Shen Qiwen glanced indifferently at Lin Lanxing. Lin Lanxing smiled at him, appearing genuinely concerned about Lin Qiutong.
Inwardly, however, she was as flustered as she seemed calm, afraid Shen Qiwen would notice something amiss.
She had also been observing Shen Qiwen's expression, but there wasn't the slightest hint of it on his face. While eating, he said, "If she truly wanted to date, she wouldn't need us to introduce anyone. Don't meddle, lest you upset her."
Lin Lanxing's heart sank. The anger she had suppressed for half the day surged up. "I just want my sister to be as happy as I am. How is that meddling? Or do you not want my sister to find a boyfriend, or even get married?"
Shen Qiwen was already in a bad mood. If it weren't for Lin Lanxing, he would have been sleeping with Lin Qiutong and the baby tonight, their family warm and happy.
Now, she dared to question him so loudly.
However, remembering that Lin Lanxing was currently useful, he suppressed his last shred of patience and asked, "What do you mean by that? How could I not want Tongtong to be happy?"
"Because you like her! When you married me, you claimed you approached my sister to pursue me, but is that really true?"
Lin Lanxing had married him in a daze. Shen Qiwen's confession was sudden, and the marriage alliance between the Shen and Lin families was imminent. Coupled with her emotional wounds at the time, she married Shen Qiwen without fully thinking it through.
But those photos made her realize that Shen Qiwen might never have loved her.
Firstly, after they got married, although Shen Qiwen didn't show it on the surface, his attitude towards her became much colder.
Secondly, whether she was sick or playfully pestering Shen Qiwen, he never showed particular concern.
Yet, the photos showed him meticulously caring for Lin Qiutong, which made her unable to stop overthinking.
After hearing her words, Shen Qiwen slowly put down his chopsticks. Not only did he show no guilt or panic, but his expression also turned stern. "We've been married for three years, and you still suspect me and Tongtong? Heh... is this the trust between us as husband and wife?"
"I..."
Lin Lanxing wanted to say more, but Shen Qiwen had already stood up, looking down at her. "Since you have suspicions, no matter what I say, you'll think I'm making excuses. Haven't you considered that if I didn't love you, how could I have married you?"
With that, he reached out and patted Lin Lanxing's shoulder. "It's getting late, get some rest after tidying up."
Watching Shen Qiwen's retreating back, Lin Lanxing felt even colder.
She had been so distraught, and it had taken immense courage to ask those questions, yet he had so casually dismissed them.
Furthermore, knowing how upset she was, he left her alone in the dining room to go to sleep. If he had argued with Lin Qiutong, would he have treated Lin Qiutong this way?
Lin Lanxing didn't want to doubt Lin Qiutong, but the seed of doubt had been sown. Unless she lost her memory, she couldn't stop thinking about the photos and about Shen Qiwen and Lin Qiutong betraying her.
She desperately wanted to print out the photos and shove them in Shen Qiwen's face, but if he denied it, he would surely claim the photos were doctored and that someone was trying to sow discord between them.
Thinking this, Lin Lanxing gritted her teeth, a decision forming in her heart.
...
After Song Qinian sent the photos of Lin Qiutong and Shen Qiwen to Lin Lanxing, she had been waiting for a major drama to unfold. To her surprise, there was no reaction from Lin Lanxing.
Later, she heard that Lin Lanxing had been following Lin Qiutong.
Indeed, some things wouldn't be believed with just a few photos without witnessing them firsthand.
A butterfly in the Amazon rainforest of South America, by fluttering its wings occasionally, can cause a tornado in Texas two weeks later. This is the butterfly effect.
Those photos were that butterfly that could cause a hurricane. All they had to do was wait and see what butterfly effect would follow.
Song Qinian didn't pay attention to subsequent events, dedicating herself entirely to her work.
Shen Chi Yan was also very busy. He was out of sight by eight in the morning and returned past midnight.
Lately, he seemed to have become much more sensible; at least, he didn't disturb Song Qinian in the middle of the night.
However, Song Qinian might have grown accustomed to Shen Chi Yan's presence. Even when she lay in bed wanting to sleep, she couldn't until Shen Chi Yan returned.
One day, as Song Qinian was busy discussing a new project with Yun Longyue, Shen Chi Yan suddenly returned.
Song Qinian checked the time; it was two in the afternoon.
He should have been at work now, so why was he home?
Moreover, his expression was so grim.
Seeing Song Qinian on the phone, he didn't interrupt her. He just stared at her, his dark eyes filled with complex emotions.
The moment Song Qinian saw him like this, she lost any mood for a phone call. "Yueyue, I have something to attend to, I'll call you back later."
After hanging up, just as Song Qinian was about to speak, Shen Chi Yan suddenly rushed towards her and pulled her into a tight embrace.
Only then did Song Qinian realize his body was trembling, and his arms holding her were extremely tight.
She felt a little uncomfortable from the pressure, but sensing Shen Chi Yan's distress, she gently patted his back to comfort him. "What's wrong?"
Thinking of something, her expression changed slightly, and she said speechlessly, "You're not going to tell me you rushed home to see if I'd eloped with Li Junshen again, are you? I told you, I won't go with him again..."
Before Song Qinian could finish her sentence, Shen Chi Yan's clear voice sounded, "I know, I know everything."
"Then you..."
Shen Chi Yan slowly released Song Qinian, his face etched with deep apology. "I'm sorry, it's all my fault."
The more Song Qinian heard, the more confused she became. "What happened?"
"Li Jun Shen is your childhood playmate Jun Jun, and also Zhou Shao Yuan's son, right?"
Upon hearing this, Song Qinian's face instantly turned grim. "You... how did you know?"
Shen Chi Yan didn't answer her question, but grabbed her shoulders and asked, "Qi Qi, tell me, was your inability to speak back then related to Li Jun Shen?"
Although it had been a long, long time, the mere thought of those events still made Song Qinian tremble with fear.
Break before building!
Some things, if left unresolved and constantly avoided, would never be fixed. Only by facing them bravely could they be overcome.
Song Qinian nodded. "Mhm."
"Because he killed 'Hamburger'?"
Song Qinian looked at Shen Chi Yan in disbelief. "How did you know?"
"Answer my question first."
"Yes! But it wasn't solely because of that."
Some people might say, "It was just killing a cat, what's so scary?"
But Song Qinian had always considered Li Jun Shen her best friend. Witnessing her best friend kill her beloved cat and pull out its intestines to make paint with its blood was such a shock that it rendered the young Song Qinian speechless.