| BYSG | Crush | 56
As noon approached, everyone had arrived, and the dining table was fully set.
Shen Yu sat with Cheng Mofei on one side and Shen Xunyan on the other.
Next to Shen Xunyan was Ning Boren, with a small stuffed dog placed between Ning Boren and Ning Yuan.
On Ning Yuan's other side sat Ning Que and Cheng Mofei.
The hot pot was already boiling, and the table was filled with laughter and conversation as they ate.
Shen Xunyan took a photo and posted it on her social media.
Her caption read: [A family hot pot meal together.]
Though it seemed like there was an extra Xiao Cheng... she had only photographed the food on the table, so no one would notice.
If only it would snow outside, that would complete the scene.
Unfortunately, Yancheng probably wouldn’t see snowfall until early December.
Meanwhile, Shen Yu’s bowl had once again been piled high with freshly cooked meat and vegetables, forming a little mountain.
Part of the food was placed in Shen Yu’s bowl by Shen Xunyan, while the rest came from Cheng Mofei, who had long arms and easily reached over.
Shen Yu could only try his best to stuff everything into his mouth, his cheeks puffing out.
Unsurprisingly, he was completely full.
Shen Xunyan had prepared two hot pots. One was a yin-yang pot—half spicy red oil, half bone broth for cooking meat and vegetables. The other was inspired by Cantonese congee-based hot pot, specifically for seafood.
Shen Yu was only allergic to a certain type of sea shrimp, but not to other seafood.
So, he didn’t mention any food restrictions, only stating that he wasn’t particularly fond of shrimp.
After all, seafood was generally expensive, and as an eighteen-year-old, he hadn’t had many chances to try it.
Noticing that Shen Xunyan wasn’t putting any shrimp into her own bowl either, a sudden thought popped into Shen Yu’s mind.
Unable to hold back, he eagerly asked, “Mom, do you not like shrimp either?”
Shen Xunyan shook her head. “It’s not that I dislike it. I’m just allergic to sea shrimp, so I can’t eat it.”
Just as he had thought.
Shen Yu bit his chopsticks with a smile.
He was his mother’s child.
He felt truly happy whenever he discovered more similarities between himself and his mom.
…
Finally, when he could eat no more, Shen Yu set down his chopsticks and leaned back in his chair to digest. Suddenly, a thought crossed his mind, and he turned to Shen Xunyan.
“Oh, right, Mom. I want to get a full-body checkup. Which hospital would be best?”
Shen Xunyan immediately looked worried. “Why? Are you feeling unwell?”
Shen Yu quickly shook his head. “No, not at all. I just heard experts say that getting an annual full-body checkup is good for maintaining health.”
Only then did Shen Xunyan relax a little. “I’ll take you for one later.”
Shen Yu hummed in agreement.
Mom would probably go with him, so when the time came, he’d just pull her along to get a checkup too.
After all, it would take the same amount of time whether one person or two were doing it, they might as well do it together.
From now on, every year, he would make sure to take his mom for her checkup on time, he absolutely couldn’t let history repeat itself.
Cheng Mofei had originally wanted to suggest that he and Shen Yu could go for their checkups together. But when he saw that Shen Xunyan was going to take Shen Yu herself, he wisely kept quiet.
He already spent plenty of time with Shen Yu, and he knew Shen Yu would definitely want to do this with his mother, to be guided by her through these little moments, filling in the gaps of those lost ten-plus years.
After the meal, Ning Yuan hugged her stuffed puppy and led Shen Yu, Cheng Mofei, and Ning Que to the living room to watch TV, while Shen Xunyan and Ning Boren stayed behind to clear the table and wash the dishes.
Since none of the three had anything specific they wanted to watch, Ning Yuan happily put on My Little Pony, her favorite show.
Ning Que silently peeled pine nuts from the bowl on the table, observing the two beside him without a word.
Cheng Mofei picked up a sugar tangerine but didn’t peel it right away. Instead, he looked over at his younger brother with a silent, pleading expression. Only after receiving a slight nod of approval did he start peeling the tangerine.
Once he had carefully removed every last bit of the pith, he split the fruit in half and handed one portion to his brother.
Seeing his younger brother also start peeling pine nuts, Cheng Mofei eagerly joined in, helping to shell them one by one.
Yet, he didn’t eat a single one himself—chances were, he’d give them all to his brother.
Their phone cases were exactly the same.
Some might call it a "good brothers" matching set.
Those who knew better would call it a "subtle couple’s case."
Ning Que had already read through every layer of that now-deleted forum post from the Yanda University forum about his brother and Cheng Mofei.
As someone with plenty of experience in romance, he had originally thought himself quite the expert.
But now… he was starting to think his younger brother was even more skilled.
On the surface, he looked like an innocent, inexperienced romantic novice.
Behind the scenes, he played people like they were mere puppets.
Impressive.
As Ning Que pondered this, he unconsciously sped up his pace at peeling pine nuts.
