After Becoming the Mother of the Scumbag Stand-In Female Lead - Chapter 47

The little head nestled in the crook of her neck kept nuzzling against her, causing Si Mu’s furrowed brow to relax, her heart melting into utter tenderness.

Raising a hand to stroke Sheng Yunjin’s cheek, Si Mu said softly, “I’m not angry. I’ll help you pack your luggage.”

Hearing this, Sheng Yunjin hugged her even tighter, shaking her head as her lips brushed against the silk scarf tied around Si Mu’s neck.

The light brown, subtly patterned scarf draped over her fair swan-like neck, concealing the faint love bites on her skin.

The warmth of those lips was scorching, and Si Mu’s breath hitched for a moment.

Turning in her embrace, Si Mu draped an arm over Sheng Yunjin’s slender shoulders.

Her index finger lightly pressed against Sheng Yunjin’s lips as she smiled, her lips curving upward.

“If I can’t visit you on set, what about phone calls? Are those not allowed either?”

Sheng Yunjin’s gaze lingered on the slender finger pressed against her lips. She bit her lower lip, then, on impulse, tentatively licked it.

Si Mu visibly flinched as if burned, the damp heat of that touch sending her heartbeat spiraling out of control.

Yet the instigator merely grinned at her, eyes crinkling with mischief.

Sheng Yunjin wrinkled her nose and mumbled, “Of course you can! What, do you think I’m some kid who needs screen time restrictions…?”

Si Mu hummed in response, withdrawing her tingling finger with feigned composure before turning toward the walk-in closet.

“…That’s good.”

…

Baffled, Sheng Yunjin followed her and watched as Si Mu began packing clothes into her suitcase.

Kneeling beside her, Sheng Yunjin helped fold the garments.

“Just throw in a few pieces. I can buy whatever else I need there.”

She would be staying in Nan City for three months, transitioning from autumn to winter, so it was inevitable she’d need to purchase additional clothing.

Si Mu nodded, then added two sets of pajamas to the luggage.

“Are you going alone? Did the company arrange any assistants for you?”

Looking up at her, Si Mu couldn’t hide her concern.

Spending three months away without anyone to take care of her—Si Mu couldn’t help but worry.

Deep down, she still subconsciously saw Sheng Yunjin as young, a girlfriend who needed looking after.

Moreover, having grown up pampered in luxury, Sheng Yunjin had never known hardship.

Three months of closed-door training…

Though she didn’t know the specifics, the mere thought of it seemed grueling to Si Mu.

As if sensing her unspoken worry, Sheng Yunjin draped herself over Si Mu’s shoulder and laughed reassuringly.

“Did you forget? I spent seven years abroad all by myself.”

“You think I don’t know how to take care of myself?”

She had gone overseas for school at fifteen. Though initially reliant on the staff her father, Sheng Mingzhao, had arranged, she adapted quickly.

Back then, fueled by her rebellious streak against him, Sheng Yunjin picked up household chores and cooking within months.

Later, she and Lin Xiaoyu moved in together, living freely without the watchful eyes of their fathers’ assigned caretakers.

After receiving her university acceptance, Sheng Yunjin began dabbling in stocks and investments. Within a year, she had multiplied her capital into hundreds of millions in profit.

At the time, she had just turned eighteen—young, brash, and fearless.

She transferred all the money she had earned back to Sheng Mingzhao’s domestic account in one go, just to prove that she could live well without relying on the Sheng family.

That same day, she smoothly received a call from Sheng Mingzhao.

Sheng Yunjin had prepared herself to hurl harsh words at him, but to her surprise, a single sentence from him made her back down.

—”Not bad. Barely passable as a qualified successor.”

Just that one sentence made everything click for Sheng Yunjin.

Everything she had done—leaving the country in a fit of anger, flaunting her abilities—was nothing more than child’s play in Sheng Mingzhao’s eyes.

Earning hundreds of millions of dollars had been enough to make the younger Sheng Yunjin proud and boastful, but compared to the Sheng family and the Ming Sheng Group, it was utterly insignificant.

In the end, she really had no right to claim she didn’t need the Sheng family.

…

Her thoughts had only strayed for a moment. Sheng Yunjin reached out and gently touched the slight furrow between Si Mu’s brows.

“Xiao Yu assigned me two assistants. I won’t suffer, don’t worry.”

Si Mu nodded without speaking, instead lowering her head to check the contents of the suitcase one more time.

Inside were just a few changes of clothes and some of Sheng Yunjin’s daily skincare products. There wasn’t anything else left to pack.

Si Mu closed the suitcase and set it aside.

Turning back to look at Sheng Yunjin, who still wore a relaxed smile, Si Mu felt she might have been overreacting.

After all, her girlfriend was an adult—and an exceptionally capable one at that.

Perhaps it was because of their age gap. Though Si Mu never voiced it, deep down, it still weighed on her.

With a soft sigh, Si Mu finally asked, “What time is your flight tomorrow?”

Sheng Yunjin hugged her. “Eight in the morning.”

Chen Yan must really be in a hurry. Sheng Yunjin silently grumbled to herself.

Si Mu’s fingers lightly brushed Sheng Yunjin’s ear as she spoke softly, suppressing the growing ache of reluctance in her chest.

“Take care of yourself.”

After a pause, she glanced down at Sheng Yunjin’s left hand. “And don’t get hurt again.”

