Chapter 38
Upon laying his eyes on Zhao Huaiyu, Shen Qi was decidedly surprised.
The young wolf had changed so much.
Not in terms of appearance – after all, it was winter, and tanning wasn't easy. His face hadn't really altered; it bore the same features, perhaps tinged a little more from the wind and snow. He seemed to have grown a bit taller. Originally, he was already much taller than his peers. Now, standing upright, he was almost as tall as him.
The most dramatic change was in his demeanor.
He no longer cowered as he had in the past, even if that had been an act. Standing at attention in his uniform, he emanated military rigor. His uniforms, gray-blue, suited him well, enhancing his chivalrous appearance. Coupled with his inherently deep and mature features, he looked more like an adult than a boy at first glance.
If, in the past, one could detect a hint of immaturity, making it difficult to guess his age, now, no one would believe he was still underaged.
His temples and any excess hair in front were trimmed away, revealing a perfect contour line. There was a dash of self-confidence and exuberance in his eyebrows, contrasting with previous gloom. His sharp and piercing gaze was intimidating, causing people to shrink back.
He saluted smartly, "Young Master Qi!"
His eyes never strayed from Shen Qi. Not by an inch.
"Good, good, good." Shen Qi said three times, a pleased smile on his face, "This is more like it. You resemble my army officers, Wei Qing and Ji Guang."
A wave of relief washed over Zhao Huaiyu, his eyes also revealing pleasure. During his time in the military, he had learned and seen a lot. His pent-up resentment had found an outlet; every time his blade struck or gunfire exploded, he felt an exceptional sense of satisfaction, allowing all those suppressed feelings to burst forth.
While others might feel weary, he didn't at all. It seemed as if he was naturally cut out for this.
Besides... he didn't want to disappoint the man before him.
For an unknown reason, this thought lingered in his heart.
Shen Qi was pleased, feeling justified in his decision to send him to the military camp ahead of schedule. He gestured for Zhao Huaiyu to sit and ordered Shen An to bring tea.
"It seems you've adapted well to the military life. Good, I didn't misjudge you."
Zhao Huaiyu didn't say any clichéd thanks or pleasantry. He simply sat there quietly, looking at Shen Qi, as though he was there for precisely the reason stated – to meet him.
Shen Qi picked up his tea and took a sip, "What brings you to me?"
Since they were at home and the heating kept him warm, he was only dressed in a white silk nightgown. As he lifted his tea, his sleeve slid up, exposing part of his forearm. Being pampered since childhood, he maintained a meticulous care regimen for every part of his body. His pale wrist was even whiter than the silky fabric of his nightgown.
Zhao Huaiyu's gaze was inadvertently drawn to Shen Qi's slender, luminous fingers and lingered there for a moment. Strangely, he found himself thinking of the vulgar stories soldiers at the camp would tell during their idle chatter.
"A person with fair skin is great, a gentle pinch leaves a mark. Once their whole body is covered with marks, just looking at it is incredibly satisfying!"
The young master was the fairest person he had ever seen...
Unable to control the thoughts and images that came to his mind, he averted his eyes and said, "There's no particular reason, I just wanted to come see you."
Shen Qi was drinking tea and didn't notice his gaze. Hearing those words, he chuckled inwardly. It wasn't that Zhao Huaiyu wanted to see him, but that he had nowhere else to go during the break and had no choice but to find Shen Qi. Remembering that the Lunar New Year's Eve was fast approaching, Shen Qi proposed, "Since it's my fault you can't go home to spend the holiday with your family, why don't you stay here and spend New Year's Eve with us? What do you think?"
Zhao Huaiyu was astonished.
"How about it? Are you unwilling?" Shen Qi asked in a relaxed tone, his eyes filled with warmth. "You have no place to stay outside, and I can't just leave you alone in a hotel. Besides, I promised your father I would look after you. As for my family, you don't have to worry. They won't say anything or make things difficult for you. My father and your father are like brothers. According to your father, you should even call me your uncle. If you come to the palace to celebrate the New Year, my father would be delighted to see you."
