Wan Ruyi's cheeks glowed with quiet happiness at their easy banter. In this family, they rarely had arguments or fights, if they had any misunderstandings, they would always sit down and talk it out.
She shifted slightly, wincing as her tensed back muscles. Immediately, Lu Zhi Hao's hand slid to her lower back, massaging in gentle circles.
"You okay?" he murmured softly, his warm breath brushing her ear.
She nodded with a small, shy smile, leaning into him, "Mn… It's better now."
From the rug, Lu Ting Zhou turned his head to look up at them, his quiet voice cutting through the movie sounds, "When the baby is born… we should watch movies like this again. As a full family."
Everyone fell silent for a moment, their hearts swelling with a quiet, bittersweet warmth.
"Mn," Old Madam Lu said softly, her knitting needles pausing mid-row, "A new life… a blessing to bring joy back to this house." She was happy for her daughter-in-law; it's been six years, and this was such a blessing. They knew she had some health problems, but had been patient with her, and actually, they didn't mind her not having kids, but how can they feel at peace seeing her taking care of other women's kids while she couldn't have one?
"Exactly," Old Master Lu grumbled, though his eyes glimmered with hidden happiness, "We need another noisy child running around to keep this place lively."
At this, Lu Ting Cheng smirked faintly, lifting his phone to snap a discreet photo of his mother and father cuddled close, "Guess I will have another sibling to babysit sooner than the other one learns to crawl."
Lu Zhi Hao shot him a dry look, while Wan Ruyi only laughed softly, swatting at her eldest son's knee.
"Mom…" Zi Zhen called again quietly, his voice suddenly tender, "Can I sit with you?"
She beamed, opening her arms. He got up from his bean bag and gently curled beside her, resting his head lightly on her lap. She stroked his hair softly, her fingers threading through the dark strands with maternal affection.
The movie continued playing, flickering shadows across their calm, content faces. Outside, the breeze rustled faintly through the night jasmine vines, carrying the sweet scent into the room.
For that evening, no one spoke of work, no one spoke of loss, no one spoke of pain.
They simply existed together, laughing softly, teasing each other, sharing quiet glances, and feeling the warmth of family fill every silent space between them.
And for Lu Wan Ruyi, leaning into her husband with her hand resting protectively over her belly while her son slept against her, there was no greater peace than this simple moment of love.
The moon rose high over the sprawling Lu mansion, bathing the gardens and courtyards in silver light.
Inside, the house was quiet, its halls softly lit by golden sconces, casting long shadows across the marble floors.
In the living room, the movie ended hours ago. The maids had tidied the plates and folded the blankets. Now, only the gentle ticking of the grandfather clock filled the silent space.
Upstairs, Lu Wan Ruyi stood by the wide bedroom windows, wearing a pale lavender silk nightgown that flowed softly around her growing belly. She pressed a hand to the glass, watching the moonlight ripple across the koi pond below.
Behind her, Lu Zhi Hao emerged from the walk-in closet, dressed in black cotton lounge pants, his strong chest bare under the dim lamplight. He paused for a moment, simply watching her silhouette bathed in a silver glow.
"Come back to bed," he said quietly, his voice a soft rumble in the calm night.