Becoming a Scum A in an Old-School Melodramatic Novel - Chapter 48

In the afternoon, Shen Xian felt a little better. She quietly opened Lin Qinghan’s bedroom door and saw that Lin Qinghan was still asleep. So, Shen Xian simply picked up the car keys and went to pick up their little one herself. Before leaving, she made sure to tell Fang Jinglan, so they wouldn’t both go at the same time.

When Fang Jinglan got Shen Xian’s call, she chuckled and asked,
“Shen Xian, how was it? Did you and Qinghan have fun yesterday?”

Shen Xian thought for a moment but didn’t dare to tell the truth, so she casually said,
“It was alright. It’s just that the weather was a bit hot, I sweated a lot.”

Fang Jinglan rubbed her pants leg with one hand, hesitated a moment, and then asked,
“Shen Xian, tell Mom the truth — did you and Qinghan make up?”

Shen Xian sighed. Here her mom was, overthinking again. She and Qinghan had just gone on a short outing together, that’s all.
“Mom, don’t get the wrong idea. Qinghan and I just went out to have some fun, that’s all. You know her — she doesn’t have many friends here. Other than me, she probably has no one else to invite.”

As if remembering something, Shen Xian quickly added,
“Also, Mom, don’t say this to Qinghan. If she hears it, she’ll think I have feelings for her. That’d be so awkward. Then how would I keep staying here to take care of Tian Tian with her?”

Fang Jinglan sighed.
“Alright, alright. I’ll listen to you. I’m just talking to you, that’s all. Anyway, remember to pick up Tian Tian later. And when you drive back, go slowly.”

After chatting a little longer with Fang Jinglan, Shen Xian finally drove off to pick up their child.

Tian Tian hadn’t seen Shen Xian or Lin Qinghan all day and missed them terribly — especially since she’d been thinking about the post Shen Xian had put on her Moments. The moment she saw Shen Xian coming to get her, Tian Tian ran over on her little legs. Shen Xian originally wanted to pick her up and swing her around, but the soreness in her arms made her give up. Instead, she patted Tian Tian’s little pigtails.
“Tian Tian, did you miss Mommy and Mom?”

Shen Tian hugged Shen Xian’s leg and, in her soft little voice, said,
“I did! Mommy, did you and Mom have fun working yesterday? Tian Tian saw the pictures Mommy posted, it looked so fun. Next time, can Mommy take Tian Tian along too?”

Shen Xian pinched Tian Tian’s chubby cheeks and smiled.
“Okay. Next time, we’ll take Tian Tian with us. Alright, let’s go home now.”

“Mm-hmm.” Tian Tian nodded eagerly and happily climbed into her child safety seat.

When Lin Qinghan woke up, Shen Xian still hadn’t returned. The house was quiet, so Lin Qinghan walked through a few rooms but didn’t see her. She was still feeling weak, with little energy. So, she pulled out her phone, almost unconsciously opening the fruit delivery section of the supermarket app. Her finger hovered over the picture of sweet oranges.

She remembered sweet oranges used to be her favorite fruit. But ever since Shen Xian had turned “bad,” she hadn’t eaten them again. Right now, she is still in her susceptible period. Since Shen Xian had previously helped her with pheromones, she couldn’t use pheromone blockers anymore. But Shen Xian had long since put on pheromone blocking patches, so she couldn’t even catch a whiff of that sweet orange scent. With the way things were between them, there was no way she could say it outright either.

Still, even if she couldn’t say it, she could at least drop some hints. Besides, she hadn’t had sweet oranges in ages — ordering some for herself wouldn’t be strange. If nothing else, it could at least serve as a small comfort. Thinking this, Lin Qinghan added the sweet oranges to her cart. To avoid it looking too obvious, she also picked a few other fruits.

So when Shen Xian came home with Tian Tian, she saw Lin Qinghan sitting on the sofa in the living room eating sweet oranges, with a plate of cut fruit beside her.

Tian Tian hadn’t seen Lin Qinghan all day and missed her dearly. Letting go of Shen Xian’s hand, she ran over with little pattering steps and held out her arms.
“Mom~ Tian Tian missed Mom.”

Lin Qinghan smiled, scooped her onto her lap, and fed her a spoonful of sweet orange. Tian Tian opened her little mouth wide and happily ate it all up.

Shen Xian, seeing the oranges on the table, was a bit puzzled. She distinctly remembered that Qinghan hated sweet oranges. She’d bought them before, and Qinghan hadn’t touched them.

After changing shoes, Shen Xian sat down beside them and asked,
“Qinghan, didn’t you say before that you didn’t like sweet oranges?”

