CHAPTER 32

With the important matters temporarily settled, everyone relaxed and started chatting.

Finally finding the time, the Empress Dowager took the opportunity to inquire about Shu Yanyan and Yunmiao's lives over the past few years. When she learned that they had spent a full two years in the chaotic federation, she almost pierced Chu Yu, who was sitting upright and tense, with her gaze.

"Yanyan is a good child, and luckily you were there. You have been... you have been through so much these years. Of course, our Yunmiao is also very well-behaved." the Empress Dowager's eyes turned slightly red.

She came from a privileged background, the kind of pampered young lady who hadn't experienced much hardship. It was hard for her to understand how Shu Yanyan could endure and persist in such circumstances.

Shu Yanyan felt a bit embarrassed by the praise. "I'm not as amazing as you think, actually."

She explained, "Before 'Shu Qing' disappeared, I killed two star bandits on the wanted list, so I received a substantial reward from the federation that I haven't completely used up yet. During the most difficult times, it was with this money that I was able to survive with Yunmiao. So..."

She sighed with a touch of emotion and took a deep breath. "So, even though 'Shu Qing' wasn't with us for these two years, I feel like Yunmiao and I have been living under her care all along."

The Empress Dowager was annoyed. "Don't speak up for Chu Yu."

She clenched her handkerchief. "If it weren't for her uselessness, you two wouldn't have had to wander outside for such a long time." She held Yunmiao tightly, still with lingering fear. "It's only fortunate that she protected Yunmiao before she was taken away and left you with some money. Otherwise, I would never forgive her in this lifetime."

Shu Yanyan stood there, completely at a loss for how to respond.

Is this what they call "mother-in-law and daughter-in-law conflicts" that happen in any era? But... is her identity a bit off?

With a strange feeling in her heart, she turned to look at Chu Yu, hoping that Chu Yu would speak up and ease the awkward atmosphere.

However, Chu Yu didn't seem to have any intention of defending herself.

Her gaze was filled with guilt, and she listened earnestly to her mother's reproach. Sensing Shu Yanyan's gaze, she looked over and smiled faintly at her.

After a while, Chu Yu spoke up, "I have been entrusting private forces to investigate this matter because I didn't want to involve the imperial family and the empire in personal affairs... However, I will send someone to investigate in detail later."

"Heh, personal affairs of the imperial family." The Empress Dowager seemed to know something and rolled her eyes. "I've told you a long time ago, you shouldn't be too kind to those kinds of people. He has been obsessed with killing you and taking your place, but you still care about evidence and keeping family secrets."

"Do you know how much Yanyan and Yunmiao have suffered because of this?"

Chu Yu pursed her lips. "...It's my fault."

Mainly because she really didn't expect that during those two years of her disappearance, she would actually meet the love of her life and have a child with her.

Being mindful of Yunmiao still in her arms, the Empress Dowager reluctantly suppressed her temper. "It's good that you know. This matter should have been resolved long ago. Handle it yourself."

With that, she glanced at the time. "It's getting late. It's time to rest."

Shu Yanyan secretly breathed a sigh of relief and agreed, "Yes, it's time to rest. Yunmiao usually goes to bed around this time."

"Is that so? Oh well, I'll remember that." the Empress Dowager nodded.

Then, she remembered something and lowered her head to ask Yunmiao, "Baby, would you like to sleep with Grandma tonight?"

Yunmiao hesitated for a moment.

She seemed unwilling and said, "I... I want to sleep with Mommy."

In these years, the mother and daughter had hardly ever been apart.

The Empress Dowager felt a bit sad. "Is it not good to sleep with Grandma? Grandma remembers that you slept so peacefully last night."

Yunmiao felt conflicted and turned her gaze to Shu Yanyan for help.

Shu Yanyan couldn't refuse her daughter's request.

She said, "How about tonight, let Yunmiao sleep with me..."

Before she could finish her sentence, Chu Yu gently interrupted her.

Chu Yu leaned closer and lightly pinched her waist, whispering in her ear, "Let the baby sleep with her. Your heat cycle is not completely suppressed yet. These couple of days, Yunmiao will have to endure a little."

Shu Yanyan's whole body stiffened.

Her mind went blank as she looked at Chu Yu, who appeared somewhat absent-minded.

Chu Yu smiled and turned to Yunmiao. "I'll sleep with Mommy, and Yunmiao can sleep with Grandma, okay? Otherwise, Grandma will be all alone and might feel scared."

Upon hearing this, the Empress Dowager didn't care about embarrassment and nodded vigorously. "Yes! Grandma will feel scared sleeping alone!"

Yunmiao pouted.

In the end, her kind-hearted nature prevailed. "Then I'll sleep with Grandma."

The Empress Dowager beamed with joy and nodded. "Hmm, thank you, Yunmiao. You're so brave."

As the time was getting late, she bid farewell to Yunmiao, Chu Yu, and Shu Yanyan, then got up and returned to her own chamber.

Shu Yanyan and Chu Yu watched until they couldn't see each other's figures before shifting their gaze.

Chu Yu held Shu Yanyan's hand and said, "Let's go, we should also go back to 'sleep'."

Shu Yanyan's face turned red, and she softly replied with an "Mmm" as she let Chu Yu lead her forward.

As they passed through the garden, a night breeze blew in. The night breeze in this season wasn't particularly cold, but Shu Yanyan inexplicably shivered.

Chu Yu stopped in her tracks. "Are you cold?"

Shu Yanyan shook her head. "I'm not cold."

