Chapter 55 Autumn Study Tour

Chapter 55 Autumn Field Trip

Back in the car, Tan Youming exhaled, slumping into the passenger seat, utterly drained.

Tan Duole, like a wilted little bird, slept all the way home. As expected, she couldn't eat much dinner, prompting the housekeeper to chide, "Sweetie, if you don't eat, you won't grow tall."

But Tan Duole didn't mind. Auntie Tang was different from the hired help at the Zeng household; a child instinctively knows sincerity from pretense.

Conscientious, she went straight to her homework after dinner.

The spacious study lay unused, so the uncle and niece settled into Shen Zongnian’s room. Tan Youming checked his emails—the Maritime Trade Association event was drawing near, and Pinghai was bustling with preparations.

The child was bright; whenever she encountered a problem, she'd ask Shen Zongnian, who would set aside his documents and patiently guide her through each question.

Patient, meticulous, and concise—Tan Youming peeked out from behind his laptop, recalling how he'd only ever achieved average grades in subjects Shen Zongnian taught him, yet the German he self-studied had topped the class.

Unlike Tan Duole, who grasped things instantly—would Shen Zongnian make her recite lessons daily when tutoring her in the future?

If she struggled with geography, would he go so far as to craft a rotating globe? When teaching math, would he repeatedly draw geometric diagrams?

Regardless, it would likely be far less trouble than teaching him. Tan Youming twirled his pen, his mind adrift, his expression distant, not writing for a long time.

Shen Zongnian cast a sidelong glance: "Are you stuck on something too?"

Tan Duole covered her mouth, stifling a giggle. Tan Youming rolled his eyes and gave Shen Zongnian a light kick under the table.

Shen Zongnian left for a video conference, while Tan Youming received a call from Zhuo Zhixuan, asking if they could meet tomorrow.

"What’s going on? You just vanished?" After leaving the hospital, it was as if he’d become a different person—no more gaming, no more drinking, no more going out. Zhuo Zhixuan had been genuinely concerned about his health.

Tan Youming, now fully immersed in family life, rubbed his temples: "Babysitting, man."

"Duole?" Zhuo Zhixuan exclaimed in surprise, "You went back to the old house?"

"Boss Guan ordered me to stay here for a few days."

Hearing her name, Tan Duole shouted into the phone, "Uncle Xuan!"

"Hey, Lele! Did you go to find your uncle?"

"Yeah!"

"Tell your uncle to bring you to my hotel to play. The new game theme park has the Fruit Man Battle you like."

Tan Duole boasted, "Uncle, I already played that today! Uncle Zongnian took me."

"...Oh," Zhuo Zhixuan mused to himself—that Shen guy must have cast some spell on the Tan family, enchanting everyone from young to old. Unwilling to concede, he asked, "So, who plays better—Uncle Zongnian or me?"

"Uncle Zongnian!" Tan Duole declared loudly, "My Uncle Zongnian is super cool when he plays games! This afternoon, the whole arcade crowd gathered to watch him."

"......"

Tan Youming burst out laughing, taking the phone: "Alright, you knew she's a lookist—why set yourself up for humiliation?"

Zhuo Zhixuan, wounded twice, retorted indignantly, "Go ask around—I’m Haishi's most eligible bachelor! You're well enough to mock me, so you must be feeling better."

Tan Youming laughed heartily: "What a sensitive bachelor! I told you I was fine all along—you guys were the ones who worried too much."

Zhuo Zhixuan opened his mouth, then said, "You seem to be in pretty good spirits now." It seemed Shen Zongnian was a miracle worker like Hua Tuo, more effective than any doctor.

Tan Youming quirked a smile and said softly, "A-Xuan, thank you." Though unspoken, he understood his friend’s care and companionship.

Zhuo Zhixuan got goosebumps: "Alright, as long as you’re fine. I’m hanging up."

The "super cool" Uncle Zongnian entered with milk, and Tan Duole’s face fell: "Uncle Zongnian, you’re just regular cool now."

Tan Youming doubled over laughing beside them.

Shen Zongnian didn’t care about being cool—he just gave orders: "Finish your milk, then wash up and go to bed." He then turned to Tan Youming: "You too."

Tan Youming’s smile vanished.

Shen Zongnian was authoritarian; hearing no objections, he went to prepare Tan Duole’s schoolbag, checking each item—school badge, sun hat, water bottle—everything needed for tomorrow’s social studies field trip.

Since the social studies field trip was in the afternoon, Shen Zongnian scheduled his meeting with He Wufei for the morning.

By past ten, Galaxy Bay was already bustling.

"The phased investigation is set to conclude by the end of the month. When we withdraw our team, I’ll have the team leader coordinate with the manager," He Wufei expressed his thanks. "Thank you for your cooperation and support these days, Mr. Shen, and please ensure confidentiality going forward."

"Of course."

He Wufei had his subordinate step out and said to Shen Zongnian, "Economic Crimes has found an inroad into You Jinrong. We can follow the trail to trace the source of the funds."

"Chief Zhang specifically asked me to thank you. He said your help in negotiating with him was crucial—it allowed us to quickly identify those overseas accounts and prevent a huge amount of illicit funds from flowing abroad. Otherwise, it would have been a massive loss. Chief Zhang even joked that you’d make a great undercover agent."

"Chief Zhang is too kind."

"Once we file the case, you won’t need to engage with him anymore. We have enough evidence; the prosecutor’s office will soon approve the arrest."