Lin Qinghan shot her a glare. If it weren’t for this woman wearing those blocking patches, would she even need to eat sweet oranges? Clearly, Shen Xian had no idea why she was eating them.

“It’s been a long time, I just suddenly felt like having some. Is that a problem?” Lin Qinghan arched a brow as she spoke.

Shen Xian quickly smiled and said,
“Of course not. If Qinghan wants to eat something, that’s fine. Actually, I like oranges a lot too.”

Looking at Shen Xian, Lin Qinghan realized she hadn’t picked up on her real meaning at all. Suddenly, the orange in her hand didn’t taste so sweet anymore.

For a moment, she even suspected Shen Xian was pretending not to understand. But when she met those clear, straightforward eyes, Lin Qinghan felt maybe she was just overthinking.

Shen Xian ate a few bites of fruit and asked,
“Qinghan, what do you want for dinner? You barely ate anything at lunch. Tell me what you feel like, I can cook it.”

Lin Qinghan’s gaze drifted past Shen Xian’s neck, lingering a little wistfully on the gland hidden by her hair. Feeding Tian Tian fruit, she said flatly,
“I don’t have much of an appetite. Just make whatever. Doesn’t matter.” After all, what she really wanted, she couldn’t have.

Shen Xian figured her susceptible period hadn’t fully passed yet. She looked at her and said,
“Alright then. I’ll just make something, but you still have to eat a little. Otherwise, you’ll feel worse.”

Lin Qinghan didn’t want to talk anymore and just nodded half-heartedly. Shen Xian then got up and went to the kitchen.

With a gloomy face, Lin Qinghan played with Tian Tian’s little pigtails. Then, as if she thought of something, she turned Tian Tian to face her and whispered,
“Tian Tian, would you like Mom and Mommy to sleep with you together tonight?”

Hearing that, Tian Tian was overjoyed. As far back as she could remember, Mom and Mommy had never slept with her at the same time. She quickly nodded.
“Tian Tian wants that~”

“Then later, Tian Tian can go tell Mommy. Say you want Mommy to sleep with you too, alright?”

Tian Tian lifted her little face, bit her lip, and whispered,
“But… but doesn’t Mommy have her own room? Will she sleep with Tian Tian too?”

Lin Qinghan nodded and said, “Your mommy loves you so much, she’ll definitely agree, Tian Tian. Go on.”

As she spoke, she lifted her daughter off her lap. Shen Tian tilted her little face up at Lin Qinghan with a smile before trotting off toward the kitchen. Of course, Shen Xian heard the commotion, and the next second, the little one had already wrapped herself around her leg.

Seeing her daughter run over, Shen Xian set down what she was doing, squatted down, and asked, “Little glutton, what are you doing here? Dinner isn’t ready yet. Go wait with Mom a little longer.”

Shen Tian’s big round eyes darted back and forth. Worried that her words alone wouldn’t work, she suddenly remembered Mommy saying that “Mommy always listens to Mom.” Stretching her short little arms around Shen Xian’s neck, she whispered, “Mommy, Mom wants you to sleep with us tonight, is that okay?” Then she looked up at Shen Xian with wide, hopeful eyes.

A giant question mark popped up in Shen Xian’s head. How could Qinghan want her to sleep with her and Tian Tian? Then she recalled what the doctor had told her back at the hospital — during an Omega’s susceptible period, if no inhibitors were used, they needed to be soothed with an Alpha’s pheromones. She had completely forgotten and had stuck on a pheromone blocking patch early that day. No wonder Qinghan seemed unwell.

While Shen Xian was lost in thought, Shen Tian was still waiting for an answer, nuzzling her and acting spoiled. “Mommy, please?”

Snapping back to herself, Shen Xian looked at her daughter and nodded. “Alright, Mommy will stay with you. Now, go play for a bit. I have to cook. The kitchen’s smoky — be careful not to get choked.”

“Okay! I’ll go find Mom then.” Shen Tian beamed at the confirmation, thrilled. She always knew — Mommy listened to Mom best. As long as Mom asked, Mommy would agree!

The little one hopped happily back to the living room. When Lin Qinghan saw her return, she quickly asked, “Well, Tian Tian? Did Mommy agree?”

Shen Tian raised her arms for a hug, nodding joyfully. “Mm-hmm! Mommy will sleep with Mom and Tian Tian together.”

Lin Qinghan scooped her up and planted a kiss on her chubby cheek, making the little one giggle with delight.

After coming home this time, Lin Qinghan hadn’t put on a pheromone blocking patch. Even now, the faint scent of osmanthus and Longjing tea lingered in the room. Shen Xian silently cursed herself for being careless, washed her hands, and quickly tore off the blocking patch from her own neck. She didn’t release her scent strongly — just let the fragrance of sweet orange slowly seep out. Before long, the air carried the citrusy sweetness.

