Shen Liu and Qin Mu’s wedding followed a minimalist style. After registering their marriage, the two chose a private estate in France with beautiful scenery to hold the ceremony, inviting only close friends from both sides.
When Fei Yan saw them exchange rings, she burst into tears and pinched the chubby man beside her as she said, “Look at this—such a perfectly good Qin Mu, and in the end, he still got abducted by this shameless hooligan.”
“Don’t be angry, honey,” the chubby man said patiently as he rubbed his arm. “Later, we’ll go together and drink that guy under the table. I don’t believe we won’t be able to outdrink him now.”
The one with glasses put an arm around his girlfriend and nodded. “He’ll definitely drink on Qin Mu’s behalf today. All of us have to wash away our past humiliation and get him completely plastered.”
Zhou Yi and several partners from the law firm overheard them and joined in the joking. “Shen Liu stole talent right out from under us—it’s time we gave him a proper lesson and let him know that Lawyer Qin has people backing him too!”
Shen Anning said to Shen Jiahe, “I’m pretty curious about Liu ge’s alcohol tolerance as well. Why don’t the two of us join their side?”
And so, without one of the grooms having the slightest clue, the guests had already quietly formed an alliance against him.
As it turned out, that night Shen Liu really was drunk into the ground by them. When he woke up the next day, he sulked for a long while. “People say a moment of the wedding night is worth a thousand pieces of gold. Those bastards made it so I didn’t get to enjoy even a single moment.”
Qin Mu laughed. “At your age, what kind of hero were you trying to play, insisting on drinking on my behalf?” He spoke as he was about to get up to pour him some water, only to be grabbed by the robe and dragged back onto the bed.
Shen Liu rolled over and pinned him beneath himself, squinting as he said, “You heartless bastard. Wasn’t I worried you would drink too much and upset your stomach? We missed the wedding night yesterday, so today we have to make up for it properly.”
Qin Mu let him do as he pleased and opened his mouth to tangle in a kiss with him. The two of them tussled back and forth on the bed for an entire day. In the end, Qin Mu was left with a sore waist and weak legs, pressed into the mattress by the tireless Shen Liu, and only after being forced to call him ‘gege’ several times was he finally let off.
After finishing their honeymoon and returning to the country, they paid a visit to the Shen family. Whether intentionally or not, Old Man Shen chose the exact day they went to host a family banquet. Shen Liu held Qin Mu’s hand as they entered and formally introduced him to everyone as ‘my other half’. The elders were dumbfounded, while the younger generation was quite impressed—Shen Liu’s all-or-nothing attitude was truly dashing.
Shen Lan’s expression was awful the entire time, and he did not say a single word during the meal. Shen Changyun’s attitude toward Qin Mu, however, was very gentle; he even invited him to stay a few more days, which took everyone by surprise.
The day before they returned to K City, Shen Liu took Qin Mu to a Zen monastery on the outskirts of J City. From afar, he took a look at his mother, counting it as having seen her. That night, Shen Changyun talked with Shen Liu for a long time.
“You talked so late,” Qin Mu said curiously. “Did your relationship as grandfather and grandson improve?”
Shen Liu smiled faintly, with a trace of melancholy in his expression.
Qin Mu noticed it and asked, “What’s wrong?”
“The old man doesn’t have much time left,” Shen Liu said. “He handed all of the overseas assets to me and told me to safeguard a way out for the Shen family.” Seeing the worry in Qin Mu’s eyes, he comforted him. “Those assets are being run quite well. For now, they don’t require much effort from me. Unless something important comes up, I’ll stay in K City.”
“That’s not what I’m worried about,” Qin Mu said. “I just feel that you don’t actually want to take these things on.”
He was still the one who understood him best. Shen Liu felt warmth surge in his chest and held Qin Mu’s hand as he said, “The old man actually sees things very clearly. There are too many uncertainties in this world, and wealth and glory don’t necessarily last forever. He isn’t someone who craves power; it’s just that at this stage, he has no choice but to plan far ahead for his children and arrange matters after his death. He’s afraid that the Shen family might one day repeat the Zhao family’s downfall, so he prepared an escape route in advance. That route needs someone trustworthy to guard it. I really don’t want to take this on, but as he said, there truly isn’t a more suitable choice. I’ve never liked this family, but when the day really comes, I probably won’t be able to stay out of it either. I can only save whoever I can.”
“I understand,” Qin Mu said, squeezing his hand.
After returning to K City, Qin Mu brought Shen Liu to his parents’ home. Qin Aihua and Zheng Yan did not know how to face Shen Liu. They were awkward and at a loss, which made Shen Liu feel uncomfortable as well.
When they were about to leave, Zheng Yan stuffed a thick red envelope into Shen Liu’s hands. With reddened eyes, she said, “Xiao Shen, Qin Mu is a good child. It’s we who failed to fulfil our responsibilities as parents. You’ve always been the one helping him. From now on, please take good care of him too. We don’t know how to say pretty things, but in our hearts, we truly hope you’ll be happy.”
“I will. Thank you, Mom,” Shen Liu said as he accepted the red envelope. After stepping outside, he joked with Qin Mu, “Were you so nervous just now that you didn’t eat your fill? Come on, gege will use his private stash to take you to buy some radish cake.”
Qin Mu smiled, leaned close to his ear, and said in a low voice, “Alright. I’ll wait for gege to feed me till I’m full.”
Shen Liu had not expected him to tease him so openly on the street. He choked for a moment, then shook his head in mock anguish. “It’s over. The block of wood in my family has grown crooked.”
Every winter, Qin Mu went to Yongning once.
