Chapter 61 Deeper

Chapter 61: Deep Dive

On the fifth day of the summer camp, the photos in the hidden album had surged to 118.

A light drizzle started in the middle of the night, and by morning, there was no sign of clearing; instead, the rain kept getting heavier. The stream, once gentle, turned rough, and the plan to catch fish downstream was canceled. Watching the weather, the homeroom teacher said the trip might end early.

He unzipped the tent flap a little, and Shen Ci stuck his hand out to catch some rain.

"It'd suck if it ends early—we still had two days left." The raindrops thudded dully against the tent, matching how Shen Ci felt.

Shen Shiyan frowned, grabbed his wrist, and pulled him back inside. He grabbed a clean tissue and carefully dried his hand, then zipped the tent back up. "It's cold when it rains, you'll get sick."

"D-Daddy, why've you been so nice to me lately?" Shen Ci watched Shen Shiyan toss the crumpled tissue into the trash. "It's like a dream."

Shen Shiyan just looked at him, not saying anything.

"Oh, come on, there's nobody else here, so I called you Daddy." Shen Ci crawled into his sleeping bag, only his peach-blossom eyes showing.

"Mm." Shen Shiyan looked down at his phone. "Was I not nice before?"

The two of them were sitting diagonally from each other. Shen Shiyan sat at one corner of the sleeping mat, one leg up, hand resting on it.

Shen Ci wriggled out of the sleeping bag in one quick move, crawled a couple steps closer and rested his head on Shen Shiyan's outstretched leg, studying his face carefully. "You were nice too, but not this nice. You used to always have a cold face and barely any expression. Lately, you've been more animated."

More like a real person.

Shen Ci didn't say that last part out loud.

Shen Shiyan's leg felt itchy, but he didn't push him away. He just looked back at Shen Ci.

His phone rang, and the name flashing on the screen made Shen Shiyan freeze for a moment.

"Second Brother." He answered.

Shen Ci listened for a bit, realized it was about work, and zoned out. With the rain falling steadily, he shifted position, lying on his side pressed against Shen Shiyan's thigh, staring at the wrinkles in the fabric around his waist.

Shen Shiyan listened to the call, his eyes dropping. When he was thinking, his hands would move without him realizing. By the time he noticed, his right hand had already run through Shen Ci's hair a few times.

"Chonghe can handle the power battery storage too, but I'd need to look over the contract specifics." Shen Shiyan pulled his hand back.

Shen Ci lay there, zoned out, thinking how slim Shen Shiyan's waist was. He was a man of action, so as soon as the thought popped into his head, he scooted closer to his legs and grabbed his waist with both hands.

"Right now!?" Shen Shiyan's tone changed, the end of his sentence coming out weird.

He pushed Shen Ci's forehead, a warning look in his eyes.

Shen Ci pulled one hand back, rubbed his nose, and moved back a bit.

Any closer, and Shen Ci's face would be practically against his hip bone.

What a freaking awkward position.

Shen Shiyan got more and more irritated listening to the call, cursing under his breath.

"Alright, I'll head over now." Not bothering to figure out what Shen Siyu was scheming, Shen Shiyan just wanted to get the hell away from Shen Ci.

After hanging up, Shen Shiyan took the other hand off his waist, grabbed Shen Ci by the back of the neck and lifted his head a little, and pulled his leg out.

"I'm stepping out for a bit." Shen Shiyan grabbed his jacket and umbrella. "Make sure you zip the tent up."

Shen Shiyan used a little too much force, leaving a faint red mark on Shen Ci's neck. Shen Ci sat up, rubbed his neck, and asked, "Where are you going?"

"Shen Siyu and Teacher Lin are looking for me. There's a project in Canghai City they want to discuss." Shen Shiyan unfastened the Velcro on the umbrella, unzipped the tent, and let the cold air seep in, which felt refreshing.

He opened the umbrella and, as he left, the top of it pressed against the tent entrance. He leaned back in slightly, looking at the dazed person sitting there. "Shen Ci."

