ATMAWTPM Chapter 15

Chapter 15: Shen Jun, Please Don’t Be Sad…

Chapter 15: Shen Jun, Please Don’t Be Sad…

The next day, after Ye Tingtong finished dinner in the cafeteria and was heading back to the dorm, he suddenly noticed the bright lights in the small woods downstairs.

Ye Tingtong asked his roommate, “Did they fix the streetlights in the small woods?”

Yu Hui looked over there, “I saw the construction crew this morning, they’re pretty efficient.”

Song Wu muttered while memorizing formulas, “They didn’t fix it no matter how many times we reported it before, now they’re fixing it when it’s almost vacation time, with such bright lights…”

Yu Hui echoed, “Exactly.”

Ye Tingtong was quite happy. That night, he went downstairs to feed the cats again. This time, he didn’t have to fumble in the dark. Because the light was sufficient, he even sent photos of the little strays to Shen Jun.

[Ye Tingtong: The school fixed the streetlights in the small woods! Look at the kitties!]

[Ye Tingtong: Images*9]

Perhaps due to his habit of posting nine-grid photos on social media, Ye Tingtong sent nine photos. There were a total of five cats, and he had named each one.

On the other side, Shen Jun was in a video conference.

The project manager was cautiously reporting to Shen Jun.

There were problems with the recent new project, and Shen Jun was very dissatisfied. The expression on his face while listening to the report could freeze people. The project manager was prepared to be criticized, but when Shen Jun glanced at his phone and then looked up again, his expression softened a lot.

Just as the project manager was sighing in relief, Shen Jun glanced at him, and the little warmth on his face vanished. “Don’t bring this kind of garbage to the table. I want to hear a new report proposal at the meeting tomorrow morning.”

The project manager almost cried upon hearing this.

Shen Jun was busy with work, and Ye Tingtong was busy with final exam reviews. Their communication became less and less. Just when Ye Tingtong thought this situation would continue until his winter vacation, Shen Jun’s assistant, Liu Hao, suddenly sent him a message.

[Liu Hao: There is a Shen Group annual meeting tomorrow night, and President Shen hopes you can attend. Are you available?]

Ye Tingtong was taken aback for a moment and immediately replied.

[Ye Tingtong: Yes, I am.]

[Liu Hao: Then I’ll come to the school to pick you up in advance.]

Just as they confirmed the time, Yu Huanhuan called him.

“The Shen Group’s annual meeting actually invited me,” Yu Huanhuan said, her tone clearly surprised. “Did you tell Shen Jun?”

The Shen Group’s annual meetings were relatively internal, and they only invited companies with whom they had deep collaborations. A socialite like her, without much capital, would need to have her identity verified even if she was brought by someone.

“No,” Ye Tingtong was even more confused than her. “I just found out that Shen Group has an annual meeting tomorrow night, Shen Jun’s assistant said he would come pick me up.”

He had been buried in the library recently and hadn’t been online much.

Yu Huanhuan sniffed a hint of something else, “Specifically asking you to attend? Is this a preparation to expose the relationship?”

Ye Tingtong hadn’t hidden the fact that he and Shen Jun had a contractual marriage from her.

“I think it’s possible,” Ye Tingtong walked to a corner of the library, covering the receiver. “Is that annual meeting very high-end? Is there anything I need to be careful about?”

He had attended many banquets with Shen Minghuai, but most of them were for leisure purposes and had nothing to do with him. He just needed to find a quiet corner to eat and drink.

He was really nervous about this kind of big occasion.

Yu Huanhuan heard his nervousness and said, “Come over today, and I’ll give you some emergency training.”

*

The next evening, Liu Hao took Ye Tingtong to the venue of the annual meeting. After they got out of the car, he looked at the person standing upright next to him and hesitated.

Ye Tingtong glanced at him, pursed his lips, and said nothing.

This made Liu Hao realize the seriousness of the matter and sent a message to his boss.

