The next morning, the first rays of sunlight streamed through the window and fell on Shen Tanqi’s eyelids. He slowly opened his eyes, still feeling the lingering cold mist of rain around his nose. However, the person beside him was nowhere to be seen.
“He ran off after I slept. What a jerk. Was he afraid I’d wake up and start beating people?”
They say dragons can summon rain and wind, which might explain why Yu Ce always had a scent of rain about him.
Feeling like he’d been run over by a truck, Shen Tanqi rubbed his sore limbs and glanced out the window. It wasn’t Yu Ce’s scent he’d smelled lingering in the room; it was actually raining outside.
Even though it was nearly spring, the weather was still changeable, especially in Shuoxia City, where a misty spring rain was quite common.
This inexplicably improved his mood. Putting on some clothes, Shen Tanqi wrapped himself in a sea-green robe, opened the window, and reached out to catch some raindrops.
The cool rain gradually soothed the restlessness in his heart.
They say rain symbolizes hope and blessings in ancient times. Rain nourishes crops and brings harvests. After the tragic events of last night, this rain might offer some hope to the suffering people of the city.
What would Shuoxia City be like now if he hadn’t taken on this task?
Without being there in person, one would never have such a direct experience.
Leaning on his chin for a while, he suddenly heard a distinct creaking sound, and the door slowly pushed open. Shen Tanqi turned to see a person holding a green paper umbrella, dressed in snowy clothes, and holding a basket of something unknown in his palm.
The paper umbrella was folded up, shaking off the raindrops on its surface, revealing an extremely handsome face standing silently, as if a banished immortal passing through the mortal world, seeking shelter from the rain under his eaves.
However, Shen Tanqi had no interest in admiring his face. Seeing him hesitate to enter, Shen Tanqi’s lips twitched slightly. “What’s the matter? Come in.”
The door was wide open, and the wind was blowing right on his face.
Yu Ce finally stepped inside, head bowed, and placed the basket he was carrying on the table.
Shen Tanqi leaned over curiously to take a look and found a basket of beautiful crimson bayberries. The sight made his mouth water. He casually picked one up and popped it into his mouth, only to be surprised by its sourness, which made him squint. “Where did you get these? How do we have bayberries this time of year?”
At his words, Yu Ce glanced up at him, skillfully took out a handkerchief from his pocket, and wiped the bayberry juice from his lips before replying, “Bayberries are available all year round in Shuoxia City. In winter, they are stored in ice cellars.”
Local specialty, it was thoughtful of him to bring these.
Shen Tanqi picked up another one and tossed it into his mouth, then grinned teasingly. “Do you think buying me fruits will make me overlook what you did yesterday?”
Upon hearing him mention last night, Yu Ce’s body seemed to stiffen slightly—not because of Shen Tanqi’s words.
He lowered his head a bit more and discreetly slipped a few more bayberries into Shen Tanqi’s hand, whispering softly, “No.”
Shen Tanqi was completely baffled and stared at Yu Ce, asking, “Then why bother? Acting so considerate for no reason, you’re either up to something or stealing.”
“No,” Yu Ce repeated quietly, seeming hesitant to speak but eventually confessing, “I thought you might want to eat them.”
This explanation didn’t dispel Shen Tanqi’s doubts. Just as he was about to inquire further, Yu Ce spoke softly again, “You’re pregnant, with a son.”
Shen Tanqi spewed out the bayberry in his mouth in disbelief. He looked at Yu Ce incredulously. “Someone drugged me yesterday…”
“It’s not because of the drug,” Yu Ce’s gaze drifted outside the window. He cleared his throat. “It’s the dependency period.”
Still in disbelief, Shen Tanqi continued, “Not a drug, then why did you… yesterday…”
Yu Ce lowered his head, quietly stepping back two paces. “It’s my fault. I thought it was because of the drug, but I didn’t expect it was really from that night at the pavilion. I’m sorry for getting you pregnant again. I heard him speaking last night.”
After a pause.