Yongning was no longer a county. It had been incorporated into K City’s western suburban development plan and transformed into a high-tech development zone. With strong government support over the years, emerging industries have grown rapidly. Many well-known internet companies had relocated there, commercial facilities had been built up, and one integrated complex and office building after another rose in increasingly impressive form. Nothing remained of the dilapidated, desolate appearance it once had.
Qin Mu had come to pay his respects to Lang Feiran. He only knew that Lang Feiran was originally from P City and that his parents had taken his ashes back. He did not know where he was ultimately buried, so he could only come here to mourn him.
The former correctional school site had been abandoned for a long time and was levelled a few years earlier. Later, it seemed to have been sold to some businessman, who built a house of an extremely postmodern design on the land. The place was sealed off year-round and tightly managed, and no one knew what it was used for.
Qin Mu was about to place the bouquet of white roses by the flowerbed as he usually did when he heard Shen Liu say, “Since we’re here, why not go inside and take a look?”
“You can get in here?” Qin Mu asked in surprise. Before the words had fully fallen, someone was already coming out from inside the gate.
When the young man saw Shen Liu, he smiled and said, “Boss, what brings you here today? Are you here to inspect things?”
“I brought my little one to have a look,” Shen Liu said, taking Qin Mu by the hand and leading him inside.
When they reached the second floor, the sight before him instantly brought tears to Qin Mu’s eyes.
Behind a glass wall marked with a large ‘FR’, many young faces were visible. They sat in front of neat rows of computer screens, fingers flying rapidly over the keyboards as they controlled the characters on-screen, charging bravely into battle. The light in their eyes shone brighter than the stars.
The correctional school that had once extinguished so many children’s esports dreams had now become an esports training camp. Young people who carried dreams of championships gathered here, burning their youth in pursuit of ideals and passion. Perhaps they did not know that there had once been a young man here who loved esports, who had used his own life to ignite a sky full of flying snow in defiance of the darkness.
At the spot where the fire had broken out back then, a cultural wall now stood. Carved into it was a single sentence: ‘Because I hold dreams in my heart, I fear no obstruction by ten thousand others’. Qin Mu placed the white roses beneath the wall and said to Shen Liu, “Thank you. If he could see these kids, he would definitely be very happy.”
“He would be happy to know you came to see him,” Shen Liu said.
After they left the esports training camp, Shen Liu considered his words for a moment before speaking. “There’s something I want to tell you.”
Qin Mu waited quietly for him to continue.
The two walked side by side as Shen Liu spoke slowly. “A few years ago, I found out where Lang Feiran’s parents were living, and from then on, I had people keep an eye on his family’s situation. After Lang Feiran died, conflicts broke out at home. His father left and remarried, and his mother suffered a stroke a few years ago and was left partially paralysed and bedridden. Under the name of a ‘charity pairing’, I covered all her medical expenses, but this kind of illness is complicated to cure. She can’t take care of herself, and physically, it’s really just a matter of dragging things out day by day. Lang Feiran had a younger sister. This summer, she died suddenly from an amniotic fluid embolism during childbirth, leaving behind a baby boy. Her husband was a gambler, buried in debt, and he sold the child on the black market for fifty thousand.”
Qin Mu listened with his brows tightly knit and asked, “What about the child?”
“I was afraid that gambling scum would keep harassing us, so I had Chu Yu step in to handle it, completely cutting off the child’s connection with his biological father. For now, the child is staying at the Chu family’s old residence. As for what to do with him long-term, I want to hear your opinion.”
Qin Mu fell silent for a long while. He seemed to want to say something, yet did not quite know how to begin.
“Lang Feiran once saved your life, and this child carries his bloodline. No matter what, I will make sure he grows up safe and well provided for. Beyond that…” Shen Liu’s eyes were full of gentleness. “If you’re willing to keep him by your side, I’d be very happy to raise him together with you.”
He had thought of everything.
Qin Mu’s gaze trembled slightly, and in the next moment, he smiled. “We’ll keep him.”
“Alright.”
On the way back, Qin Mu was engrossed in scrolling through his phone, frowning as he did so.
Shen Liu asked, “What’s wrong?”
“I just found out that infant formula comes in so many different types, and it’s divided into different stages. I don’t really know how to choose… and does the little one have lactose intolerance?” Lawyer Qin sounded uncharacteristically anxious.
Shen Liu couldn’t help laughing. “Don’t be so nervous. I’ve already had Tao Ze find good nannies—both are experienced professionals. You don’t need to cram like this at the last minute.”
Hearing that, Qin Mu finally relaxed and asked again, “Then what should I be doing right now?”
“Hm?” Shen Liu tilted his head. “For example, giving him a name?”
Qin Mu thought seriously for a moment and said, How about Shen Mo? From the line ‘Select the worthy and grant them ability, follow the plumb line and ink without deviation.’ Shen Mo sounds similar to shengmo—the plumb line and ink—implying rules and discipline, which connects to my profession. And mo, ink, is also flowing water, continuing in the same vein as your name.”
Shen Liu froze, then spoke after a long pause. “You’re giving him the surname Shen?”
Qin Mu looked at him. “What, you don’t want that?”
“I want it very much,” Shen Liu said with a smile. “Once we’ve got the hang of raising him, we’ll bring home another little log boy with your surname.”
Qin Mu curved his lips slightly and laid his palm over the back of Shen Liu’s hand.
Shen Liu turned his hand over and interlaced their fingers, the warmth unmistakable.
I am with you.
From this moment on, we will admire spring flowers and autumn moons together, face wind, frost, rain, and snow side by side. Two hearts joined as one, the long road ahead no longer lonely.
T/N:
It’s doneee doneee doneee weee
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