Her heart was beating wildly.

  Shen Manting was in a pleasant mood. She hummed a tune as she took off her clothes and stepped into the shower.

  She turned on the shower and ran the water. As she was testing the temperature, she suddenly realized something strange.

  Back in the orphanage, she used to manually heat the bathwater by bringing it to a boil.

  Why did she know how to operate appliances as advanced as the water heater?

  Shen Manting suddenly felt a little excited and muttered, “Looks like I’m a genius.”


  She happened to run her hands over her breasts in the shower.

  The bulge appeared huge!

  It was too large to even fit in her palm when she held it. How did it grow this big when she was so thin?

  She realized that nearly every part of her body felt awkwardly different as she left the shower.

  Shen Manting changed into her clean pajamas and walked out of the bathroom. Her wet hair was wrapped in a towel.

  Shen Luo’an was fiddling with something discreetly. He quickly tucked his hands under the sheets when she saw her coming out, as if hiding something from her.

  Shen Manting blushed and wondered aloud, “What are you doing, honey?”


  “Nothing.” Shen Luo’an stood up. “Dry your hair so that you don’t catch a cold.”


  “Don’t worry.” Shen Manting waved her arms about. “There’s heating in the room, so it’s not too cold.”


  “Sit down.”


  “All right.”


  Shen Manting sat on the bed obediently. She couldn’t resist taking a look under the blanket out of curiosity.

  Shen Luo’an noticed her little gesture but pretended not to see it.

  He removed the towel from her head and dried her hair with it.

  Her hair dried by itself fairly quickly as the heater in the room had already been turned on.

  After Shen Luo’an went into the bathroom to shower, Shen Manting leaped at the chance to reach under the covers for the object he had hidden.

  She found a small, black velvet box. The velvety exterior was smooth and soothing to the touch.

  She opened it to find a ring inside.

  It was a big, shiny diamond ring in the shape of a heart.

  Shen Manting’s eyes lit up with excitement. She couldn’t help removing it from the box and slipping it onto her finger.

  She instinctively wore it on the ring finger of her left hand.

  She slipped it on easily. It hung loosely from her slender finger.

  Yet, she suddenly felt a dull ache in her heart.

  Tears welled up in her eyes as she stared wistfully at the ring.

  She was overwhelmed by an uncontrollable urge to cry.

  The feeling emerged so abruptly and intensely that she struggled to make sense of it.

  She placed the ring back in the box and tucked it under the sheets, pretending that she hadn’t touched it at all.

  She plopped herself onto the bed. She couldn’t hold back her tears anymore.

  She sobbed quietly. Her heart felt so, so empty……

  –


  By the time Shen Luo’an came out of the shower, Shen Manting had already fallen asleep.

  She was lying in the middle of the bed.

  The bright lights in the room were still on.

  She was sleeping soundly. The rhythm of her breathing almost matched her son’s.

  He treaded his way carefully to the bed and gently touched the box under the blanket.

  It was still there.

  He felt slightly disappointed and transferred the ring into the drawer of the bedside table.

  Shen Luo’an turned off the light. As he lay down in bed, he felt a mix of joy and satisfaction in his heart.

  He reached out to pull her gently into his embrace.

  Shen Manting sensed Shen Luo’an’s breath and leaned in closer. She clutched onto his clothes.

  “Honey, I feel so sad.”


  Shen Luo’an stiffened. He caressed her cheek with his palm and asked softly, “What’s the matter?”


  “I don’t know.” Shen Manting looked up at him. Tears were streaming down her face. She pointed to her heart and confided, “It hurts here.”