Returning to Parents' Seventeen
Chapter 62: Pacify Him

Chapter 62: Chapter 62: Pacify Him

Upon seeing Shen Sinian’s reply, Shen Yubai raised his brows and couldn’t help but think, had he been abandoned?

Shen Sinian felt no guilt about abandoning Shen Yubai. After all, it wasn’t as if Shen Yubai had never abandoned him before.

Without glancing at his phone again, Shen Sinian walked into a breakfast joint with Xu Chuning.

"The menu is on the wall," Xu Chuning told Shen Sinian.

Shen Sinian looked up, scanning the menu: "Can you order for me?"

Xu Chuning asked, "Don’t you have something you particularly want to eat?"

"They all seem pretty good," Shen Sinian responded.

Xu Chuning smiled and whispered to him that the freshly fried dough sticks at the restaurant were very tasty.

Shen Sinian said, "Then I’ll try those."

After ordering breakfast, the two ate quietly.

When they were almost finished, Shen Sinian looked up at the composed Xu Chuning and began to feel anxious, "Ningning, did you ask me to come out because you have something to inquire about?"

Xu Chuning finished the last half cup of soy milk and hummed softly, "You guessed it?"

Shen Sinian hesitated and then nodded slightly, "Sort of."

Xu Chuning said, "Then you should probably guess what I want to ask."

Hearing this, Shen Sinian evaded a bit, "I can’t guess that."

Xu Chuning was taken aback, "Why?"

Shen Sinian looked down at the clean but faded table, "I’m not that smart."

"You are not unintelligent," Xu Chuning said softly after a pause: "Is it that you do not want to answer my question?"

Shen Sinian looked up, meeting her gaze.

After a few silent seconds, Xu Chuning had an unpleasant suspicion. She stared at Shen Sinian, her lips trembling, "...Let me ask you, did my mom only run the small shop she has now until I finished college?"

She didn’t dare to ask too directly for fear of Shen Sinian giving her an answer she couldn’t accept.

Shen Sinian was slightly startled and narrowed his eyes, "Mhm."

He vaguely remembered Xu Chuning mentioning this matter.

Xu Chuning frowned, "Why?"

Shen Sinian said, "I’m not sure."

"..."

After another moment of silence, Xu Chuning opened her mouth and said softly, "How long has it been since you last saw your grandmother before you came here?"

Shen Sinian paused, not expecting Xu Chuning to ask this question. He couldn’t help but wonder if she guessed something.

Lost in thought, when Xu Chuning’s gaze was fixed on him, he lied, "...A few months, I guess."

To prevent Xu Chuning from falling apart over things that haven’t happened, he averted his gaze toward something else, telling her, "After the New Year’s, I’ll return to school, and my grandmother, being older, has moved back to Ning City and seldom comes to Jiang City."

Xu Chuning was astonished, "Is that so?"

Shen Sinian nodded emphatically, "Yeah."

He convinced himself inwardly to stay calm, reminding himself that a benevolent lie wasn’t wrong, and Xu Chuning would never find out.

Xu Chuning looked at the obedient appearance of Shen Sinian, feeling that something was off, but at that moment, she was reluctant to dwell on the negative possibilities.

"...What about Xiaonan?" Xu Chuning suddenly asked.

Shen Sinian was taken aback for a moment and said softly, "My aunt works in Jiang City."

Xu Chuning asked, "Then when did I start venturing into the restaurant business?"

Shen Sinian answered, "I’m not too sure."

He lied without a change in expression, "You never discussed it with me in detail."

"Is that so?" Xu Chuning was surprised, would the future her not even discuss such matters with her son.

Shen Sinian confirmed, "Yeah."

He pretended to be upset, saying in frustration, "You and he are both so busy; I can’t even see you once a month."

Seeing his dejected look, Xu Chuning’s attention was diverted, "I’m sorry, that must have been our fault."

"It’s not that I want you to apologize to me," Shen Sinian muttered softly, "I just want you to make it up to me."

Xu Chuning uttered an ’ah’ and asked without thinking, "How do you wish for us to make it up to you?"

Shen Sinian lifted his eyes, his peach blossom eyes, very similar to Shen Yubai’s, shining brightly, twinkling with starlight. "Anything is possible?"

Xu Chuning: "?"

She blinked, looking at his excited expression, and directly said, "Probably not quite possible."

Shen Sinian: "..."

Xu Chuning was very honest, "Right now, I might not be able to fulfill some of your wishes."

In short, she was rather poor at the moment. Shen Sinian’s simpler wishes, the ones that didn’t cost money, Xu Chuning could fulfill, but those that required money... she might not be able to satisfy.

Shen Sinian’s voice choked slightly, "I don’t want you to spend money."

Xu Chuning: "Then what do you want?"

"Let’s go to the beach for fun during the summer vacation?" Shen Sinian wanted to play at the beach. He had gone on a beach vacation with Xu Chuning and Shen Yubai when he was very young. After growing up a bit, he hadn’t gone again.

In the year he graduated from junior high, they had all agreed to go to Hawaii for a trip. Unfortunately, something came up with Shen Yubai’s company, and Xu Chuning was also overwhelmingly busy. In the end, Shen Sinian went to Hawaii alone.

That summer was Shen Sinian’s regret.

Xu Chuning: "The beach?"

Shen Sinian made a sound of affirmation, "It won’t cost you money."

Hearing this, Xu Chuning almost wanted to laugh, "I think I can probably afford the expense of going to the beach."

She looked at Shen Sinian: "Have you forgotten about something else?"

Shen Sinian: "What?"

Xu Chuning: "Min Jian."

Shen Sinian: "..."

Alright, he indeed hadn’t thought about Min Jian when he suggested going to the beach.

"Then... maybe a two or three-day trip should be okay?" Shen Sinian hesitated, he couldn’t possibly not have a single day of vacation, right?

Xu Chuning: "I don’t have a problem."

She asked Shen Sinian, "Do you hope the three of us go together?"

Shen Sinian nodded.

Xu Chuning: "... Have you asked Shen Yubai?"

"He definitely can." Shen Sinian said without thinking.

"What if?" Xu Chuning rested her chin on her hand, "What if he doesn’t want to go to the beach?"

Upon hearing this, Shen Sinian’s eyes widened, "That shouldn’t happen, right?"

Shen Yubai should agree to his invitation.

Xu Chuning: "I’m not sure."

Of course, Xu Chuning felt that Shen Yubai would most likely not refuse Shen Sinian.

But there’s always an exception.

From what she has seen in the past few months, Xu Chuning realized that Shen Yubai treats Shen Sinian... even better than she treats Sinian.

Before this, Xu Chuning had never thought that Shen Yubai would be so gentle when dealing with kids.

Although this kid... is currently the same age as they are.

"Ningning."

Xu Chuning: "Huh?"

She pulled back her drifting thoughts, "What?"

Shen Sinian looked down at her, "What are you thinking about? Did you hear what I just said to you?"

Xu Chuning: "What did you just say?"

Shen Sinian: "... I said, let’s go buy a gift for Shen Yubai later."

"?"

Xu Chuning instinctively asked: "Why?"

Today isn’t Shen Yubai’s birthday, right?

Shen Sinian: "He knows you asked me to come out without inviting him, he’s sulking at home, let’s buy a gift to coax him."

Xu Chuning: "..."

That can’t be necessary, right?