In the blink of an eye, little Qiao Youxuan was already five years old.
As boys tend to be, he was quite mischievous, often driving Nina Shaw up the wall with his antics. Right now, Nina Shaw’s voice rang out again from the living room.
“Xavier Quinn, come and deal with your son!”
Hearing her call, Xavier Quinn, who was in the middle of a video meeting, smiled indulgently. He opened his study door and stepped out. The moment he appeared, Qiao Youxuan immediately stood at attention, looking as obedient as could be.
Nina Shaw, her belly heavy with pregnancy, had her hands on her hips as she complained to Xavier Quinn.
The reason for her anger was that Qiao Youxuan had bullied a girl at kindergarten today. The teacher had called to explain, sending Nina Shaw into a fury.
Seeing his beloved wife so upset, Xavier Quinn’s face darkened. “Youxuan, what did you do to make Mommy angry again?”
Qiao Youxuan frowned, troubled. “Dad, didn’t you say that if you like someone, you should be brave and show it? I just kissed her. But why did she cry? You kiss Mommy all the time—how come she never cries?”
Xavier Quinn: “...”
Nina Shaw shot Xavier Quinn a glare, her cheeks flushed, blaming him for always hugging and kissing her in front of their son.
Xavier Quinn rubbed his nose sheepishly.
“That’s because Daddy and Mommy are both grown-ups, and you’re still little. It’s not okay to just kiss people—you’ll make their parents angry, you know.”
Half-understanding, Qiao Youxuan patted his little head and went back to playing with his toys.
Suddenly, Nina Shaw gasped and held her stomach. Xavier Quinn immediately wrapped his arms around her, nervous. “A-Ning, is it time?”
No, it couldn’t be. There was still more than a month to go before her due date—it couldn’t be that soon.
“No, they’re just kicking me.” Nina Shaw pouted, pointing to her round belly.
Xavier Quinn bent down and kissed her belly, his voice soft. “Be good, babies. Take it easy on Mommy, alright?”
The tenderness in his eyes was almost magical, instantly soothing Nina Shaw’s mood.
This time, she was carrying twins—her belly was much bigger than when she’d had Qiao Youxuan.
Xavier Quinn rarely went to the office these days. Unless it was something truly urgent, he let his assistant handle things and chose to stay at home with Nina Shaw.
“Did I interrupt your meeting just now?” Nina Shaw knew how much work he’d put aside so he could be with her during the pregnancy. She’d been getting more delicate lately, using him as her frequent outlet. She almost felt a bit guilty about it.
“Not at all. Nothing is more important than you.” He looked at her with deep affection. That gaze was too much—she couldn’t resist, and lowered her head shyly.
Xavier Quinn had only gotten more adept at teasing her. Seeing her look so bashful, he couldn’t help but move in for a kiss...
She had somehow come to fill every corner of his heart.
After a while, Nina Shaw pushed him away, feigning annoyance. “If Youxuan sees, he’ll pick up bad habits again.”
“Then let’s go to the bedroom so he won’t see.”
“Xavier Quinn! What are you thinking, in broad daylight?”
“I want you...”
“You scoundrel!” Nina Shaw’s face turned even redder as she punched him with her tiny fists.
Xavier Quinn saw nothing wrong with it. “Is there something wrong with wanting to sleep with my own wife?”
“...” There was really no good way to argue with that.
She thought back to when they’d first married—Xavier Quinn certainly hadn’t been like this then. Nina Shaw hummed coldly. “Do you remember what you said back then?”
“What did I say?” Xavier Quinn had long since forgotten his old words.
“You said we’d treat each other with courtesy...”
Before she could finish, Xavier Quinn rushed to apologize, “Wife, I was wrong—it was all my foolishness back then. Please forgive me.”
His desperate attempt at survival made Nina Shaw laugh out loud. “So you do remember!”
He looked at her with puppy-dog eyes. “Don’t be mad, okay? It’s not good for you or the baby. You can scold me or hit me, I won’t say a word.”
His positive attitude toward apologizing amused her; she decided not to hold it against him.
Nina Shaw was only half-joking anyway. Their marriage had started for practical reasons—neither of them could have guessed they’d fall for each other.
Love crept in silently, but once it arrived, it took over completely.
A month later, Nina Shaw gave birth to a set of twins—one boy and one girl.
The old Mr. Qiao was overjoyed, hosting a grand banquet that brought out nearly all of Harbor City’s elite.
Members of the Shaw family came as well, filling the home with laughter and celebration.
That night, after the children had fallen asleep, Xavier Quinn held Nina Shaw close, speaking softly: “A-Ning, I’m so glad to have you.”
“You’re only just realizing that now?” Nina Shaw blinked at him, her eyes sparkling with laughter.
“No, I’ve always known you’re the best.”
“Then you’d better treat me well and never bully me.”
“I won’t bully you—you can bully me instead.”
That sounded a little suspicious to her. She fixed Xavier Quinn with a suspicious look, only to see the hidden meaning in his eyes. She grinned slyly, her voice teasing: “Oh? And how, exactly, do you want me to bully you?”
He guided her hand downward, a hint of desire in his tone. “Like this...”
Nina Shaw’s face flushed bright red. “You’re being a pervert again!”