Shen Chi Yan and Song Qi Nian did not hold a wedding when they got married, and their marriage was kept secret from the public.
Only the Shen family and a few people closest to Shen Chi Yan knew.
Gong Yu Qi was really poking where it hurt. As soon as Song Qi Nian was mentioned, Shen Chi Yan's already displeased expression grew even colder.
"Every time you mention your mute pampered wife, you make that face. It's been three years, you haven't touched her, have you?"
Before Shen Chi Yan could answer, a shrewd glint flashed in Gong Yu Qi's narrow, fox-like eyes. "That's right, with your germaphobia, you won't even let me touch you, let alone some little mute. Hey, is she pretty?"
Shen Chi Yan frowned, but his mind involuntarily recalled Song Qi Nian's blushing face as she sobbed and endured beneath him, her eyes shimmering with unshed tears.
A certain part of his body stirred, and Shen Chi Yan's complexion darkened further.
"Hey, I asked you to come out so we could chat. What's with the silent treatment?"
Shen Chi Yan was annoyed. He picked up his glass, took a drink, and said indifferently, "Aren't there enough scandals in the entertainment industry for you to feast on?"
"What you're saying is, how can the entertainment industry's scandals be as juicy as yours, Fifth Master Shen!"
As a result, Gong Yu Qi chattered away for a long time but didn't get a single bit of gossip from Shen Chi Yan.
Afterward, the two left the club together.
Besides his two secretaries, Shen Chi Yan also had a dedicated driver named Gao Kun Lun.
When Gao Kun Lun drove over, Shen Chi Yan saw a mute person over fifty years old gesturing animatedly to a man.
The man clearly didn't understand sign language and, getting frustrated, directly pushed the mute person away.
Gong Yu Qi hadn't even registered what was happening before he saw Shen Chi Yan walk towards the mute person.
The mute person was asking for directions, and Shen Chi Yan pointed them the way.
The mute person bowed repeatedly, expressed his thanks to Shen Chi Yan in sign language, and then left.
"Wow, I didn't expect the always aloof Fifth Master Shen to be so helpful."
Shen Chi Yan stared at the mute person's retreating back, a thoughtful expression on his face. "Yu Qi..."
"What?"
"Do you know when I learned sign language?"
Gong Yu Qi froze. It was only then that he realized the person asking for directions was mute, and Shen Chi Yan could actually understand sign language.
"Uh... you learned sign language while interacting with your mute pampered wife, didn't you?"
"No!"
"Then..."
"I already knew sign language when I met Song Qi Nian."
The first time Song Qi Nian and her mother had schemed against him, he had understood what Song Qi Nian was trying to express when she gestured. But to this day, he couldn't remember how he knew sign language.
Gong Yu Qi thought for a moment and then shook his head. "I haven't heard of you learning sign language, and you don't have any mute friends around you. Why would you suddenly learn sign language out of the blue? Could it be that you were born with a sign language buff?"
Shen Chi Yan: "..."
Shen Chi Yan rarely came home, but he had been returning frequently lately, keeping the servants on edge.
The next morning, when Shen Chi Yan came downstairs, the servants had breakfast ready, but Song Qi Nian was nowhere to be seen.
Whenever Shen Chi Yan had returned before, Song Qi Nian would wake up early to wait for him.
Even if Shen Chi Yan didn't even look at her, treating her as if she didn't exist, she would still wait for him.
Today, she was nowhere to be found.
"Where is Song Qi Nian?"
A slightly overweight servant stepped forward and said, "We asked Madam to wake up for breakfast early this morning, but she never came out."
Shen Chi Yan thought of Song Qi Nian's uncooperative behavior last night and assumed she was once again on a hunger strike to protest. His anger flared up instantly.
"Make her get out here!"
A few seconds later, a servant stumbled from the basement, "Sir, n-no... it's bad, Madam... she seems to be... dead!"
Before everyone could react, Shen Chi Yan had already rushed into the basement.
He saw Song Qi Nian lying on the floor, her breathing so faint it was almost nonexistent. Her exposed skin was covered in a dense rash of red bumps, and her face was flushed and swollen.
Shen Chi Yan's expression turned extremely grim. He didn't know why, but his heart suddenly pounded with panic.
"Song Qi Nian! Song Qi Nian!!!"
Shen Chi Yan patted Song Qi Nian's face and then felt her carotid artery. Seeing that she was still alive, he roared at the bewildered servants standing at the door, "Call an ambulance, quickly!"
...
"The patient suffered food poisoning, combined with a cold and fever, causing her to be severely weakened and go into shock. Fortunately, you found her quickly. If you had been any later, she might have already lost her life."
The speaker was a female doctor, no older than forty. She sized Shen Chi Yan up, unable to reconcile the handsome, exceptionally refined man before her with the image of a domestic abuser.
However, as a medical professional, she felt compelled to remind him, "Sir, no matter what dissatisfaction you have with your wife, you can divorce her, but you cannot commit domestic violence."
Shen Chi Yan, having just heard that Song Qi Nian was out of danger, breathed a sigh of relief. When he heard about domestic violence, his brow furrowed. "What domestic violence?"
The doctor, believing Shen Chi Yan was feigning ignorance, said sternly, "We found many injuries on your wife's body – bruises from being hit,掐痕, and marks from being kicked. Domestic violence is illegal. When your wife wakes up, if she wants to report it, we will support her and help her contact the local women's federation to ensure her safety."
After the doctor left, Shen Chi Yan entered the hospital room.
Song Qi Nian had an oxygen mask on her mouth, and she looked so fragile, as if she might disappear at any moment.
Shen Chi Yan's dark, ink-like eyes gazed at her quietly for a while. Then he walked over, lifted the blanket, and pulled up her hospital gown.
Song Qi Nian had classic fair skin. Just yesterday at the hotel, her skin had been spotless.
Now, her body was covered in bruises and contusions, some areas even broken skin. It was a shocking sight.
However, Song Qi Nian had not left the house from yesterday until now. The origin of these injuries was self-evident.
That afternoon, Shen Chi Yan returned home radiating hostility. He ordered Gao Kun Lun to gather all the servants in the living room.
The servants didn't know if Song Qi Nian had truly died or not, nor did they understand why Shen Chi Yan had summoned them all.
But seeing Shen Chi Yan sitting on the sofa, radiating an aura of icy coldness, they were all terrified.
Shen Chi Yan crossed his legs. His crisp three-piece suit and handmade leather shoes with red soles made him appear both noble and restrained.
His expressionless face offered no clue as to whether he was pleased or angry.
Finally, his sensual thin lips parted slightly, and a voice like icy wind entered everyone's ears.
"You all know very well that I do not like Song Qi Nian..."
Shen Chi Yan's dark eyes swept across the standing servants one by one.
"Yesterday, who hit Song Qi Nian?"
At first, everyone exchanged glances, none daring to step forward.
Later, they reasoned that since Shen Chi Yan didn't like Song Qi Nian, perhaps he would reward whoever hit her. So, the plump servant immediately stepped forward. "Sir, I hit Song Qi Nian."