Chapter 93 I Just Want You Happy

Chapter 93: I Only Want You to Be Happy

After Shen Ci started school, their lives returned to their previous calm.

Yunxi started exams earlier than other schools—endless tests and self-study sessions from the very beginning of the semester: weekly tests, monthly tests, midterms. The exams came one after another, leaving Shen Ci no time to dwell on matters of the heart. He also temporarily posted a notice on his social media account announcing a hiatus.

A mid-September autumn rain brought a chill that lingered until early spring the following year.

"Tomorrow, the head teacher is proctoring again." Shen Ci lay on the desk, staring at the darkening sky outside, his tone tinged with resentment. "Just thinking that this kind of life will go on for another half a year makes me want to black out."

"Less than half a year now." Song Qiuchi stopped writing and took a sip of water. "I'm about to lose it too. Isn't Director Lin tired of juggling multiple roles? How did he end up as our class's physics teacher?"

"Maybe he's not tired, since he's already the romance exterminator, homeroom teacher, director, and speechwriter for the flag-raising ceremony." Shen Ci stretched out his fingers, counting one by one, sighed, and slumped back down. "And also the substitute physics teacher."

Song Qiuchi laughed and patted Shen Ci on the back. "Stop, if the director hears that, he'll leave us ten more physics papers."

Shen Ci fell silent, glanced at the window on the classroom door, resignedly pulled out a test, and started reading from the multiple-choice questions.

The "Director Lin" they were talking about was the school's famously strict teacher, Lin Qingfeng. He was always serious, cracking down hard on early romantic relationships, and was notorious for piling on homework. Earlier this year, Shen Ci's original physics teacher went on maternity leave, and Lin Qingfeng volunteered to take over. The classroom atmosphere went from lively to dead quiet.

Shen Shiyan seemed even busier than Shen Ci, running between the company, the Shen residence, and home. Ever since Shen Ci started evening self-study in his senior year, he wouldn't get home until nine. Whether it was overtime or Shen Wenzhou occasionally keeping Shen Shiyan for dinner at the Shen residence, Shen Shiyan found it a pain. He would make up every excuse to get out of it and come home to cook for his little emperor, like clockwork.

"Bro, have you lost weight?" Shen Ci picked up a small piece of braised ribs and put it in his mouth. After being simmered on low heat for two and a half hours, the meat fell off the bone with a gentle bite. "Delicious."

Shen Ci called Shen Shiyan whatever came to mind—sometimes "bro," sometimes "ge," sometimes his full name.

Shen Shiyan shook his head with a small smile. Seeing Shen Ci's satisfied and happy expression, he smiled softly and pushed the plate closer to Shen Ci.

"If you've been really busy lately, I can just eat something simple for dinner." Shen Ci picked up another piece. "Look at your dark circles—they're worse than mine."

"We've been swamped with projects lately." Shen Shiyan finished the last bit of rice in his bowl. "Cooking for you is no big deal. Don't even think about ordering takeout with your bad stomach."

"It's been fine for ages, hasn't it?" Shen Ci swung his legs. "It's been forever since my stomach acted up."

Shen Shiyan said, "That's not what you said back when you'd cry from stomach pain at night."

"I barely ever cry, okay." Shen Ci was a bit defiant and changed the subject. "Has Auntie Zhong called lately?"

Shen Shiyan's expression darkened a little. "Yeah, something's going on with her. I've already got people looking into it."

"Look into it? Is Auntie in Yuncheng too?" Shen Ci patted his full stomach and leaned back in his chair.

"Probably." Shen Shiyan said casually, then stood up to clear the table. The dishes clinked as he stacked them.

Shen Shiyan hadn't expected Zhong Yurong to be in Yuncheng, but the IP from the call records showed she was indeed there. It wasn't that Zhong Yurong couldn't be in Yuncheng, but given that Shen Wenzhou had already dealt with Shen Sinian, Shen Shiyan couldn't figure out why she hadn't come to see him.

Three days ago, when Zhong Yurong called, her voice was clearly nasally, like she'd been crying, but she only said she had a cold.

He'd offered more than once to go see her, but she refused every time.