She guessed, "Maybe it's just that my body hasn't adjusted yet. It's not normal to feel like this."

Chu Yu said, "The doctor said that your condition is special recently, and your immune system may have weakened a bit."

Shu Yanyan pondered for a moment. "I see... Well, it's alright, I'll take care of myself."

Chu Yu sighed.

She let go of Shu Yanyan's hand, walked to her side, and slightly bent her knees.

In the next moment, she cradled Shu Yanyan in her arms, who was originally standing upright.

Perhaps because she had been treated this way during the day as well, Shu Yanyan was no longer as flustered as before. Knowing that refusing was futile, she playfully shook her leg and muttered, "Do you have some strange fondness for holding people?"

Chu Yu chuckled softly, "I have many peculiar habits that are specifically meant for you."

Shu Yanyan: "In other words, it's just... uh..."

Chu Yu lowered her head, "Hmm? Just what?"

Shu Yanyan coughed twice, "Nothing?"

This time, Chu Yu didn't let her get away with it. "That's not good. Just now, you were talking in front of mother about starting fresh with me and treating me well as a lover, but now you secretly hold back your evaluation of me and refuse to share it with me. Isn't that being inconsistent?"

Shu Yanyan looked at her, "Do you really want to know?"

"Of course," Chu Yu nodded affirmatively, "I want to know what kind of person I am in Yanyan's heart. That way, I can purposefully make changes and become someone Yanyan likes even more."

These sweet words were hard to resist for Shu Yanyan.She took a deep breath and reluctantly said, "You... You won't change. Every time, you tease me and then come back even stronger next time. At most... at most, you'll try to beautify your behavior and give yourself an excuse to bully others."

Chu Yu narrowed her eyes.

"Did 'Shu Qing' tell you?"

Shu Yanyan snorted, "She wouldn't tell me!"

She puffed out her chest, "I figured it out myself!"

Even though a cornered rabbit might bite, she hadn't successfully fought back before. However, she had accumulated a wealth of experience from being taken advantage of, which could be considered her "lessons learned from being taken advantage of."

Chu Yu curled her lips, "Hmm, Yanyan is really clever."

Even the person involved had to admit—

Shu Yanyan's words just now almost precisely hit all her sore spots.

Of course, this kind of mischievousness was exclusive to Shu Yanyan. When it came to treating others, she wouldn't even spare them a glance, let alone think about playing any tricks.

Shu Yanyan couldn't help but feel a bit pleased with the praise.

But soon, Chu Yu continued with her question, "Since you've figured it out, has Yanyan also found a way to restrain me?"

Shu Yanyan was stunned.

In the next moment, she visibly deflated, even to the point of burying her face in Chu Yu's embrace, blocking herself from further communication with the outside world.

It was already quite an accomplishment for the rabbit to come up with lessons learned from being taken advantage of. Why... why did Chu Yu still expect her to come up with a way to restrain her?

Isn't this just making things difficult for the little rabbit?!

Chu Yu, seeing this, felt extremely delighted.

She really wanted to laugh out loud in accordance with her feelings, but she knew that if she did that, the little rabbit would become even more withdrawn.

So she resisted the urge to expose the truth and gently patted Shu Yanyan's back.

After a while, she couldn't help but speak again, "So what exactly did you mean by that sentence you just said? Since you know you can't deal with me, why not just obediently tell me?"

"Hmm, if Yanyan behaves well, maybe I can even help you come up with a solution."

Shu Yanyan lifted her head slightly.

She gave Chu Yu a glare, thought for a moment, and realized there was no need to hide it. So she lowered her voice and said, "What I meant by that is, in your words, your 'strange fondness' is just fooling around with me!"

Though her voice was quiet, this time Chu Yu heard it clearly.

She was stunned for a few seconds, but then she couldn't help it and burst into laughter, "Pfft, hahaha."

Shu Yanyan nudged her shoulder, "What's so funny... Am I wrong?"

Chu Yu laughed while explaining, "No, no, haha, that's not what I meant."

On the contrary, it was because Shu Yanyan was so spot-on with her words that it caught her completely off guard.

After finally letting the laughter subside, Chu Yu took a deep breath to calm herself down.

"I just thought, um... Yanyan is even smarter than I imagined."

Shu Yanyan didn't fall for it this time. "Hmph."

"But..." Chu Yu sincerely asked, "I thought I carried Yanyan because I wanted to take care of her. But from Yanyan's perspective, is carrying you also considered fooling around?"

Shu Yanyan murmured in protest, "But I can walk on my own."

Chu Yu sighed and spoke earnestly, "Yanyan walks slowly, and if we keep delaying, you might get sick."

She wasn't just teasing this time. After chatting for a while, Chu Yu didn't stop her steps, and now both of them were back in the living room of her room.

Compared to the garden outside, the indoor temperature, regulated by central control, had become very comfortable.

However, she had no intention of letting go of the person in her arms.

Chu Yu continued forward until they reached the bedroom and gently placed Shu Yanyan on the soft bed.

After freeing her hands, she lightly tugged at her collar. "It seems we have a bit of a disagreement on this matter.

"It's not good if we can't reach a consensus. It might lead to conflicts in our future interactions."

Shu Yanyan's herbivorous instincts already made her sense danger.

She looked at Chu Yu, "What... What do you want to do?"

Chu Yu leaned down, getting closer, and lightly pecked her lips at the corner.

She had an expression of enjoyment, as if she was evaluating the deliciousness of her prey.

"I need to show Yanyan what truly constitutes 'fooling around'." she said.

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