[Liu Hao: President Shen, Ye Tingtong is acting a bit strange. You’d better come take a look.]

Whether it was going to the school to pick him up or getting a makeover, Ye Tingtong wore a serious expression and spoke no more than three sentences.

Although Ye Tingtong wasn’t a flamboyant person, he usually talked a lot. More importantly, Ye Tingtong’s micro-expressions were usually rich.

Today, Liu Hao looked at the person with a straight face beside him and felt that something was very wrong.

He even wondered if Ye Tingtong had been bought off or threatened. Was he trying to do something at the Shen Group’s annual meeting?

Less than three minutes after sending the message, the busy Shen Jun appeared at the hotel entrance.

Ye Tingtong didn’t expect Shen Jun to come out personally. He stopped acting like a wooden puppet next to Liu Hao. His feet reacted faster than his brain, and he moved closer to Shen Jun.

Shen Jun was wearing a black suit, his figure tall and straight. Against the light, his silhouette was deep and he had a unique mature and ascetic aura, even without a clear view of his face.

As he got closer, Ye Tingtong looked up and finally saw Shen Jun’s face. He looked a bit unfamiliar.

He had been buried in the library recently and hadn’t realized that it had been a long time since he had seen Shen Jun.

Shen Jun noticed Ye Tingtong’s unusually focused gaze, raised his hand, and brushed the hair that had been ruffled by the wind behind his ear. “Your hair has grown long.”

The warm touch on his cheek was fleeting, breaking not only the sense of unfamiliarity, but also the cold facade that Ye Tingtong had put on. His touched cheeks felt like they had been burned, turning red instantly. “I’ve been reviewing too much lately, and I forgot to get a haircut.”

After speaking, Ye Tingtong reached out and pushed all the stray hair on his forehead back.

No wonder he felt like it was blocking his vision earlier…

Liu Hao’s eyelids twitched at his mercilessly ruffling his hair.

The hairstylist had styled Ye Tingtong’s hair for almost an hour, but it was ruthlessly destroyed by this one move!

Ye Tingtong also realized that he had messed things up, nervously glanced at Liu Hao, and was about to apologize, but heard Shen Jun say, “It’s okay, it doesn’t matter.”

Liu Hao didn’t mean to blame him either.

Ye Tingtong’s features were good. After completely exposing his face, he looked exquisite and beautiful, which was an advantage.

Since no one was going to pursue it, Ye Tingtong breathed a sigh of relief. The expression on his face straightened up again, and he stood upright next to Shen Jun.

Liu Hao couldn’t help but try to give his boss a look, trying to get him to investigate the situation, but Shen Jun acted as if he hadn’t noticed anything wrong, and calmly led Ye Tingtong inside.

Entering the main hall, even though he had prepared himself, Ye Tingtong was still shocked by the scene in front of him.

The hall was magnificent and dazzling. A beautiful champagne tower stood in the center, the aroma of wine permeated the air, sparkling under the lights. There was a band playing on the stage, the music was melodious and grand. People came and went with wine glasses, toasting each other with smiles on their faces.

Ye Tingtong quickly spotted Yu Huanhuan’s figure, who secretly made a gesture of encouragement.

Ye Tingtong took a deep breath and thought to himself—

Cold face, speak less, use your eyes to create pressure.

These were the key points he had gleaned by combining what Yu Huanhuan had taught him and what he had observed from Shen Jun.

In reality, he was just a bumpkin who had never seen the world. When he was a child, he lived with his mother, and the most scheming thing he did was bargain with people at the market.

After his mother passed away, he was brought back to the Ye family, but he was already almost an adult at that time. The Ye family didn’t plan on nurturing him. Ye Tingtong was completely ignorant of how to speak and act on such big occasions.

Before, when he attended parties with Shen Minghuai, he often heard people gossiping about him behind his back, saying that even wearing designer brands couldn’t hide the poor taste in him.

