Hot flashes

Shen House.

The study door was tightly closed.

Several trusted confidants stood in the corridor, far from the door, keeping watch. No one dared to approach; even their footsteps were deliberately kept to a minimum.

Shen Cheng sat in the main seat, his face thin and refined, but his eyes were sharp. He wore a simple dark gray robe and held a string of sandalwood prayer beads in his hand, turning them one by one.

Shen Yu sat to his left, his expression calm, revealing nothing of his thoughts.

Shen Ji stood by the window, his back to the light, half of his face hidden in the shadows.

The room was quiet for a while.

Shen Cheng spoke.

"How's that kid doing?"

Shen Ji lowered his eyes.

"Just a dissolute playboy."

Shen Cheng nodded.

"That's good enough," he said. "He doesn't need to be taught too well. He doesn't need to be too smart."

Shen Ji's eyes darkened. He didn't say anything.

Shen Cheng twirled his prayer beads and remained silent for a moment. Then he looked up at Shen Yu.

"Since that person is determined to go to extremes," he said, "then don't blame us."

Shen Yu's brows twitched slightly.

He opened his mouth as if to say something, but then swallowed it back.

Shen Cheng looked at him.

“You’ve been kind to him,” he said, his voice low but each word clear, “but he won’t be kind to you.”

Shen Yu remained silent.

The room was quiet for a while.

Shen Cheng finished turning one rosary bead and then turned the next one.

"Notify everyone," he said, "to prepare accordingly."

Shen Yu nodded.

Shen Ji stood there, without saying a word.

Shen Cheng glanced at him.

"Shi Yu".

Shen Ji raised his eyes.

Shen Cheng said, "As long as you know what's going on, that's fine."

Shen Ji lowered his eyes.

"Yes."

Shen Cheng waved his hand.

The two left the study.

Shen Ji turned around and walked towards his own courtyard.

---

The courtyard gate was ajar.

Shen Ji pushed open the door and went inside.

He walked around the withered flower trellis and immediately spotted the person behind the desk.

Cheng Yan lay face down on the desk, his face buried in his arms, motionless.

Shen Ji paused for a moment.

He walked over.

The footsteps startled the person. Cheng Yan sat up with a start, frantically reaching for the pen beside him. He grabbed it, lowered his head, and pretended to make a few gestures on the paper.

There was nothing on the paper. The paper was blank, without even a single ink dot.

Shen Ji stood in front of him, looking down at the paper.

Cheng Yan's pen hovered in mid-air, frozen in place.

He slowly raised his head, met Shen Ji's gaze, and forced a smile.

"Um... I... I rested for a while, I'll start writing now..."

Shen Ji remained silent.

Cheng Yan felt uneasy under his gaze, and the smile on his face grew increasingly stiff.

"Really, I'll start writing right away, I'll definitely finish it tonight—"

Shen Ji withdrew his gaze.

He walked past the desk and into the inner room.

Cheng Yan stood there, staring at his disappearing figure, unable to react for a long time.

After a while, the door to the inner room opened.

Shen Ji came out, carrying a book in his hand. He walked to the couch by the window, sat down, opened the book, and began to read.

Cheng Yan blinked.

"You...aren't going to yell at me?"

Shen Ji did not look up.

Cheng Yan waited for a while, and seeing that he really didn't intend to speak, he became even more uneasy.

He put down his pen and leaned closer.

"Shen Shiyu?"

Shen Ji turned a page of his book.

Cheng Yan sat down next to him, getting even closer.

"What's wrong with you?"

Shen Ji shifted his gaze from the book to his face.

Cheng Yan felt uncomfortable under that gaze and shrank back.

Shen Ji looked away and continued reading.

"It's alright," he said.

Cheng Yan didn't believe him. She stared at him for a long time, then suddenly her eyes darted around, and a suspicious smile slowly appeared on her face.

Tears welled up from the corners of her mouth, and her eyebrows and eyes curved in a smile.

"Did your husband scold you?"

Shen Ji remained silent.

Cheng Yan moved closer to him, her voice filled with barely suppressed schadenfreude.

"It's okay, it's normal. Everyone makes mistakes sometimes."

The words were meant to comfort, but the smile in her eyes and brows was impossible to hide.

Shen Ji put down his book and looked at him.

Cheng Yan felt a tightness in his heart when he was looked at, but he hadn't had time to wipe the smile off his face.

"Are you happy?" Shen Ji's voice was flat.

Cheng Yan's smile froze on his face.

"Why are you happy to be here?"

Cheng Yan was stunned for a moment.

Then he stood up and took a step back.

"Then what should I do?" he said. "Cry every day?"

Shen Ji remained silent.

Cheng Yan looked at him and suddenly felt a little bored.

"Shen Shiyu," he said, "you're just too boring. You have no way of chatting, no wonder you don't like girls."

Shen Ji lowered his eyes and picked up the book again.

Cheng Yan stood there, looking at him like this, and suddenly remembered something.

"Hey," he leaned closer, "I don't think I've ever seen you smile before."

Shen Ji paused for a moment as he turned the pages of the book.

Cheng Yan's eyes lit up, as if he had discovered something extraordinary.

"Really, I've never seen you smile before. Shen Shiyu, smile, let me see you smile?"

Shen Ji didn't even lift his eyelids.

Cheng Yan pursed his lips.

"Boring."

He turned and walked back to his desk, plopping down in a chair.

After sitting for a while, he propped his face up with his hand and secretly glanced out the window.

Shen Ji was still reading and didn't look up.

Cheng Yan glanced at it again.

He still didn't look up.

He slowly lowered his hand, then lay face down on the desk, burying his face in his arms. His eyes were still open, peeking out through the gaps in his arms.

Shen Ji turned a page of his book.

No response.

Cheng Yan's eyelids began to droop. He had gone to bed late last night and woken up early this morning, and waves of drowsiness were washing over him. He struggled to take one last look, and seeing that Shen Ji was still the same, he finally closed his eyes with relief.

His breathing gradually became even.