He loved pine nuts. Ever since Aunt Shen had learned about it, she always kept some at home for him.
But right now—
He couldn’t beat these two people by himself.
Especially that guy surnamed Cheng—his peeling speed was faster than factory workers assembling zippers by hand. He wasn’t even eating them, yet he was going at it with insane enthusiasm.
Damn.
If he didn’t speed up, there’d be nothing left for him.
…
Cheng Mofei wasn’t particularly fond of pine nuts, he found their taste a bit odd. But since Shen Yu wanted to eat them and he had nothing else to do, he started helping peel them.
Surprisingly, it was kind of therapeutic.
Shen Yu didn’t actually love pine nuts either. He was just absentmindedly keeping his hands busy, peeling a few here and there. He hadn’t expected Cheng Mofei to go all in, shelling a whole pile for him.
With three grown men peeling pine nuts together, it wasn’t long before the small container was completely emptied.
Watching as Cheng Mofei pushed the little mountain of peeled pine nuts toward Shen Yu while he himself was left with nothing, Ning Que felt an impending sense of collapse.
His silent collapse was deafening, yet no one noticed.
Cheng Mofei clapped the pine nut dust off his hands and stood up. “I’m going to wash my hands and use the restroom.”
The bathroom was at the end of the hall. He had noticed it earlier when Ning Yuan gave them a tour, so he walked straight over.
What he hadn’t expected was to run into Shen Yu’s mother just as he stepped out of the restroom.
Shen Xunyan smiled warmly and spoke in a low voice. “Xiao Cheng, let’s add each other on WeChat. If Xiao Yu ever needs anything or runs into any trouble, you can quietly let me know.”
Cheng Mofei immediately understood her meaning. Without hesitation, he pulled out his phone and added her as a friend.
Shen Yu’s mom’s profile picture was an oil painting—he wasn’t sure if she had painted it herself, but the colors were beautiful.
When he returned to the living room, Shen Yu was still working on finishing the pile of peeled pine nuts.
Ning Que grabbed a small stool and scooted over to sit beside Ning Yuan, watching cartoons with her, out of sight, out of mind. He was afraid that if he kept looking, he wouldn’t be able to resist stealing his brother’s pine nuts.
…
It was late November, and the nights were getting colder. With Monday classes looming, the three didn’t stay for dinner.
Since Yanda and Yan University were close to each other, and Cheng Mofei had driven there, he would naturally drive back. It would’ve been convenient for Ning Que to hitch a ride with him.
But Ning Que made up an excuse, saying he had other things to take care of nearby, avoiding the ride home with them.
Of course, there was nothing he actually needed to do. After saying that, he leisurely strolled toward the nearest subway station.
How funny. The pine nut warning wasn’t enough?
He knew better than to stick around as an unnecessary light bulb.
On the way back, Shen Yu kept admiring the oil painting his mother had slipped into his hands before they left.
She had mentioned last time that she would paint something for him.
The painting depicted a quiet corner of a pond, where two fish, one big, one small swam together. They looked like a mother fish leading her baby, basking in the sunlight beneath a lotus leaf.
Above them, a beautiful lotus flower bloomed.
On the back of the painting was his mother’s signature and a short message:
[You are the most beautiful corner in mother’s eyes.]
Shen Yu traced his fingers gently over the words.
So… he really wasn’t abandoned.
A slight sting crept into his nose. He quickly turned his head toward the window, blinking rapidly, unwilling to let Cheng Mofei see.
It was nearing rush hour. Cheng Mofei, wary of getting stuck in traffic, drove faster than usual, his focus sharpened.
He wanted to make it back to school before the roads clogged up, otherwise, who knew how long they’d be stuck?
Because of that, he didn’t notice the small movements happening in the passenger seat.
When they finally arrived at school smoothly, Cheng Mofei grinned proudly and asked, “So? My driving skills aren’t bad, right?”
Shen Yu had long since adjusted his emotions during the ride. He smiled and praised, “Really great.”
Cheng Mofei locked the car and walked back to the dormitory with Shen Yu.
On the way, Shen Yu sent his mom a message:
[Mom, I’m back at school. I’m going to shower first, the hotpot smell is strong, and I don’t want it lingering in the dorm.]
Once they got back, Shen Yu plugged in his phone to charge and headed straight for the bathroom.
Cheng Mofei also plugged in his phone, planning to take a shower after Shen Yu was done. Just as he was about to relax, a WeChat notification popped up.
It was from Shen Yu’s mom.
[Xiao Cheng, Auntie has some gossip to share with you. But you can’t tell Xiao Yu, okay?]
Gossip?
Gossip about Shen Yu… Could it be related to Shen Yu's sexual orientation?
Auntie didn’t seem like an unaccepting person, so if it really was about that, he wasn’t too worried.
Cheng Mofei quickly typed back: [Auntie, what do you want to know?]
Shen Xunyan replied: [What kind of person is Xiao Yu’s crush? Is it someone from Yanda University as well?]
Cheng Mofei: “…?”
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