Among them, there were also [friends] who only got to know Shen Minghuai through him.

From then on, when he attended parties, he was only in charge of eating.

After all, food wouldn’t look down on him, nor would it betray him.

Ye Tingtong thought that he was already calm and shameless enough in this circle, but walking next to Shen Jun, he still couldn’t stop feeling nervous.

He was afraid of losing face, and even more afraid of embarrassing Shen Jun.

Just as Ye Tingtong adjusted his micro-expressions, he saw a waiter approaching, looking at Shen Jun, and respectfully saying, “President Shen, the old madam is looking for you and wants you to go over right now.”

Ye Tingtong subconsciously followed Shen Jun, but was stopped by the waiter, “The old madam only called for President Shen.”

Shen Jun turned around, and patted down Ye Tingtong’s slightly ruffled hair. “I’ll come back to you later.”

Feeling the weight on his head, Ye Tingtong’s originally serious expression broke, and he lowered his head in a flustered manner.

Qin Qiong was in the center of the hall, surrounded by many people. She was holding a young girl’s hand, chatting with a warm smile, “Meimei is twenty this year, right? Time really flies. I still feel like you were a little child not long ago, clinging to my legs and asking for food!”

Wang Mei shyly held onto Qin Qiong’s arm and acted spoiled, “Aunt Qin, that was so long ago!”

As they were chatting, she seemed to suddenly notice Shen Jun, her face flushed, “Brother Shen Jun, you’re here!”

Her mother and Qin Qiong were close, and Wang Mei often visited the Shen residence when she was a child. She was considered to be Shen Jun’s childhood sweetheart.

Shen Jun nodded in response. He looked at Qin Qiong in the middle of the crowd and said, “Mom, you called for me.”

Qin Qiong pushed Wang Mei in front of Shen Jun, smiling and saying, “You little girl, don’t join us. I called Shen Jun over. You go out with him and meet people.”

Meeting people on this occasion had obvious implications.

Wang Mei was about to respond, but saw Shen Jun subtly move to the side, creating a distance between them. “Mom, I don’t have time to entertain Miss Wang. Besides, I brought someone today. I’ll have him come over to meet you later.”

Qin Qiong didn’t expect Shen Jun to go against her wishes in front of so many people. Her face darkened, “I told you to bring Xiaomei. Why are you bringing up those irrelevant people?”

She had noticed the boy a long time ago. When Shen Jun brought the person in, she had specially asked people to inquire about him, and discovered that he was just an illegitimate child from a third-rate family, which made her almost lose her composure in public.

She felt that she and Shen Jun were born incompatible. Every time her health improved and she showed her face in front of outsiders, Shen Jun would go against her.

At Shen Minghuai’s engagement banquet last time, she had arranged everything, but Shen Jun left early, and she couldn’t even find him. She could only lower her face and explain politely to others, covering for him.

Seeing that the atmosphere was not right, the people around quickly tried to smooth things over. “Don’t be angry, he’s just joking, Shen Jun!”

Wang Mei stepped forward to pat Qin Qiong’s back. “Aunt Qin, don’t get worked up. I’ll stay here with you, I won’t go anywhere.”

As soon as these words were spoken, the anger on Qin Qiong’s face grew even stronger. She raised her finger and pointed at Shen Jun, “Are you going to listen to me today or not?”

Shen Jun looked up, the expression on his face was very indifferent, even a bit cold, “Last time, I drank the tea you gave me.”

From childhood to adulthood, although he didn’t spend much time with Qin Qiong, he had always complied with her wishes. He didn’t want the shares in Qin Qiong’s hands, he could earn his own money.

He was emotionally detached and didn’t need Qin Qiong’s maternal love. However, she was, after all, his mother, and he didn’t accept Qin Qiong’s way of scheming against him.

If Qin Qiong hadn’t been so extreme, he might have really followed her wishes and married the person she had chosen for him.

