CHAPTER 37

After resolving the matters regarding the shops, Chu Yu and Shu Yanyan turned back to find the Empress Dowager and Yunmiao.

When the two groups met, there were satisfied and joyful smiles on their faces.

The toy store employees confirmed the delivery address with Chu Yu and happily went to arrange the orders. Chu Yu then took the others and boarded the hover car, returning to the palace. Once they were back at the palace, she casually mentioned to her mother about buying several shops under her name for Shu Yanyan to use in the future.

The Empress Dowager outright refused, saying, "If Yanyan wants to use them, I can transfer them directly to her name. Why do we need you to mediate?"

She smiled and looked at Shu Yanyan. "Yanyan, just let this mother know which one you like, and I'll arrange it for you!"

Shu Yanyan quickly waved her hands. "No need! You don't need to give me the shops. I just want to rent some physical stores and such..."

The Empress Dowager nodded. "Alright, I'll have someone arrange it tomorrow and transfer all the shops on Huaqi Street to your name."

Shu Yanyan was stunned.

She didn't know which words she had said wrong to elicit such a response from the Empress Dowager. "No, that's not... I didn't mean it like that..."

The Empress Dowager chuckled. "Oh well, since you didn't specify which one you like, I'll just give them all to you and let you choose for yourself. Don't worry, I still have other properties. If you think it's not enough, tonight I'll have the deeds for the entire capital sent over to you so you can make your selection!"

Shu Yanyan shook her head like a blade of grass in the wind. "No, it's not allowed!"

She took a deep breath and reluctantly chose the best possible solution. "I'll go tomorrow and choose one shop! Just that one will do! Don't give them all to me!"

The Empress Dowager wrinkled her nose, looking somewhat regretful. "...That will work too. When the time comes, I'll help you choose the best one."

Shu Yanyan stiffly nodded. "Okay, thank you, Auntie..."

The Empress Dowager was delighted, holding her hand and acting as if she and Shu Yanyan were truly mother and daughter.

As for Chu Yu?

That unlucky child, whoever wants her can have her!

Taking advantage of her grandmother and mother's "enthusiastic conversation," Yunmiao slipped away from the Empress Dowager's side and ran to Chu Yu.

"Mom, hug!"

Chu Yu curved her lips and embraced the little girl in her arms.

"Yunmiao, did you have fun with Grandma at the toy store today?"

Yunmiao nodded.

She seemed somewhat concerned and whispered in a small voice, hugging Chu Yu's neck, "Grandma bought so many toys for Yunmiao, so many that the whole house can't fit them. Mom, what should we do?"

Chu Yu pinched her little nose. "What should we do? Since it's Grandma who bought them for you, Yunmiao should just accept them."

Although the money spent on those toys by the grandmother and granddaughter was actually Chu Yu's, she certainly wouldn't fuss over such trivial matters.

Yunmiao looked at her intently.

After a moment, she leaned against Chu Yu's shoulder and suddenly said, "No one has ever been so good to Yunmiao, buying so many, so many things for Yunmiao..."

Shu Yanyan loved her too, but she couldn't possibly empty an entire toy store for her. For little Yunmiao, today's experience was truly a scene that she could hardly dream of.

Hearing her words, Chu Yu touched her hair.

After a brief moment of thought, she spoke, "Both Grandma and Mom love Yunmiao and will be good to you for a lifetime. But there's something Mom wants to tell you."

Yunmiao looked up. "What is it?"

Chu Yu smiled, trying to make her tone as gentle as possible. "Baby, you need to know that just because someone is willing to spend a lot of money on Yunmiao doesn't necessarily mean they genuinely love Yunmiao."

"Mommy has ten dollars, and she's willing to spend five on you. But Grandma and Mom have so much money that we can spend a hundred dollars on Yunmiao. Which side do you think treats you better?"

Yunmiao was still young and not sensitive to numbers, but Chu Yu's analogy was vivid enough.

She replied, "Mommy is good to Yunmiao."

Chu Yu smiled. "Yunmiao is really smart."

