Chapter 94 Zhong Yurong

Chapter 94: Zhong Yurong

"Getting three months off early! This is way too good to be true."

As temperatures rose in early April, Shen Ci, wearing a thin jacket, remarked at the hotpot place.

"Yeah, that's the only good thing about the art or sports exam route." Chen Bufan threw some lettuce into the pot.

Song Qiuchi sat down with her freshly made dipping sauce. "So you're going to Yunti University for college?"

Chen Bufan said, "Yeah, I don't want to be too far from home. Yuncity's awesome, isn't it?"

In senior year, there's barely any time to chill, so the three of them finally got together for a meal. The split pot started bubbling, and the thinly sliced fatty beef cooked in seconds in the broth. The lettuce they'd put in earlier was a vibrant green. Shen Ci mixed meat and veggies, scooping up both in one go with his chopsticks, dipped it in sesame sauce, and stuffed it in his mouth.

"What about you two? Not planning to stay in Yuncity?" Chen Bufan was a bit sweaty, his tan skin turning red.

Song Qiuchi ate daintily. "I might study abroad, not sure yet. I'm doing finance either way."

Shen Ci said without even thinking, "I'm definitely staying in Yuncity."

Chen Bufan patted Shen Ci on the shoulder and looked at Song Qiuchi. "If you go abroad, our trio will break up."

Song Qiuchi smiled. "Come on, it's not that big a deal. I'll come back for holidays and breaks. Honestly, I can't get used to life overseas either."

"True." Shen Ci got a little burned by the steam and sipped some sour plum juice. "You guys already know what you want to study. I still have no clue what to major in."

"Finance, obviously."

Chen Bufan and Song Qiuchi said it almost at the same time.

Shen Ci looked up, kinda spaced out, and asked why.

"You've got a family business to inherit. Brother Shiyan will definitely be the head of the Shen family in the future. You'll have to take over the family business eventually." Song Qiuchi glanced at him.

"Nah, forget it." Shen Ci shrugged slightly. "Shen Wenzhou isn't gonna hand it all over that easily."

A waiter came over to add more broth. Shen Ci scooted over politely and thanked the guy.

"And he's always been so worn out. Ever since I started following him back then, he's been through a lot in all these behind-the-scenes fights." Shen Ci continued after the waiter left.

Chen Bufan laughed out loud. "The way you put it, 'started following him back then'—it sounds like you're married to Brother Shiyan."

Song Qiuchi choked on her laugh.

Shen Ci wasn't even embarrassed. "I wish I could've married him back then."

Chen Bufan was so shocked by his words that he choked and started coughing.

Shen Ci: "..."

He got home right at dusk. Shen Shiyan wasn't home yet, so Shen Ci took out his phone and texted him.

"Shen Ci: I'm home."

He replied fast.

"Shen Shiyan: Mm, did you eat enough?"

Shen Ci smelled the hotpot on his clothes, quickly stripped and threw his clothes in the washer. After putting on his pajamas, he replied to Shen Shiyan.

"Shen Ci: I'm full."

"Shen Ci: Delicious.JPG"

"Shen Ci: It's the weekend, bro, why aren't you home?"

"Shen Shiyan: Gonna be late today, still have stuff to deal with."

Frowning, Shen Ci slowed down his typing. Normally on weekends, Shen Shiyan works from home and doesn't have much to handle at the office.

"Shen Ci: Alright, but remember to eat."

Shen Shiyan replied with a single "Mm."

Even after changing clothes, Shen Ci could still faintly smell the hotpot. He took a quick shower and then dove into a sea of practice problems.

In three hours, he finished four test papers, flying through the questions. Only the last sub-question of the last math problem remained. After racking his brain for a while with no new ideas, he gave up and memorized a few English words.

Shen Ci thought English was the most boring subject. During dictation, the robot lady voice in his headphones almost put him to sleep. The last few words on his vocabulary list were written crookedly.

After double-checking everything for errors, he tidied up the books on his desk and glanced at his phone—it was almost midnight.

He opened WeChat and checked Shen Shiyan's chat. No new messages.

Shen Ci typed a few words, deleted them, and directly called him.

It rang a few times before being picked up.

"Still not done yet..." Shen Ci's words were cut off. There was some noise on the other end—the sharp sound of slaps and harsh curses from both men and women.

