After revealing his deepest secret, Shen Huaiyun slept soundly that night, dreamless until dawn.
The next day was a workday, and they each had to attend to their duties and training. But before leaving, Shen Tangmo’s psychic tendril reached out and brushed against Shen Huaiyun’s earlobe.
“?” The young man turned to look at him in confusion.
He saw Shen Tangmo pulling back the tendril, as if it had acted on its own rather than under deliberate control.
“Ahem, I was just thinking. maybe we should get matching ear piercings and wear a pair of earrings together. That way, even when we’re apart, you’ll know I’m with you.”
?
Shen Huaiyun suppressed the urge to raise his eyebrows, trying not to show excessive delight.
Wearing one earring each from the same pair did Shen Tangmo even know what that implied?!
No, no, he probably wasn’t aware of those meanings. He was just suggesting the idea. Besides, he hadn’t specified which ear to pierce. The symbolism of wearing an earring on the right ear to signify homosexuality wasn’t as widespread these days; people mostly wore them wherever they liked.
Though hesitant in his heart, his mouth had already agreed: “Sure, let’s find time to pick some out later.”
Even as he told himself, “Close friends or brothers can wear matching earrings too,” the thought of sharing such an intimate symbol with someone he was marked by kept Shen Huaiyun in high spirits all day. He even dispatched mutated creatures with more efficiency than usual.
Noticing the constant smile on his face, Ning Yanfeng rubbed his chin and asked a nearby staff member, “What’s he so happy about? Is training that enjoyable?”
The staff member shrugged. “No idea maybe he got a raise.”
Shen Tangmo, meanwhile, remained completely unaware of any unintended implications behind his suggestion. Imagining how earrings would accentuate Huaiyun’s handsome face, he even found himself slacking off during work hours, browsing Taobao for earring designs.
A colleague glimpsed his phone screen and asked in surprise, “Are you planning to wear earrings?”
“I’m picking out a pair for Huaiyun,” he explained. “Don’t you think he’d look good with earrings?”
The colleague: “…”
“You two brothers are really close.”
Unfamiliar with local piercing shops, Shen Tangmo took advantage of a break to join a student conversation and ask for recommendations.
The girl who had previously compiled and posted about Zhu Chong on the campus forum pondered the question. “For piercings, there’s a place outside the east gate of the school, but someone posted on the forum complaining about their poor service and how painful the piercing was.”
Another student suggested a professional piercing studio, mentioning that her friend had visited one on Central Street with a clean environment and skilled staff. Shen Tangmo asked for the name of the shop.
A boy then proudly showed off the sparkling swan earring in his ear. “My girlfriend pierced my ear and picked this earring for me.”
“Didn’t you and your girlfriend start dating over three years ago?”
“Yeah, we even rented an apartment together recently. Oh, Professor Shen, you haven’t seen photos of my girlfriend, have you? She’s seriously stunning and cool, you know.”
Another student punched him playfully. “Enough already! How many times have you bragged to us? You’re the only one here with a partner even Professor Shen is single!”
The boy scratched the back of his head sheepishly. “It’s just she’s really amazing. I hope we can stay together for a long, long time.”
“Oh, by the way, doesn’t Teacher Shen have a younger brother? Does he not have a partner either? Never had a puppy love?”
The young man had just switched back to a shopping app to continue browsing earring styles and answered without thinking, “No.”
When it came to such topics, the students’ enthusiasm soared, and they pressed further, “Really never? What if he just didn’t tell you? When I was his age, I never told my family about the person I liked.”
“He’s always been closest to me.” Shen Tangmo’s tone unconsciously carried a hint of pride. “Besides, he’s always been focused on his studies and training. Now he can single-handedly take down three mid-level mutated creatures with psychic abilities.”
“He’s only seventeen, right? That strong? We hardly ever hear about him.” Several people exclaimed in amazement.
Huaiyun’s achievements were kept separate, and his training took place in a private training room, so outsiders naturally knew little about him. However, it seemed some people had misunderstandings about him because of this.
Thinking of that despicable Zhu Chong from last time, Shen Tangmo furrowed his brows in contemplation, deciding to participate more in the students’ chats in the future to take the opportunity to praise Huaiyun more. That way, the news that Huaiyun was actually quite remarkable could spread.
