Side Story 09: Meili & Mingli Will Help

[Timeline: Chapter 81 – 100]

Liu Jin sat in his room, babysitting the twins.

"Jin-gege!"

"Where is mommy?"

"Where is daddy?" They asked.

"Mmm? They're having fun without us." He replied.

The twins gasped.

"Meili wants to join!"

"Mingli too!" They huffed.

He chuckled.

"We can't. Dad's finally got the courage to ask mom out again. Let them have fun." He said as he gently stroked their hair.

They pouted.

"Mingli doesn't understand!"

Liu Jin smiled.

"It's a good thing that you don't understand."

"What do you mean, Jin-gege?" Meili asked.

The twins had never seen their parents fight. They never knew of Lanfen, or the empty house without mom, or the drunk and violent dad.

All they ever had was a warm home and a loving family.

Liu Jin bent down and kissed each of their foreheads.

"Dad is on an important mission right now."

"Mission?" Mingli asked as he tilted his head to one side.

Liu Jin nodded.

"He's working hard to fix what he broke."

The twins paused. They then looked at each other before getting up and running out of the room. Moments later, they came back with their art box. They sat beside Liu Jin and pulled out their glue.

"Mingli will help!"

"Meili too!"

He chuckled. Just then, an idea came to him.

"Then let's work hard to surprise them when they return."

"Surprise?" They asked in unison.

Liu Jin nodded and told them his plan. Their eyes sparkled with excitement and they immediately got up and cheered.

"Surprise!!!"

---

Meanwhile, Shuren and Nana had finally arrived at the private resort he had booked for them.

Nana's eyes widened with excitement as she inspected the place. She hurriedly pulled Shuren into their hotel room and he chuckled.

After giving birth to the twins, Nana never had a proper break. Whenever they traveled, it was always as a family. It had been so long since she had a date with Shuren that when he asked her out, she immediately said yes.

"Go and change into that red dress you bought. We'll be having dinner in a while." He said as he unbuttoned his shirt.

Nana wondered why she had to change but shrugged it off and complied. She wore a long flowing red summer dress with an open back.

"Beautiful." He said as he wrapped an arm around her waist and softly kissed her forehead.

She blushed and giggled.

He then led her out of the room and they took a long walk by the shore. Before long, Nana spotted a path of red petals leading towards a lone table lit by candlelight. She giggled.

"When did you learn to be so romantic?"  

He chuckled but didn't reply. He then led her to the table where they had a delicious meal over some wine.

After that, a private band played for them and Shuren asked her to dance with him.

Nana was taken aback. She had never seen this sickly-sweet side of him and they've been married for a long time.

Still, she enjoyed the moment and danced with him to her heart's content.

Before long, the sun had begun to set.

Shuren led her to the shore where they stood in silence, quietly taking in the sight. He then hugged her from behind, his arms wrapped around her waist. She leaned her weight againt him, enjoying his warmth.

Soon, Shuren took her hand and slipped a ring onto her finger.

She paused.

"What's this?" She asked as she stared at the ring.

"Thank you… for choosing me again."

Nana bit her lip.

Shuren kissed her temple and rested his head on her shoulder.

"I'm sorry… I was wrong."

Nana turned around and hugged him tightly. He smiled and hugged her back. He gently rubbed her back as she silently cried.

Nana cupped his cheek and stared into his eyes. He bent down and softly kissed her lips.

"I love you, Nana."

She smiled through her tears and kissed him back.

"I love you too."

---

After spending a few days at the resort, they returned home and was greeted by a big surprise.

"Daddy! Come here! Quicklyyyyy!" Mingli pulled Shuren's arm and led him away.

Meanwhile, Meili pulled Nana to another room. Inside, Daiyu, Victoria, and Ying Yue quickly dressed Nana up. One worked with her makeup, another with her hair, while the other prepared her dress.

"W-what's going on?" She panicked.

The girl's giggled but didn't reply. Soon, they dressed her in a simple but elegant white gown.

"Did Shuren plan this too?" She asked, her heart already moved.

"It was your children's idea." Victoria replied as she fastened the veil onto Nana's head.

Nana teared up but Daiyu quickly wiped her eyes dry.

"You'll ruin your makeup, mommy!"

Nana laughed.

---

Soon, they led her outside to the garden where everyone was waiting. Her eyes widened in surprise as she scanned the crowd. It was a small gathering but everyone important to her was there.

Before long, the music started and Meili walked down the aisle, sprinkling flowers onto the red carpet.

General Shen then approached Nana and she looked up to him with teary eyes.

Years back, he wasn't there to walk her down the aisle during her wedding with Shuren. He had been against their relationship from the start and she had to endure years without his blessing. To have him here right now meant so much to her.

"Daddy's here this time, Nana." He said as he gently hooked his arm around hers.

Nana bit her lip and nodded.

They then slowly walked down the aisle before he left her beside Shuren who was waiting for her at the altar.

They renewed their vows and Mingli brought them their new rings.

Soon, they faced each other, ready for the kiss.

Liu Jin immediately covered Meili and Mingli's eyes as they protested.

"I'm the luckiest man alive." He said as he stared at her with teary eyes.

She giggled.

"You realized that eighteen years later than you should have!" She said as she tiptoed and sealed his lips with hers.