Chapter 234 - A DATE UNDER THE TREE (I)
LUO YAN walked towards the blanket that Shen Ji Yun spread under the tree. The other already finished arranging the food. Luo Yan sat down on the blanket and also put down Eclipse.
"What is this place?" he asked while looking around.
"It's an island that I own," Shen Ji Yun answered.
Luo Yan turned his head towards Shen Ji Yun, not expecting such an answer. "Brother Ji Yun owns this island? That's amazing!"
Shen Ji Yun scratched his nose, his ear tips turning red as if embarrassed. "Not really."
"When did you buy this island?" Luo Yan asked full of interest. He didn't expect Shen Ji Yun to buy an island just based on the virtue of its appearance. Or maybe there's something special in this floating island that couldn't be seen with the naked eye? He looked up at white leaves of the huge tree. Could it be this tree?
"I didn't buy it per se. My uncle gave it to me as a personal reward when our team won the first Arcadia Cup."
Although Shen Ji Yun tried to refuse it because he didn't want his uncle to give him special treatment, his uncle still insisted for him to have it. Saying that he knew how much he enjoyed peace and quiet, so he could just consider this island as his secret base of some sorts. A sanctuary he could go to whenever he wanted to be alone. At the end, he had no choice but to let this island be under his game account.
He must say, his uncle still knew him the best. Because he did often go here whenever he just wanted to blank out his mind and think of nothing else. No one knew about this place. He set up the highest privacy setting here. So, no one could enter here without his permission. Even if a player who could fly passed by here, they wouldn't be able to see this island. Even Bai Ze, Su Yuqi, and their former two teammates didn't know about this place.
He glanced at Luo Yan. He was the first person Shen Ji Yun ever wanted to bring here. One of the things he read from those articles was that when one was trying to chase the person they liked, they should bring them to beautiful places to cultivate feelings. It would be even more effective if that place was special to them.
When he read that, the first thing that came to his mind was to bring Luo Yan here. Considering how they could only meet in Arcadia right now, this place was the closest thing to what he could call as 'special'. That's why when he had the chance earlier, he immediately asked Luo Yan to pay him for that meal he still owed him and then proceed on bringing him here.
Looking at Luo Yan's expression, he was glad that he did. Because it seemed that Luo Yan really liked this place.
"Your uncle must really spoil you a lot," Luo Yan commented.
"Yes, even though I tell him so many times that he doesn't need to."
"The two of you must be really close."
A soft smile appeared on Shen Ji Yun's lips. "I consider him as my second father."
Luo Yan suddenly remembered that Shen Ji Yun's father was already dead and that his mother was living in another country, leaving him with his uncle. "If you don't mind me asking, how long have you been living with your uncle?"
"About 12 years now."
Luo Yan was extremely surprised by that answer. 12 years? Wasn't that a bit too long? That meant that he had been living with his uncle since he was eight years old. Shen Ji Yun still had one living parent. If his father died when he was eight, then did his mother abandon him?
It was only for a moment, but Shen Ji Yun saw the variety of emotions that flashed on Luo Yan's face – surprise, confusion, and finally, doubt. Because unlike him, Luo Yan's face had no problem showing all kinds of emotions. In that short moment, Shen Ji Yun already had a guess on what he was thinking.
"If you have any questions, you can ask me," he said.
Luo Yan hesitated because it was something private and he really didn't want to pry into it. But at the end, his curiosity still won and asked, "Why have you been living with your uncle for that long?" Shen Ji Yun seemed to be taken aback by his question. And he immediately regretted why he asked such a private question. "Sorry, Brother Ji Yun. It's alright if you don't answer."
"No, it's okay." Shen Ji Yun didn't mind answering that question. Because it was Luo Yan who asked. And if he wanted for them to get closer, then it's important for Luo Yan to get to know him better. Although he probably couldn't say all the details to him now. Because it's still very hard for him to talk about that incident. He took a deep breath before speaking, "My father was a victim of a violent crime. His death broke my mother – psychologically and emotionally. She could no longer take care of me. And so, I was left under the care of my uncle."
When his father died, he and his mother was taken back by his mother's family to country Y. His mother's family – the Cromwells – was just like the Shen family. They opposed his mother's marriage to his father. Because they believed that his father didn't deserve their family's princess. And then his father died and his mother went crazy.
Even if they also took Shen Ji Yun back, they never considered him as family. As he watched his mother slowly losing her mind, those people only gave him their cold backs. Day by day, he felt like he was slowly descending towards the darkness with not a single shred of light in sight.
The only one who reached out to him was his Uncle Yi Mu. He pulled him out of the darkness. Truly, he had no idea what kind of life he would be leading now without him.
He looked at the distance. "I'm very grateful that he was the one who took me in."
Luo Yan could feel the sadness emanating from Shen Ji Yun. He could even see a bit of pain hidden in the depths of his amethyst eyes. He suddenly had the urge to punch himself. Why the heck did he even ask that question?
[Mashter, Captain looks so sad. You should cheer him up!] – Eclipse's voice suddenly called inside his mind.
Even if Eclipse didn't say that, Luo Yan was already planning to divert the topic elsewhere. He didn't want to see a sad Shen Ji Yun. But the moment when he most needed his humor, it failed him and he couldn't think of anything. So, out of desperation, he picked up one of the burgers and raised it towards Shen Ji Yun.
"Brother Ji Yun, let's eat?"
Shen Ji Yun was a bit surprised at first. Because the sudden change in topic was so abrupt, it was too obvious. He looked down and saw Luo Yan's eager appearance. As if silently telling him that there's no need for them to talk about those things now. The worry in his eyes was apparent. Probably because Shen Ji Yun couldn't help but leak a bit of the sadness he was feeling. This was probably Luo Yan's way of stopping him from thinking about those events. It was a bit crude but adorable at the same time.
He laughed a little. Then he bent down his head and bit on the burger Luo Yan was holding.