I Can Still Salvage It

Yu Lian seemed absent-minded all day.

When she left earlier, she saw the jade Guanyin hanging around Shen Mian’s neck. It matched the one Pei Zhiyi had.

Others didn’t know the meaning behind that pair of Guanyin, but she did. It was the one Pei Zhiyi’s grandmother gave to Pei Zhiyi for his future partner.

Although Pei Zhiyi explained to her that since he didn’t have a girlfriend anyway, he might as well give it to Shen Mian.

But she still sensed something unusual.

She had been abroad for the past few years. The last time she met Pei Zhiyi, he had taken a flight to see her, and Shen Mian didn’t come along. So she had no idea how close those two were.

But this time when she came back, she saw Pei Zhiyi feeding Shen Mian and reading together with him. Other people probably didn’t think much of it because they were used to seeing such scenes. Su Ying even thought it was a display of good brotherly affection.

However, during her years abroad, she had several pairs of friends who were same-sex couples, which made her more sensitive to such things.

No matter how she looked at it, she felt that Pei Zhiyi’s gaze towards Shen Mian was off.

But she was afraid that she might be overthinking, so she didn’t tell anyone and kept it to herself.

She knew that she couldn’t be considered the best mother to Pei Zhiyi, and Pei An couldn’t be considered a good father either, so she had never interfered in Pei Zhiyi’s personal matters.

But if her suspicions were true, she couldn’t just let it go. Because the person Pei Zhiyi allegedly liked was not someone else, but Shen Mian.

Shen Mian was the child Su Ying and Shen Changhe had raised so well. He should have met a lovely girl and had a pair of adorable children just like his parents.

She couldn’t help but pray in her heart that it was just her imagination, that she was thinking too much.

But perhaps when you fear something, it tends to happen.

Before she could decide how to confirm it with Pei Zhiyi, the matter was unexpectedly exposed in front of Shen Changhe and Su Ying.

Shen Changhe and Su Ying didn’t stay at their friends’ place for three days as planned; they returned early because of something urgent at work.

They happened to catch Pei Zhiyi and Shen Mian kissing in the living room.

Shen Mian and Pei Zhiyi didn’t expect Su Ying and Shen Changhe to come back early.

Just the previous night, Shen Mian had a video call with Shen Changhe, and Shen Changhe said they would come back the day after tomorrow afternoon.

So no one had their guard up.

All the adults in the family were not present, and even Shen Yu, the little tagalong, had left. They seemed to have started their honeymoon ahead of time.

Pei Zhiyi had thrown Shen Mian’s sweater on the floor, leaving only a thin shirt with the buttons undone, revealing his slender neck and beautiful collarbone. Even the tattoo on his hip was faintly visible beneath the edge of the shirt.

There was still ice cream on the table next to the sofa. Shen Mian had insisted on eating it, but he had only eaten half of it. The remaining half had melted into a sweet, sticky mess in the bowl.

When the two heard the commotion and turned their heads, they saw Shen Changhe and Su Ying with shocked expressions staring at them.

The curtains in the living room were not even drawn because it was a secluded house, and there was no line of sight from outside for prying eyes to see.”

The sunlight illuminated the living room, as well as Shen Mian’s swollen lips from being kissed, the kiss marks on his chest, and the exposed skin on his waist, all clearly visible.

Pei Zhiyi’s hand was on Shen Mian’s waist, holding him close.

No one spoke in the room, only the sparrows outside were chirping. A gust of wind blew, causing most of the plum blossoms in the corner of the yard to fall, leaving behind a lingering fragrance.

Shen Mian’s entire body felt frozen, and he even forgot to separate from Pei Zhiyi. He remained sitting on the backrest of the sofa, clutching the carved patterns tightly with his fingers, almost breaking his nails.

Su Ying and Shen Changhe had turned into statues as well. It felt like there was a lump in their throats, their hearts pounding, but they couldn’t utter a word.

When people are too shocked, they lose their ability to react.

They didn’t intend to catch them off guard.