Zhao Huaiyu stared at him for a while, lost in thought. After a moment, he regained his senses and nodded, "Alright." His expression even carried a touch of solemnity.
A smile played at the corners of Shen Qi's mouth as he casually added, "Oh, and your third brother. He received a quota to the military academy and is also staying in the capital. We can invite him over as well."
Zhao Huaiyu fell silent, the flicker of secret joy that just appeared in his heart, vanished instantly.
Yet, Shen Qi seemed oblivious to his reaction, finalizing the plan cheerfully, "Alright, it's settled then. We'll have someone pick up your third brother. As for you..."
He put down his tea cup and looked at Zhao Huaiyu with a smile. "You can stay here with me. This way, you can save money on hotel costs. There's no need for you to stay in a guest room. Tonight, let's just sleep side by side, and you can tell me what you've been learning these past days. Is that fine?"
His heart lifted once again, like being on a swing. But on the outside, Zhao Huaiyu maintained his calm demeanor, not letting any of his emotions show through. "Alright," he agreed.
Shen Qi looked at him and a smirk curved the sides of his mouth.
________________________
When Zhao Huaiyu arrived, it was early afternoon, they still have some time before dinner. Shen Qi took him to meet his father, the President, and his several brothers. Today was already the 28th, and the day after tomorrow would be New Year's Eve. Even his father had taken leave and was at home.
In Shen Qi's eyes, President Shen was quite an intriguing figure. He didn't resemble a businessman as much as an ancient scholar; a refined gentleman with a unique charm that made a lasting impression. His younger years bloomed under the description of "an elegant figure like a flourishing tree" and he was often spoken of as one of the most distinguished talents of his time.
Even now, in his 50s, he remained a handsome man. His office received numerous letters expressing admiration each month, often leaving the staff unsure whether to laugh or cry.
Shen Qi thought that if elections were open, his father's handsome looks and personality would make him a definite winner. After all, he had even been featured on the cover of the renowned international magazine, Time. Given the photography technology of this era, as soon as the magazine cover was released, it immediately sold out, implying his popularity.
Over the years, Shen Qi had made full use of his father's aesthetic appeal, leveraging it to build his reputation among the masses.
Of course, Shen's father didn't have as noble a character as he appeared on the outside, otherwise, he wouldn't have occupied the president's chair today.
On seeing Zhao Huaiyu, President Shen was indeed very gentle and affable, just like a friendly uncle from the neighborhood, pulling Zhao Huaiyu aside and asking him lots of questions.
Shen Qi glanced at him, half-smiling, and wrapped up the conversation in a few sentences. Taking Zhao Huaiyu away with him, he also grabbed the "福" ("Fortune") character and couplets that his father had written, saving the servants an extra trip back.
President Shen was somewhat disappointed. He rarely witnessed his little son showing such interest in someone and even inviting them home. He was just interested in knowing more, but Shen Qi was seemingly protective, which was rather uninteresting.
Shen Qi's three elder brothers also had unique tracks. The eldest, influenced by numerous martial arts tales narrated by President Hua, aspired to become a hero. Unfortunately, he ended up being a general instead, which often left him regretful. He'd sometimes express his desire to ride a horse on a faraway journey, just like the heroes in the stories.
Shen Qi commented, "Martial arts novels can really misguide people."
The second son of Shen family was intelligent and studious from a young age. But perhaps too studious, almost wishing to delve himself completely into books and disregarding everything else. Now, he held the title of Associate Professor at the University of Beijing. Supported by President Hua, he established a laboratory and spent his days conducting endless research and publishing an array of articles.
Shen's third son was also smart, but his intelligence manifested in monetary matters. He was so adept at business that it seemed as if he was a reincarnation of Shen Wansan (Note: a very successful businessman in China's history). Any business that landed in his hands was sure to make a fortune.
Shen Qi believed that his brothers turned out the way they did largely due to President Hua's influence. The eldest was heavily influenced by the martial arts novels that he was fond of. The second and the third sons had been groomed by him in their respective fields from a young age.
