Chapter 108: Ch 108: Playing and Warning Shots

Beneath the enormous trees, the afternoon seemed to move at a slower pace.

Their branches stretched high above the ground, leaves forming a thick, protective canopy that shielded the little patch of earth from the harsh sunlight. Dappled shadows swayed gently across the grass whenever a soft breeze passed through, carrying the quiet scent of earth and green leaves.

In the cool shade sat Shen Guoxing, completely absorbed in playing with Mo Yan.

Little Mo Yan lay comfortably in her stroller, tiny hands reaching toward the colorful toy that dangled just above her. Shen Guoxing’s face lit up with a bright smile the moment she saw how energetic her meimei was.

"You want it?" she asked softly, leaning closer.

In response, Mo Yan cooed and stretched her arms as far as her four-month-old body would allow, fingers opening and closing in clear demand.

Shen Guoxing chuckled at the determined effort and carefully took the toy, placing it gently into her sister’s waiting hands. "Here."

Mo Yan’s little fingers immediately curled around it. A satisfied, almost triumphant grin spread across her round face.

Shen Guoxing’s eyes brightened even more. Her smile widened into a full, radiant grin. "Wow! My meimei is so amazing!" she declared, laughter bright and warm—sounding almost out of place against the cool, quiet shade of the trees, yet somehow perfectly belonging there.

She reached beside Mo Yan’s head and picked up another small toy, shaking it so that it produced a soft, cheerful rattling sound. Instantly Mo Yan’s attention shifted. Her eyes followed the moving toy with pure concentration.

Shen Guoxing smiled and continued to rattle it, slowly moving it to the side. Mo Yan’s gaze tracked every motion. Then Shen Guoxing hid the toy behind her own back and gasped dramatically.

"Oh no.. where did it go?" she asked in a mock-worried voice, eyes wide with theatrical concern.

Mo Yan simply stared at her, mouth hanging open, a thin trail of drool escaping the corner of her lips.

Shen Guoxing burst into bright laughter at the sight, then brought the toy back into view. Mo Yan immediately reached for it again. Still laughing, Shen Guoxing gently placed the toy into those small, eager hands. Mo Yan’s fingers closed around it at once, claiming it as her own.

Shen Guoxing’s expression softened with pure affection. She rummaged briefly through Mo Yan’s travel bag, found the pack of wipes, and carefully cleaned the drool from the corner of her meimei’s mouth. Even as she wiped, more drool appeared, and she laughed quietly.

"Why do you always drool?" she asked in a soft, innocent tone, still diligently dabbing at the baby’s face.

When she finally finished, she folded the used wipe neatly and tucked it into a small plastic bag so it would not dirty anything else inside the travel bag. Only after everything was put away did she look back at Mo Yan.

Her expression softened even further, filled with quiet, boundless tenderness.

Shen Guoxing was gazing at her meimei with quiet, open affection when a familiar voice suddenly called from a distance.

"Xing’er! You guys okay there?"

It was her Grandpa Cui. Even though he still held a phone to his ear and the call was important, he had deliberately set it aside for a moment, worry for his grandchildren outweighing everything else.

Shen Guoxing’s attention snapped toward the sound. She stood up at once and called back, her bright childish voice carrying clearly through the trees. "We’re okay, Grandpa!"

"Okay! Wait for me, okay?!" PD Xu Cui answered, already returning his full attention to the phone.

Shen Guoxing smiled and let out a soft laugh. Grandpa Cui is such a worry wart, she thought, another quiet fit of laughter escaping her. She turned back to Mo Yan, who was watching her with bright, clear phoenix eyes completely fixed on her jiejie.

Shen Guoxing’s expression softened. She bent closer and gently tucked a stray strand of hair away from Mo Yan’s eyes. The baby’s face relaxed at the careful touch, and she let out a soft "baba" in reply.

Still smiling, Shen Guoxing used the same hand to poke one of Mo Yan’s soft, elastic cheeks—cheeks that felt exactly like warm cotton. Mo Yan immediately broke into a stream of protesting babbles, as though deeply offended by the sudden attack on her dignity.

Shen Guoxing laughed again, heart warming at the sight. She’s so cute, she cooed inwardly. Then, she quickly put on a pitiful expression and said in a remorseful tone, "I’m sorry, meimei."

Mo Yan’s protests paused. The baby blinked at her jiejie’s suddenly sorrowful face, then released one of the toys she was holding and wrapped her tiny hand around Shen Guoxing’s finger, as if offering comfort.

The act of pity dissolved at once. Shen Guoxing’s expression melted into pure softness. She lowered herself onto the grass, resting her cheek against her folded arms, and simply looked at the little sister who was still earnestly comforting her.

