Chapter 2 Good Morning, Daddy

Chapter 2: Good Morning, Daddy

The Shen residence was built into the mountainside. Shen Ci couldn't even begin to guess its size, but it was certainly impossible to explore in a single day.

Shen Shiyan was allocated a side courtyard within the estate, and Shen Ci was sent there along with him.

Other than requiring them to sleep in the same bed on the first night, Shen Wenzhou didn't impose many other demands, simply instructing the two of them to behave properly and know their place.

Shen Shiyan hardly spoke a word, his face as cold as his grandfather's—now his father's—a perfect copy.

The room was silent. The exterior of the estate appeared somewhat retro, but the interior was lavishly decorated. Even the side courtyard they were staying in, which was the most inconspicuous place in the Shen family, was decorated in pale gray and white tones that screamed luxury.

Night had fallen. Shen Shiyan didn't speak to him, simply got into bed and lay down without a word.

For a long moment, Shen Ci didn't move, just watching the bulge of the person under the covers playing with his own hair.

"Come to sleep."

Shen Shiyan's voice abruptly cut through his thoughts, startling Shen Ci, who was lost in thought.

However, he quickly snapped back to reality, walked over, lifted the blanket, and lay down beside Shen Shiyan.

"Wasn't there no one around?" Shen Ci tucked the lower half of his face under the blanket, revealing only a pair of eyes as he turned his head to look at Shen Shiyan, adding, "Daddy."

Shen Shiyan's brow furrowed slightly before relaxing, and he replied, "The family head's rule. We have to share a bed today."

Shen Ci said, "Oh," withdrew his gaze, and looked at the ceiling. His goals in life were simple: food, warmth, and to get back at those who had bullied him. He didn't have any particular feelings about his new situation, only marveling at how much softer this bed was compared to the one at the orphanage.

Bai Cong thought Shen Ci was meek, but in reality, he was utterly ruthless at his core, doing whatever it took to survive. His heart was so narrow that even a needle couldn't pass through, and every bad thing was firmly nailed into the deepest recesses of his memory.

When he first arrived at the orphanage, he was bullied. A child three years older than him pulled his hair and threatened to throw him off the building. Shen Ci, eyes red, shoved the child out of a second-floor window and then turned around to lodge a complaint, putting on a show of tears in front of Bai Cong.

That child's leg was broken from the fall. After crying in front of Bai Cong, Shen Ci would whisper in his ear, saying that treating a broken leg would cost a lot of money.

Whether it was because Bai Cong thought the same, or because the injury was too severe for the doctors to handle, in any case, not long after, the child's untreated leg festered, leading to a fatal infection.

These children had no families to begin with. If they died, Bai Cong would only lament the loss of a few stacks of cash, casually wrapping them in a mat before getting rid of them.

The other children were terrified and couldn't sleep well for days, but Shen Ci only felt a sense of satisfaction in his heart.

Someone who treated him like that from the start couldn't be a good person. They brought it upon themselves.

Perhaps because the bed was too soft, Shen Ci fell asleep very quickly, his breathing steady.

Shen Shiyan cracked open an eye, shooting a cold glance at the person sleeping soundly beside him before turning over, not feeling the slightest bit sleepy.

Shen Shiyan's grandmother had great ambitions. Although far from the Shen family, she still harbored the delusion of one day returning to the Shen family to compete for a share of the inheritance. Even just the crumbs that might leak from their fingers would be enough for them to live on for a lifetime.

Unfortunately, after a lifetime of scheming, Shen Sinian proved to be a disappointment, lacking any business sense. Apart from the small nest egg she had selfishly kept aside, he managed to lose every last cent of the money Shen Wenzhou had initially given them.

If they couldn't make a name for themselves in Yuncheng and prove useful to the Shen family, Shen Wenzhou would see Shen Sinian dead before he let him into the ancestral temple.

Originally, she had hoped to pin her hopes on Shen Sinian's child, but all he managed to produce was a daughter, which infuriated her, and she cursed Shen Sinian for being useless.

