Chapter 54 I Want To Go

Chapter 54: I Want to Go

When school let out, the driver from Yuhe, who had worked for them before, came to pick him up.

"Mr. Shen is busy with work today and asked me to pick you up," the driver explained amiably, smiling at Shen Ci.

"Okay, thank you, uncle," he said as he climbed into the back seat, stuffing the form he was holding into his backpack.

It was past ten in the evening when Shen Shiyan finally returned. After changing his shoes, he loosened his tie and walked slowly toward the room where the light was shining, hearing Shen Sicheng's voice.

"...Shen Shiyan is such a busybody. How about I book a ticket back to China right now and go with you?"

Shen Ci chuckled a few times. "Really, Brother Sicheng? But I have to hand in the permission slip tomorrow."

"Really, when have I ever lied to little Ci..." The video lagged for a moment. "First, get Shen Shiyan to sign it. I'll check the tickets; if all else fails, we have the private jet."

Two knocks sounded, and Shen Shiyan leaned against the doorframe. "Sign what?"

"D-Daddy, you're back." Shen Ci's eyes lit up. He rolled off the bed and shoved his phone into Shen Shiyan's hand. "The 8th grade is organizing a parent-child summer camp. I need to get a notification form signed. I'll go grab it."

Shen Shiyan's face appeared on the screen, and Shen Sicheng exaggeratedly covered his mouth. "Well, well, if it isn't Mr. Shen. Long time no see."

The two hadn't seen each other for nearly half a year, and their WeChat contact wasn't frequent either. Shen Shiyan glanced at him from across the screen. "Pleasure."

"What's wrong with you, Shen Shiyan?" Shen Sicheng was six or seven hours ahead of Yuncheng, and it was still bright out. He opened the fridge and grabbed a soda. "You left my little Ci all alone again until now."

Shen Shiyan thought his word choice was terrible and shot back, "Which teacher taught you to use 'left all alone' like that?"

"What 'left all alone'?" Shen Ci came out of the study with the form and a pen, handing them to Shen Shiyan.

"..." Shen Shiyan returned the phone to Shen Ci, took the form, and scanned it briefly. "Nothing. You talk to him."

Shen Sicheng tossed his phone aside, trying to scrounge up something to eat from the messy fridge. From a distance, his voice dropped. "Little Ci, check the weather in Canghai City. I'll pack a couple of outfits."

"Let me check." Shen Ci opened his browser and searched for information about Canghai City.

Shen Shiyan walked over and sat down on the couch, his gaze fixed on Shen Ci's ankle. He said calmly, "Did the teacher say how we'd be staying?"

Shen Ci looked up. "Set up tents and share one with the parent who goes."

"Oh, really?" The voice on the other end got clearer, as if the fridge had nothing edible left.

"Sicheng." Shen Shiyan kept his eyes lowered, picked up the pen, wrote "Agreed" on the form, and signed his name. "You don't need to pack."

Shen Ci's phone screen still showed the weather info for Canghai City. In the small window at the top right, Shen Sicheng looked shocked. "Why? I already booked the tickets."

"I'm going with him. Don't bother yourself." Shen Shiyan capped the pen and placed it on top of the permission slip. "Besides, there are no flights to Yuncheng today."

The person in the video made faces at Shen Ci. Shen Ci enlarged the video window. "But it's seven days, D-Daddy. Is your company okay with that?"

"That's definitely a problem. Better let me go with little Ci." Shen Sicheng immediately chimed in.

"Don't worry about the company." Shen Shiyan stood up and walked over to Shen Ci, glancing calmly at the phone screen. "Professor Shen, your arms dealing business isn't keeping you busy, is it?"

In the past two years, Shen Sicheng had become a geology professor, but after Shen Wenzhou had frozen his bank account, he started his own arms dealing business abroad, which had grown significantly.

"Busy, but unlike you, no matter how busy I am, I always make time for little Ci." He loved bickering with Shen Shiyan, but knowing Shen Shiyan was about to go silent, he quickly added to avoid awkwardness, "Fine, fine. It's rare for you to be so considerate. I'll let you have this parent spot."

Shen Shiyan couldn't be bothered to argue, his gaze falling on the top of Shen Ci's head.

After a few more exchanges, Shen Ci said goodbye to Shen Sicheng and hung up.

"Are you sure work won't be a problem..." The room fell silent for a moment. Shen Ci picked up the items from the coffee table. "It's okay if you don't go. You can treat it as a vacation. Besides, Song Qiuchi isn't going either."

He spoke very understandingly, but it inexplicably annoyed Shen Shiyan.

Why was it fine for Shen Sicheng to go with him, but when he offered, it was "okay not to go"?

"Don't you want to go?" His face showed no trace of his inner feelings, only a calm expression as he looked at Shen Ci. "I've already signed it. If you change your mind, I'll call your homeroom teacher tomorrow morning to explain."

"Huh...?" Shen Ci froze. At times like this, he could never tell what Shen Shiyan was really feeling, relying entirely on guesswork. But since Shen Shiyan agreed to go with him, he was both thrilled and a little nervous, gripping the paper tighter and hiding it behind his back as if to conceal it. "I want to go, Daddy. I want to go."

Shen Shiyan caught every little movement Shen Ci made and barely curved the corner of his mouth, letting out a soft "Mm."

The biggest investor in Yunxi Middle School was the Shen family. For events like summer camps, the investor usually covered a large portion of the costs. Shen Wenzhou had long stopped overseeing such matters, and Assistant Li hadn't mentioned anything about Yunxi to Shen Shiyan recently. That left only one possibility: the mastermind behind this camp was likely Shen Siyu.

Antu Real Estate had revived in the past two years, largely because Shen Siyu had invested not just in Yuncheng but also in several surrounding cities, partnering with local governments to develop tourism. According to Shen Shiyan's intel, Shen Siyu's recent business was in Canghai City.

Antu and Chonghe had different business scopes, so opportunities to get close to Shen Siyu were rare. He might as well treat it as a business inspection, though the main reason was still to accompany Shen Ci. Otherwise, going that far just for Shen Siyu wouldn't be worth the trip, especially with the extra overtime needed after returning.

The camp was set for two days later. Shen Ci kept searching for various rainforest guides on his phone, too excited to sleep.

In theory, he would have seven days alone with Shen Shiyan, and at night, he could even hug him to sleep. Just thinking about it made Shen Ci feel like he was floating on happiness.

The next afternoon, the students going to the camp gathered to receive supplies provided by the school: basic backpacks, tents, sleeping bags, compression bags, moisture-proof mats, ground sheets, and so on.

About half the class was going, each with one parent, plus teachers and professional guides, totaling around forty people.

Shen Ci blinked and saw Shen Rong standing at the front.

The sleeping bags came in single and double sizes. Without hesitation, Shen Ci grabbed the double one.

He had heard it might get cold at night in the rainforest, and with a heavy dose of selfishness, he was determined to stick close to Shen Shiyan.