Chapter 1371: THAT WAS THAT

SHEN JI YUN had been only four when this happened. At the time, he was living abroad, so even if this had been major news, he wouldn’t have known about it. But Luo Yan was different. He would have been twelve. There was no way he hadn’t heard about it. Maybe knowing that the couple had been sent to prison for life had helped him heal. Shen Ji Yun hoped that was the case.

He didn’t want Luo Yan to be trapped in the past, especially not in that part of his life. That demon couple had already done enough damage. He didn’t want them taking up any space in Luo Yan’s mind. But judging by how well adjusted Luo Yan was, Shen Ji Yun felt like he had truly moved on. Still, no matter how healed he was, that kind of pain must have left a scar that had ultimately become a scab on his heart. Something that might never fully disappear.

But at least they had been punished. It was just unfortunate that it took the death of an innocent child for that to happen. That was the way the world worked, wasn’t it? Money and influence could shield people from consequences, until they pushed things too far and even the trash system could no longer turn a blind eye on their crimes.

Shen Ji Yun shook his head, feeling bitter. He read a few more articles about the case and was surprised to see that the lead prosecutor had been Uncle Yi Wu. That case had been the one that launched his political career. After the trial, he had even proposed a bill that would require stricter background checks for adoptive parents to prevent cases like this from happening again.

He hadn’t expected the Shen family to be connected to this case in any way. Even if his eldest uncle’s motives weren’t purely about justice and were partly about advancing his career, at least he had brought justice to the child that couple killed and to the other boys they had abused, including Luo Yan. The bill he proposed probably ended up saving a lot of orphans too.

He knew that every move the Shen family made in politics was aimed at advancing their own standing. But he could admit that they had helped a lot of people along the way. It was a bit ironic, though, considering how the current head of the family was both xenophobic and homophobic. Which also affected the younger generation’s three views.

Shen Ji Yun closed his laptop. Well, that was that. He was just glad the demon couple was already in prison. If they hadn’t been punished for what they did to Luo Yan, he would have found a way to make them pay himself. He didn’t know how yet, but he would have figured it out. Since they were already behind bars, however, he could let that plan go.

He stared at the ceiling, his mind still turning over everything he had just read. The sound of the door opening pulled him out of his thoughts. He turned and saw his uncle standing there, a wide grin on his face.

"You’re back," his uncle said, walking over and sitting down on the edge of the bed. "So, how was the trip?"

The gloom in his heart slightly lifted at his uncle’s question. He had already found out what he needed to know about that couple. There was no point in holding onto it any longer. If he kept dwelling on it, he might end up sinking into depression. So instead, he thought about the trip. About Luo Yan. About everything they had shared. And slowly, happiness began to seep back into his heart.

"It was amazing." Shen Ji Yun said, a small smile on his lips.

Shen Yi Mu felt a wave of relief at his nephew’s answer. When he had first opened the door and seen the dark mood hanging over Shen Ji Yun, he had worried that something had gone wrong on the trip. That was why he had put on a brighter tone than usual when he asked about it. The moment Shen Ji Yun started talking, the heaviness around him began to fade, and happiness slowly took its place. It was a relief to see.

So that meant nothing bad had happened during the trip. If anything, it seemed like the opposite. Now he was curious about what had caused the gloom he had seen earlier. But that curiosity faded as soon as Shen Ji Yun started talking about his trip. He let go of his worry, deciding he must have just misread the situation, and listened with genuine interest. It wasn’t every day that Shen Ji Yun talked with this much excitement.

***

At the Bai mansion, Luo Yan had just finished a video call with his father and brothers. He told them the same things he had told Aunt Xiulan and Bai Ye when he arrived earlier. The two of them had bombarded him with questions as soon as he walked in. He was lucky Bai Ze wasn’t home, or the questions would have been even more relentless. He talked about how beautiful Rissai Valley was, the attractions they visited, the food, and other random details about the trip. After the call, he headed to the bathroom for a long, relaxing bath.

He dropped his favorite bath bomb into the water and let out a long sigh as he sank into the tub. He didn’t want to show it to Shen Ji Yun, but his body was still sore from their "activities" the night before. If he let even a hint of pain show, Shen Ji Yun would start feeling guilty. And that was the last thing he wanted. What if Shen Ji Yun decided to hold back next time because of it? He couldn’t let that happen.

Luo Yan leaned back on the tub, and a sudden mischievous idea entered his mind. He grabbed his phone from the small shelf on the wall beside the tub, positioned himself in a seductive pose, and snapped a photo. Then he sent it to Shen Ji Yun with a playful smirk. He could already imagine Shen Ji Yun’s reaction. He set the phone back on the shelf and sank deeper into the water.

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