Transmigration; Married to My Ex-Fiancé's Uncle-Chapter 210; Lu family 13

Hmm. I suppose that’s acceptable then," Shuyin replied, pretending to consider. She moved to her desk and picked up a stress ball that had been sitting there, presumably left by the previous occupant. "Although I think you need to be properly chastised for your insolence."

She tossed the soft foam ball gently at Yuyan, who caught it with surprised reflexes, her eyes widening.

"Did you just throw something at me?" Yuyan asked, half laughing, half shocked.

"I did," Shuyin confirmed solemnly. "And I’ll do it again if you continue with your disrespectful ways. This is a serious office environment. We don’t tolerate such....."

She was interrupted by the stress ball flying back at her, bouncing harmlessly off her shoulder as Yuyan’s aim proved surprisingly good.

"Oh, it’s like that, is it?" Shuyin said, eyes narrowing playfully. She retrieved the ball and tossed it back, this time aiming for Yuyan’s head but deliberately throwing it gently enough that it barely tapped her silver hair before bouncing away.

Chen Xiao giggled from his spot on the floor, watching the two of them with delighted fascination. "Are we allowed to throw things? In the fancy office?"

"Absolutely not," Shuyin replied seriously, even as she retrieved the ball again. "It’s completely inappropriate and unprofessional. Which is why we’re doing it. Because sometimes you need to be inappropriate to remember you’re human."

She lobbed the ball at Yuyan again, who dodged this time, laughing as it sailed past her head and bounced against the window.

"Your aim is terrible!" Yuyan announced, picking up the ball and examining it like she was preparing for a proper throw.

"My aim is perfect for someone who’s been blackmailing corporate boards all day," Shuyin defended. "I’m emotionally exhausted. My hand-eye coordination is suffering."

Yuyan wound up and threw the ball with surprising force, not at Shuyin, but at Chen Xiao, who shrieked with laughter as it bounced off his shoulder.

"Hey! I didn’t do anything!" the five-year-old protested, scrambling to grab the ball.

"You called yourself Chen Thunder," Yuyan replied, grinning. "That requires retaliation."

"Chen Thunder is awesome!" he declared, and threw the ball back at her with all the strength his small arms could muster.

It went wildly off course, sailing over Yuyan’s head and landing directly in Shuyin’s open hands as she caught it with casual grace.

"Interesting," Shuyin mused, tossing the ball up and catching it thoughtfully. "So now I have ammunition and two targets. This presents strategic opportunities."

"Momma, no," Yuyan said, backing away with her hands up, but she was smiling, actually genuinely smiling in a way that made her look her age for once instead of carrying the weight of twelve years of suffering.

"Momma, yes," Shuyin countered, and threw the ball at Chen Xiao, who tried to dodge but tripped over his own feet and landed on his bottom with a soft thump.

For a moment, everyone froze, worried that he’d hurt himself, that the play had gone too far.

Then Chen Xiao started laughing. Not the polite, careful laughter of a traumatized child trying to please adults, but genuine belly laughs that shook his small frame and made his face scrunch up with pure joy.

"Again!" he demanded, scrambling up and grabbing the ball. "Do it again!"

And so it descended into delightful chaos.

The stress ball flew back and forth between them, sometimes hitting its target, sometimes going wildly astray. Chen Xiao’s throws were enthusiastic but unpredictable, often sending the ball in completely unexpected directions. Yuyan’s aim improved as she got into it, managing to hit Shuyin square in the back when she wasn’t looking, causing the woman to spin around with exaggerated outrage.

"Treachery!" Shuyin declared. "From my daughter! The betrayal cuts deep!"

"You should have better situational awareness," Yuyan replied primly, then squeaked as the ball came flying back at her.

They chased it around the office, ducking behind furniture, using the conference table as cover, laughing with increasing abandon as the game wore on. At one point, Chen Xiao climbed onto one of the leather chairs to get better throwing height, launching the ball down at Yuyan like some kind of tiny siege weapon.

Shuyin collapsed into her desk chair, breathing heavily from laughter and exertion. "Okay, okay, I call it a truce. I’m too old for this."

"You said you weren’t old!" Chen Xiao pointed out, bouncing on the chair with excess energy.

"I lied," Shuyin admitted. "I’m ancient. Decrepit. Practically falling apart. Definitely too elderly to be running around throwing stress balls."

"You’re being dramatic," Yuyan accused, but she was slightly out of breath too, her cheeks flushed pink with exertion and happiness.

"I’m being realistic," Shuyin corrected, but she was smiling. "And also strategically retreating before one of you actually hits me in the face and I have to explain to your father why I have a black eye from office warfare."

She looked at both children, at Yuyan’s bright silver eyes, no longer shadowed with old pain, at Chen Xiao’s genuine smile, free from the careful fear he usually carried, and felt satisfaction settling warm in her chest.

This was healing.

Not the dramatic kind, not the kind that came from grand gestures or expensive therapy.

But the simple kind that came from being allowed to be silly, being given permission to play, being in a space where you didn’t have to be scared or sad or strong all the time.

Just allowed to be.

To exist.

To throw stress balls and laugh without worrying about consequences.

"Alright," Shuyin said, finally catching her breath. "I think we’ve successfully de-traumatized ourselves through the power of inappropriate office behavior. Are we ready to face the world again?"

"Can we play more tomorrow?" Chen Xiao asked hopefully.

"Maybe," Shuyin replied, reaching over to ruffle his hair. "If you’re very good and don’t tell anyone that the terrifying woman who blackmailed the board spent her afternoon throwing things at children."

"I won’t tell," he promised solemnly.

"I might tell," Yuyan said with a mischievous grin. "It seems like valuable blackmail material."