The June of Blossoming Yearning

Shen Zichen woke up with a gasp. One couldn't tell from his face whether he just awoke from a nightmare or an enchanting dream, he was reluctant to part from. It was unknown whether he was breathing fast from excitement or terror.

Taking a few deep breaths, he finally settled down.

Rubbing his throbbing temples, he glanced at the alarm clock on the bedside table. It was 6:28. Bidding goodbye to any leftover sleep, he shuffled up to the bathroom to start his day.

While removing his clothes in the bathroom , he discovered that his underwear seemed to be wet with a sticky white liquid. With a guilty conscience, he threw it in the laundry bag.

Facing the mirror, he splashed his face with cold water. The youth in the mirror had an extremely handsome face with a sharp jawline, straight nose, thin lips and a pair of oppressive wolfish eyes. His skin was a healthy wheat colour, slightly tanned. He was tall, had broad shoulders and was muscled in all the right places.

After a cold shower, he got dressed. Coming out his room which still had a teenage boy's flavor all over it, He walked up in a simple navy blue shirt and jeans. Having just finished giving his college entrance exams, he had a lot of leisure time.

Yet, he still awoke this early. The reason for it was simple.

His uncle was getting married

Thinking about that man, he couldn't help wrinkling his eyebrows. Chu Ruilin, his adoptive father's younger brother was getting married.

It was an arranged marriage with the young lady of the Fang family, Fang Yunzhu. It wasn't suprising to him that it was an arrange marriage, he couldn't imagine that haughty man ever courting anyone.

He'd seen that woman these days going in and out of the Chu family house. She was a beautiful woman. Everyone kept fawning over how she and Chu Ruilin made an aesthetically pleasing couple.

He, however had some different thoughts which were better left unspoken.

His father, Chu Ming and his mother, Chu Feng were in Beijing these days to attend Chu Ruilin's wedding. It could be regarded as grandiose wedding considering it was a union between the two most influential families in Beijing, the Chu and the Fang family.

The Chu and Fang family were China's most successful entrepreneurs in the automotive industry. With this marriage, both families would sign a merger, integrating the two companies.

Shen Zichen, in his 18 years of life has known Chu Ruilin for about half of it.

His adoptive parents were childhood sweethearts but 2 years into their marriage,this happy couple met with a car accident. Chu Feng's uterus had to be surgically removed due to her serious injuries. But the Chu family still needed children to carry out its legacy.

Chu Ming, unwilling to cede to his father's pressure to marry another, finally decided to adopt a child with Chu Feng. This child is Shen Zichen.

He was 8 years old when he first came to the Chu family.

Shen Zichen had always been a dull child in the orphanage, he was gloomy and unwilling to interact with other children.

He wasn't interested in toys or snacks like other children. So unlike other children who would run after the adults fawning and asking for chocolates, he'd remain on the blue painted rusty bench of the New hope Orphanage, looking over at the beautiful butterflies sitting over rows of blooming flowers, sucking their nectar.

He very much liked observing these creatures. It wasn't just butterflies that he'd watch. He'd even crouch down on the ground in the garden, spreading crumbs of bread on it. Just to watch an army of ants for hours, carrying the crumbs to their colonies.

He would never grow tired of watching these scenes.

It was during the summer, in the month of June while he was observing a sapphire coloured butterfly extending its proboscis to drink from a beautiful Bearded Iris flower that he felt someone sitting next to him. But he didn't turn his head. He kept watching that butterfly. The person next to him wasn't interested in conversing with him either.

The soft and slightly sweet fragrance of Iris flowers surrounded them. The pleasant chirps of birds and buzzing of grasshoppers fell on their ears.

A few leaves from the Evergreen elm tree would fall on their heads and shoulders from time to time.

A long time passed in this serene way.

Finally shifting his gaze away from the Iris flowers, Shen Zichen was preparing to go eat his lunch. It was already past 2. He was sure to get a scolding when he returned. Finally turning his head over, he saw the person who was sitting next to him in this silence for the past hour.

Placing his short feet on the ground, he was getting reading to stand when his butt sat firmly on the bench again. There was a little confusion in his 8 year old brain. Perhaps it had malfunctioned. He couldn't find a reason why his legs failed him.

