Becoming a Scum A in an Old-School Melodramatic Novel - Chapter 37

On Saturday, Shen Tian’s kindergarten was on break, and Lin Qinghan had to go to work. So Shen Xian decided to buy some fruit and snacks and bring her little one to the office to play.

When Shen Tian heard that she was going to the place where Shen Xian worked, she got extremely excited early in the morning. Clinging to Shen Xian’s arm, she acted coy,
“Mommy, where do you work? Is it fun there?”

Shen Xian simply picked her up and held her in her arms.
“Mommy works in an office building. I’ll buy you some fruit and snacks, and then you can stay with Mommy at work, okay?”

“Okay! I’ll be good and stay with Mommy.” Shen Tian pressed her little face against Shen Xian’s arm, acting spoiled.

Lin Qinghan looked at the big and little pair on the couch and reminded them,
“Remember to eat lunch on time.”

“Okay, I’ll eat properly with Mommy,” Shen Tian replied, shaking her little pigtails as she spoke to Lin Qinghan.

Shen Xian was amused by her daughter’s serious tone and pinched her chubby cheeks.
“Alright, you can keep Mommy company.”

First, Shen Xian dropped Lin Qinghan off at her workplace. Ever since they bought a car, Lin Qinghan’s little electric scooter had taken a backseat.

After parking the car, Shen Tian sweetly said to Lin Qinghan from her child safety seat,
“Mom, I’ll pick you up later this afternoon.”

Lin Qinghan rubbed her daughter’s little cheeks.
“Okay, Mom will wait for you to come pick me up.”

Then she turned to Shen Xian and said,
“Drive safely on your way back. I’ll get going now.”

“Don’t worry, Qinghan.”

Lin Qinghan got out of the car, a smile still lingering on her lips.

In the distance, Lu Jianbai, who had just arrived at the hospital, happened to see this scene. His fists clenched tightly, his eyes fixed on Lin Qinghan. Ever since the last incident, Lin Qinghan hadn’t spoken to him privately again. On top of that, his family business had been targeted by many because of what happened, and they had been losing money these past few days. Lu Jianbai blamed it all on Shen Xian.

On the other side, Shen Xian and her daughter arrived at the office building she had rented. Shen Xian carried her daughter into the building. Shen Tian, being in a new place, was a bit shy and clung to Shen Xian, but also curiously asked what each place was for.

Shen Xian couldn’t stop smiling as she carried her daughter all the way into the company. By the time they arrived, a few employees were already there. Shen Xian greeted them with her daughter in her arms.

“This is my daughter. Weren’t you all curious yesterday during our chat? I brought her so you could see.” As she spoke, she pinched Shen Tian’s little hand and smiled.
“Tian Tian, say hello to the uncles and aunties.”

Shen Tian rubbed her little face against Shen Xian’s chest and smiled shyly.
“Hello, uncles and aunties.”
Her face was flushed as she spoke, and the dimples in her cheeks became visible. Shen Xian smiled even more at her daughter’s adorable expression.

“President Shen, you really have a daughter? Isn’t she maybe a relative’s kid?” asked Li Xing, who wore glasses.

“Of course she’s my daughter. Isn’t that right, Tian Tian?” Shen Xian pinched her daughter’s cheek.

“Mhm! Mommy,” Shen Tian said, wrapping her arms around Shen Xian’s neck in agreement.

“Alright, you guys get back to work. I’ll take Tian Tian back to the office.” Shen Xian greeted the others and brought her daughter into her office.

As soon as Shen Tian entered Shen Xian’s office, she became lively. She toddled over to Shen Xian’s boss chair, pointed at it with curiosity, and said,
“Mommy, Tian Tian wants to.”

Of course, Shen Xian understood what she meant and lifted her up onto the chair. Shen Tian’s eyes widened.
“Mommy, the chair is so soft! Tian Tian likes it!”