“Then he’ll definitely join the Sentinel Tower in the future, right? Teacher Shen, you’re at the school won’t you be separated then?”
“With a brother so outstanding, maybe he’ll meet his destined one at the Sentinel Tower.”
Everyone chatted idly, discussing Shen Huaiyun’s future prospects. But upon hearing this, Shen Tangmo fell silent and frowned.
He had never considered being separated from Huaiyun. When the time came, he could simply resign from his job here and go to the Sentinel Tower together. However, if Huaiyun met someone he liked and started dating, their relationship would inevitably grow somewhat distant, as the time they spent together would decrease, and Huaiyun’s attention would be divided more toward that person.
He found it difficult to imagine Huaiyun having someone else by his side. He was subconsciously rejecting that possibility.
Come to think of it, Huaiyun didn’t really need him much in any aspect these days. So why was he still insisting on staying by Huaiyun’s side?
To protect him? But Huaiyun already possessed such strength even before his differentiation, and he would only become more formidable afterward. Shen Tangmo, on the other hand, hadn’t truly faced a mutated creature in nearly a year. If they ever found themselves in a dangerous situation, it was more likely that Shen Huaiyun would be the one protecting him.
To comfort him? Yesterday, he had opened his heart completely, holding nothing back. Those nightmares clearly no longer held the same power over the present-day Shen Huaiyun as they once did. Moreover, Huaiyun had already managed to resolve the issue of his intense psychic fluctuations on his own what use was Shen Tangmo now?
To heal him? It seemed only in such matters could a guide’s unique abilities come into play. But after joining the Sentinel Tower, Shen Tangmo wouldn’t be the only guide. The guide assigned to Shen Huaiyun’s squad would naturally take care of his healing.
Shen Tangmo pondered left and right but couldn’t find a legitimate reason.
He had to admit that it was simply out of his own selfishness. It was he who didn’t want to let go of Shen Huaiyun’s kite string, not because there was any problem with the kite that required his intervention.
After that incident four years ago, he had determined that Shen Huaiyun must be a part of his future life. But now he understood that in Shen Huaiyun’s future life, Shen Tangmo was not a necessity.
Although Shen Huaiyun seemed to regard him as an anchor point, grounding him in reality, an anchor only needed to exist it didn’t have to be by his side, did it?
Moreover, if Shen Huaiyun were to develop feelings for someone else in the future, his anchor would naturally shift as well. Shen Tangmo couldn’t bear to entertain such thoughts and forcefully cut them short.
“She asked me, if someone can’t accept the idea of their close friend having someone closer to them, does that mean they’re too possessive?”
The students seemed to be discussing a situation involving one of their friends.
“It’s just possessiveness, really, and that’s not too bad. Wait, what do you mean that ‘close friend’ is actually her partner?”
“Huh? If it’s her partner, why didn’t she say so earlier? That’s perfectly normal, considering it’s the person she loves.”
Teacher Shen quietly distanced himself from the students and returned to his office to reflect on what he had just overheard.
Ever since his parents had counseled him years ago, he had always believed that his closeness with Huaiyun was purely familial, never allowing himself to consider any other possibilities.
Or perhaps, that counseling had become his protective shield. He had comfortably hidden behind it, attributing all his actions and feelings to “just their close relationship,” deliberately ignoring the protective and possessive urges that went beyond brotherhood, refusing to confront his own altered emotions.
In truth, he had long been in love, though he had never realized it.
Shen Tangmo switched software tabs and began searching for nearby rental properties.
But after just two searches, he stopped.
Indeed, he couldn’t accept a life without Shen Huaiyun, nor could he bear the thought of watching Huaiyun walk into someone else’s arms in the future.
He took a deep breath and closed the search interface.
“Sorry, Aunt Shen, Uncle Yuan.”
I’m a selfish person. I can’t accept the idea of handing Shen Huaiyun over to someone else, he thought to himself.
The sunlight was just right, streaming through the window to illuminate the potted plant on his desk and half of his computer screen.
The young man opened the background app on his phone, deleted “men’s earrings” from the search bar, and typed in “couple’s earrings” instead.
Thinking back to this morning, the idea of the two of them wearing matching earrings together was nothing short of genius. The corners of his lips lifted slightly.