The father and son sat facing each other in the study.
Shen Yanlin leaned back on the sofa, head held high, not even glancing at Shen Zhiyuan.
Shen Zhiyuan looked him over for a long time, feeling heartbroken.
This child has lost weight and doesn't look well.
You definitely didn't sleep well or eat well!
Shen Zhiyuan asked, "Xiao Yan, have you had dinner? Would you like to eat something first?"
"No need," Shen Yanlin said coldly.
Shen Zhiyuan sighed: "Xiao Yan, why do you want to learn to paint? Dad remembers that when you were little, your wish was to join the army when you grew up..."
Shen Yanlin chuckled lightly and looked at him coldly.
"Why join the army? To abandon your wife and children? To cut off contact with your family?"
"Don't worry, if I ever want to break up with you, I'll join the army."
"Xiao Yan..."
Shen Zhiyuan was so choked that he almost couldn't catch his breath.
He suppressed the bitterness in his heart and slowly spoke.
"Dad was wrong before, I neglected you and Mom, Dad apologizes to you..."
"What's the point of telling me all this now?" Shen Yanlin suddenly stood up and asked bitterly, "Can an apology bring Mom back to life?"
"You've never cared about me! Nor about your mother!"
"You're always busy! Busy with work! Busy with research!"
"I understand your job is special, I understand you're busy, and I don't blame you. But you're not busy at all! You just don't care! You don't care about me, you don't care about Mom!"
Shen Yanlin grew increasingly resentful as he spoke, his eyes reddening, and he roared in uncontrollable anger.
He hated his father's habit of using being busy as an excuse.
I also hate his feigned concern and hypocritical behavior.
“My mother was sick for five or six years back then! You did come back once, but you didn’t notice she was sick at all!”
Even at the very end, when she was just skin and bones, her face was deathly pale, and she had no strength to speak, you didn't notice anything was wrong with her, you didn't care about her at all, and you didn't ask her if she was feeling unwell!
"She didn't tell you because she was afraid you'd worry, but didn't you see it yourself?"
"And painting, I've been learning since I was little, and I send you my paintings every year. Haven't you even glanced at them?"
“Not only me, but my mom also loves to paint. She had to give it up because of her family and her job, which has always been a regret for her. So she has always encouraged me to do what I love!”
"And you? What did you do? Did you even ask me a single question?"
"You've been married to Mom for so many years, have you really understood her?"
Shen Zhiyuan's mind went blank.
Did he really miss out on so much?
After a long pause, he asked, his lips trembling, "Your mother, she likes to paint?"
Shen Yanlin didn't want to waste any more words on him, so he took out a picture book from his backpack and handed it to him.
"This was left by my mother. You can take a look if you'd like."
Shen Zhiyuan looked at the album and felt it was incredibly heavy. His hands trembled for a long time before he finally took the album left by his wife.
He turned the pages one by one, each page telling a story.
It begins with his courtship with his wife, followed by Shen Yanlin's birth and upbringing.
As the scene progresses, he appears less and less.
"My mother told me before she passed away that if I really love painting, I should stick with it and not regret it for the rest of my life like she did."
Shen Zhiyuan turned to the last page.
That was a family photo.
A family photo of the three of them.
The Shen Yanlin in the painting is a young man with a touch of childishness in his eyes and brows, yet his handsome features are already faintly visible.
His wife, wearing a light blue dress, had fair and delicate skin, and radiated a serene and beautiful glow.
She nestled close to him, a gentle smile on her face, her eyes filled with love.
He held his wife tightly in his arms with his strong arms.
As Shen Zhiyuan looked at the painting, tears instantly filled his eyes.
The three of them have never taken a formal family photo.
His wife had mentioned it to him before, but he always used being busy with work as an excuse to postpone it time and time again, until finally it became impossible.
Unexpectedly, my wife fulfilled this small wish with her paintbrush.
Shen Zhiyuan reached out and slowly covered the face of his wife in the painting.
A tear fell and landed in his wife's hair.
The ink spread silently.
Then, another drop fell into the corner of her smiling eye...
Shen Zhiyuan finally couldn't hold back and burst into tears while holding the sketchbook.
Shen Yanlin silently watched him for a while, then turned and left the study.
That evening, Shen Zhiyuan walked into Shen Yanlin's room with red eyes and spoke in a hoarse voice.
"Xiao Yan, Dad agrees to let you learn to draw."
He sniffed, looked up at Shen Yanlin, and said solemnly, "Dad supports you in learning to paint. Since you're going to learn, we'll learn it well. Dad will get you the best art studio and the best school..."
Shen Yanlin was stunned, not expecting his father to give in.
The rebuttals and sarcasm that I had prepared were all stuck in my throat.
He opened his mouth slightly, wanting to say something more, but felt that anything he said would be superfluous.
He looked at his father.
The father's eyes were bloodshot and he looked tired and haggard.
He seemed to have aged considerably overnight.
He was no longer the high-ranking researcher, but a pitiful father who had lost his wife and almost lost his son.
Shen Yanlin pursed his lips, trying to control his emotions, and said in a low voice, "I understand."
The next morning, Shen Yanlin appeared at the school.
Accompanying him was his father, Shen Zhiyuan.
They went directly to Teacher Ma's office.
Teacher Ma was sitting at her desk grading homework when she saw Shen Zhiyuan and his son. She quickly stood up and greeted Shen Zhiyuan.
Shen Zhiyuan disregarded formalities and went straight to the point: "Teacher Ma, I'm here today to apologize to Ye Linchen and the other two students. I was too impulsive last time and drew conclusions without investigating properly, which caused them harm."
Teacher Ma had a general understanding of the conflict between them. Upon hearing this, she quickly said, "I'll ask the students to inform them and have them come over."
Soon, Ye Linchen, Feng Linlin, and Lin Xiaojuan arrived at the office.
The three looked at Shen Zhiyuan and Shen Yanlin with confusion, wondering what had happened.
Shen Yanlin lowered his head awkwardly and remained silent.
Teacher Ma explained, "Shen Yanlin's father misunderstood you before and came here specifically to apologize to you."
"Apologize?"
Lin Xiaojuan exclaimed in surprise.
"right."
Shen Zhiyuan took over the conversation, walked up to them, bent down, and bowed deeply.
"My dear students, I'm so sorry! What happened before was my fault. I didn't investigate the situation properly and believed the rumors, which caused you harm. I sincerely apologize to you here!"
Ye Linchen and the other two were stunned.
For a moment, I was at a loss.
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