A man in a floral shirt and black shorts, with large sunglasses perched on his nose, walked in.
He swaggered in, followed by a few other similarly dressed young men.
Upon seeing him, Song Qinian instantly recognized the man who had crashed into her by the bridge.
Although he had worn a helmet then, Song Qinian had clearly seen the scar from the corner of his eye to his cheekbone.
Seeing Shen Keqin's eyes filled with disdain and disgust as she looked at the newcomer, Song Qinian gently nudged her.
Shen Keqin turned to look at Song Qinian. "Sister-in-law, what is it?"
"Who is that person?"
"Him? Hmph... He's my second uncle's illegitimate son and Lin Qiutong's devoted admirer. His name is Shen Qiwén."
Song Qinian blinked in surprise. The elder Mrs. Shen had three sons.
The eldest son, Shen Zhengchéng, Shen Keqin's father, was a lawyer.
The second son, Shen Zhèngmíng, was a shareholder of Ding Sheng Group.
The third son, Shen Zhèngháo, Shen Chiyàn's father, had left the Shen family and his whereabouts were unknown.
Shen Zhèngchéng had a son and a daughter. His son, Shen Liúbái, worked at the Metallurgical Science Research Institute as an engineer, and his daughter, Shen Keqin, was still in college.
Shen Zhèngmíng had three daughters and one son. The daughters were from his first wife and were all married.
His son, Shen Qiwén, was an illegitimate son that Shen Zhèngmíng had suddenly brought home twelve years ago.
The Shen family had strict traditions, and Shen Qiwén's existence was like a stain on the Shen family's pure reputation. The elder Mrs. Shen had fallen gravely ill from the shock.
However, the deed was done. The elder Mrs. Shen did not disown Shen Qiwén, but she had never treated him as a genuine grandson.
The Shen family rarely spoke of Shen Qiwén's existence, so Song Qinian had no idea there was such a person in the Shen family.
Three years ago, after Lin Qiutong had an accident, Shen Qiwén went abroad. Now that Lin Qiutong had woken up, he had returned.
Shen Qiwén was Lin Qiutong's admirer?
So, the crash by the bridge that day was not an accident, but intentional!
"Sister-in-law, why are you asking about him? Did he bully you?"
It was understandable why Shen Keqin asked this. Song Qinian was not interested in anyone other than her family and Shen Chiyàn.
Her sudden inquiry about Shen Qiwén, coupled with Shen Qiwén's character and his being Lin Qiutong's admirer, made Shen Keqin suspect that Shen Qiwén had bullied Song Qinian.
Song Qinian knew that if she told Qinqin that Shen Qiwén had deliberately crashed into her, Qinqin would likely turn a blind eye.
What if things escalated, and this Shen Qiwén harmed Qinqin?
Besides, if Shen Chiyàn found out, he would say she was instigating trouble again.
So, she shook her head. "I don't know him."
"Mmm, it's best not to know him. He's not a good person."
As soon as Shen Keqin finished speaking, Shen Qiwén walked over and put his arm around Shen Keqin's shoulder. "Qinqin, my dear, long time no see. Have you missed your brother?"
Shen Keqin disgustedly pushed him away. "Don't touch me! Who's your sister!"
Shen Qiwén clutched his chest, feigning hurt. "Qinqin, we haven't seen each other for so long, and I even brought you a gift from abroad. You're hurting my heart so much."
"Heh... Do I care about your gift?"
"Alas... The Pacific Ocean isn't as sad as I am."
As they spoke, Shen Qiwén's shrewd, narrow eyes landed on Song Qinian. He suddenly smiled and walked towards her.
Shen Keqin and Guǎn Míngxù, seeing this, instinctively stood in front of Song Qinian.
Shen Qiwén paused, then slapped his thigh and burst into laughter. "Haha... Qinqin, Young Master Guǎn, what are you two doing? I just thought that beautiful young lady looked unfamiliar and wanted to say hello."
Seeing Shen Qiwén's ill intentions, Shen Keqin glared at him and whispered, "She's my brother Shen Chiyàn's wife. Don't even think about her!"
Shen Qiwén raised an eyebrow and shrugged. "So, she's Fifth Brother's wife? She's so beautiful, it's truly Fifth Brother's good fortune."
Guǎn Míngxù clenched his fists upon hearing Shen Qiwén call Song Qinian Fifth Sister-in-law.
"Don't worry, I have no ill intentions towards Fifth Sister-in-law. Fifth Sister-in-law, it's a rare opportunity for us to meet at the billiards hall. How about a game?"
Guǎn Míngxù stepped forward. "How do you want to play? I'll play with you!"
Shen Qiwén dismissively pushed Guǎn Míngxù aside. "Who wants to play with a rough guy like you?"
Then, he smiled at Song Qinian again, his face full of obsequiousness. "I want to play with my Fifth Sister-in-law!"
Song Qinian met Shen Qiwén's challenging gaze. Before she could react, Shen Keqin let out a hmph. "If you want to play, then play. Sister-in-law, go for it!"
Song Qinian: "..."
"If we're going to play, there will be winners and losers. Let's set a bet!"
Shen Keqin: "What do you want?"
"We'll play best of three. If Sister-in-law wins, I'll do whatever she asks. But if I win..."
Shen Qiwén curled his lips into a smile, his eyes filled with ill intent as he stared at Song Qinian. He had to admit, this woman was quite attractive, but she was still far from comparing to Tóngtóng.
"Next month, on the fifth, is Grandma's eighty-eighth birthday. I want Fifth Sister-in-law to be my date."
As soon as he said this, Shen Keqin and Guǎn Míngxù exploded.
Guǎn Míngxù was so angry he almost punched Shen Qiwén. "What makes you think you can ask Little Niannian to be your date!"
Shen Keqin and Guǎn Míngxù were on the same side. "What daydream are you having? I think you're deliberately trying to embarrass Grandma and my brother!"
Shen Qiwén snorted. "That's just my condition if I win. What? Are you so afraid of losing to me?"
Shen Keqin was most susceptible to being provoked, especially by people she disliked. She snorted. "Lose? Heh... I'm afraid my sister-in-law will make you cry later!"
"Are you playing or not?"
Song Qinian was about to reach out and pull Shen Keqin back, telling her not to be so impulsive.
But it was too late. Shen Keqin rolled up her sleeves, full of fighting spirit. "We're playing! Whoever chickens out is a grandson! Sister-in-law, go!"
Song Qinian felt completely dismayed.
She really wanted to shout, "Precious Qinqin, next time you make a decision, can you ask me first!"
Song Qinian didn't get a chance to state her opinion at all. A billiard cue was thrust into her hand.
Shen Keqin massaged Song Qinian's arm and smiled. "Sister-in-law, billiards is so simple. You won't lose, right?"
Song Qinian: "..."
Song Qinian sighed heavily. As she was about to try out the cue, Shen Qiwén across the table spoke with a wicked smile. "Fifth Sister-in-law, you take the first shot."
Seeing Shen Qiwén's arrogant demeanor, Song Qinian gripped the cue.
She looked at Shen Qiwén's position and quickly calculated the distance in her mind.
"Come, come, everyone make way. I'm going to record my sister-in-law's first billiards match. Sister-in-law, go for it!"
Shen Keqin took out her phone and started recording a video. Guǎn Míngxù was also busy, taking beautiful photos of Song Qinian from various angles.
Song Qinian had never played billiards before, but she had seen it done. She leaned over, aimed the cue at the white ball, and hit it hard.
Her eyes were sharp, and her movements were swift. Just as everyone thought she was a master, the ball flew out, followed by a scream...