The person on the bench next to him was a 18 or 19 year old young man. The person had pale white skin, which seemed to be glowing as the sunlight fell on it. He had long eyelashes and a pair of dreamy foxy eyes which were half closed at the moment as his gaze lazily fell on the rows of Irises planted in the garden. His physique was elegant with a narrow waist and long legs. He was dressed in a white dress-shirt and black slacks. However, he was rather skinny.

Shen Zichen and him were both sitting on the left and right side of the rusty old bench respectively.

Very rarely would Shen Zichen feel an urge to initiate a conversation with others. At this moment however, he had an urge to talk to this pretty Gege. He wanted to hear him speak. He wanted to know if this gege's voice could compare to the birdsong of the nightingale.

However, before he could speak, a man's loud voice came over. "So you were here A-lin, gege and your sao zi have been looking for you"

The two person world shattered.

A dignified looking man, seeming to be in his late twenties came over with a pretty woman in his arm. They were Chu Ming and Chu Feng.

Chu Ming seeing a cute little child sitting next to his younger brother was a little surprised.

He and his wife had just taken a look at all the children in the orphanage, distributing toys and snacks. His mood felt pleasant seeing the giddy faces of the children upon seeing the presents he bought for them. However, he and his wife still couldn't make a unanimous decision on which child to adopt.

The child finally lifted his butt from the bench and stood up to leave. He reluctantly cast a gaze to the pretty Gege still seated on the bench who was more stunning than the Iris flowers he'd watch every morning.

However ,he was stopped before he could take his leave.

The Chu couple stood infront of him with smiling faces.

"Little kid, what's your name?" " We were chatting with the other kids inside while you were sitting here under the midsummer sun", inquired Chu Feng.

"I'm called Shen Zichen, Good evening to you both", the young child spoke in an unhurried voice. There was no fawning expression on his face and his voice was curt.

The couple was fairly suprised to see a child with such a bearing.

Inspite of his shabby clothing , the child looked like a little royal prince.

Chu Ruilin watched this scene sitting on the bench. He was accompanying his brother and sister in law to the orphanage to look for a suitable child to adopt. However he had no interest in mingling with the children, so he came to the garden. His gaze was drawn to bed of Irises in the garden. So he came over to sit on the bench next to the little boy to watch them.

He could see the gleam that came over in his brother's eyes after interacting with that child. He had a feeling that this wasn't the last time he'd accompany that boy to watch flowers and butterflies.

His premonition would turn out to be right.

That day the Chu couple made the final judgement to adopt the child named Shen Zichen. Only a child like him could handle the pressure that comes with being a member of the Chu family. He was by no means a sweet child but he was the only child suitable to be raised in the Chu family.

Weeks later , Shen Zichen was driven by a butler in a SUV to the Chu family house in the luxurious Xiangshang residential district. From then on would begin his entanglement with his 'uncle' or what Shen Zichen likes to call him 'pretty gege'.

Shaking himself from the memories of the June of 2014, Shen Zichen looked out of the window of his room into the humongous garden of the Chu family house.

The garden was filled with a variety of rare and exquisite flowers. There were camellias, peonies, chinese roses, begonias, orchids and Irises. In the center of the garden was a granite stone pond filled with clear water with a few koi fishes swishing under the emerald green leaves of the pure white lotuses and water lilies.

In the corner of the garden overlooking this scene was an ancient chinese styled pavilion with exquisite blackwood benches and a table. Surrounding it, were a few plum blossoms trees which would blossom in white and shades of pale and deep pink in the early spring. At the moment, however they had only had green leaves.

This exquisite looking, scenic garden, comparable to that of the imperial garden of the Summer palace was designed and attended to by Chu Ruilin.

Shen Zichen looked at this scene, quietly withdrawing his gaze after a few moments.

That man was getting married tomorrow.

He wondered if, after tomorrow that man and his newly wedded wife would tend to that garden, laughing while pruning the plants in marital bliss.

A sour taste filled his mouth.

He couldn't understand the reason behind it.

He was a little stupid when it came to matters relating to that man, his IQ and EQ regressing to double digits.

With various thoughts churning in his mind, he walked down from his room to the garage. Opening the door of the Hongqi l5, he received when he turned 18, he drove it out of the luxurious residential district. He had to go for the fitting of the custom suit he'd be wearing tomorrow for Chu Ruilin's wedding.

The Shanghai City with it's towering buildings was as busy as ever.