Qin Qiong didn’t expect Shen Jun to say something like this in front of so many people. Her face turned pale and her anger made her throw the wine glass in her hand at Shen Jun.

Because of the distance, the wine glass didn’t hit Shen Jun’s face, but the red wine in the glass completely splashed on Shen Jun’s pants. The dark red wine flowed down his suit pants, dripping onto the ground.

No one had ever seen Shen Jun in such a disheveled state, and the people around were immediately silent in shock.

However, Qin Qiong suddenly coughed violently, attracting everyone’s attention.

The commotion here drew the attention of many people. Shen Jun’s older brother, Shen Qingshuang, hurriedly arrived, supported Qin Qiong, and loudly berated Shen Jun, “You can be arrogant on weekdays, but now you’re making Mom angry. Don’t you know she’s not in good health?”

Shen Jun looked at the continuously coughing Qin Qiong, his expression very indifferent.

Qin Qiong’s face was rosy, she was just upset and couldn’t step down gracefully, so she feigned weakness.

Shen Jun thought, Qin Qiong was just dissatisfied that Shen Group was gradually being controlled by him. So, she faked illness and lived in the old mansion, subtly showing outsiders that she was dissatisfied with the fact that Shen Jun was in charge of the Shen Group.

Sure enough, as soon as Shen Qingshuang arrived, Qin Qiong seemed to have a backbone and her eyes turned red with grievance.

Shen Jun looked at the scene of their motherly love and filial piety, and a trace of coolness surfaced in his eyes, “You go ahead, when you’re in a better mood, I’ll bring someone over to meet you.”

*

At another corner of the venue, Yu Huanhuan looked at the worried Ye Tingtong and casually said, “Stop looking, you’re not going to see anything special.”

Just before the conflict between Shen Jun and his mother, the waiter had done a simple clearing. The people present were all sophisticated, they just pricked up their ears to listen, but no one went up to join in the fun.

They were the furthest away and couldn’t see anything through the crowd.

Ye Tingtong stood on tiptoes to look over there, “Why do you think they would argue in front of so many people?”

Weren’t these people the most concerned about their image?

“Who knows,” Yu Huanhuan shrugged. “You should worry about yourself! Shen Minghuai is here.”

At the Shen Group’s annual meeting, almost every member of the Shen family would attend, and Shen Minghuai was no exception. However, he was accompanied by his fiancée, Liang Yuting. Although his gaze towards Ye Tingtong was eager to move, he had to restrain his thoughts because of the person beside him.

Yu Huanhuan observed him for a while and didn’t know what excuse Shen Minghuai had used to get rid of Liang Yuting, but that was when he found the time to come over.

As he got closer, Shen Minghuai saw Ye Tingtong’s outfit tonight and his eyes lit up.

He used to think that Ye Tingtong didn’t suit suits at all. They made him look old and awkward. But this outfit was obviously different. The white suit was clean and elegant, the tight waist made him look soft and slender, and the bow tie had a retro touch, making Ye Tingtong look like a prince from the Middle Ages.

Shen Minghuai stared at him, but Ye Tingtong didn’t react at all. He just stood on tiptoe, watching the excitement in the distance. He reluctantly looked away and first greeted Yu Huanhuan, “Sister Huanhuan, you’re here too.”

Yu Huanhuan replied with a forced smile, “Young Master Shen, could you please stop calling me that?”

Did Shen Minghuai eat the wrong medicine? Why did he suddenly try to build a relationship with her? Before, when he and Ye Tingtong were standing together, Shen Minghuai didn’t even bother to give her a glance.

Now, on Shen family’s own turf, Shen Minghuai actually took the initiative to give her face, which made her feel strange.

Ye Tingtong saw that he really couldn’t see what was happening there and reluctantly looked away.

Seeing that he was interested, Shen Minghuai took the initiative to say, “Grandma and my little uncle have never been on good terms. They usually don’t talk much. Today, I don’t know why they started arguing directly.”