She continued, "Grandma and Mom love Yunmiao. Spending money on Yunmiao is just the simplest form of showing it. In the future, Grandma and Mom will give you much more, so you can understand what real love is."

"So Yunmiao, remember, if you meet someone who is willing to buy things for you in the future, don't be foolish and easily deceived, okay?"

Yunmiao seemed to grasp the meaning, nodding her little head in agreement.

Chu Yu took the opportunity to further instill a sense of vigilance in her.

"Moreover, when strangers suddenly treat Yunmiao especially well, most likely they have ulterior motives! When you encounter such people, baby, you have to be cautious!"

Yunmiao responded with a soft "Mm-hmm, Yunmiao knows!"

Chu Yu was satisfied with her response.

She didn't think she was scaring the child with these words. After all, soon Yunmiao would appear before the people of the empire as the Imperial Crown Princess. At that time, she didn't know how many people would come for Yunmiao's status or for Yunmiao herself. Those people wouldn't lack money, and she didn't want Yunmiao to be moved by some expensive gift from a certain family.

The concept and methods of self-defense had to be instilled in children from a young age!

With these thoughts in mind, Chu Yu pinched Yunmiao's cheeks.

"I wonder if our baby will grow up to be an Alpha or an Omega."

Yunmiao asked in response, "Does Mom hope I become an Alpha or an Omega?"

Chu Yu smiled, her lips curving. "Either one is fine. Whether Yunmiao becomes an Alpha or an Omega, Mom loves Yunmiao."

After saying that, she muttered in a low voice, thinking it was very quiet, "It would be best if she becomes an Alpha."

She thought her last sentence was spoken quietly, but unexpectedly, Yunmiao heard it.

The little girl asked, "Why? Is Alpha better?"

Chu Yu was taken aback for a moment, then followed her words and said, "Yes, Alphas are stronger. If Yunmiao becomes an Alpha, you can protect your Mommy together with Mom."

This explanation sounded grand and noble, but in reality, the reason she said that earlier was mainly due to her own selfishness—

She didn't want their adorable and affectionate Crown Princess to be taken away by some despicable Alpha in the future!!!

Just thinking about that scenario made Chu Yu unable to help but get angry!

So, it would be better for Yunmiao to grow up as an Alpha. That way, in the future, she could help bring back other cute Omegas from other families!

Just the thought made her happy!

Yunmiao seemed to ponder for a moment and nodded her head.

"Oh."

But Chu Yu was still clear-headed, "Whether you become an Alpha or an Omega is not something we can decide. Your body will give the final answer when you reach adulthood. So there's no need for Yunmiao to worry about this matter. Although Mom hopes you become an Alpha, if you end up as an Omega, Mother will still be equally happy. If you become an Omega, you will be as gentle as Mommy. Isn't that good too?"

Yunmiao smiled and nodded, "Yes, that's right."

Chu Yu finally breathed a sigh of relief, lowered her head, and gently kissed Yunmiao's cheek. "Baby is so well-behaved."

Yunmiao blushed a little but mustered up the courage to raise her head and gave Chu Yu a kiss in return.

Unbeknownst to them, the connection between the mother and daughter grew deeper, and their interaction and communication became more harmonious.

Chu Yu's smile never left her face as she took a few quick steps while holding Yunmiao, catching up with the Empress and Shu Yanyan who were walking ahead.

After another heartwarming dinner, the four of them went their separate ways.

The Empress Dowager took Yunmiao back to their bedroom to freshen up, while Chu Yu and Shu Yanyan headed to their own rooms.

After hanging up her coat on the hanger, Shu Yanyan brought up the topic to Chu Yu, "Previously, I left Yunmiao with Auntie because I was still in my vulnerable period. Now that the doctors have said my health is fine, should we find a time to bring Yunmiao here to live? After all, we can't always trouble Auntie to take care of our child."

Chu Yu thought for a moment and nodded, "You're right."

She sighed bitterly, "I'm just afraid that Mother won't want to be separated from Yunmiao. You can see how doting she is towards her."

Shu Yanyan puffed her cheeks, clearly feeling troubled.

