Unless...
Unless what?
Before Shen Chi Yan could finish his thought, he watched tears spill down Song Qi Nian's cheeks.
Her tears fell steadily, and the raw anguish in her eyes cut straight through him. The sight of her pain only fueled his growing frustration. Everything he knew pointed to Lin Qiu Tong being the one he loved - he was certain of it. So why? Why did watching Song Qi Nian cry make his chest tighten with an almost unbearable ache?
Unable to face her tears any longer, he yanked off his tie and bound it across her eyes. He threw her onto the bed and unleashed his anger once again.
Song Qi Nian felt herself drifting away. Her body throbbed everywhere - her waist, her neck, every inch of her - but nothing compared to the crushing weight in her chest. Had all his gentle moments been lies?
She didn't remember passing out that night. When consciousness finally returned, sunlight was streaming through the windows, and Shen Chi Yan was gone. Her body was a canvas of blue and purple bruises. She'd already missed the morning shift at work, so she decided to take the full day off. The office was quiet lately anyway, and with the weekend approaching, she could use three days to recover.
That evening, her phone lit up with a WeChat message from Mu Yuxin:
‘Qi Nian, how have you been lately?’
‘Not bad. How about you?’
‘Everything's fine, just broke as usual. Oh - it's Qiaoqiao's birthday this weekend. We should celebrate together.’
Song Qi Nian had been so overwhelmed lately that Qiaoqiao's birthday had completely slipped her mind.
‘Of course. Does she have anything special she wants?’
‘Well, the little one's gotten obsessed with this celebrity lately. Wants his signed photo. Thing is, he's one of Shen Chi Yan's best friends, so I doubt he's any good.’
One of Shen Chi Yan's best friends?
‘Which one?’
‘Gong Yuqi!’
Song Qi Nian didn't know him personally, but She Ke Qin certainly did. It was just a signed photo - surely that wouldn't be too much to ask.
She messaged Shen Ke Qin right away. After hearing what she wanted, Shen Ke Qin responded quickly:
‘That's no problem at all! Brother Qi is filming at Lanshan right now. I'll tell him you're coming. Why not bring the little one to the set? Meeting him in person would be way better than just getting a photo.’
‘Are you sure that's okay?’
‘Leave it to me.’
A moment later, another message came through.
‘Just talked to Brother Qi. I'll send you his WeChat. Add him and you can work out the details directly. I'd come along but I'm swamped with my thesis defense prep.’
‘Don't worry about it - focus on your defense. I can take Qiaoqiao.’
‘Perfect!’
Saturday morning, Song Qi Nian carefully applied makeup to hide how tired she was. She met up with Mu Yuxin and Qiaoqiao, and they were about to head to Lanshan when Mu Yuxin's phone rang.
As she listened to the caller, her face fell.
Song Qi Nian gestured worriedly, [What's wrong? Did something happen?]
"I've got someone at work trying to sabotage me." Mu Yuxin squeezed Song Qi Nian's hand. "Would you mind taking Qiaoqiao by yourself? We can meet up later for dinner and cake."
Knowing how hard Mu Yuxin worked to keep her family afloat, Song Qi Nian readily agreed to take Qiaoqiao to Lanshan alone.
When they reached the film set, one of Gong Yuqi's staff escorted them inside. Song Qi Nian felt a flutter of nerves as she recognized faces she'd only seen on screen. Next to her, Qiaoqiao could barely contain herself, drinking in every detail with wide-eyed wonder.
"Miss Song, Young Master Gong is waiting over there."
Song Qi Nian nodded and followed the assistant to a nearby rest area, Qiaoqiao close behind. There stood Gong Yuqi in a striking red costume.
He lived up to his reputation as everyone's heartthrob. His features were perfect, his tall frame graceful. In his period costume, he looked every bit the young general - almost too handsome to look at directly.
When he spotted Song Qi Nian, his face broke into a smile as he walked toward them. She felt Qiaoqiao's fingers dig into her palm and glanced down to see the girl staring in awe.
"Qi Nian, I must be dreaming. Is he really right there?"
"Well hello, ladies - big and small!" Gong Yuqi called out with a wave.
Qiaoqiao, who'd been bubbling with excitement moments ago, suddenly turned shy and ducked behind Song Qi Nian.
Concerned about communication, Song Qi Nian pulled out a prepared note card from her bag and handed it to Gong Yuqi.
[Hello, I'm Song Qi Nian, and this is Qiaoqiao, one of your biggest fans. Would it be possible to get a photo together and an autograph?]
Her handwriting was elegant. Gong Yuqi's eyebrows lifted as he smiled. "So formal - don't you remember me?"
Song Qi Nian paused. She knew he was close friends with Shen Chi Yan, but she couldn't recall ever meeting him herself.
"You were there that day with the cat - I caught you before you hit the ground."
Song Qi Nian tensed at the mention of the cat. That incident had left her completely shaken. She hadn't even seen Gong Yuqi afterward - he'd left while she was still unconscious, right after Shen Chi Yan had nearly started a fight with him out of jealousy.
After taking a moment to collect herself, Song Qi Nian responded with sign language.
Qiaoqiao, her cheeks pink, translated, "Qi Nian says thank you."
Gong Yuqi smiled at Qiaoqiao's shyness and ruffled her hair. "What a sweet girl you are."
"I love your music! Especially 'Fall' - I listen to it every night before bed."
"You know how to sing it?"
"Of course!"
Qiaoqiao launched into an enthusiastic performance. As Song Qi Nian listened, she grew increasingly confused. This couldn't be right - was this actually how the song went? It sounded... terrible.
When Qiaoqiao finished, Gong Yuqi swept her up in his arms, beaming.
"Qiaoqiao, that was incredible! Even better than my version!"
Song Qi Nian stood there speechless.
At first, she assumed Gong Yuqi was just being kind to avoid crushing Qiaoqiao's spirit. But later, when she played the original song at home, she realized it truly was a musical catastrophe. Gong Yuqi hadn't been lying - Qiaoqiao's version was an improvement.
Now she understood why Qin Qin had warned her to run if Gong Yuqi started singing. And she finally got it - Qiaoqiao wasn't just any fan. She was a true devotee.
As Gong Yuqi and Qiaoqiao chatted like old friends, Song Qi Nian pulled out her phone to capture their photo session together.
"Miss Song, let's get one with all three of us!"
Song Qi Nian started to pull back, but Gong Yuqi flashed a disarming smile.
"Come on, it's just a photo. What's the harm? Unless... you don't like me?"
"Please, Qi Nian! I want you in it too!"
Their eager faces made her pause. Thinking of Qiaoqiao's birthday, Song Qi Nian finally nodded.
They squeezed together while Gong Yuqi held out his phone. As they posed for the shot, Qiaoqiao quietly sent the photo to Shen Chi Yan.
"Don't we look like a family of three?"
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