Volume 1, Chapter 46: Only I Can Bite

Shen Chiyan was not wearing a necktie today, leaving Song Qinian unable to gauge whether his mood was good or bad at the moment.

Inside the car, Shen Chiyan remained silent. Song Qinian actually had things she wanted to say, but since Shen Chiyan refused to even look at her, she had no way to express them.

Upon arriving home, Shen Chiyan carried Song Qinian directly to her bedroom.

His movements were extremely gentle, giving Song Qinian the sensation that she was made of fragile glass, handled with utmost care.

Yet the expression on his face was so gloomy and cold that Song Qinian's heart remained suspended in her throat, terrified that Shen Chiyan might fly into a rage at any second.

Seeing that Shen Chiyan was about to leave, Song Qinian instinctively reached out and grabbed his sleeve in desperation.

Shen Chiyan cast a cold, sweeping glance her way.

Startled, Song Qinian hurriedly let go of him. But remembering Song Jiashu, she had to bite the bullet and use sign language, "About my younger brother... I am truly sorry. Please be the bigger person and spare him this once."

Shen Chiyan let out a light, cynical scoff. "Are you afraid I won't let your good-for-nothing brother take the national college entrance examination?"

Song Qinian tightly pressed her lips together, her complexion turning quite unsightly.

Without another word, Shen Chiyan turned and left the room.

Receiving no response from Shen Chiyan, Song Qinian felt an indescribable sense of anxiety.

Before long, Shen Chiyan returned, holding a bowl containing two freshly boiled eggs.

Completely baffled, Song Qinian looked at him with a blank expression.

With a cold and aloof gesture, Shen Chiyan pointed to the bruise still lingering on his face. "The injury on my face was caused by your brother. If the bruising completely disappears by tomorrow morning, I will let your brother off the hook. But if I can still spot any trace of a bruise tomorrow dawn, then your brother..."

Shen Chiyan left the rest of the sentence unfinished, but Song Qinian already understood the unspoken threat.

Daring not to waste another second, she reached for the eggs in the bowl and began peeling the shells. Fearing that Shen Chiyan might grow impatient and walk away, she pulled him down to sit beside the edge of the bed.

When Song Qinian used to apply compresses for her younger brother, her mind was completely free of distracting thoughts.

Doing it for Shen Chiyan, however, was entirely different.

As they sat closely together, the crisp and alluring scent unique to Shen Chiyan drifted into her nostrils in gentle wisps, making her heart race.

To make matters worse, his profound gaze remained fixed entirely on her, inexplicably stirring up her nerves.

Overwhelmed by tension, Song Qinian's hands began to tremble, and her teeth unconsciously bit down on the cupid's bow of her upper lip.

His dark eyes instantly turned pitch-black. Shen Chiyan pressed his thumb against Song Qinian's lips, his voice dropping into a low, husky register, "Let go!"

Huh?

Song Qinian blinked in confusion, meeting Shen Chiyan's eyes.

His warm thumb rubbed gently against her lip. "Only I am allowed to bite this spot!"

"Boom..."

Song Qinian's face flared up instantly, burning with heat.

The atmosphere suddenly grew somewhat ambiguous. Song Qinian instinctively shrank back in discomfort, only to have Shen Chiyan grab the back of her neck and pull her right against him.

Their noses collided instantly, and their breathing intertwined.

Song Qinian saw undisguised desire burning in Shen Chiyan's eyes. Her heart tightened, and remembering that her lower back had not yet healed, she shoved Shen Chiyan away with all her might.

Fearing that he would be displeased, she rushed to explain herself in a flurry of panic, "The doctor said that within a month, I cannot... cannot engage in strenuous physical activity. Once I am fully recovered, is that alright?"

Shen Chiyan's handsome face darkened instantly. He certainly had those kinds of thoughts on his mind, but seeing the expression on Song Qinian's face—as if she viewed him as some sort of beast—left him immensely dissatisfied.

