He waved a hand dismissively. "You give me too much credit. That information alone wouldn't have been enough for you to win if you didn't have the strength in the first place."
She poured them both cups of fragrant tea. "Still, it would have been problematic for me to win against a single one of them without your help, much less win against two of them."
They sipped their tea in comfortable silence for a moment, the peaceful atmosphere easing any lingering tensions from the day's events.
After a while, Han Qingyu spoke again. "You seem to be quite lost, does something happen in the competition after I left?"
Shen Yuan hesitated briefly before answering. "It's just... there are some unsettling developments that I need to look into. But nothing for you to worry about."
She looked at him with concern. "If there's anything I can do to help, please let me know."
He smiled appreciatively. "I will. For now, let's not dwell on uncertainties."
They spent the next few hours idle chatting, slowly progressing their relationship. Laughter and thoughtful conversation filled the room as the afternoon turned to evening.
As the sky outside deepened into hues of orange and purple, Shen Yuan stood up. "I should probably get going. It's getting late."
Han Qingyu rose as well. "Thank you for visiting me. It was wonderful spending time together."
He nodded. "I enjoyed it too. And as we discussed it before, spending more time is ideal."
She walked him to the door. "Take care of yourself."
"You too," he replied, giving her a gentle smile before departing.
On his way back to his mansion, Shen Yuan contemplated the pleasant time he'd spent with Han Qingyu. Their relationship was progressing smoothly so far.
As he approached his mansion, he was surprised to see a familiar figure waiting by the entrance. Shen Yuxin stood gracefully under the soft glow of lanterns.
"Mom," he called out, a hint of surprise in his voice. "What brings you here?"
She turned around to face him, her eyes filled with warmth, "Can't I come to visit my dear son?"
Shen Yuan smirked seeing her lustful gaze, "Because my Breakthrough was imminent, I couldn't take any more of your Yin Qi."
"What about now?" She stretched her body lazily, exposing her curved through the slit dress she was wearing.
Shen Yuan's gaze paused on her body, despite trying to remain calm, he felt a familiar heat rising within him.
Shen Yuan reached out, taking her hand in his. "I've missed this," he softly whispered. "Just the two of us, without any distractions."
Her cheeks flushed faintly, and she squeezed his hand. "I've missed it too, Yuan'er. Now we finally have time to ourselves."
He smirked. "Of course we have time now, we have all the time we need. After all, I'm not a boy anymore who need to train all the time."
She laughed softly, the sound like a melody. "No, you're not. You're a man now—a strong, capable man who makes his mother very proud."
Their eyes met again, the warmth between them turning more intense. Shen Yuan leaned forward slightly, his voice low and teasing. "And yet, I still need you, Mom."
Shen Yuxin felt her breath stopping, her expression softening further. She cupped his cheek, her thumb brushing lightly against his skin. "You'll always have me, Yuan'er. No matter what."
"Mmm," Shen Yuan reached up, placing his hand over hers, holding it against his cheek. "That's what I want."
Shen Yuxin leaned closer, closing her eyes she softly planted a wet kiss on Shen Yuan's lips.
She stopped after a kiss as she looked at him with a playful smile, "Hmm... It's been so long since we took a bath together, do you want to bath with me like good old times?"
Shen Yuan's eyes shone in excitement, "For sure, let's go. This mansion has quite a big bathroom."
Shen Yuxin stepped into the spacious bathroom, the humidity from the shower already causing a light sheen of sweat to form on her skin.
She turned to face Shen Yuan, a sly smile playing on her lips as she slowly began to unbutton her dress.
"Like old times, hmm?" she purred, letting the garment slip from her shoulders and pool at her feet. She stood before him, clad only in a lacy black bra and panties that left little to the imagination.
Shen Yuan's eyes flashed with desire as he drank in the sight of her, his gaze roaming over every curve and valley of her body.
He stepped forward, his hands coming up to cup her face, his thumbs brushing over her cheekbones.