Ye Tingtong was originally preparing to make an excuse to sneak away with Yu Huanhuan, but didn’t expect Shen Minghuai to bring up Shen Jun. He subconsciously replied, “Isn’t Shen Jun the youngest child? Shouldn’t he be very favored?”

Usually, children born in their parents’ old age are the most precious. Last time, when he was on the cruise and was observing people out of boredom, he saw that the Shen family’s patriarch was very dependent on Shen Jun. When he was talking to outsiders, his eyes were full of admiration.

He thought that Shen Jun was a young master of a noble family who grew up with a silver spoon in his mouth. After growing up, his abilities were outstanding and, coupled with his parents’ favoritism, he was able to take over the Shen Group.

Shen Minghuai didn’t expect that Ye Tingtong would be so interested in Shen Jun’s matters. His gaze was fiery, clearly wanting to know more from him.

Shen Minghuai suddenly thought, inappropriately, this was perhaps the first time in a long time that Ye Tingtong had looked at him directly.

Before, he had gone to school to find Ye Tingtong several times, but the latter was either buried in the library or studying in his dorm. Every time he went back, Ye Tingtong wouldn’t even look up, only perfunctorily agreeing with the others in the dorm, “You’re back!”

“Grandma doesn’t like my little uncle,” Shen Minghuai moved closer to Ye Tingtong, his arm barely touching the other’s, “There are many rumors outside, some say that Grandma had a difficult labor when she gave birth to my little uncle, almost dying, and her health plummeted, so she resented my little uncle.”

Ye Tingtong didn’t agree with this view at all, “Your grandmother was indeed very hard, but that resentment shouldn’t be directed at Shen Jun! It’s not like he chose to be born into this world, he is so innocent!”

“Shen Jun is not someone without filial piety, your grandma shouldn’t hate her own son because of this uncontrollable thing.”

Listening to Ye Tingtong’s obvious defense, Shen Minghuai felt a little uncomfortable, “Why are you so concerned about my little uncle?”

Ye Tingtong was not the type to meddle in other people’s business. In the past, when Shen Minghuai was angry and had arguments or fights, Ye Tingtong’s first reaction was to hide. Only when the battle was over would he come to care for him.

Looking at Ye Tingtong’s appearance now, if it weren’t for someone guarding him and preventing him from getting closer, Ye Tingtong would have gone over already.

Ye Tingtong looked at Shen Minghuai’s suspicious expression, and his heart skipped a beat. He wasn’t sure when Shen Jun was planning to announce their marriage to the public, so he had to hide it from Shen Minghuai for now.

He steeled his heart and said very aggressively, “So what?”

Shen Minghuai: “?”

Shen Minghuai was a little confused. Ye Tingtong rarely used this tone of voice to talk to him. It was obvious that he was rebuking him, telling him to mind his own business.

When the two of them had a good relationship before, Ye Tingtong never stood up for him like this.

“I’m just saying what people are saying on the outside,” Shen Minghuai was sour as hell, “Why are you so angry!”

“There are even more ridiculous things I haven’t said.”

Ye Tingtong kept a straight face. “Anyway, they’re not true.”

This unreasonable favoritism made Shen Minghuai feel anger in his heart, “My grandmother is a very gentle person, she wouldn’t make things difficult for my little uncle for no reason. I heard people say when I was a child that my little uncle was born out of wedlock after grandpa fooled around outside. He was an illegitimate child, so my grandmother hated him and didn’t agree that he should inherit the Shen Group.”

“My little uncle isn’t completely without fault!”

In his tone, was undisguised disdain for an illegitimate child.

Ye Tingtong’s expression blanked for a moment. He unusually didn’t retort back at Shen Minghuai.

Yu Huanhuan was originally listening to their banter with interest. Upon hearing this, she immediately pushed Shen Minghuai away and scolded, “There’s no point in bringing up these unfounded things. We’re not interested in your Shen family’s private affairs.”