They had returned early because something suddenly came up at Su Ying’s law firm, and she didn’t want to disrupt Yu Lian’s enjoyment, so she and Shen Changhe took a taxi back home first to pick up some documents.

However, as soon as they pushed open the door, she saw her own biological son, embracing Pei Zhiyi kissing each other passionately.

Their clothes were even thrown on the floor.

Su Ying’s entire world seemed to fall apart. She grabbed Shen Changhe’s arm, as if she wanted to shake him and ask, yet it also seemed like she was relying on him for support.

Shen Changhe was no better off. The usually refined and gentle man had an unprecedentedly ugly expression on his face.

The living room became eerily quiet.

Even the sunlight seemed distorted, as if it belonged to another world.

It wasn’t until Su Ying saw Pei Zhiyi lifting the dazed Shen Mian from the sofa and standing protectively in front of him that a heavy stone seemed to drop in Su Ying’s heart.

It turned out it wasn’t a dream, and she hadn’t mistaken it.

The two children she raised were indeed involved in such a relationship.

Su Ying’s voice was oddly calm, but it sounded strained, as if it were squeezed out of her throat, containing gravel that made her throat ache.

She asked, word by word, “Mian Mian, what are you doing?”

Her words exploded in the living room like thunder.

Shen Mian’s lips trembled, and he opened his mouth, not knowing how to explain. “We…”

What could he say? Everything had been witnessed, and there was no denying it.

But before he could say anything, Pei Zhiyi interrupted him.

Pei Zhiyi had gone through numerous thoughts in his mind, but in the end, they all condensed into one sentence. “Aunt Su, Uncle Shen, if you want to blame someone, blame me. I forced Shen Mian.”

Ever since they were together, he had always called Shen Mian “Mian Mian.” But at that moment, he called him “Shen Mian” instead, as if doing so would separate Shen Mian from the situation, making it all his own fault.

He had thought many times about what to do if one day they came out as a couple, but he had never imagined it would be in such a chaotic manner.

He met Su Ying’s gaze directly, appearing composed on the surface, but deep inside, he couldn’t control the overwhelming guilt.

Those were the two people who had raised him like their own child, accompanying him when he lacked parental support, taking him to the hospital when he was sick, attending parent-teacher meetings for him.

But now, in front of those two people, he admitted that he had seduced their son.

As soon as he finished speaking, before Shen Changhe and Su Ying could say anything, Shen Mian forcefully emerged from behind Pei Zhiyi.

“No, it’s not true. I made the first move,” Shen Mian himself didn’t know what he was saying, explaining incoherently, “I confessed first, and I kissed Pei Zhiyi first. It’s my fault.”

That sentence ignited a fiery anger even more than Pei Zhiyi’s words.

Shen Changhe had entered the room without saying a word, but now, upon hearing Shen Mian’s explanation, he swiftly approached with a furious expression, raising his palm as if it was about to land on Shen Mian’s face.

Instinctively, Pei Zhiyi moved to shield Shen Mian.

But in the end, no one received that slap.

Shen Changhe’s hand hung in mid-air.

He had never hit a child in his life. Neither Shen Yu nor Shen Mian. And Pei Zhiyi wasn’t about to be the first.

Yet, he stared at Shen Mian and Pei Zhiyi, his disappointment evident in his eyes.

He didn’t scold Pei Zhiyi, instead, he asked Shen Mian, “Mian Mian, how did I raise you to become like this? Am I such a failure?”

That sentence weighed much heavier than a slap.

Shen Mian couldn’t bear it, his knees went weak, relying on Pei Zhiyi’s support to prevent himself from falling to the ground.

When he was arguing to take the blame earlier, he didn’t cry, but now, after Shen Changhe’s question, he burst into tears.

He didn’t know what to do. He and Pei Zhiyi still hadn’t let go of each other’s hands, but the gazes of Shen Changhe and Su Ying were like sharp knives piercing through him.

He cried breathlessly, “I’m sorry…”

But he didn’t say, “I was wrong.”

Because he couldn’t attribute his relationship to being a mistake.

He didn’t want to break his parents’ hearts, but he also didn’t want to break Pei Zhiyi’s heart.