Chapter 37 From Handholding to Hugging

Chapter 37: Holding Hands Turns into a Hug

They got on the Ferris wheel in pairs.

Qi Zizhu could see that Gao Mengying only felt safe when she was with Song Xianghan.

A kid definitely needed an adult with her, and just as she was feeling stuck, Song Qiuchi took Qi Zizhu’s hand and led her inside.

Shen Shiyan didn’t take Shen Ci’s hand, nor did he let Shen Ci take his. He subtly avoided Shen Ci’s fingers that had already touched his, taking bigger steps.

The Ferris wheel’s metal parts turned with a faint, dull rumble. The not-so-spacious cabin slowly climbed, gradually blocking out the noise and crowd below, neon lights reflecting on the glass.

Shen Shiyan pressed his lips together and looked down. The amusement park buildings and the noisy crowd slowly became tiny dots, blending softly into the night sky.

“Why did you take the blame for Song Qiuchi?” Shen Shiyan didn’t turn around, looking at two twinkling stars in the sky.

Shen Ci was a little nervous and admitted quietly and honestly, “I made a trade with her.”

In that tiny space, all you could hear was Shen Ci’s heartbeat and breathing.

The space was cramped. Shen Shiyan casually bent his long legs slightly, almost reaching Shen Ci’s feet across from him. He tapped Shen Ci’s foot with his toe and asked, “Let her shoot me three times?”

Shen Ci didn’t get how Shen Shiyan guessed it and felt embarrassed at being caught. He just mumbled “mm-hmm.”

Shen Shiyan turned to look at Shen Ci.

So he hadn’t drunk Song Qiuchi’s bitter melon juice on his own.

The Ferris wheel reached the top, and Shen Shiyan somehow felt relieved.

“Then why did you drink mine as well?”

Shen Shiyan was practically asking a question he already knew the answer to.

Real fireworks burst outside the window, blue and purple, falling like shooting stars with a soft rustle.

Shen Ci’s peach blossom eyes reflected the fireworks, shining brightly.

“Last time we had a snowball fight, I didn’t win. I just wanted to beat you once, but the bitter melon juice was too gross, and I didn’t want Daddy to drink it...” At that point, he was too scared to look Shen Shiyan in the eyes. “Daddy, I’m sorry. Can you please not be mad at me?”

Shen Shiyan propped his chin on his hand, listening to his whiny explanation, and said, “When was I ever angry at you?”

Shen Ci looked up suddenly, still sounding hurt: “Then when Song Qiuchi took Sister Qi’s hand and left, why wouldn’t you let me hold yours, Daddy?”

Shen Shiyan laughed, like he was teasing a kid: “How was I supposed to know you wanted to hold my hand at that time?”

Shen Ci didn’t know what to say, just blinking at Shen Shiyan.

The fireworks outside kept going nonstop, bright and gentle, slowly fading into the night sky, leaving only a wisp of smoke to show they’d been there.

Shen Ci felt like Shen Shiyan was doing it on purpose, but he couldn’t find any reason or proof to argue back.

A mix of hurt and anger welled up inside him. Even though he was the one who messed up first, he’d still drunk the bitter melon juice for Daddy!

He suddenly said, a little pouty, “Then I want to hold your hand now.”

Shen Ci rarely showed such expressions and emotions in front of him, and he rarely took the initiative to make demands of Shen Shiyan.

Those peach blossom eyes were still very, very bright, brighter than the two stars Shen Shiyan had seen earlier.

“Mm.” Shen Shiyan responded and reached out his hand.

Shen Ci happily stood up and placed his hand on it, but he tripped over Shen Shiyan’s leg and fell straight into Shen Shiyan’s arms.

Holding hands turned into a hug.

Worried he might get hurt, Shen Shiyan didn’t let him go back. He pulled him close and sat him on his left leg, facing the glass.

A cold, crisp scent enveloped Shen Ci. He held Shen Shiyan’s little finger, looked at the fireworks outside the window, closed his eyes, and made a wish.

Shen Shiyan still propped his chin on his right hand, lazily glancing at the devoutly wishing Shen Ci.