Shen Tanqi fell silent, crushing the bayberries in his hand, gritting his teeth. “So you tortured me last night and talked about needing to have a humble attitude when asking for help…”
Yu Ce promptly picked up where he left off, skillfully apologizing and trying to pacify him, “It was my mistake. It’s what I should have done. I’m sorry, Senior Brother, please don’t be angry.”
“Please don’t be angry, Senior Brother, please don’t be angry…”
Those words echoed in Shen Tanqi’s mind, and he felt like punching Yu Ce out of frustration.
Is there any justice in this world?
Yesterday, he was treated like that—blindfolded and gagged, unable to even plead for mercy—and now, early in the morning, he’s told that he didn’t even need to beg Yu Ce, as it was Yu Ce’s duty all along?
Shen Tanqi took a deep breath and spat out, “Get out.”
“Okay,” Yu Ce quickly agreed, turning to leave.
But from behind, Shen Tanqi snapped angrily, “Take your damn bayberries with you!”
“Alright.”
Yu Ce scooped up some and placed them on a plate on the table, then hastily fled the room under Shen Tanqi’s menacing glare.
Even after escaping outside, Yu Ce still felt a lingering fear. Shen Tanqi’s anger was far more terrifying than when he faced off against Chen Gui last night.
After driving Yu Ce out, Shen Tanqi’s anger only grew. He couldn’t understand how Yu Ce could strike so accurately, hitting the mark every time. Was this really fair, or was it because Yu Ce’s main character aura was too overpowering?
He gently touched his stomach, tentatively whispering, “Baby?”
If the baby truly existed, how could he ignore him?
Could it be that the baby doesn’t like him?
The thought lingered in Shen Tanqi’s mind, leaving a bitter taste in his mouth. He poked his abdomen lightly, asking in a low voice, “Baby, do you dislike me?”
Inside, there was still no response from his belly, as if… as if there was nothing there at all.
Could it be that there really was nothing? Was Yu Ce just hearing things last night?
The more he thought about it, the more Shen Tanqi felt this must be the case. If there truly was a child, he wouldn’t ignore him like this. What baby wouldn’t like the person who brought him into the world?
Even if there was truly a child, he should at least say a few words, Shen Tanqi thought tearfully.
Suddenly, there was a knock on the door. Shen Tanqi thought it was Yu Ce returning, ready to confront him about what happened last night. But when the door opened, it wasn’t Yu Ce. A voice from outside said, “Young Master, the family head requests your presence in the side hall for a meal.”
It must be mealtime. He had felt hungry yesterday. Although one wouldn’t die from hunger in the Golden core stage, having not cultivated for years, he still felt hungry when hungry.
He decided to wait to speak with Yu Ce. He put on his robe and replied, “Alright, I’ll come out immediately.”
Guided by the house servant, Shen Tanqi walked along the corridor towards the side hall. Along the way, he encountered many household servants of the Shen family. Everyone greeted him respectfully, and as soon as he passed, they hurriedly scattered like they were avoiding the God of Death.
It seemed that the original owner’s popularity at home wasn’t great; everyone was afraid of him.
“Young Master, we’ve arrived at the side hall.”
The servant led him to the side hall, opened the door, and then stepped back slowly.
As Shen Tanqi stepped over the threshold, he found the eyes of everyone in the room turned towards him—the head of the family, Consort Shen, Shen Han, and perhaps some unfamiliar sons and daughters of the Shen family.
Upon closer inspection, Shen Tanqi noticed that Yu Ce and the young ones were also present, sitting closely beside the head of the family as if they were already considered part of the family.
Having no experience eating with such a large group, Shen Tanqi smiled awkwardly and took the only available seat.
Just as he settled in, the head of the family lightly scoffed, “What hour is this to rise? You’ve barely kept up appearances before showing your true colors.”
Before Shen Tanqi could respond, Consort Shen interjected, fearing he might lose face. “The Young Master exerted great effort in dispelling evil last night and deserves a good rest.”
Shen Tanqi wasn’t bothered by the domestic chatter. He had risen late—could he blame Yu Ce for tossing and turning him all night and then not waking him up in the morning?
