Chapter 14 Guanyin Statue

Chapter 14: The Guanyin Statue

Miss Qi, being a woman, had more delicate skin, and the feeling was completely different from when Shen Shiyan held Shen Ci's hand.

This was Shen Ci's first time visiting Shen Shiyan's company. Shen Shiyan went straight into his office and sat down on the sofa in the sitting area, crossing his long legs.

There were still fifteen minutes before the meeting. Miss Qi brought Shen Ci in, gave him a wave, and went off to prepare for the meeting.

His office had floor-to-ceiling windows made of completely transparent glass. The blinds were pulled up, offering an unobstructed view outside. Shen Ci put his backpack on the sofa and asked Shen Shiyan for permission, "Daddy, I want to go out and look around."

Shen Shiyan nodded, "Mm, don't wander off."

He said he was just looking around, but he merely circled a couple of offices and the central area. Within a few minutes, Shen Ci was strolling back.

Shen Shiyan was leaning against the sofa's edge, apparently on a phone call. His right arm rested casually on the glass, his slender, pale fingers hanging down naturally.

Catching a glimpse of movement in his peripheral vision, Shen Shiyan turned his head to the side, still listening to the call, and froze.

He saw Shen Ci half-crouched down on the other side of the glass, pressing his forehead against it, right below Shen Shiyan's hanging hand. He slowly rubbed against the glass, like a stray kitten on the other side, starved for affection, imagining a gentle touch.

As if guided by some unseen force, the moment Shen Ci looked up, Shen Shiyan raised his hanging hand and, as if in coordination, air-patted his head twice through the glass.

Their gazes met.

Shen Shiyan withdrew his hand without a change in expression, said a few more words to the business partner on the phone, and hung up.

"Mr. Shen, the meeting can start now."

Miss Qi called out softly from the office doorway, thoughtfully handing Shen Ci a bag of snacks.

Shen Shiyan stood up and nodded. As he passed by Shen Ci on his way out of the office, he said in a low voice, "Don't eat too much."

Shen Ci thanked Qi Zizhu and then nodded obediently at Shen Shiyan.

During the meeting, Shen Shiyan finalized four new bids. The largest partner among them was Xingtu Technology, which Shen Shiyan would personally handle the liaison with.

The meeting ended in about fifteen minutes. Shen Shiyan's meetings were always concise and to the point; he never wasted employees' time with useless chatter.

"Mr. Shen, about these two gifts, where would you like them placed, or should we arrange to have them sent back for you?"

Passing through the lobby, a Guanyin jade statue was placed in the corner. It was exquisitely carved, the jade glowing with a warm, gentle light under the lamps. Guanyin's face was gentle and compassionate, her eyelids slightly lowered, pitying all living beings as she sat serenely on a lotus throne.

Next to it was likely a painting by a famous artist, highly evocative. Distant mountains were blurred with light ink washes, while in the foreground was a bamboo grove. If not for a bird in the grove, its eyes pierced by an arrow, one might mistake it for a landscape painting. The bird was shown plummeting; below it stood a hunter holding a bow. The arrow's force rippled out, shaking loose some slender bamboo leaves around it, some suspended mid-air, others fallen at the hunter's feet.

Shen Shiyan's gaze darkened slightly. The gifts were real, but the sincerity behind them was questionable.

He guessed the Guanyin statue was from Shen Siyu. He was a deep thinker. Guanyin, originally a sacred figure, carried auspicious meanings of bearing descendants, family prosperity, and averting misfortune.

But this Guanyin statue was androgynous. This Child-Granting Guanyin might truly be meant to "grant a child" — perhaps to send away him, the fourth son of the Shen family patriarch, or to send away Shen Shiyan's nominal son, or possibly both.

That painting too carried a dangerous signal.

Congratulations were the surface; threat was the core.

"No rush. Hang the painting in my office. As for the Guanyin, tomorrow when you have time, find a fortune teller to check the feng shui. See where it's suitable to place it, and then we'll enshrine it properly."

Shen Shiyan pressed his palms together and bowed slightly towards the Guanyin statue. "Assistant Qi, please convey my thanks on my behalf."

Qi Zizhu said, "Yes, Mr. Shen."

The driver was off duty. Before the meeting, Shen Shiyan had messaged Assistant Li, hoping they could send a car. Assistant Li, Shen Wenzhou's assistant, handled matters meticulously. The car was already waiting downstairs.

By the time they left, Shen Ci had mostly finished the homework assigned by his teacher. He politely waved goodbye to Qi Zizhu and then followed closely behind Shen Shiyan.

