Shen Yue directly contacted No. 14 through the earpiece, "Don't wait for me, I'll come back tomorrow."
In the past when Shen Yue gave orders to No. 14, No. 14 would only have one answer: okay.
There would be no other answer.
But this time, Shen Yue didn't hear the familiar reply she was used to. Instead, No. 14 asked with a slightly questioning and worried tone, "Where are you now? Do you need me to come over?"
Shen Yue glanced at Si Chengyou in front of her who was gradually losing his mind under the influence of alcohol, and simply replied, "No need to come over. You, Aman and Aisi eat the dumplings together."
Shen Yue felt that No. 14 was probably going to say something more, but she didn't give No. 14 a chance to speak before she cut off the connection.
Some words are better left unsaid even when we understand each other.
Shen Yue sat on the sofa in Si Chengyou's room without sleeping all night.
She also happened to see Si Chengyou sobbing in his sleep.
Shen Yue also tried to think of something sad, intending to go with the flow and cry along, but she couldn't cry.
Ever since that time, she hasn't been able to cry. As Danni La put it, she probably dried up all her tears for this life when Ma Sha died.
Now when she thought about it, it was probably true.
The smell of alcohol lingering on the tip of her nose was slow to dissipate. The tranquil scent of sandalwood that Si Chengyou always carried with him had become a fading warmth that she had to deliberately search for to feel.
...
At 8 o'clock in the morning, Si Chengyou opened his eyes on time. In an instant, he and Shen Yue not far away locked eyes with each other. After holding each other's gaze for two seconds, they understood the meaning in them.
Shen Yue realized that Si Chengyou didn't intend to use alcohol-induced amnesia as an excuse to evade what happened last night. Si Chengyou also understood that Shen Yue had already seen his embarrassing side, though she still had a skeptical attitude for the time being.
Seeing that Si Chengyou was awake, Shen Yue got up as if nothing had happened. She walked to the table, picked up the package of uncooked dumplings she had brought over last night, and asked, "Do you want to eat dumplings? They are crab roe flavored."
Si Chengyou looked at the dumplings Shen Yue was holding, which were wrapped in various irregular shapes, and was stunned for a moment. "Did you wrap them?"
Shen Yue shook her head. "Aisi wrapped them. His look very nice."
Only then did Si Chengyou nod. "Put them there. I'll go cook them later."
When it came to cooking skills, Shen Yue had a special talent. He didn't really want to be the little white mouse for testing Shen Yue's cooking. As long as they weren't dumplings wrapped by Shen Yue, it was fine.
But Shen Yue was not very satisfied with Si Chengyou’s answer. "It's time for breakfast now."
Si Chengyou looked at Shen Yue in silence for a moment, and understood her implication.
He was still wearing the dress shirt he wore last night. There were traces of dried blood on the left cuff of the shirt. He wore suit pants below, and even the slippers on his feet were still neatly worn.
It was evident that not only did Shen Yue not take advantage of him, she didn't even do anything at all.
Even so, there was still a hint of unease in Si Chengyou's heart. He forced himself not to let his expression differ from usual. He told Shen Yue, "I want to change my clothes. Can you go out first?"
Shen Yue agreed very readily. "Okay, I'll go cook the dumplings."
Shen Yue was going to cook the dumplings.
When Si Chengyou realized this fact, he made the best choice at that moment, "I'll do it."
The clothes could wait, but once he let Shen Yue enter the kitchen, it would be too late.
Shen Yue looked at Si Chengyou in confusion. "Aren't you going to change your clothes?"
"I'll change them later."
When Si Chengyou left the bedroom, he lit a incense. Shen Yue realized this was where the scent she always smelled on Si Chengyou came from.
Aman said this kind of incense could ward off cold, soothe pain, regulate weak spleen and stomach.
But now... because Si Chengyou hadn't changed his clothes yet, there was still the smell of alcohol on him. But coupled with his messy, unkempt hair, it didn't actually feel out of place.
Shen Yue followed Si Chengyou into the kitchen and watched him boil water, prepare seasonings, and even casually pull out a rubber band from somewhere to tie up his loose hair.
"Si Chengyou, I want to tie my hair too."
Shen Yue's head of black hair was casually draped over her shoulders, drifting along with her movements.
Without saying anything, Si Chengyou took off the rubber band from his own head and started tying Shen Yue's hair into a ponytail.
As Shen Yue felt Si Chengyou's fingertips sliding through her hair strands, she suddenly spoke up, "What does it mean to become a hero?"
Si Chengyou's fingers clearly paused for a moment, but he quickly adjusted and casually changed the subject. "How did you get here yesterday?"
Now Shen Yue wasn't so easily fooled. She didn't go along with Si Chengyou's pace but asked again, "Is this your purpose in helping me?"
Si Chengyou fastened the strands of hair into the last loop of the rubber band. He walked back to the pot where the water had already started boiling and began dropping the dumplings in.
"You saw everything yesterday, why didn't you ask yesterday?" Si Chengyou's bangs were covering his eyes, so Shen Yue couldn't see the look in them from the side.
Even so, they both understood clearly that given Si Chengyou's state last night and Shen Yue's current skill in manipulating people's hearts, Shen Yue could have easily extracted any information from last night's Si Chengyou.
"You said gentlemen do not take advantage of others' distress, they do not put others in danger. I'm just doing as you said." Shen Yue's answer was well-reasoned. It seemed to be an extremely rational response, but Si Chengyou's breathing inexplicably became chaotic for a moment. Even he himself didn't know why.
"Do you really listen to what I say so much?" Si Chengyou laughed lightly. It seemed he was joking with Shen Yue, and also probing.
Shen Yue didn't care. In the face of the truth she wanted to know, such probing was meaningless. "Don't you know, I've always listened to what you said."
Si Chengyou didn't reply anymore.
Shen Yue played with her ponytail and didn't speak either.
For a while, the only sound left in the kitchen was the bubbling hot water.
When the dumplings floated to the water's surface, Si Chengyou scooped them out into a plate and gave Shen Yue a pair of chopsticks for her to carry her own bowl. "Go eat at the dining table."
"Oh." Shen Yue followed behind Si Chengyou, carrying her bowl. She watched as Si Chengyou put the dumplings on the dining table and then sat down at the head of the table without any reservations at all.
Si Chengyou didn't sit down immediately, but first went back to the room to change his clothes.
When he came out from the room again, he had reverted back to his usual appearance. He also carried the faint scent of sandalwood. It was as if the Si Chengyou Shen Yue saw last night was just a dream.
But Shen Yue knew that was real.
The two didn't converse at all while eating dumplings until Shen Yue finished eating and put down her chopsticks to leave.
"I'm going now and will come again tomorrow." No. 14 was probably still waiting for her return.
Shen Yue knew that even though she said that yesterday, No. 14 would definitely keep watching until he saw her go back before feeling assured.
Si Chengyou simply hmm-ed without asking her to stay.
After a while, the elevator started, and the usual tranquility returned to the 36th floor.
Si Chengyou put down his chopsticks and leaned back. The calmness on his face from earlier disappeared.
He really didn't expect Shen Yue to come yesterday. Shen Yue seeing his other side had completely disrupted his plans.
But at the same time, because of this accident, he also saw another possibility, another choice with greater feasibility.
He knew it would be better than the current plan, but why, now that he had come this far, was he hesitating instead?
["You said, I've always listened to what you said."]
Si Chengyou heaved a heavy sigh, buried his face in his palms, "Father, what should I do?"