Lin Qinghan had been listlessly eating oranges from the fruit plate, but then the sweet orange scent began to fill her nose. She didn’t even notice herself brighten at the smell. Taking a few slow breaths, she felt the discomfort at her glands ease and her fatigue began to fade. Still, she wondered why Shen Xian had suddenly torn off the blocking patch.

Half an hour later, Shen Xian brought out the freshly cooked dishes. Lin Qinghan’s gaze unconsciously fell to Shen Xian’s neck and, sure enough, the patch was gone. She couldn’t help the faint curve tugging at her lips.

Shen Xian kindly ladled soup for both Qinghan and the little one, speaking gently, “Qinghan, you hardly ate anything at lunch. Have some this afternoon. Try the bone broth I made — it turned out well.”

The sweet orange scent she’d longed for put Qinghan in a better mood. She nodded. “Alright, I’ll eat a little more then.”

Shen Tian munched on a little bun and sipped her soup, remembering to praise Shen Xian: “Mommy, it’s yummy! Tian Tian likes it.”

“You little one,” Shen Xian chuckled, “if you like it, Mommy will make it again for you. Eat up.” She watched her daughter’s happy eating face with a smile.

That evening, Lin Qinghan bathed early and took the little one back to the bedroom, feeling unusually cheerful at the thought that Shen Xian would join them soon. She played on the bed with Tian Tian, laughing together.

After her own shower, Shen Xian knocked on the door. Lin Qinghan’s “Come in” floated out, and Shen Xian pushed the door open.

Seeing her, Shen Tian excitedly stood, pulled open the blanket, and pointed to the right side of the bed. “Mommy, you sleep here, Tian Tian sleeps in the middle, then Mom and Mommy will both be with Tiantian.”

Amused, Shen Xian nodded with a smile. “Alright, Tian Tian will sleep in the middle.”

Lin Qinghan glanced at Shen Xian but stayed quiet. Between them lay only their small daughter. While playing with Tian Tian, Shen Xian’s gaze would sometimes drift to Qinghan, and Qinghan’s eyes, too, would occasionally fall on Shen Xian.

The little one, oblivious to her mommy and mom’s thoughts, took out a bedtime book and declared, like a tiny adult, “Mom reads one story first, then after, Mommy reads one. Only then can Tian Tian sleep really well.”

“Okay, Mom will read first.” Lin Qinghan pinched her daughter’s little cheek, lay on her side, and opened to the story of a little lion. As she read, Shen Xian lay facing her, smiling, listening too — sharing in Tian Tian’s bedtime story.

The little one had played too hard that day, and before the story was even over, her eyes drooped shut. Soon she was asleep, her little nose twitching adorably.

Shen Xian chuckled, pulled the blanket up over her, and shared a smile with Lin Qinghan.

When she was sure the child was asleep, Shen Xian turned to Qinghan and spoke softly, “Qinghan, I’m sorry. I forgot you still needed pheromones. It wasn’t until Tian Tian said you wanted me to stay tonight that I remembered.”

Qinghan could handle the first part calmly enough, but the latter made her bristle. What do you mean she wanted Shen Xian to stay? Obviously, it was the little one’s idea!

“No, it was Tian Tian who wanted you here. I’m not that bored.” Qinghan hurriedly denied it, though her ears flushed red.

With only their daughter separating them, her reddened ears were impossible for Shen Xian to miss. Remembering Qinghan eating oranges earlier, Shen Xian softly teased, smiling, “Then why the oranges today, Qinghan? Just suddenly had a craving?”

At those words, the red spread from Qinghan’s ears to her cheeks. She shot Shen Xian a glare and mumbled quickly, “Of course I wanted to eat them. What else could it be? Don’t go reading into things — you’re so annoying. I’m going to sleep.”

She turned her back, showing Shen Xian only the back of her head.

Shen Xian pressed her lips together, hiding a laugh. “Alright, it’s my mistake again. But Qinghan, sleeping this early? You won’t even chat with me a little?” As she spoke, she reached across their daughter and poked Qinghan’s shoulder.

Qinghan shivered, brushing her hand off, and muttered, “Chat about what? You’re not Tian Tian. Do you really need someone to tell you a story to sleep? I’m going to bed. You can chat with yourself.”

Shen Xian couldn’t help but smile at Qinghan’s turned back. Had she really ruffled her feathers again? But all she had done was tell the truth. And besides, Qinghan was being too distant — why go through Tian Tian if she really wanted her company? They were good friends, after all.