Shen Xian chuckled, sat on the sofa, and began peeling fruit for her.
“Alright, then Little President Shen can sit there and play while Mommy prepares your fruit.”

When she came back earlier, Shen Xian had worried that her daughter would get bored, so she specifically bought her a little green turtle plush toy. Right now, Shen Tian was happily playing with the turtle. When she heard Shen Xian call her “Little President Shen,” she asked curiously,
“Mommy, is Little President Shen Tian Tian?”

Shen Xian held back her laughter and teased,
“Of course. Doesn’t Mommy only have one baby, Tian Tian?”

“Little President Shen sounds nice. Tian Tian likes it!” Shen Tian said as she played with the turtle.

“You — how are you this cute?” Shen Xian said while finishing the fruit salad and went to pick up her daughter.

Shen Tian obediently sat on the sofa eating the salad while Shen Xian returned to handling work tasks.

Meanwhile, in the outer office, Yuan Zhenzhen wasn’t in such a good mood. She hadn’t expected that Shen Xian actually had a daughter.

Seeing that Yuan Zhenzhen was feeling down, Song Min comforted her.
“Zhenzhen, it’s okay. There are plenty of alphas out there. It’s not just President Shen.”

“Don’t talk nonsense — I don’t have feelings like that for President Shen,” Yuan Zhenzhen quickly denied.

That afternoon after work, Shen Xian took her daughter to pick up Lin Qinghan, and the three of them headed to Fang Jinglan’s place. Fang Jinglan still didn’t know that Shen Xian had bought a car, and when she saw them arrive, she was overjoyed.

“You came without telling me so I could prepare some treats for Tian Tian,” Fang Jinglan said, taking Tian Tian into her arms.

“No need, Mom. Tian Tian’s already had snacks all afternoon. Besides, everything you make is delicious,” Shen Xian said with a smile.

“It’s only been a few days, and now you know how to flatter me. Qinghan is here too, come on in.” Seeing Lin Qinghan also there, Fang Jinglan couldn’t stop smiling. This scene made her feel like maybe there was still a chance between Shen Xian and Lin Qinghan.

Shen Xian and Lin Qinghan wanted to help Fang Jinglan cook, but she kicked them out, so they had no choice but to sit on the sofa and play with the child.

Fang Jinglan cooked a few homestyle dishes. Normally, it was just her and Shen Wenkang, so they only made one or two dishes. It wasn’t because they lacked money or were stingy — it was just that two people couldn’t finish much. But now, with the whole family gathered, Fang Jinglan’s appetite was noticeably better.

Shen Tian’s little cheeks were puffed out from eating. Lin Qinghan patted her belly and asked Shen Xian,
“What did Tian Tian eat this afternoon?”

“I made her a fruit platter, and she ate almost half of it,” Shen Xian said, smiling at the memory of little Tian Tian eating fruit, her cheeks puffed up adorably.

Lin Qinghan gently patted the top of Shen Tian’s head and reminded her, “Tian Tian, after you finish what’s in your bowl, you can’t eat anymore. If you do, your tummy will hurt when you go to bed.”

Shen Tian widened her eyes and reluctantly looked at the food on the table, then nodded obediently.

Children often can’t tell if they’re actually hungry, so sometimes they overeat.

By the time Shen Xian and the others finished dinner and cleaned up, it was already 8:30 p.m. Seeing that it was getting late, Fang Jinglan reminded them, “Take a taxi when you go home, and keep an eye on Tian Tian.”

Shen Xian smiled and said to Fang Jinglan, “Mom, I bought a car, and I even started a small company. From now on, if anything comes up, I can handle the driving and pick-ups.”

Fang Jinglan’s eyes widened. She had started to believe her daughter was improving, but to say that Shen Xian could buy a car and start a company — that she found hard to believe. She thought Shen Xian was falling back into her old habits.

“Shen Xian, don’t say things like that. Qinghan and the child are right here.”