"Are we going home now, Daddy?"

Shen Shiyan glanced at the boy beside him, took the backpack from his shoulders, and carried it himself, saying, "Mm."

Shen Ci tugged on the backpack strap and then let go, "It's not heavy, Daddy."

Shen Shiyan nodded and put the backpack back on him.

Shen Ci: "..."

They arrived home just at 6:30. The housekeeper had prepared dinner. Shen Shiyan usually ate very little. After a few bites, he put down his chopsticks and watched Shen Ci to prevent him from secretly adding more rice.

The scratches Shen Ci had gotten a few days ago had mostly faded. Only his shoulder blade on his back still hurt persistently. After dinner, he curled up in the soft chair next to Shen Shiyan, watching Shen Shiyan's fingers fly across the computer keyboard.

When the pain became unbearable, he would gently twist his back. After he did this several times, Shen Shiyan turned to look at him, "Are there nails on that chair?"

Shen Ci immediately froze, then smiled sheepishly, "No, Daddy. My back is a bit uncomfortable."

"Where?"

Shen Ci had excellent proportions, with long limbs. His left hand easily reached over his right shoulder to touch his shoulder blade, "This bony part that sticks out."

Shen Shiyan made an acknowledging sound and returned his focus to the computer. Shen Ci didn't throw a childish tantrum either. He took out the draft paper Shen Shiyan had previously given him to practice handwriting from a drawer, lay on the table, and practiced his characters.

Soon, Shen Shiyan finished his work. He closed the laptop, pulled a sheet of paper from under Shen Ci's hand. On it was a poem their Chinese teacher had assigned for memorization that day. He curved his lips slightly, "Your handwriting has improved a bit."

Shen Ci immediately nodded proudly, "Mm-hmm, I practice every day using Daddy's handwriting as a model."

Shen Shiyan stood up, "You still have a long way to go."

Shen Ci didn't feel discouraged. He got down from the soft chair and followed behind Shen Shiyan.

They didn't go to the master bedroom, but to his own small room.

Shen Ci was somewhat puzzled and asked, "Daddy? Are you resting here?"

Shen Shiyan moved aside at the doorway, making a gap just wide enough for someone to pass, letting Shen Ci enter first. He said, "Lift your clothes up. Let me look at your back."

Shen Ci complied, but immediately found the clothes bunched up at his collar uncomfortable. He simply took them all off and turned his back to Shen Shiyan.

The teenager's back was very thin, his waistline pronounced, shoulder blades protruding. A small patch on the right one was bruised purple and blue, likely from the person who had grabbed him from behind hitting him there with a fist.

Since he seemed to always get injured or sick for various reasons, Shen Shiyan had simply placed the first aid kit in Shen Ci's room. After rummaging for a moment, he took out a jar of ointment for reducing swelling and relieving pain.

Shen Shiyan used his fingertip to scoop a little from the small jar and gently dabbed it onto Shen Ci's shoulder blade.

The ointment and Shen Shiyan's hand were both slightly cool. The moment it touched his skin, Shen Ci shivered. Shen Shiyan used his other hand to press on his shoulder, steadying him. His fingertip massaged in small circles two or three times. A bit of warmth spread from the shoulder blade, and the pain lessened somewhat.

After applying it, Shen Shiyan took a tissue to wipe his hand but didn't look away. The bruise stood out against Shen Ci's extremely pale skin like a vividly colored, alluring butterfly had alighted there. When Shen Ci moved, the mark moved with him. Shen Shiyan's mind conjured the image of a butterfly fluttering its wings.

The floor heating was on now, making the room air dry. The ointment soon soaked into the skin and dried completely.

Shen Shiyan said it was done, and then Shen Ci promptly burrowed directly under the covers.

Shen Shiyan put away the ointment and prepared to leave, saying, "Next time you're hurt, just say so. Don't just tough it out."

Shen Ci nodded. Just as Shen Shiyan was about to close his bedroom door, he called out, "Daddy?"

The hand closing the door paused. Shen Shiyan leaned his head in slightly. "What is it?"

Shen Ci blinked, his beautiful eyes holding a hint of earnestness. "Can you stroke my head? Like you did this afternoon."

He hesitated for a moment. His fingers on the doorknob tightened, then relaxed, then tightened again. In the end, he pushed the door open, walked over, leaned down, and ruffled Shen Ci's hair a couple of times, saying softly, "Get some sleep."

Shen Ci, satisfied, closed his eyes, his eyelashes casting faint shadows beneath his eyes.