Shen Qiman had been planning his escape for a long time.
He utilized the network of connections and relationships he had cultivated over the past decade to devise a plan of "golden cicada shedding its shell."
He knew very well that if he didn't take the blame for Lin Qiutong, she would be sentenced. For him to rescue Lin Qiutong from under Shen Chi Yan's nose would be an almost impossible feat.
Moreover, he couldn't possibly allow Lin Qiutong to be imprisoned while carrying his child.
If he took all the blame, Lin Qiutong would be acquitted. Then, he could find an opportunity to escape and flee with Lin Qiutong.
Of course, devising the plan was one thing, and executing it was another.
Whether it was taking the blame or escaping, every step had to be flawless, or all their efforts would be in vain.
Fortunately, with Li Jun Shen's help, things had gone relatively smoothly.
Shen Qiman's time was limited. If the guards discovered his escape, a large police force would be dispatched to stop him, and Shen Chi Yan would surely not let him go.
Therefore, he had to take Lin Qiutong away in the shortest possible time.
However, when he met up with Qiao Yong Si, he discovered that Lin Qiutong was not there.
Shen Qiman, filled with anger and anxiety, grabbed Qiao Yong Si's shoulders. "Where is Tong Tong? Didn't I tell you to bring her here?"
Qiao Yong Si was beside himself. "I called Miss Lin several times, but she said she had something very important and urgent to do before leaving. I wanted to pick her up, but she wouldn't tell me where she was, only to wait for you here and that she would come over later."
Shen Qiman cursed under his breath.
Tong Tong was now completely alone; what important matters could she possibly have?
A thought struck him, and Shen Qiman's expression turned even more grim. Could it be... she went to find Shen Chi Yan?
The more he thought about it, the more likely it seemed. Shen Qiman snatched Qiao Yong Si's phone and called Lin Qiutong.
As expected, Lin Qiutong did not answer.
At the same time, after hearing the news of Shen Qiman's escape, Shen Chi Yan looked coldly at Lin Qiutong. "Did you know about Shen Qiman's escape all along?"
Lin Qiutong's face changed drastically. How could Shen Chi Yan know about Shen Qiman's escape? Would he send people to arrest Shen Qiman?
She immediately shook her head, feigning composure, and replied, "I don't know."
Shen Chi Yan did not press Lin Qiutong further. Instead, he calmly answered her unspoken question, "I wouldn't!"
Lin Qiutong was momentarily stunned. "What did you say?"
"I said I wouldn't miss you."
In truth, Lin Qiutong had already anticipated this answer, but hearing it directly from Shen Chi Yan's mouth still wounded her deeply.
"You... do you hate me that much?"
"Of course not! I don't have that much time to hate you, nor do I have the energy or effort to waste on hating you."
Shen Chi Yan's meaning was quite clear: his time was only for those he cared about, not for unimportant people.
Lin Qiutong's heart turned to ash. Tears of pain streamed down her face. "Okay... okay, I understand. Thank you for telling me this, it lets me give up on you!"
With that, Lin Qiutong turned and ran away in tears.
Shen Chi Yan narrowed his eyes and called Gao Kun Lun.
"Follow Lin Qiutong. We should be able to find Shen Qiman that way."
As soon as he hung up, he received several messages on WeChat from Song Qi Nian.
"There's a fireworks display at the southern port tonight. It's very beautiful."
Immediately after, Song Qi Nian sent Shen Chi Yan several videos of fireworks exploding in the sky. Shen Chi Yan smiled slightly upon seeing them.
However, remembering that Shen Qiman might pose a threat to Song Qi Nian, he quickly called her.
The call rang for a while before being answered, but instead of Song Qi Nian's voice, it was Shen Qiman's cold and sinister voice. "Where is Tong Tong?"
Shen Chi Yan's face instantly turned grim and terrifying. "What did you do to Qi Qi?"
"I want to see Tong Tong. If I don't see Tong Tong within ten minutes, you can wait to collect Song Qi Nian's body!"
Shen Qiman hung up after speaking. Hearing the dial tone, Shen Chi Yan cursed and immediately dialed Gao Kun Lun's number.
"Boss..."
"Intercept Lin Qiutong. Take Lin Qiutong to the southern port. I'll meet you there."
Gao Kun Lun immediately understood Shen Chi Yan's intentions. "Shen Qiman is at the southern port?"
"He... is likely holding Qi Qi hostage."
Upon hearing this, Gao Kun Lun didn't waste a moment. He stomped on the accelerator and sped off to intercept the taxi carrying Lin Qiutong.
The taxi driver immediately started cursing. "Hey, what are you doing? Trying to get yourself killed?"
Gao Kun Lun ignored the driver and directly opened the rear door, pulling Lin Qiutong out of the backseat.
Lin Qiutong, before she could react, was pulled out of the car. Her wrist hurt terribly, and she angrily flung Gao Kun Lun's hand away. "What are you doing?"
Gao Kun Lun, while dragging Lin Qiutong towards his own car, said coldly, "Aren't you going to see Shen Qiman? My car is faster, I'll take you there!"
Lin Qiutong's expression turned extremely ugly. How did Gao Kun Lun know she was going to see Shen Qiman?
Could it be that Shen Chi Yan already knew about Shen Qiman's escape?
Would Shen Chi Yan let them leave then?
If they couldn't get away, and Shen Qiman was caught, would it implicate her?
Thinking this, Lin Qiutong shouted at Gao Kun Lun, "I'm not going to see Shen Qiman! Isn't he in prison? Why would I see him?"
Gao Kun Lun said nothing, accelerating his car fiercely.
Seeing that the situation was not right, Lin Qiutong tried to open the car door to jump out, only to find that the doors were locked. She desperately pounded on the window, screaming in despair, "Stop the car, I want to get out!!!"
Gao Kun Lun let her rage, completely ignoring her curses and shouts, his mind solely focused on Song Qi Nian.
The boss and the young lady had finally gotten together, and they absolutely couldn't let anything happen to them because of these scoundrels.
...
In a bad mood, Shen Ke Qin had invited Song Qi Nian to the southern suburbs for teppanyaki. Coincidentally, there was a fireworks display that day, so the two went to the beach to watch.
Everyone wants to share beautiful things with their loved ones, and Song Qi Nian was no exception. She took out her phone and recorded a video to send to Shen Chi Yan.
As soon as she sent it, something suddenly pressed against her lower back. She instinctively turned her head to look, and before she could clearly see the person behind her, she heard his cold, threatening voice, "Don't make a fuss if you don't want to die!"
Recognizing Shen Qiman's voice, her heart sank. She hadn't expected Shen Qiman to escape.
At that moment, Shen Ke Qin also saw Shen Qiman. She was about to scream when she saw the knife pressed against Song Qi Nian's lower back. She held her breath in terror, afraid that a sound from her might anger Shen Qiman.
Then, she was also taken hostage by Qiao Yong Si. The two were quietly led away from the crowd to a deserted, open dock.