When are you two going to have a baby?

To pull off the act and make a good impression on Yun Xiaoran's parents, Shen Jin pulled out all the stops. She went from a singer who dazzled onstage and the CEO of a company to a girlfriend nestled beside Yun Xiaoran.

After Shen Jin and Yun Xiaoran's persistent coaxing, Yun Xiang and Zhou Xian had no choice but to sit in the living room and watch their son and daughter-in-law work in the kitchen.

Yun Xiaoran was a good cook and needed no help, but Shen Jin squeezed into the kitchen with him to show off how affectionate they were.

"Let me finish up here." Yun Xiaoran looked at the ribs, the only dish left to cook. Although he was still deeply uncomfortable around Shen Jin, he said softly, "Why don't you go talk to my parents?"

Shen Jin froze, then quickly recovered and nodded awkwardly. "All right."

"Okay."

Soon, Shen Jin came into the living room carrying a plate of fruit.

"Mom, Dad, have some fruit."

"All right, Jin'er. You don't have to go to so much trouble. We only came to have a look, and we'll be leaving soon." Yun Xiang and Zhou Xian smiled and began chatting with Shen Jin.

"Our Xiaoran is a bit withdrawn. He doesn't talk much."

Shen Jin smiled, naturally glancing toward Yun Xiaoran as he bustled around the kitchen in an apron. "Yes, spending time with him, I can certainly tell he isn't very talkative."

"Yes, Xiaoran has quite a few faults. If he gives you a hard time, tell me." Yun Xiang teased with a smile, trying to grow closer to Shen Jin.

Shen Jin, however, thoroughly enjoyed this warm family atmosphere. "No, we actually get along quite well."

"Well, why don't we arrange to meet your father sometime? We could all have a meal together," Zhou Xian asked gently.

"Mom, my dad is even busier with work than I am, and my mom runs a little shop now. You're busy making money too. Once everyone has time, I'll ask them to come over and arrange a meeting."

Shen Jin's expression grew a little unnatural as she said this. Her parents had been separated for a long time and never came back unless it was a gathering to reunite with their children.

Her father was extremely busy running the entire Shen Group. The few times he had pushed her to get married, he had asked her mother, who was at her eldest brother's house playing with her grandson, to do the nagging.

During a break in his cooking, Yun Xiaoran took the rare initiative to join the conversation and back up his wife. "I'll follow up on meeting my in-laws. Dad, you don't need to worry so much about it."

"Just don't put it off too long." Yun Xiang was actually quite relaxed about the matter. If the other family was truly busy, postponing the meeting for a while was fine.

Shen Jin still hadn't told her parents about the marriage. It wouldn't be too late to come clean the next time her mother flew over.

Lunch was served. Yun Xiaoran's cooking skills were plain for everyone to see, so they thoroughly enjoyed the meal.

"By the way, when are you two going to discuss having a baby? Or is it still too early for you?" Yun Xiang seized the opportunity to feel out whether they had any plans for children.

Shen Jin had her head lowered as she gnawed on a braised rib. Her almond-shaped eyes went wide at his words, but she quickly recovered.

What? He wanted her to have a baby with Yun Xiaoran?

Was this some kind of joke? Never mind that her marriage to Yun Xiaoran was only for show-she was the nation's sweetheart, and her career was taking off. Even if Yun Xiaoran were the man she loved, she couldn't have a baby now.

"No way, Dad. We have no plans to have children in the next three years. First, we're too young. Second, Shen Jin and I are both at a crucial stage in our careers."

Yun Xiaoran hurriedly began explaining the pros and cons of having children to his father. It all boiled down to one thing: he absolutely wasn't having any right now.

"That's right. Yun Xiaoran and I are both at a crucial stage in our careers." Shen Jin hastily backed him up while secretly shooting him a glare. A crucial stage in his career, my foot...

Besides, why was he so quick to rule it out so completely?

Yun Xiaoran's words left Shen Jin deeply annoyed. But as she watched him, she noticed that although he appeared perfectly calm, the tips of his ears were slightly red.

"What does that mean?" Shen Jin bit her lip, watching Yun Xiaoran's ears out of the corner of her eye. Could this stalker fan, this shameless pervert, actually have thought about it?

The family enjoyed the lunch overall.

Shen Jin had intended to help clean up and wash the dishes in the kitchen, but her father-in-law, Yun Xiang, shooed her out.

His daughter-in-law was busy with work every day. Her rare day off wasn't meant to be spent doing housework.

Soon, Yun Xiang and Zhou Xian left the upscale residential complex, leaving the two of them alone.

Shen Jin sat blankly in the living room, watching the cartoon in front of her out of boredom, though her mind was elsewhere.

After mopping the floor, Yun Xiaoran felt too uncomfortable in the living room and said politely, "I'll head back to my room. You did a pretty good job acting this time. Even my dad didn't notice anything."

Having fooled his parents, Yun Xiaoran now had time to himself, which put him in an unusually good mood. He complimented Shen Jin's acting, then returned to his bedroom.

Yun Xiaoran had handsome features and perfectly proportioned limbs, the sort of build that made any clothes look good. His smile was especially sunny.

"Well..."

Shen Jin opened her mouth, but no words came out. The way Yun Xiaoran made her feel now reminded her of filming dramas in the past, when she was still caught up in the story and unable to pull herself out of it.

Yet the other actor was already inviting her to the wrap party and asking for a celebratory cash gift.

Both were supposed to be happy things, so why did it feel so wrong?

"She wants me to go to the café and clear this up?"

Yun Xiaoran stared at WeChat, where another message had popped up beneath the familiar profile picture he had once cared so much about.

"Yun Xiaoran, I know you still love me, but we can never go back to how things were. Come to the café the day after tomorrow so we can make that clear. Otherwise, leaving this unresolved between us won't do either of us any good."

"What the hell? I still love her? How come I didn't know that?" Yun Xiaoran stared at the message in bewilderment, nearly laughing aloud in his room.

He had already sealed his heart in concrete. What the hell was this?

Exasperated enough to laugh, Yun Xiaoran still sent her a reply.

"You've misunderstood me. Let's settle everything at the café the day after tomorrow. You and I no longer belong to the same world."

Yun Xiaoran typed out the message and sent it. Once it was delivered, he let out a relieved breath and was about to sit on his bed and go over the details of everything that had happened that day.

But remembering the document they had signed on the first day of their marriage, still beneath his bed, killed any desire to think about it.

"Ah!"

Just then, Shen Jin's cry came from the living room, followed by a thud, as though she had fallen to the floor.