CTS 41

Shen Mo stared at him, stunned, unable to find his voice.

All around them, the noise of the crowd filled the air, the familiar chaos of a foreign land. A few blonde-haired, blue-eyed children were chasing each other nearby. One of them, being pursued, shrieked and ran straight in Shen Mo’s direction. Shen Mo, caught off guard, didn’t think to dodge and was hit.

What followed felt like a chain-reaction accident. Shen Mo stumbled back several steps and knocked over a sun umbrella behind him. At the same moment, a server happened to pass by with a tray, and a cup of hot milk spilled completely onto Shen Mo’s hand.

The whole incident lasted only a few seconds, but to Shen Mo, it felt like someone had pressed slow motion. His thoughts dragged, everything under the blazing sunlight stretched and exaggerated in his mind. Amid the chaos, he caught a glimpse of Ji Mingxuan’s surprised expression. Then he took long strides toward him.

It wasn’t until Ji Mingxuan grabbed his hand that Shen Mo snapped out of it, realizing his hand was burning with pain. He finally managed to speak.

“Mr. Ji…”

Ji Mingxuan didn’t answer. He simply lowered his head to inspect Shen Mo’s hand. Seeing the flushed redness across the back of it, he frowned slightly, then took Shen Mo by the wrist and led him away from the pool, heading into the hotel.

They passed all sorts of people along the way. Shen Mo didn’t think of anything else. He just followed Ji Mingxuan’s lead.

He pulled him into the restroom, turned on the tap, and began rinsing his hand under the cold water. The stream rushed over the skin with a hissing sound. Shen Mo looked up at Ji Mingxuan’s reflection in the mirror and called again.

“Mr. Ji.”

Ji Mingxuan hummed. His voice was soft that it barely registered.

“Mm.”

That single sound made Shen Mo’s restless heart suddenly settle.

Ji Mingxuan kept his head down, focused on Shen Mo’s hand. The red skin was turning pale under the cold water. Shen Mo said quietly, “That’s enough, Mr. Ji.”

But Ji Mingxuan held his wrist firmly.

“A little longer,” he said.

Then he glanced at Shen Mo briefly and looked away just as quickly.

“You haven’t changed much.”

Shen Mo looked at him openly through the mirror, tracing the contours of his face with his eyes.

“Neither have you, Mr. Ji.”

Ji Mingxuan suddenly let go of his hand and pulled out his phone, making a call.

“Yes, it’s me… seems like a burn. Bring the first aid kit.”

He paused to speak to Shen Mo in between.

“Keep rinsing.”

Shen Mo had no choice but to keep his hand under the water.

A few minutes later, the hotel manager arrived carrying a medical kit and greeted Ji Mingxuan with a respectful tone.

“Mr. Ji.”

Ji Mingxuan gave a small nod and exchanged a few words with him. Then he took out a tube of burn ointment from the kit.

Reading the atmosphere, Shen Mo guessed that Ji Mingxuan was one of the hotel’s investors.

After sending the manager away, Ji Mingxuan turned to him and said, “The lighting here isn’t great. Let’s go outside to apply the medicine.”

Shen Mo followed him back out. They found a window-side sofa in the lobby and sat down. Not long after, a server brought over two cups of coffee.

Ji Mingxuan took Shen Mo’s hand and began applying the burn ointment slowly. As he worked, he asked, “Visiting S Island for vacation?”

His tone was light, like an old friend making casual conversation.

Shen Mo replied, “I’ve started painting again. Just out here looking for some inspiration.”

Ji Mingxuan gave a slight nod. “The scenery on S Island is beautiful.”

He went on to talk about the local customs and sights. Shen Mo played along, agreeing and sharing a bit about the sunsets on the beach and the ocean view from the cliffs. Both of them seemed somewhat distracted, yet the conversation surprisingly flowed.

After a while, Ji Mingxuan paused and asked, “You came alone?”

“Yes. I’ve got all the free time in the world.”

“When did you arrive?”

“A few days ago…” Shen Mo trailed off midway and didn’t finish.

How was he supposed to explain it? That he had come all the way to S Island specifically on Mr. Ji’s birthday?

His ears burned. He quickly raised the coffee cup to cover his face.

They fell into silence again. Shen Mo didn’t dare ask about Ji An’an. He had heard bits of news back home, and knew that she had passed away three years ago.

Ji Mingxuan only had Ji An’an as family. How devastating must that have been for him? Shen Mo himself had felt miserable for several days. Later, when hiring staff, he had chosen Yang Yue partly because her lively personality reminded him a little of Ji An’an.

Ji Mingxuan’s movements as he applied the ointment were careful and precise, but no matter how slow he was, it had to end eventually. Once finished, he looked at Shen Mo’s hand one more time and said, “It’s done.”

Shen Mo blinked. “Oh.”

He didn’t know whether he should thank him or say goodbye.

Ji Mingxuan didn’t let go of his hand. The look on his face was guarded, giving nothing away.

Just then, the sound of running footsteps approached.

Shen Mo saw a young boy, around three or four years old, run toward them. He had black hair, fair skin, and large, lively eyes. He wore a little tailored suit and looked far more striking than the children by the pool earlier.

There was no adult with him, but he ran straight toward Ji Mingxuan and threw himself into his arms. Looking up, he said clearly, “Daddy.”