With no real leads to go on, Shen Shiyan could only start with that phone number and the bank account used for remittances.

"Bro, don't worry too much." Shen Ci helped put the chopsticks into the dishwasher.

Shen Shiyan pressed the switch. "Yeah, it's fine."

The dark circles under his eyes were obvious, and a faint worry lingered on his face. He didn't look like everything was okay. Shen Ci wanted to hug Shen Shiyan and comfort him, but his hand twitched at his side, and in the end, he didn't.

Shen Ci's feelings for Shen Shiyan had slowly shifted from family love. Perhaps it had happened long ago, but he was too clueless to notice. Once he truly understood his own heart, he was eager to get a kind of love from Shen Shiyan that went beyond family. So during that time, Shen Ci often did things that were out of line or bothered Shen Shiyan.

At this point, Shen Ci didn't want to add extra burden to Shen Shiyan. After all, their mother was an extremely important family member to Shen Shiyan, to the point where Shen Ci had automatically put himself below Zhong Yurong on the priority list.

Still, Shen Ci had no intention of giving up his "teasing" plan. He just wanted to find a better, more suitable opportunity.

"I'll go do my tests then, bro." Shen Ci looked up at Shen Shiyan and smiled.

"Yeah, I'll come work later." Shen Shiyan leaned against the marble countertop.

Shen Ci nodded, left the kitchen, and headed to the study. On the way, he touched his hair, which had grown back to almost waist-length, and muttered to himself.

People online say long hair steals nutrients from your body, and it seemed true—Shen Ci hadn't grown an inch, stuck at exactly 1.8 meters. This meant that every time he wanted to look at Shen Shiyan's face, who was 1.92 meters tall, he had to tilt his head up.

Sitting down at the desk, Shen Ci pinched his arm, then his waist, seemingly dissatisfied with every part of himself.

Just as Shen Shiyan was about to step into the study, he saw this scene.

Shen Ci flexed his arm, trying to make his muscles more visible, but the effect wasn't great. He sighed, dropped his arm, and turned to grab his backpack when he saw Shen Shiyan standing at the door.

"...Bro." Shen Ci didn't know how long Shen Shiyan had been watching. A bit embarrassed, he spoke without logic. "You're here to work."

The person at the door let out a low laugh. Wearing a gray robe, Shen Shiyan walked over to Shen Ci, reached out, and placed a hand on the back of Shen Ci's neck, pressing down with a bit of force.

"What's wrong?" Shen Ci was a little confused.

Shen Shiyan let go, pulled out his office chair, sat down, and turned on the computer and the folder on the desk. "Punching in. Working."

Shen Ci immediately caught on. He pushed off the desk to slide his chair closer to Shen Shiyan and pinched the soft flesh at Shen Shiyan's waist. "Making fun of me is one thing, but using me as a time clock?"

Shen Shiyan expressionlessly dodged to the left.

"So much homework, and math is so hard." Shen Ci knew when to stop. He moved back to his spot, pulled out a pen, and had no heart to tackle the frustrating geometry problems. He propped his chin on his hand and looked at Shen Shiyan. "When will I ever be like you?"

Shen Shiyan was recording a set of data. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Shen Ci's troubled expression.

"Like me?"

Shen Ci nodded. "Not necessarily exactly like you. I think I'm not as tall as you, not as strong, and definitely not as smart..."

He sighed and continued, "...I just don't know when I'll be able to share some of your burdens. I really want to make you less tired."

The blurry figure in his peripheral vision grew clearer and clearer. Shen Shiyan felt that even his peripheral vision was warming up because of Shen Ci.

He turned his head to look at him and said softly, "Shen Ci, I'm not tired."

The busyness and pressure of this period melted away in Shen Ci's lake-like, beautiful eyes. Shen Shiyan continued, "Don't think about sharing anyone's burdens, and don't put unnecessary pressure on yourself. Just do what you love."

Shen Ci's eyes grew warm. "You don't want me to become like you?"

Shen Shiyan turned back to look at the computer screen. Amid the rapid clatter of the keyboard, he said, "I only want you to be happy."