ShangYan was gleeful on the inside. You're here. After all these years, you're actually standing in front of me. He held the hug a beat too long before catching himself and stepped back, giving Guiying a smile that felt steadier than he was.
Guiying shifted, uncomfortable. The hug had lasted too long, and he dropped his hands awkwardly to his sides.
ShangYan noticed, and his smile softened. Don't scare him off now. Guiying caught that look and paused for half a second, something in his face stilling.
"Of course," Guiying said, reaching for his cup. "I should be leaving now."
Not yet. ShangYan's mind scrambled for a second, searching for anything that would keep him in the chair. He couldn't say stay because you're my son. That would send him running. His eyes flicked to the portrait on the wall, then back to Guiying. Isabelle. Yes. Talk about Isabelle.
He spoke before he could second-guess it.
