Chapter 13

The next day, the sky turned cloudy. In the afternoon, Lin Shulang delivered some documents and a set of Go pieces. Shi Chengyu held several meetings in his study, while Shen Chutang curled up on the sofa, drawing.

By evening, Shi Chengyu hadn’t said he was leaving. It was just a matter of adding a few more chopsticks, and the two families had a good relationship. Over the past two days, so many things had been sent over, and Shen Boyu felt embarrassed to chase him away.

Shen Boyu had developed a habit in the army. He woke up at 5:00 AM. There was thunder in the air. The gloomy weather had lasted for a day and a night, and finally, it rained. He woke up and didn’t go back to sleep. He got up and went to the study upstairs to look at some chess scores.

As he passed Shen Chutang’s room, he noticed that the door was ajar, and a faint light was coming from inside. He could faintly hear what sounded like crying.

He quickly walked to the door but stopped.

The bedside lamp emitted a warm yellow light. Shi Chengyu held her carefully, wiping the tears from her face. His brows were furrowed. He wanted to take the blanket from the side, but Shen Chutang was holding his arm tightly, and he couldn’t break free.

Hearing the sound, Shi Chengyu turned his head and saw Shen Boyu standing at the door. He was slightly startled and called out softly, “Grandpa.”

“What’s wrong?” Shen Boyu walked closer. Seeing Shen Chutang’s tear-stained face, he felt a pang of heartache.

Shi Chengyu covered her ear with one hand and said softly, “It’s thundering. Tangtang is a little scared.”

Shen Chutang cried softly, her fingers tightly clutching Shi Chengyu’s clothes, as if she had been wronged, feeling uneasy and helpless.

Shen Boyu walked over and took the blanket, handing it to Shi Chengyu. He watched him wrap her up, his heartache overflowing in his eyes. He comforted her gently, without a hint of impatience.

The rain outside was still falling, the sound of the drizzle coming through the window, accompanied by occasional rumbles of thunder. After a while, Lin Shulang brought earplugs, and Shen Chutang finally calmed down and fell asleep.

Shi Chengyu’s pajamas were wrinkled, with damp patches on them. He smiled apologetically at Shen Boyu. “I apologize for making you laugh, Grandpa. Your windows aren’t very soundproof.”

“Don’t even think about taking over this house. This house is old. It can’t stand any disturbance.” Shen Boyu saw his intention and quickly dismissed his idea, his words sounding awkward.

“If you want to change, just change Tangtang’s room.”

Shen Boyu walked towards his study, looking at the two people in the other two rooms who were sleeping like dead pigs. He couldn’t help but curse them in his heart.

“Chengyu, right? Come over and play a game with me?” Shen Boyu turned around and looked at Shi Chengyu, who was following behind.

Shi Chengyu nodded. “Okay, Grandpa. I’ll go back and change clothes first.”

A moment later, the two of them sat at the desk.

The Go set was the one Shi Chengyu had delivered yesterday. It was exquisite, no less than the old objects he had collected.

Shen Boyu placed a piece on the board first, getting straight to the point. “Do you like Tangtang?”

Shi Chengyu’s expression didn’t change. He remained calm. “Yes.”

“Is it the kind of liking an elder has for a younger person, or…” Shen Boyu didn’t finish his question, just looked at him.

“Grandpa, Tangtang is still young. She doesn’t understand, but I’m very clear.”

Shi Chengyu placed a piece calmly, looking at Shen Boyu without arrogance or humility.

Shen Boyu was surprised, but he had expected this answer. He just repeated his words. “Yes, Tangtang is still young. She doesn’t understand those things.”

“You’re seven years older than her. She’s still a little girl, with a simple mind and no scheming.” Shen Boyu’s words stopped there. The meaning was clear. Shi Chengyu had been in the business world for many years. If he said he had no scheming, Shen Boyu wouldn’t believe it. If he just wanted to play around, Tangtang wouldn’t be his match.

“Grandpa.” Shi Chengyu’s tone became serious. “I’ve never looked down on Tangtang.”

“I like Tangtang. I know it’s not appropriate to talk about this now. Tangtang is still young, but I can wait.”

He had waited sixteen years, a few more years wouldn’t matter.

Shen Boyu looked at him. His words were full of confidence and patience. “Yes, you can wait, but Tangtang will grow up. She has never liked anything for more than a year.”

Shi Chengyu paused. “Yes, Grandpa, but Tangtang has the right to choose with me.”

No matter what she chooses in the future, whether she accepts him or continues to treat him as a brother, he won’t have any regrets.

Having said that, Shen Boyu nodded slightly. “Alright, if that’s the case, I won’t say anything more. But Tangtang is the treasure of our Shen family. She has been pampered for over a decade. She has a lot of little quirks, and she’s precious. She hasn’t suffered anything.”

Shi Chengyu’s long, slender fingers held the chess piece, as if he was contemplating the situation on the board, but he quickly placed it down. Shen Boyu almost couldn’t keep up with his speed.

He smiled. “Grandpa, I yield.”

“Hey!” Shen Boyu looked at the game. How could he yield? It was at most a draw. “You little rascal!”

“Grandpa, I have a meeting later.” Shi Chengyu stood up and bowed slightly.

“Alright, alright, go ahead.”

Shen Boyu impatiently chased him away. Looking at the board, he realized after a long time that the outcome had been decided from the moment Shi Chengyu placed his first piece. It was destined to be a draw.

He had set up this game early on. From the beginning, he hadn’t intended to pretend to lose to him, nor had he wanted to win him.

But in this game, he had actually won.

Shen Boyu smiled helplessly and threw the chess pieces back into the jar. He couldn’t help but admit that he was getting old. It was finally time for their generation to take over. He felt a little relieved. He was friends with the Shi family. If they had really met Shi Chengyu in the business world, he wouldn’t necessarily have won. At most, it would have been a draw.

Shen Chutang woke up around 9:00 AM. She sat on the bed in a daze, feeling inexplicably anxious. First, she ran to Shi Chengyu’s room, but she didn’t find him. She instantly felt like crying. Then she ran to the study, pushed open the door, and ran in. “Brother Chengyu.”

She threw herself into his arms with a whimper, her eyes sleepy, her hair messy. She was only wearing a nightgown, and she wasn’t wearing shoes or socks. Her calves and feet were exposed.

Lin Shulang quickly turned off the camera and recording, stood up, and left the study with his computer.

The world seemed a little strange today. Everything sounded so quiet. Shen Chutang could only see Shi Chengyu’s mouth moving but couldn’t hear anything.

She looked at him with teary eyes. “Brother Chengyu, I can’t hear.”

Shi Chengyu picked her up and put her on his lap. He took off her earplugs and asked with a slight smile, “Can you hear now?”

Shen Chutang’s tears were still welling up. She stared for a moment. “I can hear.”

“It’s raining outside.”

“Hmm.” Shi Chengyu rubbed her head. “It’s okay, Brother Chengyu is here.”

The maid came in with a blanket. Shi Chengyu took it and covered her with it, smiling and asking her, “Are you hungry? Do you want to eat?”

Shen Chutang shook her head. She stretched her hand out from under the blanket, pulled on his clothes, and rubbed her head against his chest.

“Okay, then sleep a little longer.”