In the past, she used to sleep with Yunmiao, but recently, every night she was exhausted from Chu Yu's antics and didn't have much energy left to consider their daughter. However, as she gradually adapted to the rhythm of sharing a bed with Chu Yu, Shu Yanyan began to miss the sight of little Yunmiao peacefully sleeping by her side.

But Chu Yu was right... the Empress Dowager also adored Yunmiao very much.

Chu Yu looked at her expression and proposed a compromise, "Anyway, let's bring Yunmiao here to stay for a couple of days tomorrow. You miss Yunmiao, and Yunmiao will surely miss you too. Mother loves Yunmiao so much, she won't disregard Yunmiao's feelings."

"As for the future... Yunmiao can choose who to sleep with on her own. When she grows up a little more, we'll arrange her own room. We can place her room in between ours and Mother's, so that everyone is satisfied."

Shu Yanyan nodded, "Okay!"

Chu Yu smiled.

Finally, she remembered what happened in the afternoon and reminded Shu Yanyan, "By the way, didn't you say you were going to call Fang Suqing tonight to discuss ending the contract?"

"Now is a good time, you can contact her."

Daytime is working hours, and Shu Yanyan didn't want to disturb Fang Suqing while she was working, so she planned to do it in the evening.

Now, facing Chu Yu's reminder, she hesitated and sat on the sofa in the living room, raising her hand to activate her smart brain and find Fang Suqing's contact card.

Chu Yu didn't hesitate and plopped down beside her.

"Go ahead and make the call."

Shu Yanyan couldn't shake off the feeling that something was off. She touched her neck and inexplicably felt a chill at the back of her neck.

Instinctively, she spoke up to Chu Yu, "I'll talk to her. You, uh, go take a shower first."

Chu Yu put her arm around Shu Yanyan's shoulder. "We just had dinner, so I can't shower right away."

She made a understanding expression. "It's okay, I'm here. Yanyan, go ahead and talk to her."

Shu Yanyan hesitated, "It's because you're here that I don't know how to start..."

"What's so difficult to talk about?" Chu Yu looked puzzled. "With me here, won't my presence confirm that what you're going to say to her is true?"

Seeing Shu Yanyan's furrowed brow, she eventually relented. "Alright, how about this? I promise you that I won't interrupt your conversation unless it's absolutely necessary. Is that okay?"

Shu Yanyan asked, "And what do you consider as 'absolutely necessary'?"

Chu Yu smirked. "Yanyan, do you not trust my judgment?"

Shu Yanyan shrunk her neck.

It's not that she didn't trust Chu Yu's judgment, but she didn't trust Chu Yu's restraint!

However, she couldn't say such a thing in front of the person involved. She let out a sigh. "Of course, I trust you."

She glanced at Chu Yu. "Then I'll make the call."

Chu Yu used her free hand to make a "shh" gesture near her lips, indicating that she would behave and not disturb Shu Yanyan while she dealt with her business.

Shu Yanyan felt slightly relieved seeing this and pressed the button on her smart brain to make the call.

Fang Suqing answered quickly.

"Yanyan?"

Shu Yanyan greeted her, "Good evening, Suqing, it's me."

Fang Suqing chuckled, "It's rare to see you taking the initiative to contact me."

"What's up?"

Even though the other person couldn't see her, Shu Yanyan still nervously straightened her back and sat upright on the sofa.

"Well, I wanted to discuss something with you. I'm not sure if you have time to talk right now?"

There were footsteps on the other end of the call, and Fang Suqing seemed to have walked into a quieter space.

"Of course, what's the matter? Go ahead."

Shu Yanyan paused for a moment and came up with a better reason, "Well, you see..."

"The shop you rented to me on the commercial street, I, I want to relocate the shop to another place, so I want to terminate the contract and return the shop to you."

This statement wasn't entirely false, as she really did need to find a new location for the shop.

There was a long silence on Fang Suqing's end.

The silence lasted so long that Shu Yanyan began to doubt if there was a signal issue on Fang Suqing's side. It was only then that Fang Suqing finally spoke up.

But what Fang Suqing said had nothing to do with the shop at all.

"You're together with that Alpha from the amusement park?"

Shu Yanyan was shocked, and her hands tightened.