Little grudge-holder.

Getting off the Ferris wheel, it was exactly 9:30 PM. Nearby, a boy released a pink heart-shaped balloon, his face flushed red, loudly confessing to the girl beside him—

“I’ve already made my wish; we’ll never be apart in this life!”

The two looked young, probably just starting high school. The girl, shy and happy, stood on tiptoe to cover the boy’s mouth, but he grabbed her wrist, bent down, and lightly kissed her forehead.

“How beautiful,” Qi Zizhu sighed.

Song Xianghan nudged Gao Mengying beside her with her elbow and asked, “Assistant Gao, what wish did you make?”

Gao Mengying suddenly stammered, “No... not that, wishes won’t come true if you say them out loud.”

As they walked and chatted, Song Qiuchi heard this and let out an “ah,” saying, “Then that big brother’s wish won’t come true, right?”

Song Xianghan laughed a couple of times and said, “It will come true. Everyone understands wishes in their own way.”

Shen Ci was now tightly holding Shen Shiyan’s hand. Hearing Song Xianghan’s words, he looked up and asked Shen Shiyan, “Daddy, what wish did you make?”

“Watch where you’re going.” Shen Shiyan slowed his pace a little, waiting until Shen Ci’s gaze was back in front before continuing in a calm tone, “I hope you score 499 points on your next final exam.”

Actually, he hadn’t made a wish. He didn’t believe in it, but he didn’t want to dampen everyone’s spirits, so he made one up on the spot.

The people around them laughed, with Song Qiuchi laughing the hardest, because 500 was the total score.

Shen Ci shook Shen Shiyan’s arm, then pulled two fingers back a bit, pressing his nail hard into Shen Shiyan’s palm.

At dinner, Shen Shiyan’s hand was finally released by Shen Ci. When he opened his palm, there was a faint, small crescent-shaped mark left behind.

“The hotpot smell is so strong,” Song Qiuchi said, sniffing her clothes, then picked up a freshly cooked bamboo shoot and dipped it into her sauce bowl.

“It’s fine, we’ll shower later,” Qi Zizhu said, sitting next to her, carefully using a tissue to wipe a drop of oil that had fallen beside Song Qiuchi’s bowl.

Song Qiuchi swallowed the food in her mouth and said, “Sister Qi, you don’t know how slow my aunt is at showering. If all four of us shower, we won’t get any sleep.”

Gao Mengying felt nauseous after eating a few bites of fatty beef and asked the waiter for a glass of sour plum juice without making a fuss.

Song Xianghan, who was chatting with Gao Mengying and Shen Ci, turned around and said, “It’s fine, we can shower together.”

When booking the rooms, only one quadruple room and one double room were left, so the four ladies stayed together.

Shen Ci let out a “wow,” and Shen Shiyan wanted to cover his mouth but didn’t make it in time.

“You can shower together too?”

Song Qiuchi was already used to Shen Ci asking stupid questions. She didn’t even look up and said, “Of course, we’re all girls.”

The steaming hot pot and the lively chatter of the group made Shen Shiyan eat more than usual. He felt relaxed and fortunate—despite being five or six years younger than the others, they surprisingly got along well.

Due to his cold demeanor and Shen Sinian's near-constant surveillance, few people were willing to befriend him during middle and high school.

The hotel was inside the amusement park, not far away. Song Xianghan took the other three to soak in the hot springs, while Shen Shiyan brought the drowsy Shen Ci back to their shared room.

When they entered the restaurant, their coats had been stored in designated lockers, so most of the hot pot smell lingered on their inner layers.

Shen Shiyan pulled out Shen Ci's pajamas from the suitcase and said, "Go change your clothes."

Shen Ci let out an "oh," put on his pajamas, and handed the discarded clothes to Shen Shiyan.

Shen Shiyan took them, grabbed his own pajamas, and went into the bathroom. While the bathtub was filling with water, he took off his shirt and the drool-stained suit pants, rolled them up with Shen Ci's clothes, and tossed them into the washing machine.