Shen Xian knew what her mother was worried about, so she explained, “Mom, I’m serious. I’ve been driving Qinghan and Tian Tian around for several days now. Tian Tian even went to the office with me today.” As she spoke, she pinched her daughter’s chubby cheek. “Isn’t that right, little President Shen? You even sat in the boss’s chair today.”

Shen Tian nodded, her tiny pigtails bouncing. “Mhm! Mommy’s chair is comfy.”

Fang Jinglan was still a bit doubtful and asked Lin Qinghan, “Qinghan, is everything Shen Xian said true?”

Lin Qinghan nodded. “Mom, it’s true. The car is parked downstairs.”

Fang Jinglan’s eyes turned red. Holding back her emotions, she said, “Then take your time on the way back. It’s late, so I won’t keep you any longer.”

“Okay, Mom. You should get to bed early too,” Shen Xian said, leaving with her daughter and Lin Qinghan.

As soon as they left, Fang Jinglan couldn’t hold back her tears anymore. She had thought her life was ruined having a daughter like Shen Xian — always scamming money from her or other family members. It made her not only heartbroken but also ashamed in front of relatives and friends. She never imagined her daughter would truly change — not only no longer asking for money, but even giving her | tens of thousands of yuan |. Now she even had a car and a company. To say Fang Jinglan wasn’t happy would be a lie.

While the three of them were in the car, Lin Qinghan said to Shen Xian, “Shen Xian, Mom just didn’t have time to process everything. It’s not that she doesn’t believe you.”

Shen Xian glanced at Lin Qinghan through the rearview mirror and knew she was trying to comfort her. “I understand. Anyone would react that way — it’s normal for Mom to think like that.”

It was a bit chilly when they got out of the car. Shen Xian took off her own jacket, wrapped it around Tian Tian, and carried her inside.

Lin Qinghan watched from the side, her lips curving into a gentle smile.

Even Shen Xian hadn’t expected to feel such a strong sense of belonging in such a short time. She already saw this place as home.

The next day, Lin Qinghan had the day off, so she was the one looking after Tian Tian. Around noon, she looked at her daughter and asked, “Tian Tian, do you miss Mommy?”

Shen Tian was playing with her toy and sweetly replied, “I do~”

“Then how about we make lunch and bring it to Mommy?” Lin Qinghan said, pinching her daughter’s cheek.

“Mhm mhm! Let’s go play with Mommy.”

Lin Qinghan took out her phone, put Shen Tian on her lap, and said, “Alright, then tell your Mommy. We’ll bring her lunch later.”

As she spoke, Lin Qinghan dialed Shen Xian’s number. Once it connected, she handed the phone to Shen Tian. Holding the phone in her chubby little hand, Shen Tian said in her milky voice, “Mommy, Mom and Tian Tian miss you! Mommy says we’re bringing you lunch~”

Lin Qinghan couldn’t help but laugh — this little rascal! When did she ever say she missed Shen Xian?

Shen Xian’s voice came through with a chuckle, “Great, I’m just getting hungry. I’ll be waiting for Tian Tian and Qinghan to bring me lunch.”

“Mhm mhm! Mom, do you want to talk to Mommy?” Shen Tian asked as she held the phone up to Lin Qinghan.

Lin Qinghan had no choice but to take the phone. “Shen Xian, Tian Tian wants to go see you, so I’ll get lunch ready and bring it over soon. Mm, okay, see you in a bit.”

After hanging up, she rubbed the little bun on top of Shen Tian’s head. “Weren’t you the one who missed Mommy? Why’d you drag me into it?”

“Mhm! Mom must miss Mommy just like Tian Tian does! I helped Mom say it too,” Shen Tian said proudly, snuggling up to Lin Qinghan.

“Alright, alright, Tian Tian always makes the best arguments,” Lin Qinghan said, helplessly pinching her daughter’s cheek with a smile.