She stammered, "How... How did you come up with that?"

Fang Suqing rubbed her nose, and her tone noticeably became low.

"I remember warning you to stay away from that person. Yanyan, do you really understand her?"

Shu Yanyan glanced at Chu Yu beside her. "Suqing... about this matter, well, actually..."

She hesitated for a moment and finally spoke, "Actually, she is Shu Qing."

Fang Suqing was very surprised. "Shu Qing?"

"You mean, she's the partner you lost over two years ago?"

Shu Yanyan replied with a 'yes.' "Yes... she didn't disappear, she just lost her memories from back then and has been living on the Imperial Star.

"A few days ago, we finally revealed the truth and reunited."

Fang Suqing's voice became serious. "Reunited?"

She asked, "Yanyan, don't you think this decision is a bit hasty? She lost the memories of the time you spent together. Is she still your 'Shu Qing'? Even if she accepts you and Yunmiao again, can you guarantee that in the environment of the Imperial Star, she will truly treat you and Yunmiao sincerely? What about her family behind her?"

Shu Yanyan whispered, "Suqing..."

Just as she was about to speak, Chu Yu interrupted.

"I believe this is an internal matter within our family of three. There's no need for you, Ms. Fang, an outsider, to worry about it, right?"

"Outsider?" Fang Suqing showed no weakness. "I don't think someone who abandoned the two of them for over two years has the right to say that to me. And besides, I'm currently advising her as Yanyan's friend. Ms. Shu, do you really believe that Yanyan can't even have a normal friend in your eyes? Are you planning to confine her in a cage where she can only sing to you?"

Chu Yu chuckled softly, "Of course, I won't restrict Yanyan's freedom, but I have an obligation to discern the so-called friends around her."

Upon hearing these words, Shu Yanyan widened her eyes and tugged on Chu Yu's sleeve. Chu Yu patted her leg, signaling her not to worry.

Then Chu Yu continued, "With the words you just said, are you genuinely concerned for Yanyan's well-being, or are you just trying to sabotage my relationship with her?"

Chu Yu snorted coldly, "By saying such things, you only make me realize that you lack confidence in the relationship between Yanyan and me. If a few words from me can so easily destroy your relationship with Yanyan, then I have even more reason to remind Yanyan to reevaluate your relationship."

Shu Yanyan reached out and covered Chu Yu's mouth, preventing her from speaking further.

She turned to her smart brain and calmly said, "Suqing, thank you for your concern."

"Fang Suqing?"

Shu Yanyan took a deep breath. "Actually, I've thought about those things you mentioned myself. But you don't need to worry too much. I'm not a fool, and I can discern whether her feelings for me are genuine or not. As for this relationship, I am indeed still evaluating it. I am an adult and I know that mutual attraction doesn't necessarily mean we are suitable for a life together. But..."

She glanced at Chu Yu. "We both have hopes for the future, and we both want to try to move forward."

Fang Suqing seemed to calm down a bit. "But some things are beyond human control."

Shu Yanyan pressed her lips together. "Mm, you're right."

"I don't know what the future holds, and perhaps it won't be as beautiful as I imagine. But what I can be certain of is that at least I won't regret it. I am making these decisions now, following the voice in my heart. No matter what the future brings, I won't regret it!"

Fang Suqing sighed, "Yanyan... sigh."

She paced back and forth in the room and suddenly said, "I'm on a business trip on another planet and can only return to the Imperial Star the day after tomorrow. Regarding the shop contract... I hope we can meet in person and clarify everything.

"Only then can I feel at ease."

Shu Yanyan agreed, "Okay."

"For matters like this, we indeed need to meet face to face to resolve them."

"Mhm." Fang Suqing glanced at the time. "I'll send you the time and location for the meeting later. I have something to attend to now, so I'll hang up."

Shu Yanyan nodded repeatedly, "Sure, take care of your business first. Sorry for bothering you."

Fang Suqing smiled, "It's not a bother."

"As long as it's concerning you, it's not a bother. I'll hang up now, bye."

"Goodbye." After saying this, Shu Yanyan pressed the button to end the call.

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