"Hm?" He looked up.

"Don't go out to catch rainwater." Shen Shiyan's voice carried a chill, as if tinged with the dampness outside.

Without waiting for an answer, he turned and walked away, umbrella in hand.

He wanted to say something about not lying on a man's thigh casually, but he felt that would demean Shen Ci. After all, the one with impure thoughts wasn't Shen Ci—it was him.

In the distance, mist began to rise. The green forest, which had been bathed in sunlight the day before, now sank into a dull, oppressive hue under the dense rain.

Shen Siyu was already waiting outside the tent, sharing a larger umbrella with Lin Yuan, deep in conversation.

"Teacher Lin." Shen Shiyan nodded, then gave a slight nod to Shen Siyu.

Lin Yuan smiled. "Mr. Shen, you're too formal."

"Aren't we going into the tent?" Shen Shiyan sidestepped a small puddle, moving a step to the right.

On the phone, Shen Siyu had said that Lin Yuan didn't handle business himself, but had a younger brother who was just entering the energy sector and wanted Shen Siyu to make an introduction, hoping Shen Shiyan could mentor him.

"Teacher Lin and I go way back." Shen Siyu didn't answer Shen Shiyan's question directly. "He was the one who connected me to the real estate development and tourism planning around this rainforest, which is why I invested in Yunxi and organized this summer camp—to scout the area in advance."

Shen Shiyan had only known that Shen Siyu's business was in Canghai City; he hadn't realized it was so closely tied to this camp.

But Shen Siyu's attitude was oddly detailed. There was no need for him to explain so thoroughly.

"There's an area further ahead we haven't explored yet—it's relatively dangerous, not suitable for the kids. Since we have a free day today, Teacher Lin suggested the three of us take a look and discuss the collaboration details along the way."

Shen Shiyan was all too familiar with Shen Siyu's smile. But the two hadn't exactly parted on good terms, and with Lin Yuan present, Shen Siyu was more polite. Still, Shen Siyu himself was synonymous with cunning and danger, and Shen Shiyan instinctively wanted to refuse.

"It's not a good day for travel in the rain, Second Brother. Let's talk in the tent." Shen Shiyan's gaze held a hint of scrutiny as he met Shen Siyu's eyes. "Or we can discuss it back in Canghai City."

"Shen Siyu has been wanting to go there for a while, and his schedule in Yuncheng is tight—he might not get another chance to come." Lin Yuan stepped in to smooth things over. "Don't worry, I'll be there. I've already reported it to the homeroom teacher. The path is just a bit steeper, but I go there often."

Cornered by Lin Yuan's elaborate setup, Shen Shiyan found it hard to refuse. Besides, Lin Yuan had shown no suspicious behavior over the past five days, so he nodded.

The three of them, with two umbrellas, slowly made their way deeper into the rainforest.

The path grew narrower, no longer wide enough for three to walk side by side. The terrain became steeper, and with the rain, the soft mud mixed with moss was slippery, making it easy to lose footing.

"What do you think, Shiyan, about developing tourism in this rainforest?"

They had mostly finished discussing the energy industry matters related to Lin Yuan's younger brother, and Shen Shiyan had answered all of Lin Yuan's questions. But neither man showed any sign of stopping.

Shen Shiyan stopped in his tracks, pulled out his phone, and saw there was no signal at all.

"I'm not very familiar with real estate business." Shen Shiyan discreetly put his phone away and caught up with the two ahead.

The fog grew thicker. Shen Shiyan looked back and could barely make out the direction they came from.

"Teacher Lin," Shen Shiyan stopped a second time, "the fog is too heavy. Let's save the deeper exploration for another day."

Lin Yuan turned around. "It's fine, Mr. Shen. I've been marking the trail. There's a sizable waterfall up ahead—we're almost there."

Shen Shiyan observed carefully. On the thicker tree trunks, Lin Yuan had carved simple arrows with a knife. He counted fourteen of them.

"Alright."