Shen Minghuai looked at Ye Tingtong’s silent face and realized that he had said the wrong thing, “Tongzai, I didn’t mean anything against you.”

He just couldn’t stand Ye Tingtong defending Shen Jun so blindly. That’s why he would use the term illegitimate child to belittle Shen Jun, but he had forgotten that Ye Tingtong had been attacked the most for his identity as an illegitimate child, and this was also a thorn in Ye Tingtong’s heart.

Ye Tingtong glanced at him and turned to leave.

Shen Minghuai immediately chased after him but was stopped by Yu Huanhuan, “Young Master Shen, don’t bother him right now.”

“I really didn’t mean to imply anything,” Shen Minghuai was a little anxious, “It was my fault. That’s why I said that. Let me go explain it to him.”

Yu Huanhuan didn’t budge and made sure that Ye Tingtong was far away. Then she raised her eyelids and said coldly, “Young Master Shen is quite strange. Before, he didn’t care about Tingtong at all. Now he’s changed his ways. Why is he so clingy?”

She looked at Shen Minghuai’s stiff expression and smiled, but her smile didn’t reach her eyes. “Could it be that after losing him, you finally realized your feelings for Tingtong? We don’t believe in a prodigal son returning.”

Yu Huanhuan was an onlooker. She had seen countless scenes of Ye Tingtong chasing after Shen Minghuai.

When Shen Minghuai was currently indulging in a relationship with a certain girl, that person could also treat Ye Tingtong the same way Shen Minghuai did.

Ye Tingtong had a big heart and thought that this was the price he had to pay for Shen Minghuai protecting him.

Yu Huanhuan felt frustrated. Now that Ye Tingtong had Shen Jun as his tree to lean on, his life was so much more comfortable than before, but Shen Minghuai came out to stir things up, his attitude was ambiguous, and it made her angry to watch.

Shen Minghuai had no words to refute. He also lost the best chance to chase after Ye Tingtong.

Yu Huanhuan glared at him, “Young Master Shen should focus on your own fiancée.”

After speaking, she left gracefully.

After dealing with Shen Minghuai, Yu Huanhuan sent a message to Ye Tingtong.

[Yu Huanhuan: Where are you hiding and crying? I grabbed a handful of pistachios, come eat them.]

[Ye Tingtong: I’m not crying. Save some pistachios for me, I’ll come back after I find Shen Jun.]

Yu Huanhuan raised an eyebrow, this kid was getting better, he knew to go find Shen Jun to complain?

Ye Tingtong didn’t have much trouble finding him. Following Liu Hao’s directions, he arrived at a dressing room on the second floor of the venue.

Liu Hao said that Shen Jun’s clothes were dirty, and he was changing into new ones.

Ye Tingtong knocked on the door, and Shen Jun’s flat voice came from inside, “Come in.”

He pushed the door open and saw Shen Jun with his back to him, buttoning his shirt.

From this angle, Shen Jun looked even more broad-shouldered and long-legged. The sleeves of his shirt were rolled up, revealing his lean forearm. When he raised his arm, he inadvertently revealed smooth and powerful lines, full of silent strength.

Shen Jun should be a very powerful person, but even the warm-colored lights of the dressing room couldn’t dispel the coldness around him.

Shen Jun’s previous clothes were hanging on the rack next to him. The expensive black suit had clear wine stains. Even his socks and shoes were stained. There was still a hint of bitter wine smell in the dressing room.

Shen Jun, who was always meticulous, was actually splashed with wine in public. Ye Tingtong could not imagine the scene at all.

He suddenly felt a little sad.

Shen Jun finished buttoning his shirt and turned around. He saw Ye Tingtong standing in place, drooping his head in a dejected manner. Even his usually ruffled hair was sticking to his scalp, indicating the mood of his owner.

“Yu Huanhuan told me,” Shen Jun stepped forward, lowered his eyes, and looked at the person in front of him. “Are you very concerned?”

