Before going to bed, Zhang Shujun called Shen Yuchen, informing him that she planned to take Zhang Cancan to visit their grandparents’ graves tomorrow and hoped he could join them.

Ever since Zhang Shujun moved abroad, the responsibility of visiting their grandparents’ graves had fallen on Shen Yuchen. Over the years, he had never missed it.

When Yu Yan heard about it, he blurted out instinctively, “I’ll go with you.”

“No need,” Shen Yuchen chuckled softly. “It’s just a visit to the graves.”

Although he said this, Yu Yan couldn’t stand the thought of Zhang Shujun treating Zhang Cancan better than Shen Yuchen in front of him.

Don’t use the excuse that Zhang Cancan is younger. When Zhang Shujun divorced, Shen Yuchen was only fifteen years old.

Yu Yan took a step back. “How about I wait for you in the car then?”

Shen Yuchen raised an eyebrow slightly. “Are you going home tomorrow?”

Over the past two days, Yu Chen had sent him countless messages—some passive-aggressive, others cleverly probing—but Shen Yuchen hadn’t replied to a single one.

Having been friends for over two decades, Shen Yuchen considered himself to understand Yu Chen quite well. If Yu Yan didn’t go home soon, Yu Chen would likely show up at his doorstep.

“Yeah, I’ll go back.” Yu Yan muttered, “My brother knows I’m with you and keeps sending me messages.”

“How does he know?”

Yu Yan opened his location-sharing app. “When we went camping last time, Mom was worried, so I turned on family location sharing. It shows my exact location.”

Shen Yuchen understood. Yu Yan’s place in the Yu family’s hearts was even greater than he had imagined. “Doesn’t that feel inconvenient for you?”

“Why would it? I don’t go to any shady places or do anything I shouldn’t.” Yu Yan replied casually.

Besides, even if he hadn’t turned on family location sharing, Yu Chen could easily find out where he was; it would just take a little more time.

Yu Yan yawned. “Are you trying to ask if I think they’re too controlling? Last year at the annual meeting, He Zhiyu and his cousin shared their locations, and after some stalker incident, he turned it off overnight, saying He Xuan had violated his privacy.”

“I grew up with no one caring about me. Suddenly having someone worry about me—it feels… nice.”

Shen Yuchen’s eyes darkened slightly. After a long pause, he finally spoke, “That’s good. I just didn’t want you to feel uncomfortable.”

“I don’t. So, Chen-ge, are you really not letting me go with you tomorrow?”

“There’s no need. She just wants to give Cancan some reassurance.” Shen Yuchen paused briefly before continuing, “I’ll set up funds and insurance for Zhang Cancan to ensure she’s taken care of for life.”

But that’s as far as it would go—she would never be allowed into the company. That was Shen Yuchen’s bottom line.

Yu Yan gave in. “Fine, but make sure to message me.”

“Okay,” Shen Yuchen agreed.

The next morning, after preparing breakfast for Yu Yan, Shen Yuchen headed out to pick up Zhang Shujun and her daughter.

The cemetery was in the suburbs, requiring a two-hour drive. The journey was mostly silent.

After the gravesite visit, Zhang Shujun found an excuse to send Zhang Cancan away, wanting to speak with Shen Yuchen alone.

The cemetery was remote and quiet, with the earthy scent of soil wafting through the lush green grass.

A strong wind blew, lifting the edges of Zhang Shujun’s cheongsam ever so slightly.

“Ah Chen—”

Zhang Shujun’s voice was soft and gentle, reminding Shen Yuming of the figure who used to pick him up from kindergarten.

After the age of ten, his memories became blurry, and all he could recall were unpleasant ones. Yet Zhang Shujun’s words seemed to awaken a part of his long-buried memories.

Shen Yuming didn’t know how to interact with Zhang Shujun. After all, the missing decade couldn’t be made up for, and he was no longer at an age where he needed a mother’s meticulous care and nurturing.

When he spent time with Zhang Shujun, he was always polite but lacked a true sense of closeness.

Shen Yuming handed over a prepared stack of contracts. “I’ve set up funds and insurance policies for you and Cancan. Keep these documents safe.”

There were a total of thirty contracts, twenty for Zhang Cancan and ten for Zhang Shujun.

Shen Yuming could’ve kept them himself, but he didn’t want to. He wanted Zhang Shujun to be aware of his sacrifices and compromises.

Zhang Shujun was stunned for a moment, and guilt welled up in her heart. “Ah Chen, thank you.”

Her overseas assets had been frozen, leaving her no choice but to return to the country with her daughter.

Years ago, when she went abroad, she had fought tooth and nail to secure everything she could from her ex-husband and left it all to Shen Yuming. Back then, she ensured he had every safeguard, eliminating any chance of someone taking away what belonged to him.

But now, years later, she had to personally take some of it back from Shen Yuming to provide for her other child.

Shen Yuming lowered his eyes. “I also brought the property deed for the old house. We can transfer ownership later. In addition to that, there are two more properties and shares in a few restaurants and hotels. It’s not much, so you can decide whether to register it under your name or Cancan’s.”

The shares were from small investments he had personally made in the food and hotel industries, unrelated to Minghua Group, which is why he could give them away without hesitation.

When Zhang Shujun mentioned the old house, Shen Yuming understood that they planned to settle down in the country long-term.

Over the past few days, he had someone investigate Cancan’s biological father, discovering that all his assets had been frozen, and even his house had been auctioned off. It was likely he would also return to settle in the country.

Zhang Shujun accepted the contracts and shares, fully aware that such things were nothing to Shen Yuming. “Ah Chen—”

Shen Yuming raised his eyes, giving her plenty of time to find the right words.

