The Useless Stepmom Brings Her Kids to Reality TV Shows to Photograph Them

112 Don’t Even Think About Running Away This Time

In the bedroom, Li Yanchen stood on the balcony.

Night had fallen, and a few streetlamps dimly lit the path underneath the cover of trees.

He leaned against the railing and looked at Lin Wan.

She was beautiful. Her lips were a little pink and her face was flushed. He had never gotten the chance to look at her directly. He was either too afraid or would be pushed away if he got too close.

!!

Today, Lin Wan stood beside him. She was shorter than him. Her head only reached his chin.

The breeze blew through the garden and spread the flowery fragrance all over the balcony.

Li Yanchen felt as though his heart was in his throat.

The atmosphere was tense. Lin Wan looked into the room. The two-meter bed was covered with red bedding, which must have been changed by the maid in the afternoon. There were two mandarin ducks on the bedding. It was not difficult to tell that this was a four-piece wedding set.

Lin Wan was horrified. ‘Did the maid have to change the sheet into that?’ It was as though it was reminding them that they were husband and wife.

There was a faint scent of the shower gel on Li Yanchen’s body. The moment he had come upstairs, he had taken a shower and changed into a white t-shirt and sweatpants. He looked like a university student.

After a long silence, the two of them seemed to be able to hear each other’s breathing.

Finally, Li Yanchen spoke. “Is live streaming very tiring?”

Lin Wan was so nervous she blurted out, “I am not that tired. Xia Mo did all the work. I mostly just bake.” She was going to joke about it when she choked on her own spit and coughed fitfully.

Li Yanchen reached out and patted her on the back. She stopped coughing after a while. But he did not withdraw his hand. Instead, he wrapped it around her shoulder.

Lin Wan’s body stiffened.

“So, do you want to cancel the agreement?” he asked and patiently waited for her reply.

“We could set aside the 15th of July. We can go to your father’s grave and burn the agreement. I want to tell him that from now on, I will stay by your side and protect you because I want to. That it is not an obligation. It will be because I like you, Lin Wan.”

Li Yanchen’s face burned. He had never confessed his feelings to anyone before. His hand around her shoulder trembled a little because he was so nervous.

In her original world, Lin Wan had been confessed to many times before. However, Li Yanchen was ten years older than her. Coupled with the impression she had of Li Yanchen from her previous life, she had always disliked him because he was so cold and aloof. Lin Wan was at a loss when he suddenly became affectionate.

She froze. She tried to move away. When she lifted her foot to walk away, he pulled her gently. She lost her balance and fell into his arms.

“Trying to escape? Don’t even think about running away this time.”

His breath stirred up waves in her ears, and Lin Wan felt her entire body go numb. Yang Ruoxi had only told her that if she wanted to date, she had to be serious about it. She had not taught her how not to fall in love.

Lin Wan sighed inwardly. The man was indeed very experienced.

“I’ve never confessed to anyone before,” said Li yanchen. “I don’t know if it is done like this.” He was flustered.

Lin Wan did not understand. ‘If he did not confess to anyone, how did he get married? How did the children come about? Could it have been a loveless marriage between rich families just to keep the wealth in the family where the ones involved had no choice?’

Lin Wan thought that if it was a case like that, Li Yanchen must have been miserable. It was no wonder he had remained single for so many years after his first wife passed away. He must have signed some sort of agreement that forbade him from remarrying for the next seven years.

“My shoulder hurts.” Lin Wan swayed.

“Oh. Sorry.” Li Yanchen let go of her shoulders and instead moved his arms to her waist.

The 15th of July was the Zhongyuan Festival. Lin Wan remembered only then that she still had a late father in this world.

Her heart sank. “But if one day I am not here anymore?”

Li Yanchen immediately covered her mouth with a gentle kiss.

Lin Wan’s thin lips parted slightly, and she could feel the warmth of his lips. She had thought that she would never find love in this world because she was in a married woman’s body. She had not expected love to bloom here. She closed her eyes and allowed him to kiss her.

The White gauze curtain on the balcony fluttered in the wind and fell on the two of them.

Half an hour had passed, and their parents hadn’t come down. The children became anxious.

Li Zexin stood in front of the bedroom door and knocked a few times.

The two people who were still kissing on the balcony heard the knocking and were startled.

Lin Wan tidied up her hair while Li Yanchen straightened his clothes before opening the door.

“Where’s Ms. Lin?” Li Zexin asked the moment the door was opened.

Lin Wan walked over from the balcony. Her mind was still on the hug and the kiss. Her eyes were unfocused, and she looked dazed. She couldn’t not even speak properly. “What’s wrong?” she asked.

“Are you two quarreling? Your face and ears are red.” Li Zexin noticed their red faces.

Lin Wan wanted to dig a hole and hide. Luckily, Li Yanchen was quick-witted. “We weren’t arguing. We were just discussing. Maybe like a debate.”

“Ms. Lin is not a child.” Li Zexin stood in front of Lin Wan.

“I know. She is an adult. She is a Big Shot now.” Li Yanchen’s eyes were sly. He looked at Lin Wan. She blushed. He was referring to what happened between them.

Auntie Huang had been keeping an eye on the three children. She, too, thought that the couple might have been fighting. When Li Zexin knocked and got the door open, she came to smooth things over with an excuse.

“Sir. Madam. Dinner is ready. black-bone chicken and sea cucumber today. Please wash your hands and come down.”

The moment he heard the words “sea cucumber”, Li Yanchen chuckled. “Of course, Auntie. It’s important to nourish the body with healthy food, isn’t it?”

Lin Wan felt that those words held a hidden meaning. “Auntie, you should prepare more vegetables next time,” she said quickly. “Vegetables are very healthy.”

“There are vegetables, too. I’ll go downstairs to get the rice.” Auntie Huang went downstairs.

Li Zexin stood between Lin Wan and Li Yanchen. “Ms. Lin, I will escort you downstairs.”

Li Zexuan and Li Zexai were waiting for orders downstairs. When they saw Li Zexin helping Lin Wan down the stairs, they walked to them.

Li Yanchen followed behind with a dejected face. ‘Do my sons really think I could ill-treat Lin Wan?’

For the meal, the children kept Lin Wan in the middle while they pushed Li Yanchen to the side. Feeling sad that he was being ostracized, he looked at Lin Wan helplessly.

“Please can you tell them what happened?” he said.

Afraid that Li Yanchen would blurt out embarrassing things, Lin Wan took the lead. “Honestly, nothing happened. We just talked. We were discussing a very important matter. Mr. Li is very gentlemanly.”

...

The three stepsons looked at each other in disbelief. In the end, Li Zexin generously said that he would allow his father to sleep in his room tonight so that he wouldn’t make things difficult for Lin Wan.