Shen Yuan froze for a moment when he saw it was his uncle, then immediately softened.
He didn’t want to worry him, so he lied. “I wasn’t crying. My eyes were tired, so I used some eyedrops. They sting a little.”
He stepped aside to let his uncle into the apartment.
“Why didn’t you come home this week?” Li Chen asked.
Shen Yuan didn’t know how to answer. He couldn’t exactly say he didn’t want to see his uncle being lovey-dovey with his new girlfriend.
Li Chen had never been a strikingly handsome man, even when he was young—more on the clean, gentle side. A slightly square jaw, thick brows, downturned eyes, a bit of a baby face. He aged well, kept himself in good shape, with a full head of dark hair. His peers might’ve been better-looking before, but now that everyone was older, the years had settled into his demeanor, and among forty-year-old men, he easily counted as refined and warm-tempered.
Li Chen wasn’t slow. He looked directly at Shen Yuan. Shen Yuan looked away, avoiding his eyes. Li Chen got to the point. “You’re not coming home because of Aunt Lin, right?”
Shen Yuan was still too young—just a slight press of his lips and a faint crease between his brows, and Li Chen knew he’d hit the mark.
Shen Yuan remembered being fourteen, back when he didn’t know Li Chen would become his stepfather. He had only thought he was a kind stranger he happened to hit it off with.
He’d been studying at an ordinary school back then. There were always some delinquent kids looking for trouble, occasionally stopping him to extort him. If he got surrounded, he could only curse under his breath and hand over what little allowance he had. That day he’d just been shoved to the ground when a shout thundered from somewhere behind him. The little punks scattered, and Li Chen rushed over to pull Shen Yuan up. It had rained the day before; he’d fallen into a muddy puddle, half his body wet, his knee scraped raw.
Li Chen took him to a nearby pharmacy for iodine and cotton swabs, cleaning the wound as he talked.
“You know those kids, don’t you? Looks like this isn’t the first time. You should tell your teacher.”
The scrape stung, but it was nothing serious. Shen Yuan muttered, “Who else are they gonna pick on? I don’t have a dad or mom. No one’s gonna stand up for me. Telling the teacher won’t help. Punish them once and they’ll just take it out on me twice as hard. Doesn’t solve anything.”
Li Chen laughed. “Here I thought you were brave. You really just surrender because you think fighting back won’t work? The more you back down, the more they’ll think you’re an easy target. It’ll never end.”
Shen Yuan went quiet, mulling over his words. He wasn’t wrong—enduring didn’t fix anything. But if he couldn’t fight back, what else could he do?
Later… later Li Chen became his dad, and transferred him to a different school.
No one openly bullied him there, but cliques still existed. As soon as he arrived, Wang Ziqin picked a fight with him—for who-knows-what reason. But this time Shen Yuan was smarter. If that was how things were, then he would just align himself with the pack leader and blend into the group.
He knew he could ask his uncle for help. He could complain and have Li Chen talk to Wang Ziqin’s father. But that would only burden his uncle. The Wang family had money and influence. For him, a stepchild of no importance, to cause trouble for his uncle—it wasn’t worth it.
Besides, school problems weren’t something parents could fix long-term. They could solve it once, not twice. In the end, he had to rely on himself.
And he didn’t want to hide in the background. People said keeping your head down and minding your own business was enough. But he disagreed—everyone else was climbing upward; if he stayed still, he’d only make himself a stepping stone.
There was a fire in his chest. Maybe life had been designed to make him cower and shrink, but he refused. He would fight his way upward. One day, all those people would look at him differently.
Shen Yuan said nothing.
Li Chen sighed when he didn’t respond. “Ah-Ben, you’re an adult now. You can stand on your own. Your mother passed away, and you’re worried that once I remarry, I won’t care about you anymore, right? But I promised you—I’ve always treated you as my own son. I treat you no worse than Xiao Lin. I’ve never once thought of kicking you out, so why do you keep planning your exit?”
It wasn’t that he was preparing to leave. He was preparing to be abandoned.
He always had been.
Shen Yuan hesitated, then spoke plainly. “Uncle, of course I trust you. But what about Miss Lin? She might not like me. Some things shouldn’t be tested. Instead of pushing things to the breaking point, it’s better for me to step back—to keep a comfortable distance. It’s better for everyone.”