Hearing the faint melancholy in her voice, Sheng Yunjin’s heart clenched slightly.

Pulling Si Mu down onto the couch with her, Sheng Yunjin wrapped an arm around her waist and teased, “Got it. It’s only three months—it’ll fly by~”

Forced to sit sideways on Sheng Yunjin’s lap, Si Mu stiffened slightly in embarrassment.

She gripped the front of Sheng Yunjin’s shirt and lightly smacked her shoulder in protest.

“Let me down.”

Deliberately provoking her, Sheng Yunjin swayed her legs, causing Si Mu to lose balance and collapse against her.

Sheng Yunjin held her tightly, arms locked around her.

“You have to take care of yourself too, Xiao Mu.”

Her tone was so earnest that Si Mu’s ears warmed.

“I’m over a decade older than you—of course I’ll take care of myself.”

Sitting up slightly, Si Mu looked down at her with narrowed eyes, though her voice remained gentle.

Sheng Yunjin raised a brow, her gaze drifting downward before she leaned in.

“Where exactly are you bigger than me? Looks the same to me!”

The sudden dampness against her chest made Si Mu reflexively clutch the back of Sheng Yunjin’s collar.

Her voice unsteady, Si Mu bit her lower lip and retorted, “No matter what, I’m still eleven years older than you…”

Sheng Yunjin caught the underlying insecurity in her words and lifted her head to meet her gaze.

Si Mu gazed at the moisture at the corner of her lips, then awkwardly averted her eyes.

“But in my eyes, you’re just like me.”

Sheng Yunjin’s eyes gleamed with a depth of emotion that Si Mu could recognize at a glance.

…

Fingers threading through thick strands of hair, Si Mu tightened her embrace around Sheng Yunjin.

The scarf around her neck had long since fallen to the floor, lying forgotten in a corner of the carpet.

The emerald green velvet shirt hung loosely around her arms, all buttons undone, revealing skin that glowed under the light, still bearing yesterday’s lingering kiss marks.

Tears of passion welled at the corners of Si Mu’s eyes as she kept them shut, her breath uneven as she murmured softly.

“…Bite…harder…”

Sheng Yunjin steadied her waist, offering support to her limp, pliant body.

“…Okay…”

Lips and teeth grazed tender skin as Sheng Yunjin buried her face, reluctant to pull away.

The black bra strap was slowly slipped from her arm, and Sheng Yunjin lifted her, turning toward the bed in the bedroom.

…

Exhaustion and drowsiness overtaking both body and mind, Si Mu nestled against Sheng Yunjin and whispered.

“Tomorrow morning…I’ll take you to the airport…”

Planting a loving kiss on her forehead, Sheng Yunjin smiled and replied.

“Okay.”

…

When she woke again, daylight had fully arrived.

Si Mu slowly opened her eyes, her gaze falling on the empty space beside her.

Her palm brushed the other side of the bed—no warmth remained.

Lowering her eyes, her expression was unreadable.

Leaning against the headboard, she sat up and reached for her phone.

8:00 AM.

Her usual waking time.

Also, the departure time of Sheng Yunjin’s flight today.

A new message notification appeared on her phone.

Sent by Sheng Yunjin at six in the morning.

—I’m off now.

—Love you, Xiao Mu.

Her lips curled involuntarily, but as she stared at the messages, a pang of sorrow surged within her.

She never realized that being apart from someone for just three months could feel this unbearable.

…

Dressed and ready, she walked through the living room and noticed something new on the table.

Pausing, she approached.

Three neatly arranged, adorably shaped sealed boxes sat on the table, each filled with cookies of different colors and shapes.

The bottom of the boxes still carried a faint warmth.

Biting her lower lip, Si Mu peeled off the sticky note attached to one.

The elegant black handwriting seemed to carry Sheng Yunjin’s sweet, soothing voice in her ears.

—Reduced-sugar cookies for breakfast~

—No more cold milk! (Hands on hips)

Her fingertips whitened as she gripped the note. Slowly lowering her gaze, she picked up a warm cookie and took a bite.

Sheng Yunjin had only just left, yet she already missed her.

…

As the plane took off, Sheng Yunjin covered a yawn, drowsy and weary.

Pulling on an eye mask, she tilted her head against the seat and drifted to sleep.

Si Mu had fallen asleep past 2 AM last night, but Sheng Yunjin, holding her, had felt no sleepiness at all.

Lying in bed, she had watched Si Mu’s peaceful face, fingers tracing the mark over her heart.

At the height of passion, a few blurred images suddenly flashed through Sheng Yunjin’s mind.

Though the faces were indistinct, she knew without a doubt—
It was herself.

…

Her azure robes fluttered in the wind, silver-white hair streaming behind her, the ends tangling and occasionally brushing against the lone ornament at her waist—a bl00d-red jade vial.

The crimson hue of the vial was startling, untainted by any impurity, as if nourished by real bl00d.

Sheng Yunjin stood alone atop the summit of the Immortal-Seeking Mountain, beneath her feet an unfathomable abyss of sheer cliffs.

Her striking yet aloof beauty remained unchanged as she gazed indifferently into the distance. Raising her hand, the bl00d-red vial materialized in her palm.

Inside it flickered a faint, wispy light.

A faint smile curved her lips as she murmured softly,

“I promised you… and I’ve kept my word.”

“A thousand years… just to wander the mortal world with me… You really…”