With a cold, mocking smirk, he retorted, "Song Qinian, aren't you thinking a bit too highly of yourself? Do you really think you're some kind of precious treasure? Just because a few people flatter you, do you genuinely believe you're an angel, a fairy descended from the heavens?"

Song Qinian shook her head, picked up the egg again, and began rolling it across Shen Chiyan's face.

An inexplicable wave of fury surged deep within Shen Chiyan's chest.

When she applied compresses for her brother, she was as gentle as could be. Yet when facing him, she always wore this pathetic, long-suffering expression!

"Enough!"

He reached out and slapped Song Qinian's hand away. The egg tumbled to the floor, splitting into two halves as the yellow yolk spilled out.

The warmth that had lingered for barely two minutes vanished, and the atmosphere plunged back into icy stillness.

Song Qinian had no idea what she had done to provoke Shen Chiyan. Just as she wanted to reach out and sign to him, Shen Chiyan strode out of the room with large, angry strides.

Song Qinian tried to chase after him, but the sharp pain in her lower back stopped her.

By the time she finally managed to make her way out and learned from Zhang Qiaoqiao that Shen Chiyan had already left the villa, her heart sank.

Throughout the entire afternoon, Song Qinian remained restless, her greatest worry being the injury on his face.

What if the bruise hadn't vanished by tomorrow morning? How would he retaliate against Jiashu?

Night fell, and Shen Chiyan still hadn't returned. Song Qinian's anxiety mounted. Lying in bed, she kept pondering what she should do if Shen Chiyan refused to let Jiashu take the college entrance exams.

Yet no matter how much she wrung her hands, she could think of no alternative other than sending Song Jiashu abroad to study.

However, going abroad meant needing a vast amount of money—money she simply did not possess.

Above all else, Jiashu would likely rather work odd jobs to support himself than ever agree to go abroad.

Song Qinian let out a heavy sigh, consumed by melancholy.

Her phone chimed. It was a WeChat message from Song Jiashu.

"Elder sister, did Shen Chiyan bully you?"

Attached below the text was a fiercely aggressive emoji, as if he would instantly storm over to pick a fight with Shen Chiyan the moment Song Qinian confirmed that he had wronged her.

Having her dearest younger brother and the man she loved at constant odds was truly a headache.

"No, don't worry. Just focus on your studies."

Shen Keqin also sent a message: "Sister-in-law, I heard my brother took you back home. Are you holding up alright? If my brother gives you a hard time again, make sure to tell me! I'll have grandma set him straight!"

Seeing Shen Keqin stand unconditionally on her side deeply moved Song Qinian. After replying to Shen Keqin, she opened her contacts list and hovered her finger over Shen Chiyan's phone number.

Should she send Shen Chiyan a text message?

Well past eleven o'clock, Song Qinian still had not drifted off to sleep when the bedroom door was suddenly shoved open with a heavy shove. Before she could even reach out to switch on the light, she was pulled tightly into a pair of arms.

A rich scent of alcohol mixed with a familiar cologne washed over her senses, instantly revealing the intruder to be Shen Chiyan.

Song Qinian instinctively tried to sit up, but Shen Chiyan's cold, threatening voice whispered right beside her ear, "If you don't want your lower back to heal properly, feel free to move again."

Hearing those words, Song Qinian froze in terror, not daring to twitch a muscle.

Expecting to endure a harrowing ordeal tonight, Shen Chiyan merely bit the nape of her neck lightly, did nothing further, and fell asleep holding her.

Being held captive like a human body pillow made it impossible for Song Qinian to catch any sleep.

Even when she did briefly doze off, she would jolt awake in fright shortly after.

With the bruise on Shen Chiyan's face weighing heavily on her mind, Song Qinian opened her eyes at the first break of dawn and immediately peered at Shen Chiyan's face.

It's over!

Although the bruise had faded slightly, it had not completely vanished. At least to the naked eye, it was still clearly visible.

No, she absolutely could not let Shen Chiyan see that bruise.

As an idea struck her, Song Qinian's eyes lit up. She gently extricated herself from Shen Chiyan's grip and cautiously slipped out of bed...