The room fell deathly silent when Shen Chi Yan's anger erupted. Everyone present seemed to hold their breath, frozen in place. Shen Ke Qin broke first, tears spilling down her cheeks.
Song Qi Nian's fingers shook as she typed out a message on her phone, turning the screen toward Shen Ke Qin: [Ke Qin, it's alright. You should go now. Please don't mention any of this to Grandma.]
"Sister-in-law..." Shen Ke Qin's voice cracked, her face wet with tears.
Song Qi Nian managed a gentle smile and glanced meaningfully at Jian Mubai. Taking the cue, he quickly ushered Shen Ke Qin out, supporting her as she stumbled from the private room.
Drawing in a steadying breath, Song Qi Nian approached Shen Chi Yan. [I apologize. My brother was reckless. Please show him mercy – he's still so young.]
Song JIa Shu's face contorted with rage and desperation at seeing his sister's submission. "Sis, stop begging him! If I failed to kill him, that's on me. Let him do his worst – kill me, torture me, I don't—"
Song Qi Nian lunged forward, clamping her hand over his mouth. Her eyes wide with panic, she signaled him frantically to stop.
She signed rapidly: [Why aren't you at evening study session? What brought you here? And what possessed you to attack him?]
Her mind raced. Her brother should have been buried in his senior year textbooks, preparing for college entrance exams. Instead, he was here, in this place.
"Don't ask why I came. Just tell me the truth – why did you marry Shen Chi Yan? Is it real that he sees you as nothing but a backup blood donor for Lin Qiu Tong?"
The little color left in Song Qi Nian's face drained away.
How had JIa Shu discovered this? Who could have told him? She and Liu Xiaohan had been so careful to shield him from their family's troubles, not wanting to derail his studies.
JIa Shu had always believed his sister married for love. Only tonight did he discover the true extent of her suffering these past three years.
The pain in her eyes confirmed everything he'd learned. His chest tightened with a mixture of heartache and fury.
"You lied to me back then! He never loved you!"
Song JIa Shu's words exploded from him, his neck straining with the force of his shout.
[JIa Shu…]
Song Qi Nian reached for his hand, desperate to explain, but he yanked away. "I know everything now! Don't try to feed me more lies!"
"Heh..." The sound of Shen Chi Yan's cold laugh cut through the air.
Song JIa Shu whipped around to face him, eyes blazing. "What's so funny?"
Shen Chi Yan ignored him, fixing his icy stare on Song Qi Nian instead. "Did you tell your precious little brother that I married you because I love you?"
Song Qi Nian squeezed her eyes shut. This public humiliation cut deeper than any physical blow could have.
When JIa Shu had questioned her early marriage, she'd hidden behind the shield of love.
"Does Shen Chi Yan love you? Will he protect you and cherish you after you're married?"
The memory of her forced smile and lie twisted in her gut. [Yes, he loves me. He'll treat me well.]
But lies have a way of unraveling, and the truth always surfaces.
Song Qi Nian never imagined it would happen like this—so soon, so brutally.
Shen Chi Yan was determined to strip away her last shred of dignity.
"How could I possibly love a mute who can't even speak?"
His cruel words struck her like physical blows, leaving her struggling to breathe.
She fought against her tears, but they came anyway, hot and unstoppable.
Watching his sister cry as Shen Chi Yan's words hung in the air, Song JIa Shu lost all control. He thrashed against the iron grip of the two bodyguards, desperate to reach Shen Chi Yan but unable to break free.
"Shen Chi Yan, tell them to let me go, damn it!"
Song Qi Nian clung to her brother, trying desperately to calm him. Antagonizing Shen Chi Yan now would only make things worse.
The door swung open, and Gong Yuqi strolled in wearing a gold casual outfit. He took in the scene, then approached Shen Chi Yan with an easy smile. "Well, what do we have here?"
"Why are you here?" Shen Chi Yan's voice was sharp.
"Just hanging out with the film crew. Heard you were around, thought I'd drop by."
In reality, Shen Ke Qin had called him in tears. He'd been dining nearby with the crew and left immediately when he realized something was wrong.
Gong Yuqi's eyes moved from Song Qi Nian's tear-streaked face to the struggling boy held by the bodyguards—the family resemblance was clear. He kept his tone light: "What's with the heavy atmosphere? Did your sweet wife cheat on you or something?"
Shen Chi Yan's glare could have frozen hell over.
Gong Yuqi cleared his throat. "If that's not it, why keep holding them? Hey, you two—get him out of here."
When the bodyguards didn't budge, Gong Yuqi stood and kicked one of them. "What, my word doesn't mean shit anymore?"
"Gong Yuqi, stay out of my family business."
The ice in Shen Chi Yan's voice made it clear—he was beyond furious. He rarely dismissed Gong Yuqi so completely.
Gong Yuqi's stomach tightened. What had this kid done to provoke such rage?
"Listen to yourself—sounds serious. I just want to talk. Without the extras around."
"Extras?" Shen Chi Yan's laugh was bitter. "That's no extra."
Song Qi Nian knew she was the cause of all this. She stepped toward Shen Chi Yan, her hands moving slowly: [What will it take for you to let my brother go?]
Shen Chi Yan held his cigarette, staring at Song Qi Nian. The memory of her laughing with Shen Yushu that morning flashed through his mind. His lips curled cruelly. "Strip."
Song Qi Nian froze, staring at him in shock. This man, who'd been so intimate with her just last night, was now demanding she undress in front of everyone.
"Isn't seducing men what you're good at? Strip completely, and I'll let your brother walk. We'll forget he ever laid a hand on me."
Gong Yuqi's face hardened. "Chi Yan, that's enough!"
Shen Chi Yan turned to him with a twisted smile. "Didn't you always want to see what my mute little wife looks like naked? Here's your chance. I'm being generous, aren't I?"
"You—"
"You bastard, Shen Chi Yan! If you've got a problem with someone, deal with me! Only a coward hurts women!"
Shen Chi Yan ignored Song JIa Shu's outburst, keeping his cruel gaze fixed on Song Qi Nian. "Your brother's college entrance exams are coming up soon, aren't they?"
The blood drained from Song Qi Nian's face. In Jinghua, Shen Chi Yan's influence was absolute. One word from him could destroy not just JIa Shu's chance at the exams, but his entire future.
With their father's condition in the prison hospital still uncertain, she couldn't risk anything happening to JIa Shu.
She understood what this was—Shen Chi Yan wanted to break her, to strip away every last scrap of her dignity in front of everyone who mattered.
"Sis! Don't do it! To hell with the exams! I'd rather die than watch him degrade you like this!"
Song Qi Nian turned to her brother, her smile full of pain and resignation. [JIa Shu, be good. Just close your eyes.]
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