From that moment they settled into a quiet rhythm. Whenever Mo Yan made a sound, Shen Guoxing answered. Whenever Mo Yan smiled, she smiled back. Whenever Mo Yan reached for her, she leaned closer and let those small hands gently smack and pat her face—Mo Yan’s version of consolation.

The two of them stayed like that, just a jiejie and a meimei enjoying the soft breeze and the filtered afternoon light. Leaves rustled overhead. Sunlight slipped through the gaps in the canopy and scattered golden flecks across Shen Guoxing’s hair.

She began humming a quiet little tune, pausing every now and then to make a silly face whenever Mo Yan looked her way. Soon the baby’s tiny laughter joined hers, bright and pure.

Beneath the towering trees, surrounded by nothing but rustling leaves and the soft sounds of two sisters playing together, Shen Guoxing looked completely happy. Here she did not think about the nurses or the scary uncles or anything else. There were only the two of them—her and her meimei.

It would’ve been nice if Aunt Wanyan and Aunt Xingxue were here, she thought quietly.

I’ll just bring them next time, she comforted herself, she consoled herself and continued playing with light-hearted contentment.

What she did not know was that, from a short distance under the same towering trees, someone was watching her. She did not notice the pair of widened eyes fixed upon her, nor the little girl standing quietly at the edge of the shade, staring as though she had just discovered the most beautiful thing she had ever seen.

All Shen Guoxing knew was that her baby sister was smiling.

And that was enough to make her smile too.

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Meanwhile, back at the fields, Su Wanyan walked toward the open plots with a clear spark of mischief in her eyes. Her gaze was fixed on the lone, hardworking figure still tilling in the distance. As she passed the two childish alphas who were covered in dirt from their war, she let out a bright laugh.

"The staff said don’t fistfight if you guys get triggered," she announced, her voice carrying far enough to catch not only Qin Yuran and Zhao Yichen’s attention but also the alpha who was angrily driving his shovel into the soil.

She pointed casually behind her toward the staff area. "They said that if you fistfight or throw a punch, you’ll be eliminated immediately." A small smirk curved the corner of her lips as she delivered the information.

Qin Yuran, still completely coated in dirt, looked up. "But we can throw dirt?" she asked.

In front of her, Zhao Yichen nodded firmly, as though backing the question with his full authority.

Su Wanyan smiled and nodded energetically. "Yeah!"

Zhao Yichen immediately raised a hand. Su Wanyan gestured for him to speak.

"What about stones then?" he asked.

Qin Yuran shot him a protesting look.

Su Wanyan laughed softly and shook her head. "No. Only dirt."

Zhao Yichen nodded seriously and repeated the words under his breath, as if committing the new rule to memory so he would not accidentally throw a rock later.

The two alphas then dipped their heads in thanks and, without another second of hesitation, resumed their dirt war, completely forgetting the original competition they had been supposed to focus on.

Su Wanyan watched them for a moment with open amusement, then gently scooped up a compact clump of soil from the ground. She turned her full attention back to Gu Chengze.

For a good minute she simply played with the soil in her palm, weighing it, shaping it, before finally aiming carefully at his back and throwing it with precise force.

Gu Chengze, still angrily shoving the shovel into the earth, felt something hard strike him between the shoulder blades. The impact made him stumble forward. He managed to catch himself by stretching out one hand, but the near-fall only deepened his irritation.

He spun around, eyes already filled with a murderous glare, searching for the culprit. There stood Su Wanyan, shooting him a cheerful peace sign while laughing softly at his disheveled state.

Gu Chengze’s blood boiled. That fucker!

He straightened and flung the shovel aside in pure rage. Seeing the furious storm gathering on his face, Su Wanyan remained completely unfazed. She even let out a few more quiet fits of laughter.

Then, the moment Gu Chengze closed the distance, she casually gestured toward the staff members standing behind her—all of whom were now giving Gu Chengze clear warning looks.

Then she pointed toward Lin Xuanyu, who was watching the scene with open worry.

"Are you sure you want to be disqualified?" Su Wanyan asked calmly.

Gu Chengze’s steps halted. His gaze flicked to Lin Xuanyu—the soft, pitiful, sweet omega who was clearly concerned for him. The sight was enough to snap him out of the red haze of fury and he forced himself to calm down.

He glared at Su Wanyan one last time and pointed a warning finger at her. "Don’t you fucking dare do it again," he growled, then turned and stalked back to his plot.

Su Wanyan smiled at his defeated yet still-furious retreat. She glanced over her shoulder toward Mo Xingxue and sent her a playful wink. The omega’s soft laughter floated back to her across the field.

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SO! I did not forget to update y’all. I was just really tired because our Gymnastics professor required us to pass some drills about floor skills and like, tumbling skills and my effing body was so sore that I was like, "Fck this shi." And went to sleep LMAO. Anyway, here’s le Chapter and I hope y’all enjoy this shi LOLOL!