Shen Xi drained half a glass of red wine in one go. She put down her glass, and her gaze met Qin Si Ye’s across the room.
The two of them simply looked at each other for a full ten seconds in front of the three children.
Finally, it was Qin Si Ye who broke the gaze, his face cold, and he slowly sat down. "From now on, when you drink with me, you don't need to stand up."
Chen Chen, sensing the awkward atmosphere between the two, quickly changed the subject. "Uncle Qin, Mommy says you've moved into our neighborhood. Can we visit your place after this?"
In the past few days, Shen Xi had been returning earlier than usual from her acupuncture sessions. She had found out that Uncle Qin had moved into their neighborhood with his grandmother.
"Of course, you can." Qin Si Ye's expression softened slightly.
"No. It's too late, and it wouldn't be good for you to be so boisterous and disrupt things," Shen Xi immediately objected.
It wasn't that she didn't want the children to meet Xu Zhi Lan, but she had to perform acupuncture on her later, and she feared the children would be like little chatterboxes, affecting the treatment's efficacy.
"Shen Xi, I've already spoken to Grandma about the children. She really wants to meet them. Let them go, Grandma will be very happy," Qin Si Ye said earnestly.
Hearing this, Shen Xi became flustered. "Spoken? What did you say?"
She thought Qin Si Ye had also told Xu Zhi Lan about his pursuit of her, and wanted Xu Zhi Lan to meet the children.
"I only said you are Yin Xi's cousin and are helping her raise these three children," Qin Si Ye said calmly, his eyes fixed on her.
This was indeed what he had told Xu Zhi Lan. Before he could win Shen Xi's heart completely, he didn't want anyone to know their relationship, including his own family.
Upon hearing this, Shen Xi's suspended heart finally relaxed, and she said no more.
The three children exchanged glances, finally understanding how their mother had introduced herself to Uncle Qin during this time.
Fortunately, they had been clever enough not to reveal the truth to Uncle Qin before he learned it.
Seeing Shen Xi's silent consent, Qin Si Ye quickly urged them, "Hurry up and eat, we'll head over once we're done."
Twenty minutes later, as the family of five pushed open the door to Villa No. 1, Xu Zhi Lan immediately stood up from the sofa, her eyes fixed on the three children walking towards her.
"They look so much alike, so much alike," she murmured, her body trembling with excitement.
Shen Xi bent down and said to the three children, "Quick, say hello to Great Grandma."
The three adorable children immediately stood in a line and said in unison, "Hello, Great Grandma!"
They then introduced themselves individually.
"Good. Good." Xu Zhi Lan pulled them closer and sat them on the sofa. Tears welled up in her eyes as she examined their faces carefully.
Suddenly, she looked up at the two adults in front of her and said with a choked voice, "Si Ye, Xi Xi, you two are so heartless. When did you secretly have these three babies and not bring them back for me to see?"
The two exchanged surprised glances. Qin Si Ye quickly said, "Grandma, they aren't my children, they belong to Yin Xi."
"How can they not be? Didn't you two get married? Xi Xi is standing right next to you, aren't they your children?" Xu Zhi Lan glared at him, then looked down at Chen Chen and Shuo Shuo.
"Especially these two boys, their eyebrows and eyes look exactly like yours when you were little."
As soon as she said this, Shen Xi broke out in a cold sweat.
She shouldn't have agreed to bring them here just now.
She had forgotten that Grandma had a very keen eye for people.
And even worse, their appearance had once again caused her to lose her composure.
This situation hadn't occurred in a long time.
She couldn't help but look at Qin Si Ye with a hint of resentment. He was staring intently at Chen Chen and Shuo Shuo, seemingly believing his grandmother's words.
Taking a deep breath, Shen Xi immediately pulled the three children to her side and crouched in front of Xu Zhi Lan.
"Grandma, look closely. Who am I? Do these three children look like me?"
Xu Zhi Lan's gaze fell on her face. She reached out and touched it, then said, "No, you don't. Who are you?"