From Shen Qi's understanding of him, he probably had initially aimed at cultivating some helpers for his son. But, fate had different plans; he had no living sons, and in the end, he had to place all his hopes on Shen Qi.
Shen Qi was rather speechless about this. President Hua, being a typical womanizer, had had numerous affairs with distinguished women of the time. He even fantasized about having a harmonious relationship among his wives and mistresses. However, after building his empire, his household became a complete mess. Tragically, his two sons died prematurely, one at the age of five and the other at fifteen in a horse-riding accident. After medical examinations, it turned out that he had been given a drug that rendered him infertile.
Infuriated over this incident, he had dismissed several mistresses. Coincidentally, it happened at the time of the first election where he could have been reelected. But due to the incident, he needed to recover and ceded his position to President Shen. Later, when added with President Jia's incident, the need for leadership overcame his personal dilemmas and he came out of retirement.
By the time Shen Qi came along, these events were already a thing of the past, and he heard of them only as old news.
The three young masters of the Shen family were surprised when they met Zhao Huaiyu. However, upon seeing the smiling and content face of Shen Qi, they shut down their excessive curiosity and greeted Zhao cordially.
After leaving the courtyard of the third young master, Shen Qi, with a beaming smile, said, "See, I didn't lie to you, right? My father and brothers are very friendly. They won't give you a hard time."
Zhao Huaiyu decided to remain silent.
The mansion had been repaired and was generally two-story high. It comprised eight courtyards. One house was occupied by President Shen and his wife. Each of the three older brothers and their wives had one house. The youngest children lived with their parents, while the older children, boys and girls, had separate courtyards. Shen Qi lived alone in one of the remaining courtyards, and the last one was used as a guest house. Only those who were very close to the family were allowed to stay in the guest house; others would be accommodated in a hotel outside the mansion.
After touring around the compound with Zhao Huaiyu, they returned to Shen Qi's courtyard. Shen Qi had the word "福" and the couplets sent down for everyone to paste them up for the New Year celeberations. However, he picked up a set for himself and said to Zhao Huaiyu, "Come, let us do this ourselves."
He carefully unfolded the paper bearing the word "福" and asked Zhao to apply the glue: "You smear the paste."
Zhao Huaiyu was slightly taken aback, but he accepted the paste prepared by Shen An, and applied a large amount of it to the paper.
"That's too much," commented Shen Qi. Not wanting to smear his hands with sticky paste, he simply held onto Zhao Huaiyu's hand and said, "I can tell you've never done this before. Let me show you how to do it."
Zhao Huaiyu stiffened immediately, his eyes fixated on the face that was incredibly close to his own. He heard Shen Qi saying something, but his words were drowned by the quickening pulses. By the time he snapped out of his trance, one "福" and two couplets were already smeared with glue.
"Okay, hurry up and paste it, or else the paste will dry."
Shen Qi handed the "福" to him, then each of him and Shen An grabbed a couplet and began to paste them on the doorframe, standing on stools.
The character '福' was easily pasted on the wall. With a slight tilt of his head, Zhao Huaiyu saw Shen Qi sitting next to him. Looking up, he saw the smooth chin, the fair neck, and the faintly visible waistline as Shen Qi reached up, the movement revealing a bit of his figure.
Suddenly feeling a pinch on his chin, he was met with a pair of ambiguously smiling eyes. It turned out that at some point, Master Shen had finished posting the couplet, and was now holding Zhao's chin, gazing down at him.
"What has you so captivated?" Shen asked.
Zhao Huaiyu stared at his face, his gaze revealing a depth of emotion. He licked his lips bravely and candidly replied, "I'm looking at you."
Shen raised an eyebrow, let go of Zhao's chin, gave Zhao a cryptic smile, then returned to the interior of the house.
Zhao Huaiyu glanced at the well-pasted couplet and character '福', then followed him inside, his steps light.
"Happiness Score +1"
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