Volume 1, Chapter 63: Shen Chiyan Loves Her?

Shen Chiye's sudden gentleness left Song Qinian somewhat at a loss.

She shook her head, then nodded.

It hurt!

It hurt terribly!

Her heart hurt, her face hurt, and everywhere on her body ached!

Yet, she could not speak, unable like others to express her pain through words.

Shen Chiye gave her a gentle hug, the discomfort in his chest causing his brows to furrow deeply. If not for Guan Mingxu, what kind of ordeal would she have suffered last night?

Logically speaking, he hated Song Qinian so much that whatever happened to her should have been none of his concern. Still, recalling last night's events, lingering fear persisted in his mind.

He could not imagine what he would do if something truly happened to Song Qinian.

Resting her face against Shen Chiye's chest, Song Qinian listened to his strong, steady heartbeat. From last night until this morning before he came to pick her up, resentment had filled her heart.

Yet she made the sad discovery that no matter how angry she was at him, the moment he showed her even the slightest bit of kindness and gentleness, she would still unconsciously draw close to him.

Her love was humble and stubborn.

Regardless of how many unpleasant things had transpired between them in the past, or what their future might hold, at least in this very moment, she felt happy.

Shen Chiye offered no explanation as to why he missed their appointment last night, and Song Qinian did not ask.

Over the next two days, Shen Chiye frequently came to the hospital to accompany Song Qinian. Her spirits soared, and her body recovered rapidly.

When Shen Keqin came to visit Song Qinian, her small face was full of misery. Dragging herself listlessly to the bedside, she threw herself straight into Song Qinian's arms. "Sister-in-law, I feel like my brother is going to assassinate me."

Picking up a pen and pad, Song Qinian quickly wrote: "What's wrong?"

"Oh... It's all because of Guan Mingxu. I used his name to pursue you back then, never imagining that he would fall in love with you at first sight. What kind of ill-fated entanglement is this!"

Song Qinian had never expected that a person like Guan Mingxu actually existed in reality, and that he was the one who had saved her twice.

Speak of the devil, Guan Mingxu arrived at Song Qinian's hospital ward in high style, carrying a bouquet of red roses, dressed in a flamboyant pink suit, and wearing black sunglasses.

Upon entering, he removed his sunglasses and shot Song Qinian a wink. "Little cutie, how have you been lately? Did you miss me?"

Before Song Qinian could even react, Shen Keqin exploded. "Guan Mingxu! Are you seriously not afraid my brother will hack you to pieces?"

Ignoring Shen Keqin, Guan Mingxu placed the flowers on the bedside table and gave Song Qinian a radiant smile. "I went and cut these roses myself at the rose plantation this morning, and I wrapped them with my own hands. Do they look nice?"

Since Guan Mingxu was, after all, her savior, Song Qinian could hardly chase him straight out of the room, so she gave him an awkward smile.

Lowering her head, she began to write on the notepad.

Song Qinian's neck was slender and graceful, her long dark hair tied up in a neat bun at the back of her head, with a few loose strands scattered gracefully against her nape, stirring a sense of envy.

When she wrote, she was exceptionally well-behaved, capable of melting even the most hardened heart into tenderness at the sight of her.

Guan Mingxu stared unblinkingly at Song Qinian, his gaze so gentle that Shen Keqin broke out in goosebumps all over her body.

Shen Keqin noticed three red exclamation marks appearing above Guan Mingxu's head, bearing the word "DANGER."

After finishing her writing, Song Qinian handed the notepad to Guan Mingxu. Taking it, Guan Mingxu started praising her handwriting before even looking at the content. "As expected of my little cutie, even your handwriting is so pretty."

Hastily snatching back the notebook, Song Qinian wrote another message.

The top line read: "Thank you for saving me, and thank you for the flowers, but I am already married."

A smiley face was drawn right after the sentence.

The bottom line read: "My name is Song Qinian. Please refrain from calling me 'little cutie' in the future, thank you."

Another smiley face followed.

Guan Mingxu felt that even the smiley faces Song Qinian drew were uniquely charming and adorable.

Pocketing the page with Song Qinian's handwriting, Guan Mingxu smiled faintly. "I know you're married, but that doesn't affect my determination to pursue you. Hmm... since calling you 'little cutie' puts you in such a difficult spot, I'll call you 'Little Niannian' from now on."

Song Qinian: "..."

Shen Keqin: "..."

Shen Keqin felt utterly unwell. Song Qinian was obviously two or three years older than Guan Mingxu, yet this guy kept tossing out "little cutie" and "little Niannian" left and right. Was this supposed to be the modern charm of younger guys refusing to call women 'older sister'?

Pui, pui, pui! Guan Mingxu was here to wreck her brother's family; she couldn't casually start rooting for this pairing.

Unable to bear it any longer, Shen Keqin dragged Guan Mingxu straight out of the hospital room.

Before Shen Keqin could even speak, Guan Mingxu wore a dreamy, radiant smile. "Little Niannian must really like me."

"???"

With a head full of question marks, Shen Keqin demanded, "Are you out of your mind? Which eye of yours saw my sister-in-law liking you?"

Guan Mingxu cast a chilly glance at Shen Keqin and rolled his eyes. "Didn't you notice? When Little Niannian smiled at you, she only showed six teeth, but when she smiled at me, she showed eight teeth."

"So?"

"The more teeth exposed, the brighter the smile. If that doesn't mean she likes me, what does?"

Shen Keqin's face turned green.

Whenever Shen Chiye was absent, Shen Keqin made sure never to let Guan Mingxu spend time alone with Song Qinian, so when she left, she dragged Guan Mingxu away with her.

Meanwhile, on the top floor of the inpatient building, Lin Qiutong—who had woken up once only to lapse back into unconsciousness for several days—woke up once again.

Lin Lanxing had been guarding Lin Qiutong's bedside the entire time. Seeing her wake up, Lanxing rushed forward in agitation and hugged her tightly. "Sister, you're finally awake, wuwu..."

Having just regained consciousness, Lin Qiutong's body had yet to recover and remained extremely weak.

"Do you have any idea how our whole family got through the past three years while you were in a coma?"

Three years?

Utterly shocked, Lin Qiutong had thought she merely fell asleep, never imagining that three whole years had already slipped away.

"And Brother Chiye—he loves you so much, how could you bear to leave him behind all these years?"

Compared to the news of a three-year coma, the revelation that Shen Chiye loved her shocked Lin Qiutong even more.

What was going on here?

How could Shen Chiye possibly love her?

Could it be... that some major event had occurred in the interim?

Growing suddenly agitated, Lin Qiutong spoke with great difficulty, "Xingxing... I only remember being kidnapped, then getting into a car accident. What on earth happened afterward?"

It seemed to take every ounce of her remaining strength just to utter those few sentences. Once she finished, she gasped heavily for air, suffering to the utmost limit.

Wiping away her tears, Lin Lanxing stroked Lin Qiutong's back to help her breathe easier and said, "Do you remember when Brother Chiye confessed his feelings to you?"

Lin Qiutong's eyes widened in disbelief. Was she dreaming? Or had she somehow crossed over into a parallel world?

Hadn't Shen Chiye gone to confess to Song Qinian?

How had the object of his confession become her instead?

Unaware of Lin Qiutong's internal turmoil, Lin Lanxing continued, "That day, you were kidnapped by Song Qinian's father and got into a car accident, lying in a hospital bed for three years. Brother Chiye also got into a car accident and lost his memories of that period. But don't worry, he hasn't forgotten that he loves you."