Shen Zongnian wasn’t concerned about You Jinrong and only asked, "What about Shen Xiaochang?"

"He’s a more complicated case. We have preliminary evidence, but he’s overseas. The ownership structure of those companies linked to the black market in Binzhou is very tightly layered. So far, we’ve only traced two offshore companies behind them, and the offshore structure is highly confidential. Even though we know he’s the actual shareholder using proxies, we need sufficient evidence to form a complete chain before we can issue an order."

"And it also involves some gangs in Binzhou," He Wufei didn’t elaborate further. "It's a... historical matter. You understand how these things are, Mr. Shen."

Essentially, Shen Xiaochang used capital to manipulate and support underground gangs—one side lacked money, the other lacked manpower, a perfect match.

Shen Zongnian wasn’t buying it: "A fraud group colluding with criminal gangs—perfect for a clean sweep."

"...We certainly won’t let them expand their influence further, Mr. Shen. You can rest assured—the higher-ups are taking this seriously, and we will do everything to eradicate them."

Shen Zongnian remained silent, just looking at him.

The last time He Wufei dealt with such a stubborn informant was Zhao Shengge. He relented and revealed more: "The Maritime Trade Association is coming up soon. They won’t miss this chance to make a move. During the exhibition, domestic and international scrutiny will be tighter. You have to trust our determination to crack down on crime."

Shen Zongnian disliked bureaucratic talk and simply said, "I'll look forward to your good news, Officer He."

After seeing He Wufei off, Shen Zongnian asked the manager if they had chocolate chip cookies today.

"Yes, Mr. Shen." It’s just that since Shen Zongnian had said last time not to prepare them in advance, he hadn't put any aside for him.

"One box—no, make it five boxes, to go."

Tan Youming alone could polish off half a box, and Tan Duole had classmates. Even though no one had ever prepared field trip snacks for Shen Zongnian, he figured it was better to have too much than too little.

At 2 p.m., Shen Zongnian and Tan Youming arrived right on time at Linxian Ledao Campus and set off with the students on the school bus.

Having learned their lesson from yesterday, Tan Youming wore sneakers, a hoodie, and jeans, while Shen Zongnian wore black pants and a polo shirt—so they finally looked less intimidating, like two college boys back home for summer break to babysit.

"Come here."

Shen Zongnian didn't like dealing with kids, so he stood quietly to the side, occasionally handing out water or helping take photos.

Tan Youming was a king of the kids wherever he went. After a few rounds of question-and-answer games, he had gathered a dozen little followers. A group of small children clustered around his legs, and Tan Youming, amused by someone, burst out laughing, his eyes curving into crescents. It was clear he truly loved children.

Suddenly, Tan Youming turned his head and flashed him a grin. Shen Zongnian didn't look away this time, instead watching him quietly from a distance.

His heart felt strangely calm, a sensation that even he found strange.

It was entirely different from how he used to feel when seeing Tan Youming play with children. Now, he even felt a sense of content happiness.

Tan Youming’s joyful smile was truly beautiful.

After touring the exhibition hall, they rested outside. The floor-to-ceiling windows of the four-story hall overlooked the coastline, with seaside viewing platforms on both the second and fourth floors.

Tan Youming and Shen Zongnian went to buy drinks for the children. Wen Quxin asked, "Class Monitor, your uncle is so handsome. Why didn’t your auntie come?"

Tan Duole replied, "I don’t have an auntie."

Judy, having grown up abroad and being well-traveled, said, "I thought Uncle Shen was your auntie."

Both Tan Duole and Wen Quxin paused and slowly turned to look at her.

Thinking she had said something wrong, she covered her mouth politely with her hand.

Tan Duole stared at her and murmured, "Well, that could actually work."

After visiting the Treasure Hall and the Painting and Calligraphy Hall, the field trip came to an end. Tan Youming went to speak with the teacher while Tan Duole and Shen Zongnian waited nearby.

"Uncle Zongnian," the child, never one to keep quiet, whispered to him, "All my classmates like Uncle. Lvy wants him to be her uncle, and Zoe said her aunt knows Uncle. But I want you to be my uncle's wife. Is that okay?"

Shen Zongnian was taken aback. He opened his mouth but refused, "No."

Tan Duole’s eyes widened in disbelief. She had never expected to be rejected. "Why?!"

Shen Zongnian thought for a moment and said, "Your uncle will meet someone he likes in the future."

Tan Duole frowned, becoming a persistent child. "But I think Uncle likes you, and I like you too. Why can’t you be my uncle's wife? Don’t you like my uncle?"

"Hmm," Shen Zongnian said calmly, "I don’t."

Tan Duole was deeply disappointed and stared at him in shock. "Why?! My uncle is so handsome!"

Shen Zongnian stayed silent, his expression cold. Tan Duole grew anxious and pressed further, "What’s wrong with my uncle?"

Shen Zongnian replied, "He’s annoying." Then he added, "Don't repeat this to your uncle."

Feeling emotionally hurt, Tan Duole stopped talking to him.

The traffic was bad, and before they'd even gotten inside upon returning home, Tan Zhongshan’s call came through.

"Tan Youming, what’s going on with the Zeng family news?"

"Huh?" The museum's quiet had isolated them from the outside turmoil. Tan Zhongshan’s low, pressurized questioning abruptly pulled them out of their peaceful family outing.

Tan Youming and Shen Zongnian exchanged a glance. "Did the newspaper publish the article?"

Tan Zhongshan let out a frustrated laugh. "You’re asking me?"