"What about Shen Chi Yan? Didn't you suffer a lot when you married him? You can forgive him, why can't you forgive me?"
Li Jun Shen couldn't understand why he lost to Shen Chi Yan.
He even felt he loved Song Qi Nian more than Shen Chi Yan.
But why did Song Qi Nian hate him so much, yet he was willing to give Shen Chi Yan a chance?
"Yes! He did many things to hurt me, but later he truly loved me. He wouldn't threaten me with my family, nor would he force me to do things I disliked. Most importantly, I love him!"
"Then if I didn't threaten you with your family... or if I had stayed with you as you grew up, would you have fallen in love with me?"
Song Qi Nian shook her head. "There are no 'ifs' in this world. Besides... when I trusted you the most, you dealt me such a heavy blow. I'm not crazy, how could I fall in love with you?"
Song Qi Nian had always been somewhat oblivious when it came to matters of the heart. In high school, she received many love letters, and she would carefully write back to each person, politely rejecting them.
She dared not get too close to others, fearing they would turn out like Li Jun Shen.
It wasn't until she met Shen Chi Yan in college that her heart was stirred.
All her fears and anxieties seemed to disappear at once, leaving only the thumping in her chest.
From then on, she wanted to become better.
If Li Jun Shen's existence had plunged Song Qi Nian into darkness for a period, then the time she secretly admired Shen Chi Yan was Song Qi Nian's most radiant and happiest days.
Li Jun Shen's last shred of illusion was mercilessly torn apart by Song Qi Nian. He fell silent for a while before speaking, "What about your father's matter? Does your love for Shen Chi Yan extend to the point where you can forgive him for letting your father serve years in prison for nothing?"
Mentioning this, Song Qi Nian's expression turned unpleasant. She then slowly said, "I will thoroughly investigate what happened to my father, and I will not let Lin Qiu Tong off the hook either."
Upon hearing this, Li Jun Shen suddenly laughed, his laughter filled with deep bitterness and grievance. "Nian Nian, you are too biased. You know what Shen Chi Yan did is true, yet you still say you'll investigate and want to exonerate him. While me... I did nothing, yet you are convinced I did it, without even giving me a chance to defend myself. Heh... as expected, I didn't lose to Shen Chi Yan, but to your love for him, right?"
Song Qi Nian pursed her lips, remaining silent. She picked up her bag, preparing to leave.
Li Jun Shen's sinister voice suddenly echoed from behind, "You came to meet me alone, aren't you afraid I'll drug your food?"
Song Qi Nian glanced back at him, a smile curving her lips. "If that's the case, no matter what you intend to do by drugging me, you will only get a corpse."
After speaking, Song Qi Nian left. Li Jun Shen watched her retreating figure and stood rooted to the spot for a long, long time.
It wasn't until a waiter approached to ask if he needed anything that he covered his face and laughed, "So biased, Nian Nian is so biased. But why... why isn't she biased towards me!"
The waiter was taken aback. Seeing Li Jun Shen's shoulders shaking as if he were crying, he dared not disturb him and quickly left.
...
Successfully exiting the restaurant, Song Qi Nian let out a heavy sigh. She unfolded her hands and saw that her palms were covered in sweat.
She didn't know if Li Jun Shen would fly into a rage and seek revenge after hearing her words today, or if he would truly consider letting her go. But she had finally spoken the truest thoughts in her heart.
Her phone suddenly rang. Seeing that it was Shen Chi Yan calling, Song Qi Nian answered directly, "Hello..."
"Where are you?"
"I..."
"You went to see Li Jun Shen?"
Song Qi Nian hadn't expected Shen Chi Yan to be so well-informed. Since it couldn't be hidden, she admitted it directly, "Yes."
"What did you go to see him for? Do you want to elope with him?"
"I didn't..."
Before Song Qi Nian could finish speaking, she was suddenly pulled into a strong embrace. Just by smelling the familiar scent, Song Qi Nian knew it was Shen Chi Yan.
He seemed to have run there, panting, his heart beating rapidly.
"Song Qi Nian, if you dare to leave me again, I'll break your legs and tie you to me at home forever!"
Hearing Shen Chi Yan's almost panicked voice, Song Qi Nian felt a pang of sadness. "I didn't want to elope, I just had some things I wanted to make clear to Li Jun Shen!"
"What else is there to say between you two? You are not allowed to see him, speak to him, or even dine with him at restaurants from now on."
Song Qi Nian nodded. Just as she was about to say something, Shen Chi Yan's phone suddenly rang.
Shen Chi Yan had originally been scheduled to inspect work today. He rushed over upon learning that Song Qi Nian had gone to see Li Jun Shen. He could no longer bear the thought of her disappearing.
Now, with the call from the other party, he had to leave. But he couldn't rest assured about Song Qi Nian, so he took her back to the villa.
Li Jun Shen watched the scene of the two embracing and leaving from upstairs, his dark eyes filled with ice.
...
Lin Qiu Tong later learned about the recent events in the Shen family through Lin Lan Xing. Her worst fear had come true: Song Zan was indeed Shen Chi Yan's son.
She was even more surprised by Shen Huan Ling's audacity in kidnapping Song Zan.
But Shen Huan Ling was ultimately a coward. If she had gone through with the kidnapping, why didn't she just kill him!
Fortunately, she had a backup plan.
Since becoming pregnant, Lin Qiu Tong had reduced her workload by half, citing discomfort. She had to protect this child.
However, she couldn't completely stop working. In the past couple of days, she had experienced some spotting and felt a dull ache in her abdomen while filming. She disguised herself and went to the hospital for a check-up.
As expected, she had a mild miscarriage.
Hearing that the first three months of pregnancy were extremely dangerous, Lin Qiu Tong took a few days off.
She thought she had disguised herself well, but someone still recognized her through her disguises. That person was Miao Zi Ai.
Besides being an employee of Ding Sheng Group, Miao Zi Ai was also the leader of Gong Yu Qi's fan club, befriending many fan site administrators. Over time, she had developed a keen eye for discerning the truth.
Ever since she learned that Lin Qiu Tong was Song Qi Nian's rival in love, Miao Zi Ai had automatically categorized her as an enemy. She had come to the gynecology department with abdominal pain for several days and happened to run into Lin Qiu Tong.
Could it be that Lin Qiu Tong had some gynecological illness?
Fueled by her gossip instincts and the belief that knowing one's enemy was crucial for victory, Miao Zi Ai embraced her inner detective and did some digging. She then discovered that Lin Qiu Tong was pregnant.
This was huge news!
Miao Zi Ai was incredibly excited. After some thought, she immediately called Song Qi Nian.