CTS Extra 4

On Valentine’s Day, the gift Shen Mo received was a single rose.

A red rose just beginning to bloom, with dewdrops still clinging to its petals. Someone had quietly placed it beside his pillow. Shen Mo saw it the moment he opened his eyes that morning. Though he had no particular fondness for a plant’s reproductive organ, receiving a gift on this day still made him stare at it again and again.

It was not until the sun rose higher in the sky and Ji Ning shouted from outside the door, calling for his uncle, that Shen Mo finally got up and washed up. Since it was the weekend, he woke a little later than usual. Ji Mingxuan and Ji Ning were already dressed and just waiting for him to eat breakfast together. After their meal, Shen Mo found a vase and placed the rose in it, while Ji Mingxuan stayed in the study with Ji Ning, watching him draw.

After returning to the country, Ji Ning was just the right age to attend kindergarten here. Maybe it was Shen Mo’s influence, but he had taken a strong interest in painting. Shen Mo was thrilled and bought him a pile of art supplies.

Since Ji Ning did not have school that day, he had been begging to draw since morning. Once Shen Mo finished up his tasks, he went to the study to have a look. Ji Ning was drawing the giraffe they had seen last week at the zoo. The picture was actually quite good. Shen Mo offered a few tips from the side, then took out his phone and snapped a photo.

He posted it straight to his Moments.

He had never been one to play with social media, but recently the store had hired a new young girl around the same age as Yang Yue. The two got along instantly and spent all day posting scenic photos, food, and couple moments. They even egged Shen Mo on to join in.

At first he just went through the motions, but eventually he got hooked. Mostly because his Ji Ning was so well-behaved and adorable. Like every foolish parent, he could not help but want to show him off every day.

Not long after Shen Mo posted the photo, Ji Mingxuan also pulled out his phone and took a look. After that, he seemed distracted, glancing at his phone from time to time.

Shen Mo noticed and said, “Mr Ji, do you have work to deal with? It’s fine, go ahead. I’ll stay with Ning.”

Ji Mingxuan answered with a straight face, “No.”

That tone was far from cheerful.

Shen Mo froze for a moment, unsure what was bothering him again. Even after spending so long together, he still found Ji Mingxuan hard to figure out. Could it be because he had said he was too tired last night and turned down a second round?

Shen Mo’s face felt warm, but with Ji Ning present, he could not ask directly. After a while, Ji Mingxuan finally stood up and left the study.

Shen Mo assumed he had gone to work, but it was not long before Ji Mingxuan came back, this time holding the rose Shen Mo had placed in the vase earlier.

Ji Ning looked up and called out, “Flower!”

Ji Mingxuan set the vase down on the desk, patted Ji Ning’s head, and asked, “Want to draw this?”

“But I haven’t finished my giraffe.”

“Finish that first, then draw this.”

Although he was speaking to Ji Ning, his eyes flicked intentionally toward Shen Mo.

Shen Mo finally understood what was going on. Ji Mingxuan had waited all this time, hoping for a couple post, but all he got was Shen Mo doting on their child. Realizing he would not get what he wanted, he had no choice but to take matters into his own hands.

Once it all clicked, Shen Mo felt both helpless and amused. He quickly took out his phone to take a photo of the rose. Ji Mingxuan finally looked satisfied and came to stand behind him, watching as he snapped the shot.

“That angle’s off. Shift a bit to the left.”

“Try turning on the flash.”

“No, still not right. Adjust the lighting.”

Shen Mo took several photos, but none met Ji Mingxuan’s expectations. In the end, Ji Mingxuan simply snatched the phone from his hand and started taking pictures himself.

Ji Ning watched from the side and curiously asked, “Uncle, is Daddy going to draw too?”

“No, he’s just taking some photos.”

In the end, Ji Mingxuan took pictures for a full thirty minutes.

Ji Ning had already finished drawing the giraffe and even listened to a whole story from Shen Mo before Ji Mingxuan calmly returned the phone to him. Shen Mo opened the photo album and found a whole collection of rose pictures, taken from every possible angle.

