Chapter 51 Another Summer

Chapter 51 Another Year of Summer

The air in early June gradually grew hot. On the asphalt road near the Shen residence, a teenager wove through the shade on a skateboard, the cool breeze he stirred up lifting his long hair, which now reached above his elbows.

He had mastered skateboarding skills to perfection.

After a clean stop, he slipped into the side courtyard, headed straight for the study, and wrapped his arms around the neck of the man working at the computer.

The AC made his skin feel cool, and the slender arm pressed against him, carrying warmth from outside. The man at the computer paused for a moment before continuing to type.

"All done skating?" he said coldly. "Go take a shower."

The teenager tightened his hold briefly, then quickly let go, obediently agreeing.

The heat vanished at the study door. The man left inside leaned back into his chair, tilted his head to look at the green scenery outside the window, and smiled slightly.

Another summer had arrived. Shen Shi Yan had just turned twenty-two—this was also the fourth birthday Shen Ci had celebrated with him.

Shen Shi Yan turned up the AC a few degrees and resumed work.

About ten minutes later, Shen Ci returned to the study, his hair still wet, with droplets dripping from the ends onto his white short-sleeved shirt, leaving small wet circles.

Shen Shi Yan glanced at him and reached over to turn off the AC.

Shen Ci, nearly fifteen, was already about 5'8", with a lean frame and a defined jawline. His features had grown more defined, and his light eyes held a youthful innocence. His skin was pale and delicate, his loose collar hung askew, showing faint blue veins on his neck. His Adam's apple was just beginning to show, bobbing slightly as he talked.

"Song Qiuchi scored higher than me again on the monthly exam."

He glared at his phone, checking the results, and rubbed his hair more aggressively with the towel.

Shen Shi Yan typed as he spoke, "Get used to it."

Shen Ci draped the towel over his shoulders. He got up and sat down on the soft chair beside Shen Shi Yan, leaning close. "That's too much, D-Ddy!"

His voice had always trailed off softly, but now, during his voice change, it was a little hoarse, giving it a more mature, husky quality.

As he leaned closer, a faint green apple scent wafted over.

It was from some obscure brand of body wash Shen Ci had picked up last year, which lasted a long time. Since then, he'd switched all his toiletries to that brand's Green Apple Paradise line.

The scent from Shen Ci was too close. Shen Shi Yan edged away a little.

The desk was already feeling cramped. Shen Shi Yan had thought about giving Shen Ci his own study, but Shen Ci refused, insisting on staying right next to him.

With the AC off, the room got warmer. Shen Shi Yan popped the top button of his shirt with one hand and said flatly, "Your math skills are too weak. Can't be helped."

Shen Ci was a little defiant. After all, he'd only scored twenty points below a perfect 499 on the middle school entrance exam, landing in the same middle school and class as Song Qiuchi. In elementary school, math was his strong suit, and English was his weakness. But since starting middle school, especially in eighth grade, math got way harder.

"I'll totally beat her in math next time." Shen Ci sat up straight, pulled his math test paper from the small bookshelf beside the desk, spread it out, and picked up a pen. "Wanna bet, D-Ddy?"

His arm kept brushing against Shen Shi Yan's, the thin shirt fabric letting Shen Ci's body heat through.

Shen Shi Yan closed his laptop, spun his chair halfway around to face Shen Ci, and said, "No bet. You'll just cry if you lose."

"..."

"I've never cried, alright?" Shen Ci pressed harder on the paper. Over the past four years, he had almost never won any of the bets he made with Shen Shi Yan, whether in mobile games or the annual snowball fights in winter.

Shen Shi Yan looked at the handwriting on the test paper. It was identical to his own from his teenage years—if the strokes were a bit more connected, Shen Ci could probably sign contracts for him.

"I must have remembered wrong. You hold grudges instead." Shen Shi Yan chuckled, stood up, then leaned down. His long, pale fingers tapped on a multiple-choice question Shen Ci had just answered. "This one is B."

Shen Ci: "..."

Shen Ci: "D-Ddy!"

Probably because they had spent so much time together, in the past two years, acting spoiled had become routine. Shen Ci would also throw tantrums at Shen Shi Yan, sometimes being unreasonable, but never going too far. Most of the time, Shen Shi Yan turned a blind eye and indulged him as much as possible.

Shen Shi Yan grabbed his coat from the rack. "Wait until your hair is dry before turning on the AC, and don't sneak any ice cream from the fridge."

"Oh." Shen Ci dropped his pen and looked up. "D-Ddy, where are you going?"

"Company meeting."

In recent years, Yun City had developed rapidly. Under Shen Shi Yan's management, Yuhe, Chonghe, and Song Xianghan's Xingtu Technology advanced side by side, while the Liang family's Jia Hong Pharmaceuticals, Shen Siyu's Antu Real Estate, and a few rising stars firmly held the second tier.

This meeting was about the third-phase project of deep-sea oil and gas.

After the meeting, only Song Xianghan and Shen Shi Yan remained.

"Where's Mrs. Song?" Shen Shi Yan looked at the new contract.

"She went back to take care of Grandma." Song Xianghan's iced Americano was still unfinished, with tiny water droplets forming on the cup's surface. She took a sip. "No choice. Mengying is too dutiful, and I couldn't keep her from going back."

Shen Shi Yan closed the folder and handed her a tissue. "Xingtu is only two or three kilometers from her house."

Song Xianghan took it and wiped her hands. "Exactly. So, if you're done finalizing the details, I'll head over to my girlfriend's place to fulfill my filial duties."

Shen Shi Yan smiled and made a gesture for her to go ahead.

Last New Year's, Song Xianghan had surprisingly skipped her long, elaborate nails. During a group dinner, Qi Zizhu asked out of curiosity.

The table fell silent for a few seconds before Song Xianghan took Gao Mengying's hand and dropped a bombshell.

"We're dating, so I don't have time for nails." She interlaced her fingers with Gao Mengying's, a radiant smile on her face. "Let me reintroduce you. Gao Mengying, my girlfriend."

Shen Sicheng, who had become close with Shen Shi Yan and the others, was the first to raise a glass in blessing, and the atmosphere warmed up again.

After finishing the remaining work, Shen Shi Yan was led by Assistant Li to Shen Wenzhou's bedside.

The black blood Shen Wenzhou had coughed up last time seemed to have lightened his condition, as if poison had been expelled. Soaking in herbal baths had kept him alive, and he appeared to be in decent health.

"I heard you're thinking of merging Yuhe under Chonghe?" Shen Wenzhou leaned against the bed, his withered hands trembling slightly as he held a bowl of bird's nest soup.

Shen Shi Yan lowered his eyes and nodded. "Yuhe has now risen to the top tier. Both are under the Shen family's banner and related to energy. Merging them would allow Chonghe to renew contracts with Xingtu, benefiting everyone with no downsides."

Shen Wenzhou felt exhausted after just a few words. "Alright, go ahead."

In recent years, Shen Siyu had seemed to quiet down, but he was secretly competing with Shen Shi Yan. Earlier this year, the Yunhai project's survey equipment was disrupted by radio wave interference, nearly delaying the schedule. Aside from Song Huixuan, who was already in prison, no one from the Song family had crossed Song Xianghan. After much thought, it had to be Shen Siyu.

The Liang family, with considerable strength, seemed intent on backing Shen Siyu to claim a share of the Shen family's pie.

The moonlight was bright, shining on Shen Shi Yan before being quickly obscured by a thin cloud. He looked up, barely making out the moon's outline.