After the noise died down a bit, Shen Shiyan's voice came through. His breathing was heavy, but he softened his tone when speaking to Shen Ci.

"Did I scare you? I accidentally hit the answer button. If you're sleepy, go to bed. I'll be back in about an hour."

Shen Ci felt uneasy. "Bro, are you fighting?"

Shen Shiyan paused for a moment. "Sort of."

Sensing Shen Ci's anxiety, Shen Shiyan quickly added, "I'm fine. I'll be back soon."

Shen Ci, half-convinced, agreed. Before hanging up, Shen Shiyan reminded him again not to worry and to go to sleep early.

But things didn't go as planned.

Shen Ci was worried sick and couldn't sleep at all.

He curled up in a corner of the sofa, staring at the entrance, restless.

Forty-four minutes after the call ended, the sound of the door lock clicked. Shen Ci immediately jumped off the sofa and ran over.

The moment the door opened, Shen Ci almost threw himself into a hug but stopped himself.

Shen Shiyan had bloodstains on his face. Behind him stood a tall, slender woman with beautiful features that bore some resemblance to Shen Shiyan.

"Shen Ci." Shen Shiyan was also startled for a moment. Then he opened the shoe cabinet, took out a pair of slippers, and placed them at the woman's feet. "Wear these, Mom. They're new."

"How many times do I have to tell you to put on shoes?" Shen Shiyan turned around, tapped Shen Ci on the forehead, and handed him another pair. "Put these on."

"Hello, Auntie Zhong." Shen Ci snapped out of his daze after two seconds and quickly greeted Zhong Yurong. Then he clumsily slipped on the slippers and reached out to touch Shen Shiyan's face. "Bro, are you hurt?"

There was obvious worry in his tone. Shen Shiyan stopped his hand, clasping it in his palm, and pulled him into the living room.

"I'm not hurt. It's someone else's blood. I was in a hurry to get back and didn't have time to clean up." Shen Shiyan noticed Shen Ci's body temperature was a bit low. He didn't let go, cupping both hands around Shen Ci's and rubbing them a couple of times. "Why aren't you asleep? Your hands are so cold."

Shen Ci didn't feel embarrassed in front of Zhong Yurong. He slipped his other hand in too and looked at Zhong Yurong, who was sitting quietly on the sofa. "Auntie, are you cold? You're dressed so lightly."

Zhong Yurong was a bit nervous, rubbing her hands back and forth on her knees. The fabric of her cheap-looking clothes quickly creased.

"I'm not cold." Zhong Yurong's voice was soft and gentle, with a hint of timidity.

Shen Ci withdrew his now-warmed hands, went to the bedroom to get a blanket, and thoughtfully draped it over Zhong Yurong, sitting down beside her.

"Mom." Shen Shiyan's chest felt a little tight. "Do you want something to eat? Have a meal before resting."

Zhong Yurong quickly waved her hands, saying she didn't want to eat.

"Then I'll make noodles." Shen Shiyan ignored Zhong Yurong's refusal. He looked at Shen Ci and asked, "Do you want some?"

Shen Ci nodded.

Shen Shiyan went to the bathroom to change out of his clothes and toss them. After washing the blood off his face, he headed into the kitchen.

"Auntie Zhong, you're so beautiful." Shen Ci had a sweet tongue. He took out all the snacks Shen Shiyan usually kept ready for him from the coffee table drawer and offered them to Zhong Yurong to choose from.

"Xiao Shi told me about you. Can I call you Xiao Ci, Auntie?" Zhong Yurong didn't take any, asking Shen Ci cautiously.

"Of course you can, Auntie." Shen Ci smiled at Zhong Yurong, his eyes crinkling into crescents. He picked out a soft candy from the pile of snacks and pressed it into Zhong Yurong's hand. "Auntie, this is really good. It's green grape flavor."

Zhong Yurong's hands showed the marks of time, with two band-aids stuck on them. She slowly tore open the candy wrapper and put it in her mouth. "Very sweet. Thank you, Xiao Ci."

"You're welcome, Auntie." Shen Ci felt a pang of sadness, because Zhong Yurong's condition suggested she hadn't been doing well. "Auntie, who was my brother fighting?"

Zhong Yurong's chewing slowed, and her eyes grew vacant. It took her a long while to swallow the candy.

"With Shen Sinian." Zhong Yurong's voice trembled.