It was rare for Shen Zichen to go on business trips, however this time, he had to fly back to their home country to follow up on his younger sister’s recovery. Shen Lingqing had been diagnosed with a brain tumor a year ago and he was the one who took over the surgery, removing the tumor from his sister.

It was a hard time for their family, and their mother had been worried sick about Qing Qing. if it wasn’t for his father’s presence, Shen Zichen had no doubt that they wouldn’t be able to overcome such a trial in their lives.

Now that Shen Lingqing was on her way to recovery, they could see some obvious improvements. Unlike a few months back, when her vision and balance were impaired following the surgery. After all, it was common for people to immediately feel worse after their surgery compared to before.

A brain surgery can cause swelling in the brain and this was why he had to monitor Qing Qing’s condition closely. 

Because of her illness, their father had to take over the management of their family business again until Shen Lingqing was suitable enough to go back to work, which no doubt wouldn’t be anytime soon. 

It was past ten in the evening when Li Chuntao heard the front door opened, indicating her husband’s arrival. She turned off the television in their bedroom before quietly going down the hallway to meet him. 

Their two children were already asleep in their respective rooms when she passed by them. After two months of not seeing her husband, Li Chuntao was more than excited to greet him. 

Shen Zichen was taking off his shoes when Li Chuntao threw herself into his arms, forcing him to stagger back. 

“Chuntao?” He steadied the two of them with a grunt. It was rare for his wife to be this affectionate, not unless she was missing him so badly that she couldn’t wait for his return. 

Shen Zichen balanced her back on her feet and the next thing he knew, she was already kissing him. 

“I miss you!” Li Chuntao murmured next to his ear, resulting in a smile that curled on his lips.

“I miss my wife too,” he admitted. 

She released him from her arms and brushed off the snow that fell on his shoulders before helping him remove his coat. 

“We have leftovers from dinner, are you hungry?” 

“Don’t bother,” Shen Zichen was so glad that he was back at home. He had terribly missed his wife and children. “Are they already asleep?” He eyed their kids’ doors as they passed them. 

“En. Totally knocked out from all the activities they did while Daddy isn’t around.” Li Chuntao said as they made their way to their bedroom. “How’s Qing Qing?” She didn’t forget to ask about her sister-in-law’s condition. 

“Doing great. At this rate, she would be able to go back to work in three months. But I doubt Mom would allow her to work overtime again.” Shen Zichen replied. “Anyway, with her marriage preparation still ongoing, I don’t think she’ll be able to deny Mom’s wishes for her to stay put and relax.” 

Li Chuntao let out a chuckle at that. She had never thought of the possibility that the demon princess would one day be tamed by someone. Perhaps, she and Shen Lingqing were one of the same. Love came knocking on their doors at the most unexpected time. 

There were times when she found herself thinking that if she had confessed to Shen Zichen rather than running away, they would have saved themselves from unnecessary heartaches. Perhaps, she wouldn’t have to face being separated from her twin sister for seven years and wouldn’t have to be alone when she lost her baby. 

Shaking the sad memories from her mind, Li Chuntao decided to focus on what she had at the moment. To this day, she was still terribly missing Ying, but the pain wasn’t as bad as before, where it was enough to make her unproductive for days, sulking over her grief. 

Once they reached their room, Shen Zichen closed the door and took his coat from his wife’s hand, grabbing something from one of its pockets. He handed a black velvet box to her, much to her surprise. 

“What’s this?” She asked. 

“I missed your birthday,” said Shen Zichen in a matter-of-fact tone. He wanted to come home early, but he wasn’t able to get on an earlier flight due to some circumstances back at home. 

The witch tsked at him and shook her head. She was never bothered by materialistic gifts. So long that he came home to them, she would be content with it.

“You coming back to us is enough, Zichen. You shouldn’t have bothered.” 

He shrugged before sitting on the edge of their bed. “I found it when I accompanied Mom on one of her shopping sprees.” 

She blinked at those words. Her husband managed to survive such a feat? She knew how annoyed Shen Zichen could get while shopping with her as it was ‘taxing and boring’ according to his own words. 

“You think the eldest child can say no to his sweet mother?” He defended himself. 

She chuckled before untying the ribbon around the box and opened it. 

“Zichen… this….” Her eyes glistened with tears as she looked down at the pendant that was so familiar to her. She had seen the rough drafts on her sister’s desk before.

It was the last piece that Li Xiuying had designed when she was asked by a jewel maker for a collaboration. It was a masterpiece and there were only ten pieces sold in the market. Shen Zichen managed to get this one at a high price. The pendant glimmered with sapphire stones on it.

Li Chuntao had never thought that her and Ying’s creation would be able to reach her this far away. Shen Zichen stood up and helped her put it on. 

“She’s closer than you think, Chuntao. Ying will forever be in our hearts.”

“Yes.. She was the best sister I could ever ask for.”