Back to my parents when I was seventeen

Seeing the reply from Shen Sinian, Shen Yubai raised his eyebrows and couldn't help but wonder, was he abandoned?

Shen Sinian didn't feel any guilt for abandoning Shen Yubai. After all, Shen Yubai had abandoned him before.

Without looking at his phone again, Shen Sinian and Xu Chuning walked into a breakfast shop together.

"The menu is on the wall." Xu Chuning and Shen Sinian said.

Shen Sinian raised his head and looked around: "Can you help me order?"

Xu Chuning: "Nothing in particular you want to eat?"

"It feels pretty good." Shen Sinian replied.

Xu Chuning smiled and whispered to him that the freshly fried dough sticks in this shop are delicious.

Shen Sinian: "Then I'll try."

After ordering breakfast, the two ate in silence.

After eating, Shen Sinian looked up at the calm Xu Chuning and began to get anxious. "Ningning, you asked me out, do you have something to ask me?"

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

Shen Sinian nodded hesitantly, "Probably."

Xu Chuning: "Then you should be able to guess what I want to ask you."

Hearing this, Shen Sinian evaded a little, "I can't guess that."

Xu Chu Ning was slightly startled, "Why?"

Shen Sinian lowered his eyes and stared at the clean but faded table. "I'm not that smart."

"You are not stupid." Xu Chu Ning was silent for a moment, and then said softly, "Don't you want to answer the question I want to ask?"

Shen Sinian raised his eyes and met her gaze.

After a few seconds of silence, Xu Chuning had a bad guess. She stared at Shen Sinian blankly, her lips moving, "...Let me ask you, did my mother only run this small shop until I graduated from college?"

She didn't dare ask too directly, for she was afraid that what Shen Sinian would say would be something she couldn't accept.

Shen Sinian was slightly startled, then he closed his eyes and said, "Yeah."

He vaguely remembered that Xu Chuning had mentioned this to him.

Xu Chuning frowned, "Why?"

Shen Sinian: "I don't know either."

"..."

After another moment of silence, Xu Chu Ning opened his mouth and whispered, "How long had it been since you last saw your grandmother before you came here?"

Shen Sinian paused. He didn't expect Xu Chuning to ask this question. He couldn't help but wonder if she had guessed something.

Shen Sinian was lost in thought. When Xu Chuning looked straight at him, he lied, "...a few months."

To prevent Xu Chu Ning from breaking down over something that hadn't happened, he looked away evasively and said to Xu Chu Ning, "I went back to school after the Chinese New Year. My grandmother returned to Ningcheng when she got older and rarely came to Jiangcheng."

Xu Chu Ning was stunned: "Is that so?"

Shen Sinian nodded heavily, "Yes."

He convinced himself in his heart to stay calm. There was nothing wrong with telling a white lie, and Xu Chu Ning would not be able to find out.

Xu Chuning looked at Shen Sinian's well-behaved appearance and always felt that something was not right, but at the moment, she was not willing to think about things in a bad direction.

"...What about Xiaonan?" Xu Chuning asked when he remembered.

Shen Sinian was stunned for a moment, and whispered, "My aunt works in Jiangcheng."

Xu Chu Ning: "So... when did I start my own restaurant business?"

Shen Sinian: "I'm not sure."

He lied without batting an eyelid, "None of you have discussed this matter with me in detail."

"Really?" Xu Chu Ning was surprised. In the future, she wouldn't even discuss these things with her son.

Shen Sinian: "Yes."

He pretended to be angry and said depressedly, "You and he are so busy. I may not see you once a month."

Seeing his depressed look, Xu Chu Ning's attention was diverted, "Sorry, that must be our problem."

"I don't want you to apologize to me." Shen Sinian muttered softly, "I just want you to compensate me."

Xu Chuning groaned and asked subconsciously, "How do you want us to compensate you?"

Shen Sinian raised his eyes, his peach blossom eyes that looked 80% like Shen Yubai were bright and shining like stars, "Anything is OK?"

Xu Chu Ning: “?”

She blinked, looked at his excited expression, and said directly, "Maybe not."

Shen Sinian: “…”

Xu Chu Ning was very honest, "I may not be able to fulfill some of your wishes right now."

In short, she is relatively poor now. Xu Chuning can satisfy Shen Sinian's simpler wishes, wishes that don't cost money, but those that cost money... she may not be able to satisfy.

Shen Sinian choked up a little, "I don't want you to spend money."

Xu Chuning: "Then what do you want?"

"Shall we go to the beach during the summer vacation?" Shen Sinian wanted to go to the beach. When he was very young, he went to the beach with Xu Chuning and Shen Yubai for vacation. After he grew up, he never went there again.

The year they graduated from junior high school, they had originally planned to go to Hawaii for a trip, but something happened at Shen Yubai's company and Xu Chuning was also very busy, so Shen Sinian ended up going to Hawaii alone.

That summer was a regret for Shen Sinian.

Xu Chu Ning: "Beach?"

Shen Sinian hummed, "I don't want you to spend money."

Hearing this, Xu Chu Ning wanted to laugh, "I think I can still afford to go to the beach."

She looked at Shen Sinian: "Did you forget something else?"

Shen Sinian: "What?"

Xu Chu Ning: "Min Jian."

Shen Sinian: “…”

Well, when he suggested going to the beach, he certainly didn’t think of Min Jian.

"Then... two or three days should be ok, right?" Shen Sinian hesitated. It was impossible for him to not have even a single day off.

Xu Chuning: "I have no problem."

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

Shen Sinian nodded.

Xu Chu Ning: "...Have you asked Shen Yubai?"

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

"What if?" Xu Chu Ning rested his chin on his hand, "What if he doesn't want to go to the beach?"

Hearing this, Shen Sinian widened his eyes, "That shouldn't be the case, right?"

Shen Yubai should accept his invitation.

Xu Chuning: "I'm not sure."

Of course, Xu Chu Ning felt that Shen Yubai would most likely not reject Shen Sinian.

But there are always unexpected events.

Based on their interactions in the past few months, Xu Chuning discovered that Shen Yubai treats Shen Sinian...even better than she does to Shen Sinian.

Before this, Xu Chu Ning had never thought that Shen Yubai would be so gentle when treating children.

Although this child...is currently the same age as them.

"Ning Ning."

Xu Chuning: “Ah?”

She pulled herself back to her thoughts and asked, "What?"

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

Xu Chu Ning: "What did you just say?"

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

"?"

Xu Chu Ning subconsciously asked: "Why?"

Could it be that Shen Yubai is angry today?

Shen Sinian: "He knows that you asked me out but didn't invite him, so he's sulking at home. Let's buy him a gift to comfort him."

Xu Chuning: “…”

Not to the point.