Glancing across to where Yu Ce, who was quietly focusing on his plate, Shen Tanqi suddenly got mischievous ideas.
He extended his foot under the table and forcefully stepped on Yu Ce’s shoe.
Yu Ce let out a low grunt but restrained himself, given the Shen family members surrounding them. He looked up at Shen Tanqi, who innocently smiled back at him.
Some people hold grudges.
“Alright, everyone is here. Let’s start serving,” the family head announced, and the servants began placing meticulously prepared delicacies on the table.
Shen Tanqi was already hungry. Seeing the family head pick up his chopsticks, he couldn’t wait any longer and followed suit.
Just as he was about to start eating, the family head suddenly asked, “Why isn’t our Goldfish happy?”
Goldfish replied in a muffled voice, “I’m fine, Grandpa.”
Shen Tanqi instinctively looked up at the young ones. He hadn’t slept with them last night and didn’t know where they had slept.
Looking carefully, he was taken aback—both little ones had dark circles under their eyes, as if they hadn’t slept all night. Their eye sockets were reddened, and they couldn’t even eat.
Shen Tanqi’s heart skipped a beat. He quickly set down his chopsticks and asked, “What’s wrong, Goldfish, Taro Ball? Why do you look so pale?”
He had only been gone for half the night. What had happened? Could it be that the young ones had been mistreated or bullied in the Shen household?
This didn’t make sense. Given the family head and Consort Shen’s personalities, they would never allow the young ones to be mistreated in their own home.
The two little ones, upon hearing his concerned voice, looked like they were on the verge of tears, staring at him with pleading eyes. Their expression didn’t seem like they had been wronged; instead, it was as if Shen Tanqi himself had been wronged.
After a while, Goldfish couldn’t hold back anymore. Large tears rolled down his cheeks like glistening pearls as he cried, shoveling food into his mouth between sobs. “Daddy…”
Shen Tanqi’s heart ached terribly. The family head was so anxious he wanted to pull the child into his arms, but Shen Tanqi stood up, walked over to them, and lifted the child off the stool, bending down to ask, “Goldfish, what happened? Tell Daddy, okay?”
Struggling to swallow the food in his mouth, Goldfish’s thick, long eyelashes were damp with tears as he hugged Shen Tanqi tightly and wailed, “Daddy, you’ve been wronged!”
Shen Tanqi was stunned, unsure of what was happening. He looked up at the family head and Consort Shen.
Consort Shen pondered for a moment, recalling everything that had been said in the room.
Then she said, “Could it be because I just mentioned that Daddy went out to dispel evil, and the children were scared?”
That must be the reason. The children were young and timid, and suddenly being separated from their father, coupled with hearing that he was out dispelling evil and might be in danger, must have made them fearful and anxious all night.
Shen Tanqi couldn’t help but laugh, feeling touched at the same time. He hugged the two little ones and comforted them, “Daddy is fine. Look, we’ve safely returned, and there’s nothing to be afraid of, my darlings.”
Being tightly embraced by Daddy and hearing his gentle and reassuring words, even Taro Ball couldn’t hold back tears. He nudged his brother, as if determined, and said firmly, “Daddy won’t speak up about being wronged, so we’ll speak up for him!”
Shen Tanqi: …?
What could he have been wronged about?
Suddenly, Goldfish burst into tears, crying uncontrollably, struggling to catch his breath as he choked out, “Father hit Daddy yesterday, hit him really hard, Daddy was in so much pain, crying all night…”
Taro Ball wiped his face, glaring angrily at Yu Ce, and resentfully demanded, “How could you hit Daddy like that? My brother and I heard everything clearly from the next room. Daddy said to stop, but you just kept going, hitting him all night!”
Shen Tanqi and Yu Ce locked eyes, their faces simultaneously turning pale.
What… what on earth was going on here?!
Hello, everyone ヾ(＾∇＾). I hope you enjoyed the story! If you’re feeling generous, please buy me a coffee, share/comment on my translated works! Check out the link below for early chapters. (๑>ᴗ<๑)