“Do you have feelings for Xiaoyan?”

Zhang Shujun didn’t spell it out, as she rarely understood Shen Yuming’s thoughts completely, leaving her to rely on speculation.

Seeing that she didn’t continue, Shen Yuming nodded and admitted directly, “Yes, I like him. I’m pursuing him.”

“But he’s a boy,” Zhang Shujun said, her voice trembling slightly with a hint of caution.

“I know.” Shen Yuming gazed at her earnestly.

For the first time in years, he observed Zhang Shujun closely. Wrinkles had appeared at the corners of her eyes, and her gaze no longer held the brightness it once did.

A woman who had once yearned for freedom had ultimately been tied down by her children.

Except it wasn’t Shen Yuming who had tied her down.

Shen Yuming’s voice was soft. “I haven’t interfered in your life, so I hope you won’t interfere in my choices. Okay?”

Zhang Shujun’s eyes filled with tears as she realized how much Shen Yuming had changed.

Over six months ago, Shen Yuming had still been polite to her, but he hadn’t felt this distant.

Perhaps it was because his once aimless feelings had found a place to belong, so he no longer clung to the fleeting affection of a mother who was both close and distant.

Zhang Shujun knew she shouldn’t interfere in his life. “Okay.”

Shen Yuming let out a sigh of relief. “Next time, I’ll bring him to meet you.”

“Okay.” Zhang Shujun nodded again, realizing that when Shen Yuming mentioned a “next time,” he meant a formal introduction. She needed to prepare a suitable gift.

“Let’s go back. It’s windy out here.” Shen Yuming adjusted her shawl.

Back in the car, Zhang Shujun seemed distracted.

Zhang Cancan put away her phone and noticed her slightly reddened eyes. “Mom, were you crying?”

She then looked at Shen Yuming, who was in the driver’s seat. “Brother, were you crying?”

Shen Yuming: “…”

Zhang Shujun quickly recovered, saying, “It’s nothing. Mommy just hasn’t visited the graves in a long time and got emotional.”

Zhang Cancan responded with an “oh” and didn’t dig deeper. She had never met her grandparents, not even seen their photos, so her feelings weren’t as deep.

“It’s still not the school term yet. How about letting your brother take you out for a stroll this weekend?” Zhang Shujun suggested, trying to create opportunities for the siblings to bond.

Zhang Cancan was indifferent. “I’m fine with that. Let’s see if my brother has time.”

“I’ll be on a business trip in a couple of days,” Shen Yuming explained.

“Then focus on your work first,” Zhang Shujun said, her tone dropping slightly.

“I’ll be heading to Rongcheng for an inspection. It was decided last week,” Shen Yuming added for clarity.

“Alright.” Zhang Shujun nodded.

Lunch was arranged at the hotel restaurant, and this time, Zhang Shujun had done her homework, ordering dishes that both of them liked.

However, Shen Yuming seemed a bit distracted as he was replying to Yu Yan’s messages.

Yu Yan: Are you done? Where are you now?
Shen Yuming: It’s done. I’m eating now.
Shen Yuming: (Picture)
Yu Yan: There’s celery.
Yu Yan: [Unhappy cat.jpg]
Shen Yuming: Stop focusing on just the celery.

Shen Yuming couldn’t help but laugh. There were plenty of other dishes on the table, but all Yu Yan noticed was the one he disliked.

Zhang Shujun asked curiously, “Ah Chen, are you… chatting with Xiao Yan?”

“Yes,” Shen Yuming said as he put his phone away.

“I heard something about Xiao Yan when I got back yesterday. The gap between you two seems a bit large—will you run out of things to talk about?”

Although she said she “heard,” Zhang Shujun had actually gone out of her way to gather as much information about Yu Yan as she could.

Their family backgrounds were comparable, but Zhang Shujun was likely referring to differences in education and experience.

Shen Yuming had attended a prestigious university, studied abroad for his master’s degree, and traveled across continents. Meanwhile, Yu Yan had dropped out of high school and hadn’t been to many places.

“It won’t happen,” Shen Yuming replied, shaking his head. “He’s great.”

Hearing that, Zhang Shujun was reassured. “That’s good.”

“The old house has been cleaned already. I’ll send you both over in a bit,” Shen Yuming said.

As soon as he finished speaking, Zhang Cancan suddenly handed over a QR code. “Brother, add me on WeChat. I just created an account.”

Shen Yuming paused for a moment before scanning the code and adding her as a friend.

Satisfied, Zhang Cancan asked, “Can you give me your future brother-in-law’s WeChat too?”

“No.”

“If not, it’s fine. I’ll just ask him myself,” Zhang Cancan said nonchalantly and started fiddling with her phone again. Among everyone at the table, she was the only one who had kept herself completely uninvolved in the two family gatherings.

After lunch, Shen Yuming dropped off Zhang Shujun and Zhang Cancan at the old house.

The house had already been prepared with cleaning and cooking staff, so there was nothing Zhang Shujun and her daughter needed to worry about.

Before parting, Zhang Shujun said, “When you have time, come home and stay for a few days.”

“Alright,” Shen Yuming agreed.

As he turned to leave, he was suddenly called back.

Zhang Shujun hesitated for a moment before nervously asking, “Ah Chen, there’s a question I’ve never dared to ask you.”

“There’s nothing you shouldn’t dare to ask. Go ahead,” Shen Yuming replied, a faint guess forming in his mind.

“Did your father and Aunt treat you well?”

After a moment of thought, Shen Yuming countered with a question, “Do you think you treated me well?”

Zhang Shujun’s heart leapt to her throat. Her lips moved, but no words came out.

“My answer is the same as yours.”

With that, Shen Yuming gave a slight nod, turned, and got into his car.