Chapter 3: The Ever-Changing Martin

Immediately, Sanzai followed up on his second brother’s words and said: “Mom didn’t recognize us before. Sometimes she said she was the Empress Dowager and called us little servants, even hitting us with a board. Sometimes she said she was the Flower Fairy and that we were moving flowers. Sometimes she said she was a Mushroom, squatting motionless in the garden all day…”

“Like the ever-changing Martin, Mom was different every day, but she never thought we were her children.”

Looking at the three little ones, Su Sanxian felt a sudden sting in her nose, and her heart ached as though someone had struck it with a fist.

What was happening?

She always felt deep down that she was their mother, that her heart was full of them. Why, then, had she been absent from their lives for four whole years?

“Mom, don’t cry…” Erzai crawled forward on his knees, reaching out his small hand to wipe the tears off Su Sanxian’s face.

It turned out she had unknowingly let her tears stream down her cheeks.

“I’m so sorry, my babies.” she said softly. “Mom never ignored you on purpose before. Mom was sick before. But now I’m all better. Mom will never forget you again. Can you forgive me?”

“Mom, we’ve never blamed you…” Dazai quickly spoke up upon seeing his mother blaming herself. “We’ve always known you forgot us because you were sick. We’ve always known you love us so, so much.”

“That’s right, Mom.” Sanzai rubbed his head clumsily, trying to say something to cheer her up.

“Mom, that day when you were a mermaid, you even gave us fish. Grandma Zhang made fish soup for us, and it was so delicious. It was all thanks to you!”

Pfft!

The four of them, mother and sons, chatted happily together.

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Meanwhile, at Lin Group, Lin Shen had just finished his work for the day.

He took off his gold-rimmed blue-light-blocking glasses and rubbed his temples with slight fatigue.

On the large rosewood desk sat two picture frames. One contained a photo of The Three Cubs, all wearing identical red outfits, laughing together.

The other held a picture of a young girl in a lake-blue dress, her almond-shaped eyes crinkling with a smile, her dark pupils shining like water, her skin fair, her plump red lips parted in a grin.

She stood beneath a large tree, graceful and poised, her figure elegant like a dancing fairy.

It was Su Sanxian at eighteen years old.

Lin Shen tugged at his tie, relaxing a little as he exhaled. Thinking of the three children, he couldn’t help but pull out his phone and open the surveillance feed for their room.

The entire room was messy yet orderly—but empty.

Lin Shen: ?

Where were they?

Where were his three adorable little ones?

He switched out of the feed for the children’s room and brought up the mansion-wide surveillance. Finally, he spotted them in the hallway on the second floor.

The three children were crouched outside Su Sanxian’s door, forming a half-circle facing it, speaking toward the door, which was cracked open just slightly.

Lin Shen: ???

As he watched, a slender arm reached out through the crack in the door, gently rubbing each child’s head in turn.

Lin Shen: !!!

Su Sanxian?

Lin Shen stood up in shock, even knocking over the documents at his side in his haste.

Quickly, he bent to gather the papers, tidied up his things, grabbed his car keys, and strode out of the office.

He needed to confirm it—was that really Su Sanxian? Had his Xiao Yusan come back?

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“Mom, are you tired? Then we’ll come and talk to you tomorrow, okay?” Dazai asked when he saw Su Sanxian yawn, a hint of worry in his voice.

He was afraid that their mother, who had just recovered from her illness, might exhaust herself trying to keep them company.

Erzai and Sanzai also saw Su Sanxian yawn and nodded in agreement with their older brother’s words.

Su Sanxian, a natural night owl, had only started yawning because her body automatically followed its late-night routine. She didn’t actually feel tired, but when she saw the three small children huddled together outside the door, she still nodded.

“Go back to bed now. Staying up late isn’t good for kids, okay? Mom will stay here watching over you, alright?”

After chatting with their mother and confirming they could come and talk again tomorrow, the three little ones were overjoyed. Hearing her say that, they all nodded, holding hands as they headed back.

Su Sanxian watched The Three Cubs walk away until they disappeared from sight, then smiled faintly, stood up, and lay down on the bed. As she thought about her three little ones, she continued her grand task of counting sheep.

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By the time Lin Shen returned, it was already close to one in the morning.

Only a light-sleeping servant was stirred by his arrival; no one else in the house even realized that Lin Shen had come home late at night.

By now, Su Sanxian was sound asleep, completely unaware of directions. When Lin Shen quietly pushed the door open, he saw that her sleeping position had shifted from sprawling out like a starfish to curling into a “C” shape.

Xiao Yusan… is that you?

Lin Shen bent down and gently pulled the quilt over Su Sanxian, who had kicked it away. His movements were practiced and meticulous, as though he had done this hundreds of times.

And indeed, he had. On countless nights like this, Lin Shen had sat at her bedside, watching over her sleeping face, carefully tucking her in, or applying ointment to the wounds she sustained during the day…

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The next morning dawned bright and sunny once again.

Lin Shen’s work had already been delivered home by his assistant.

The three little ones, freshly washed up, came to the living room and were startled to see their father sitting casually on the sofa, wearing relaxed clothes and glasses, holding a tablet. They even rubbed their eyes, wondering if they were dreaming.

“Dad, you don’t have to go to work today?” Dazai padded over and sat down on the sofa opposite Lin Shen.

Lin Shen looked at his three children and nodded. “My work isn’t very urgent right now. I can work from home and spend time with you.”

Hearing this, the three children—who had just received their mother’s promise the day before—couldn’t help but cheer softly.

Life had become so wonderful lately. Their mother had recovered and even chatted with them; now their father also had time to be with them.

Once everyone was gathered, the servants from the dining room began setting dishes on the dining table.

Erzai, sitting on a chair, looked at his father. “Can we ask Mom to come and eat with us? Mom’s already better now.”

Dazai and Sanzai also looked at their father. “Yeah, Dad, Mom’s better now. We can promise you that.”

Lin Shen glanced at his three children, then called to the butler: “Uncle Zhang, ask your Madam to come down.”

“But Madam…” Uncle Zhang hesitated, worried. After all, similar situations had happened before. On those occasions, it turned out Madam had simply been acting more “normal” for the day, and later had a sudden episode that even injured the three little masters.

Lin Shen waved a hand dismissively. “Then have two people stay by Madam’s side and watch over her.”

Lin Shen reassured the butler. He also wanted to confirm for himself whether Su Sanxian had truly recovered.

With the master’s approval and the three young masters watching him with eager eyes, the butler couldn’t refuse and went to call Madam down. At worst, he thought, they would keep a close eye on her.

“I’ll go get Mom too!” Erzai hopped off his chair and scampered after the butler, following him upstairs.

Seeing their Younger/Big brother go, Dazai and Sanzai couldn’t stay seated either. They slipped off their chairs and followed him upstairs.

When Lin Shen saw that they had all gone, he chuckled softly, deciding not to start eating and instead wait for them.

Sunlight streamed through the floor-to-ceiling windows, filling the room with a sense of relaxation and warmth. Lin Shen exhaled in contentment, glancing toward the staircase.

It had been a long time since he’d felt this at ease. His three children were the same—their smiles today were much brighter than usual.

Thinking of the scene that would soon unfold, Lin Shen couldn’t help but let out another soft chuckle.

What a wonderful day today was.

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Eldest Son – Dazai

Second Son – Erzai

Third Son – Sanzai

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