Over the years, Shen Sinian had also been twisted by his mentally unstable mother, keeping mistresses outside and siring a child on the side.

Shen Shiyan had been constantly told since childhood that he was a member of the Shen family, forced by his biological father and grandmother to learn etiquette and finance.

If he resisted, he would be subjected to torrents of abuse, and being forced to kneel as punishment or getting beaten were everyday occurrences. Gradually, Shen Shiyan became unwilling to speak, his mind filled only with the rules and traditions of the Shen family's grand mansion.

Heaven rewards the diligent. Although not formally recalled to the Shen family, Shen Sinian finally saw a glimmer of hope, especially since the family's assets had been completely squandered. He placed all his hopes on Shen Shiyan.

After all, Shen Shiyan carried the Shen family's blood. Shen Sinian and his mother, who was nearly dead from illness, slept soundly that night, dreaming of lavish wealth and status.

Shen Shiyan calmed his emotions and was about to close his eyes to rest when a hand, warm with body heat, suddenly wrapped around his waist.

"...Tsk."

Shen Shiyan irritably pushed the hand away, but it soon returned, clinging tighter each time. A strand of Shen Ci's long hair brushed against the back of his ear, the slight tickling sensation making Shen Shiyan even more annoyed.

He wasn't accustomed to skin-to-skin contact with others.

The person behind him was thin and small, curled up tightly against him, legs slightly bent, knees pressing against the top of his thighs.

Just as he was about to get out of bed and wake the person up, he heard Shen Ci's small voice whimpering, intermittently calling for his mother.

Shen Shiyan's body stiffened, and he stopped moving.

His only warm memory was of his mother. Although her status was disgraceful, she had genuinely smiled at him and called him Xiao Shi Baby.

A young body was tightly embraced by an even younger one. Shen Shiyan stopped resisting, remaining stiff and motionless, allowing Shen Ci to hold him, though he felt extremely uncomfortable inside.

Shen Ci's whimpering stopped once Shen Shiyan ceased resisting him. His breathing remained steady, but he slowly opened his eyes.

Earlier, when being brought to the side courtyard, Shen Ci, with his sharp ears, overheard people saying that to give Shen Shiyan a legitimate status and silence outsiders, he would take over a relatively insignificant small company under the Shen Group's name as Shen Wenzhou's fourth son. Their living expenses would likely also come from the profits of this small company.

Shen Wenzhou and the others each had their own agendas. Moreover, when it came down to it, Shen Ci was the only outsider. In this side courtyard, it was just him and Shen Shiyan. He absolutely had to cling tightly to this daddy's thigh.

It seemed playing the pitiful card still had some use. Shen Ci didn't miss any mother; he never had a mother to begin with.

His beautiful peach-blossom eyes blinked twice, a flash of cunning light in them, as he tightened his hold a little more.

It didn't matter if he didn't have one. He had a daddy now, even if he was a bit young.

In the top corner of the wall to the right of the bed, a faint red light flickered. The image of the two people clinging closely together on the bed was displayed on a screen being watched by Shen Siwen and Shen Siyu.

Shen Siwen flicked the ash from his cigarette, his eyes full of disdain.

"Truly the son of a prostitute. Can't even bring himself to push away a man clinging to him."

Shen Siyu chuckled twice at his elder brother's words. "Brother, you're too harsh. Xiao Ci is still young; he hardly counts as a man."

"Xiao Ci, hmph." Shen Siwen stubbed out the cigarette in his hand and turned off the surveillance feed.

Shen Siyu's expression was relaxed. "They're just two kids, only getting the leftovers. Brother, you don't actually think they could compete with us for the family head position, do you?"

Shen Siwen looked up at him, snorted coldly again, waved his hand, and left.

Shen Shiyan remained stiff like that all night until the first rays of morning light entered the room. He woke the person up, got out of bed himself, and rubbed his sore shoulders and arms.

Shen Ci sat up dazedly, his long hair disheveled with a few strands sticking up, eyes still sleepy as he called out, "Good morning, daddy."

"..."