“She’s not that kind of woman,” Li Chen said instantly, without a flicker of doubt.
Shen Yuan flinched. The sourness hit him all at once.
Li Chen continued, “I know you try to be thoughtful. You’ve always been like this—before I even say a word, you already overthink ten different scenarios and scare yourself with them. Even if you’re past eighteen and don’t legally need a guardian anymore, I’m still your family. You’re different.”
Then he smiled. “Besides, Miss Lin and I might not even get married. Don’t stress yourself out.”
Shen Yuan hesitated, then nodded. His stepfather was exactly this kind of man—gentle on the surface, but firm underneath. Once he made up his mind, no one could sway him.
Li Chen took out the gift he brought—his business card, a lighter, and a small blue velvet box—and set them on the table. The card was for a custom tailor in City K. “You’re starting work soon. You should have a proper outfit. I’ll pay for it. Even though I don’t want you smoking, you should keep a decent lighter on you. And you need a good watch so people take you seriously. Open it—see if you like the style.”
Shen Yuan opened the box. A Patek Philippe watch. The lighter was a Zippo.
He was stunned. “Th-this is too expensive. I can’t—”
“I knew you’d say that,” Li Chen said. “I didn’t get an overly expensive one. You can look up the price. This model’s only a hundred-twenty thousand. The lighter’s eight thousand.”
He nodded matter-of-factly, as if spending that much was nothing. He ruffled Shen Yuan’s hair. “Ah-Ben, I just want you to be happy. Your biggest flaw is being too obedient—always putting others first and wronging yourself. You can’t do that in the workplace. What’s yours is yours—you need to hold onto it. And don’t ever shrink yourself. You’re my son. Worst case, you can always come back to me. Even if you don’t work, I’ll take care of you.”
“Come on. Take them. They’re for you.”
Shen Yuan hesitated, then nodded, a bit gloomy. “…Thank you, Uncle.”
He really didn’t know how he could ever repay him.
After chatting awhile, Shen Yuan walked his uncle out.
Before leaving, Li Chen was still fussing over him. Shen Yuan looked at his gentle expression under the streetlamp and suddenly, rebelliously, asked, “Uncle… can I hug you?”
Li Chen didn’t even pause. “Of course.”
He opened his arms, and Shen Yuan stepped into them. Shen Yuan hugged him back, resting his face against his uncle’s shoulder, quietly breathing in the faint, calming scent so different from Qiao Hailou’s.
“You really grew up,” Li Chen said softly. “I still remember you at fourteen—so skinny you looked like a fragile little girl. Just skin and bones. At least now you’ve got a bit of weight on you.”
“Living alone… take care of yourself. If you need money, just tell me. Really, it’s fine.”
Then he teased, “I’ll get old one day—you’ll have to take care of me.”
The hug loosened slowly. Shen Yuan didn’t want to let go. He lifted his head, looking up at him with open, aching affection. “Yeah.”
Li Chen glanced down, and the streetlight caught something flickering deep in Shen Yuan’s eyes. His heart gave a sudden jump. He gently pushed Shen Yuan back. “Alright, I’ll walk to the parking lot myself. You stay here.”
Shen Yuan could only nod. He stood there obediently, watching his uncle walk farther and farther away.
Li Chen turned once and saw him still standing there. He waved helplessly.
Shen Yuan grinned foolishly and waved back. He watched as the car drove off, then finally headed upstairs.
He had just stepped inside—hadn’t even taken off his shoes—when the doorbell rang again.
A surprised thought flickered through him.
Did Uncle forget something and come back?
He opened the door.
A man with a build similar to Li Chen’s stood there, backlit so that his shadow swallowed the entire doorway.
Qiao Hailou’s eyes burned like tempered steel—fierce and cold at the same time. But his mouth was curved in a smile.
“I knew something didn’t add up… Now I finally get it. The ‘uncle’ you’ve been talking about—that uncle.”
“Well. Perfect. Just perfect, little thing.”
Shen Yuan’s heart skipped a beat. His breath caught.
Qiao Hailou pushed the door open and came in. Shen Yuan backed up in a panic until he hit the wall.
Qiao Hailou planted his left hand on the wall beside Shen Yuan’s face, cutting off every escape.