Now the real question was, which one should he post?

Shen Mo didn’t dare decide on his own and quickly asked Ji Mingxuan for his opinion.

Ji Mingxuan looked indifferent, casually pointing out one.

Shen Mo studied it carefully. It really was the best shot. After posting the photo to his Moments, Ji Mingxuan immediately gave it a like.

Shen Mo replied with a thank you.

And just like that, the little incident in the morning passed. After lunch, Ji Ning asked Shen Mo to take him to the amusement park. Ji Mingxuan happened to be free and volunteered to drive them.

The three of them changed clothes. Ji Mingxuan still wore a full suit, and Ji Ning had on a matching mini version. Standing together, they truly looked like father and son. Ji Mingxuan held Ji Ning’s hand and led him downstairs. Shen Mo followed after grabbing some fruit and snacks. When he reached the underground garage, he saw the tall one and the small one chatting next to the car.

Shen Mo was a bit puzzled and asked, “Why aren’t you getting in?”

As he spoke, he reached for the car door.

Ji Mingxuan grabbed his arm and said, “Let’s take another car today. This one… should probably go in for maintenance.”

Shen Mo paused. He remembered this car had just been serviced last month. But there were plenty of cars in the house, and maintenance was handled by Ji Mingxuan’s assistant. He couldn’t be sure he wasn’t misremembering. Changing cars wasn’t a big deal anyway, so Shen Mo just turned and got into a different one. Ji Mingxuan and Ji Ning walked behind, whispering a few things to each other.

Ji Ning had a fantastic time that afternoon, especially with the bumper cars. Shen Mo played several rounds with him. The weather was sunny, so both their faces ended up flushed and sweaty.

That evening, Ji Mingxuan had booked a restaurant for steak. By the time they returned home, it was almost eight o’clock. Ji Mingxuan had a few emails to send, so Shen Mo asked the nanny to help Ji Ning wash up, then sat by the bed to read him a bedtime story. Ji Ning had been so excited during the day that he still wasn’t sleepy. After the story, he asked Shen Mo for paper and pens and quickly drew two pictures.

Both drawings were of cars. Shen Mo recognized the first as the bumper car they had played with in the afternoon. The second was one of their own cars, the one Ji Mingxuan had said needed maintenance before they left. But the odd thing was, the car in the picture was filled with… flowers?

Shen Mo didn’t quite understand and asked Ji Ning, “Why did you draw so many flowers?”

“Because I saw them. The whole car was full of flowers.” Ji Ning picked a red crayon and started coloring them in. “But Daddy told me not to tell Uncle.”

Shen Mo’s heart skipped a beat. “Were they roses?”

Ji Ning blinked, clearly not sure which flower was a rose.

Shen Mo changed the question. “Were they the same as the one in the vase this morning?”

Ji Ning nodded quickly. “Yes.”

Shen Mo understood immediately.

He had prepared a whole car full of roses, but Ji Mingxuan only chose one to give him.

Shen Mo stroked Ji Ning’s dark hair. The more he thought about it, the more he couldn’t hold back a smile.

Yes, this really was just like Mr Ji.

After coaxing Ji Ning to sleep, Shen Mo walked into the living room and stared at the single rose in the vase for a long time before finally returning to the bedroom to rest.

Ji Mingxuan didn’t come in until past midnight. He didn’t turn on the light, quietly climbed into bed, and reached out to pull Shen Mo into his arms.

Shen Mo gently held his hand.

Ji Mingxuan was a little surprised. “You’re still awake?”

“Yeah.” Shen Mo hugged his arm and said softly, “Mr Ji…”

“What is it?”

“It’s nothing.”

Shen Mo thought for a moment but ended up not mentioning the car full of roses. He just turned around, kissed Ji Mingxuan’s lips, and said, “Thank you for the Valentine’s gift.”

Ji Mingxuan let out a low chuckle and said, “Sleep.”

Shen Mo replied with a soft sound and fell into a deep sleep in that warm embrace.