Nyoi-Bo Studio

  Nyoi-Bo Studio

  Although Mrs. Shen claimed to be uncomfortable being filmed, she remained within the frame.

  She reached for the milk bottle next to her and tested the temperature of the milk before putting it into the infant’s mouth.

  The infant seemed to have lost his urge to cry.

  He sucked on the bottle with his chubby hands clutching the bottle firmly. He gulped down the milk eagerly.

  Mrs. Shen held Little Moon in her arms with a joyful smile on her face.

  They looked like a happy family!

  Shen Manting felt a complicated mix of emotions in her heart.

  As she stared at the baby in the video, she felt an increasingly intense desire to reach out and hold him in her arms.

  “Are you done watching yet?”


  Shen Luo’an took his phone back from her.

  Shen Manting panicked and reached out to snatch it from him.

  But she only managed to grab Shen Luo’an’s other hand.

  He blocked her with his hand and glanced at her indifferently.

  Shen Manting’s heart sank. A moment later, she sheepishly withdrew her hand.

  “Now that you’ve watched the video, you may leave,” Shen Luo’an said coldly. He placed his phone back into his pocket. “I have to go home to see my son.”


  Those words sounded irresistibly tempting to Shen Manting.

  She also wanted to see her baby, Little Moon!

  But how should she plead with him?

  Shen Manting’s lips moved, yet no words came out.

  Shen Luo’an stared at her from the corner of his narrowed eyes, then turned around and left.

  Without hesitation, without delay.

  Shen Manting watched as he walked farther and farther away. Her heart felt even emptier.

  She followed him silently from behind, wincing her hands with her gaze fixed on his back.

  Shen Luo’an seemed to have noticed her. He abruptly stopped in his tracks.

  Shen Manting continued walking forward. She stood in front of him with her head slightly lowered and said, “Shen Luo’an, I want to see him.”


  “Haven’t you seen him just now?” Shen Luo’an spoke without turning around to face her. He demanded with his back to her, “What else do you want?”


  “You know I won’t be content with watching a video of him!” Shen Manting bit her lower lip. Her voice trembled as she tried to choke back tears. “I haven’t seen him for so long.”


  Shen Luo’an grimaced at her. “You asked for this!”


  With a final sneer, he walked away swiftly.

  He walked several times faster than his usual pace!

  Shen Manting knew she was to blame, but her desire to see her baby grew unbearable.

  She continued trailing him discreetly.

  A neighbor spotted Shen Manting and exclaimed in surprise, “You’re back, Manting!”


  Shen Manting stiffened and halted her steps.

  Shen Luo’an kept walking toward home.

  For some unknown reason, Shen Manting couldn’t help feeling shivers all over her body when she looked at the neighbor.

  He didn’t turn around to dismiss her, yet Shen Manting suddenly stood rooted to the spot.

  She followed his back with her gaze as he walked farther ahead, and soon he was gone.

  One of the neighbors, a middle-aged woman, glanced at Shen Manting and then at Shen Luo’an. She asked, “Did you quarrel?”


  She took a closer look at Shen Manting and cried, “You look so pale! You’ve lost so much weight. You used to be fleshier back then!”


  Shen Manting felt her body tense up. She turned around quickly and muttered, “You’ve got the wrong person.”


  Then she hurried away.

  She gradually picked up the pace and finally broke into a run.

  Shen Manting was panting as she ran, her heart pounding wildly in her chest. Tears were already streaming down her cheeks.

  She caught her breath, wiped the tears from her eyes, and boarded the subway back.

  –


  Shen Luo’an walked all the way home without turning back.

  He didn’t notice when Shen Manting had stopped following him.

  Upon realizing that she was no longer behind him, he suddenly lost the motivation to keep walking.