After they got married, Ye Tingtong forwarded Yu Huanhuan’s contact card to him, saying that she was his best friend and that he hoped to introduce her to Shen Jun.

Yu Huanhuan was very measured. After adding him as a friend, she just greeted him daily and nothing else.

Just now, Yu Huanhuan had specifically sent him a message, saying that Ye Tingtong had been verbally attacked by Shen Minghuai for being an illegitimate child, and that he was probably feeling wronged now, hoping that Shen Jun could be more tolerant.

Shen Jun was not good at coaxing people. Ye Tingtong was shrinking his head like a quail, and he couldn’t analyze the other person’s thoughts based on their expressions, “Raise your head.”

The commanding tone made Ye Tingtong subconsciously obey.

Because of the height difference, Ye Tingtong was slightly looking up. The warm-toned light fell on his face, clearly illuminating his beautiful face and showing the corners of Ye Tingtong’s mouth being pulled down.

He looked like a soft, meek animal cub who had been wronged.

Shen Jun reached out and pressed on the corners of his mouth, “I can go teach Shen Minghuai a lesson.”

The warm touch on his lips made Ye Tingtong subconsciously purse them.

Shen Jun released his hand. “I’m sorry.”

But as soon as he moved, Ye Tingtong suddenly grabbed his hand and pressed it to his face, “It’s okay.”

Ye Tingtong felt that Shen Jun was seeking help from him.

He asked Shen Jun, “Are you sad?”

The touch on his palm was soft and warm. When Ye Tingtong spoke, his cheeks would puff up and there would be a slight vibration. Shen Jun was silent for a while.

When he saw that Shen Jun was silent, Ye Tingtong whispered, “Before, even my mother would call me a bastard. Every time, I would cry very loudly, not understanding why even she would call me that.”

“After being scolded many times, I gradually understood that not all mothers love their children,” Ye Tingtong said earnestly. “We can’t choose our birth. Let outsiders say whatever they want.”

Ye Tingtong buried his face in Shen Jun’s palm, as if trying to convey strength in this way.

Shen Jun realized that Ye Tingtong had not come to him to complain about his grievance, but rather, to comfort him.

That sad little expression was heartache.

Ye Tingtong saw that Shen Jun was only staring at him, and his mood didn’t seem to be improving at all, making him feel that he didn’t know how to comfort people at all.

However, Shen Jun didn’t resist touching his face. His fingertips were rubbing lightly, gently caressing the side of his face. His dark eyes were like a deep sea, dark and boundless, showing no emotions.

Ye Tingtong met his eyes for a second and suddenly made an extremely bold move. He reached out and tightly hugged Shen Jun, saying in a muffled voice, “Before, after my mother scolded me, she would just give me a hug, and my mood would improve.”

“Shen Jun, please don’t be sad, okay?”

Shen Jun froze in place.

He had long been accustomed to Qin Qiong’s coldness towards him. He had only respect for her, no family affection. He wasn’t actually sad, but confused as to why his mother always looked at him like an enemy.

He had also believed the rumors of being an illegitimate child, and had taken a DNA test. The test results showed that he was Qin Qiong’s child.

But it didn’t matter anymore. He had already passed the age of needing his mother’s love.

Yu Mo had once joked that his heart was harder than stone, and Shen Jun agreed with this.

But now, he felt a crack appear in his originally indestructible heart. Shen Jun felt that this was not a good thing.

Ye Tingtong really didn’t know how to comfort people, and he hugged him very tightly, even a little too tightly. The originally flat shirt was wrinkled due to his impolite action. Shen Jun should have pushed him away, but he raised his hand and gradually lowered it again.

He felt that a certain part of his heart was softening, as soft as Ye Tingtong’s voice when he told him not to be sad.

After a long time, Shen Jun heard his own voice, a little hoarse and deep.

“Okay.”

He was no longer sad.