Chapter 1008  FAMILY IS...

Chapter 1008  FAMILY IS...

AFTER the intense make-out session, they finally remembered to order food. When the dishes arrived and they started eating, Luo Yan finally asked something that had been bothering him since they met that annoying guy earlier.

"Brother Ji Yun, is that how you are usually treated by the people in the Shen family?"

Shen Ji Yun stopped and then responded as if it was no big deal, "Most of the times."

And it was really not a big deal. Those people didn't really matter to him. So whatever bad things they said about him didn't matter as well. It didn't affect him, nor did it hurt him.

That's why he also didn't feel embarrassed honestly telling Luo Yan about it. What's there to be embarrassed about? It's not like he was the one who did anything wrong.

Besides, this was Luo Yan. He wouldn't look down on him just because he was being treated like that by those people from the Shen family. In fact, the other would probably be angry on his behalf.

And he was correct. Luo Yan was furious. If he thought of how that jerk earlier said those nasty things to Shen Ji Yun, it was easy to see why they were treating him that way. Because he's mixed-race.

Just what kind of crazy, outdated belief was that? This wasn't the 18th century or something. Did these people still believe that they should keep the purity of their blood? What, did they think they're some kind of royalty or some shit?

The fact that someone from the branch family could treat Shen Ji Yun like that, who was from the main family, meant that the patriarch most likely allowed this treatment. No, maybe he was the one leading it. Which only encouraged people like that jerk from earlier to think of Shen Ji Yun as a 'half-breed'.

Thinking of that, Luo Yan couldn't stop the anger boiling inside him. To think that someone would treat and let other people treat their grandson like that just because he's mixed-race, just how narrow-minded could they be? Extremely narrow-minded if he must say.

He looked at Shen Ji Yun. The other had his usual expressionless face, as if what he just said to him was the flavor of his favorite ice cream. This just showed how used he was to that kind of treatment, to the point that it no longer bothered him.

He was glad that the other would no longer be hurt by this. But he was also very sad that Shen Ji Yun had reached this point where he no longer cared. Because that meant that he was so used to it that he had already become numb.

Luo Yan closed his eyes for a second. Taking a deep breath to calm down his anger. When he opened his eyes, he reached out for Shen Ji Yun's hand and held it tightly.

"Those people are not your family. They're just people who shared some DNA with you. The definition of 'family' goes beyond genetics. Family is the home we find in each other, regardless of our biological connections."

Hearing that, Shen Ji Yun was momentarily silent. Then a smile unconsciously crossed his lips.

"I know. I know that for a long time now. And I never considered them, those people, as you put it, as family. So whatever they said or how they acted towards me didn't affect me in any way." He lifted Luo Yan's hand that was holding his and kissed the back of it. "So, my sweet Yan Yan, you don't have to worry about me being hurt by their words or actions. Because it doesn't affect me. It would never affect me."

Luo Yan leaned over and gave Shen Ji Yun a quick peck on the lips. "You're one of the strongest person I know, Brother Ji Yun. It's probably one of the reasons why I fell in love with you."

"Only probably?" 𝒏𝑂𝗏𝞮𝓵𝒰𝒮𝗯.𝐜𝑜𝓂

Luo Yan chuckled. "Sorry, I misspoke. It's 'definitely'."

---------

"Brother Mu, I have already cleaned up the spare room for Xiao Yan," Jiang Yue said. "Is he and Xiao Yun near the house?"

"Yes, Ji Yun just messaged me. They'll probably be home in a few minutes," Shen Yi Mu responded. "But Ah Yue, I told you there's no need to clean the guest room. Xiao Yan could just sleep in Ji Yun's house."

Jiang Yue gave the other a disapproving glance. "They're in a romantic relationship. A new couple at that, and both were very young. This is probably the first time they will have this kind of sleepover. With raging hormones, one couldn't exactly say what will happen if they sleep in the same room. Even if I'm not technically a teacher in Xiao Yan's school, I'm still a faculty member. I can't encourage a student at the school I'm working at to engage in that level of physical relationship."

Shen Yi Mu felt amused hearing this cute 'nagging'. He reached out for Jiang Yue's hand and pulled him. The other made a cute sounding gasp and fell in his arms, promptly straddling his lap.

"Yes, I'll make sure to tell Ji Yun not to do any hanky-panky, Teacher Ah Yue," he said, kissing the other's cheek. Then, he whispered, "How about we do some hanky-panky instead?"

Jiang Yue's whole face heated up, and then he slapped the other's shoulder. "Brother Mu--!"

"Ahem."

That sudden clearing of throat caught the two in surprise. They both glanced at the side and saw Shen Ji Yun looking at them as if they were a pair of immature adults. Beside him, Luo Yan was there, looking at them with interest.

Jiang Yue's face became even redder, and he scrambled to get up from Shen Yi Mu's lap. His sudden movement almost caused him to fall over. But Shen Yi Mu quickly moved and steadied him.

"Welcome back," Shen Yi Mu said, as if nothing happened. He turned to Luo Yan. "Make yourself at home, Xiao Yan. If you need anything, just say it."

"Yes, Uncle Yi Mu."

"I'll lead you to your room, Xiao Yan," Jiang Yue said, finally looking less red than a tomato.