Matthew had not gotten up yet. It was the weekend, and he was still asleep. Lucy woke up at eight, noticed that Matthew was still sleeping, and quietly slipped out of bed to go to the bathroom and start her morning routine.Looking at herself in the mirror, she noticed her dark circles were quite pronounced, making her look like a panda. Last night, around midnight, Johnny started crying because he had wet his diaper. Lucy got up to take care of it and spent a long time soothing her son back to sleep.Just as she was finally able to get some sleep, Lila woke up and started crying as well. Lucy got up again to calm her down, but Lila was stubborn and refused to sleep. She got more energetic the more Lucy tried to soothe her.Lucy kept trying until Matthew woke up and joined in. The two children kept crying and fussing until finally, they heated up some milk from the fridge, which Venus had prepared earlier. They gave it to the children to drink before they finally settled down to sle
Lucy dragged Matthew into the shopping mall, looking quite stylish today. She wore a large sun hat and a beige dress. She had her hair done and sported five-centimeter high heels. She looked pretty good.Lucy was thrilled to be shopping. It had been months since Matthew last accompanied her shopping. Taking care of the kids was exhausting, even though their cuteness made it worth it. However, the effort was truly overwhelming.She glanced at Matthew, who had not changed a bit, while she had filled out more. Feeling a bit dissatisfied, she tugged at his arm. "Look at you! I'm the one who had to endure the pain of giving birth, and I'm also the one who gained weight. Hmph."Matthew was not sure what to say. They had already entered the mall, which was much cooler than outside."A little weight looks cute on a woman. You're very cute right now. You're always trying to lose weight, but is being skinny really that great? Besides, I only want you, no matter what you look like. I won't ch
"Wrap it up!" Matthew, noticing how much Lucy liked the shoes, instructed the sales attendant to package them and have them sent to their home. They then continued shopping, with Lucy’s foot miraculously feeling better. As he watched his playful wife, Matthew felt a flutter in his heart.They soon arrived at a jewelry store, renowned far and wide for its authenticity. Every item in the store was genuine, with no counterfeits to be found. Each piece was also designed by world-famous designers, and every item was a limited edition.Suddenly, Lucy's foot 'hurt' again. Matthew glanced at her and said, "Little pig, don’t pretend. Today is all about shopping. Just pick what you want!"Realizing Matthew had seen through her antics, Lucy blushed. She had more money than she could spend, but for some reason, Matthew’s money always seemed more appealing. Plus, it was special to her that Matthew had taken time out of his busy schedule to be with her—she just wanted to make every moment with
Matthew placed a coin in the dish and then called for the manager. The manager hurried over, asking what had happened.“There’s a strand of hair in this dish,” Matthew said as he showed the hair to the manager. The manager immediately apologized, “I’m so sorry, it wasn’t intentional. I’ll have a new dish prepared for you right away.” With that, he rushed back to the kitchen.Lucy did not understand why Matthew had done that. Matthew quietly explained it to her, and she immediately realized the reason. Soon after, the manager brought out a new dish. Matthew checked the bottom of the plate—there was no coin, which indicated that the dish was indeed freshly prepared. It seemed like the restaurant still had some integrity.However, while there was no coin, there was a cigarette butt in the dish. Matthew, seeing this, quickly told Lucy not to touch it. He took out the cigarette butt and showed it to Lucy, who was shocked.There was not a single waiter in sight, so Matthew discreetly w
Matthew pulled Lucy to sit behind the elderly lady and the little boy. The old lady scolded them again, "Young people these days have no manners, changing seats as they please."Lucy wanted to retort, but Matthew stopped her. The old lady was clearly taking advantage of her elderly age, scolding others because she assumed no one would argue with someone as old as her.Matthew began to slowly and deliberately kick the seats in front of them, where the old lady and the little boy were sitting. Lucy understood—he was giving them a taste of their own medicine.Lucy carefully watched the two in front. The old lady did not react, but the little boy did. He turned around and said, "Can you stop kicking? It's making me uncomfortable!"Lucy ignored him, and Matthew continued kicking. The boy complained to his grandmother, who could not take it anymore. She turned around to start scolding them, "Young people these days have no manners, bullying an old lady and a child! How could you be so ru
Lucy and Matthew returned home to find Johnny crying incessantly. The nanny and Venus were trying to soothe him, but he would not stop crying. Seeing this, Lucy quickly hurried over and took her son into her arms. Johnny gave Lucy a strange look before breaking into a smile, and everyone around them started laughing. It seemed the little one missed his mother. Despite being nursed by Venus, he was not distant from Lucy and even preferred her embrace.Matthew leaned in, wanting to hold the baby as well, which made Johnny laugh even harder. Matthew felt something indescribable in his heart. Without realizing it, he had become a father, with two children at that. His career was thriving, his family was happy, and many people envied him. Yet, he also had his own unspeakable pains, though in front of Lucy and the children, those worries did not matter. His greatest happiness now was spending every minute with his family.Later that evening, after putting the kids to bed, Matthew broug
Linus was once again arranged by Daniel to talk to Alice. He seemed heavy-hearted, unlike before when he would not care much and would directly engage. Now, he leaned more toward rationality.Gwen was still walking in the park with her puppy. Knowing that Linus liked small animals, she planned to get familiar with them so that she could have more topics to talk about with him.She saw Linus. She hesitated for a moment, then slowly approached him. At this moment, Linus was sitting cross-legged on the lawn, facing away from Gwen. He seemed to be meditating, though only he knew for sure.Gwen slowly walked closer, intending to tap Linus on the shoulder. Suddenly, Linus turned around and slashed Gwen's hand with a knife.It took a moment before he realized it was Gwen. He sighed, quickly ran to her side, and examined the wound."Why is it you?" Linus asked. "Let's go. We have to get it treated before it gets infected!""What's wrong with you?" Gwen asked cautiously. She knew that as
Linus wore his professional mask once again the next day when he went to see Daniel. In front of Daniel, he was like a living puppet. When Daniel was happy, he would entertain Linus a bit; when displeased, Linus would take a beating.However, life was like that. From a young age, our paths were chosen for us, and as we grew up, all we could do was follow that chosen path with no alternatives.Linus knew that today's meeting with Daniel was about what they had discussed the day before—finding Alice and retrieving the key. It was said that the key only revealed itself and the secret chamber when the right person used it, which was why it had remained undiscovered for so long. Legend had it that several centuries ago, someone opened the secret chamber, and the world suddenly became unfamiliar because the person holding the key could travel freely to different points in time. However, it was said that because of this advantage, those with ill intentions would coerce the key holder