she didn’t respond, Han Rui continued, “Skipping out on casual dinners is fine, but if the supervisor takes it personally, it could be bad. Sister Lin, I don’t like those people either — just come with me tonight, yeah?”

Knowing Han Rui meant well, Lin Qinghan nodded and agreed. “Alright, we’ll go together tonight.”

Before leaving work, Lin Qinghan gave Shen Xian a call.

“Shen Xian, can you pick up Tian Tian this afternoon? There’s a dinner party at the hospital tonight, so I’ll be home a bit late.”

“Sure. Send me the restaurant’s address on FeiXin later. I’ll come pick you up afterward,” Shen Xian replied after thinking for a moment.

“No need, I’m just having a meal with some colleagues. Just take good care of Tian Tian.”

“Alright then, take your time coming back tonight,” Shen Xian reminded her a few more times before hanging up the phone.

Considering Lin Qinghan’s favorability toward her, Shen Xian understood why Lin Qinghan didn’t want to trouble her. She pulled up the system in her mind.

“Qinghan is going to a dinner later. Can you locate where the dinner will be held?” Given the heroine’s tendency to attract mishaps, Shen Xian couldn’t help but worry. Even if Lin Qinghan didn’t need her, she thought it would be better to go and check anyway.

“Yes, Host. This function requires a fee of { ‘one thousand yuan’ }. Would you like to proceed?” the system’s mechanical voice rang out.

Shen Xian directly clicked the { -“Yes”- } button in the air. She then received a deduction notice from her FeiXin Pay account. Fine, at least the system is prompt when it comes to collecting money.

“The system will inform the host of the heroine’s dinner location at the appropriate time. Please remember to check.”

Just as the system gave its response, Shen Tian came out of the kindergarten. The little one, cute as ever, was laughing and chatting with Li Mengmeng while holding hands. When she spotted Shen Xian, she quickly said goodbye to her little friend and ran over like a cannonball, hugging Shen Xian’s leg with perfect accuracy.

Shen Xian patted the little bun’s hair and said, “Tian Tian, we’ll go to Grandma’s house first. Mom has a dinner event tonight, and Mommy might need to pick her up. If it’s too late, we’ll just sleep at Grandma’s house, okay?”

Shen Tian nodded her little head and said, “Okay! Tian Tian will be good. Then Mommy has to protect Mom, okay?”

Shen Xian couldn’t help but laugh at how mature her daughter sounded. “Alright, Mommy will protect Mom.” With that, she took Shen Tian to the supermarket.

She first took her to the fruit section and asked, “Tian Tian, what kind of fruit do you want to eat?”

Shen Tian’s little face turned red. She squeezed Shen Xian’s palm and asked, “Can I have anything?”

“Of course. Anything you want,” Shen Xian replied with a smile.

Sticking close to Shen Xian, Shen Tian rubbed her little face against her arm and said in a babyish voice, “But… but Tian Tian doesn’t know what’s yummy besides little crescent moons~”

Shen Xian pinched her chubby cheeks. “Alright then, Mommy will pick some for you.”

“Mm-hmm!” Shen Tian nodded eagerly, the little tuft of hair on her head bouncing as she did.

After picking out some fruit, they moved on to the fresh food section. Shen Xian knew the little one would be overwhelmed by too many choices, so she just decided for her. She bought some ground meat, shrimp, lotus root, and snow peas. After finishing the shopping, Shen Xian carried a big bag of groceries in one hand and held her daughter’s hand in the other as they headed to Fang Jinglan’s place.

As soon as the door opened, Shen Tian pounced. “Grandma! Grandma! Tian Tian missed Grandma!”

Fang Jinglan couldn’t stop smiling from Shen Tian’s words. “Aww, Grandma missed Tian Tian too. You’re such a good girl. Come here, let Grandma give you a hug.”

She picked Shen Tian up and bounced her a little, then turned to Shen Xian. “Why didn’t you tell me earlier that Tian Tian was coming? I could’ve bought her some treats.”

“Mom, no need to go to the trouble. I already bought some — lychees, mangosteen, mangoes, and melon. Just make a bit more, and we can eat together. I’ll go make dinner.” Shen Xian handed the fruit to Fang Jinglan and brought the vegetables and meat into the kitchen.

Even though Shen Wenkang’s legs weren’t very nimble anymore, when he heard Shen Tian’s voice, he slowly wheeled himself out with his walker. In a hoarse, unclear voice, he called out, “Tian… Tian… Tian…”

Because of a stroke, speaking had become much more difficult for him, and his legs weren’t as mobile anymore. Who would’ve thought that the man now slowly pushing a walker used to be such a capable and sharp hospital doctor?

Shen Tian beamed. “Grandpa! Tian Tian missed Grandpa too~” Although she didn’t understand why Grandpa talked like that or why he used a little cart, it didn’t matter — he was still her Grandpa!

Seeing how thoughtful Shen Tian was, Fang Jinglan’s eyes welled up. After helping Shen Wenkang sit down, she put on a cartoon for Shen Tian and began preparing the fruit for them.