Chapter 65: What Did You Want to Tell Me When You Invited Me Out Back Then?

Lin Qiu Tong trembled in Shen Chi Yan's arms as he held her close, his embrace gentle but secure. She pressed against his chest, tears flowing freely even as joy bloomed within her. Despite growing up together as close friends and partners, they had never shared such an intimate moment. His warmth enveloped her exactly as she had always imagined it would, and she found herself wanting to stay there forever.

The others quietly slipped out of the room, leaving them alone together. Lin Qiu Tong's tear-filled gaze never left Shen Chi Yan's face, drinking in every detail as if she might never see him again.

"Ah Yan," she whispered, "you've gotten so thin."

A storm of emotions crossed Shen Chi Yan's face. For three long years, he had prayed daily for her to wake up. When she finally opened her eyes, his heart had soared with happiness and relief. Even now, joy filled him at seeing her awake. He had rehearsed countless conversations on his way here, imagining everything he would say to her.

Yet now, alone with her at last, words failed him completely. He couldn't understand it. Hadn't his love for her burned bright all this time? Why couldn't he speak three simple words: "I missed you"?

Lin Qiu Tong sensed his hesitation, and her heart constricted. Her tears fell faster. "Ah Yan, aren't you happy that I'm awake?"

Catching himself, Shen Chi Yan forced a smile and reached out to stroke her hair. "Of course I am. We've all been waiting for you."

A shadow passed through Lin Qiu Tong's eyes. "Three years... I never imagined I'd lose so much time."

Three years—over a thousand days and nights.

The prime of her youth, gone in what felt to her like a single breath.

Shen Chi Yan's guilt weighed heavily on him. "Qiu Tong, I'm sorry."

Her eyes welled up, but she forced a smile, not wanting to add to his burden. "I'm not blaming you. But tell me... that day when you asked me to meet you at the Bund—what were you going to say?"

"I..." The words caught in his throat. The confession he'd planned years ago refused to come.

Frustration surged through him. This had to be Song Qi Nian's influence. But that couldn't be right—he loved Qiu Tong, had always loved her. That day at the Bund, his heart had been full of anticipation, the whistle he'd bought her tucked safely in his pocket. So why couldn't he speak now?

Lin Qiu Tong watched him struggle, her face falling as understanding dawned. Her thoughts raced. Could it be? Even with his memories of that time gone, had three years of marriage to Song Qi Nian changed his heart?

No. She wouldn't accept that.

She couldn't.

Fighting to keep her voice steady, she asked, "Ah Yan, what's wrong?"

He shook his head, still unable to voice what he'd meant to say three years ago. "It's nothing. Let's wait until you're stronger."

Disappointment cut through her, but worry overshadowed it.

"Ah Yan, Xingxing told me you're married now. I... I should say congratul—" Her voice broke as tears spilled down her cheeks, the blessing dying on her lips. Shen Chi Yan felt the words like a physical blow.

"Please, Qiu Tong. Don't."

She buried herself in his arms again. "I'm sorry. I wanted to congratulate you, but I can't. I just can't, Ah Yan..."

The pain in his chest was unbearable. He knew she loved him—they had always loved each other. But Song Guanyang and his family had changed everything.

As he comforted Lin Qiu Tong, rubbing gentle circles on her back, his thoughts were in turmoil.

In the days that followed, Lin Qiu Tong's mood brightened considerably with Shen Chi Yan's constant presence at her side.

What did his marriage to Song Qi Nian matter? As long as his memories told him that she, Lin Qiu Tong, was his true love - that was enough. After all, marriages could end in divorce. And Song Qi Nian? Lin Qiu Tong's lips curved into a cold smile. How could a mute woman possibly compete with her?

Several days had passed since Shen Chi Yan's last visit to Song Qi Nian. Though disappointed, she told herself he must be swamped with work and didn't want to be a burden. Instead, she threw herself into her rehabilitation exercises, eager to recover and return to work to help ease his load.

Her ever-busy friend Mu Yuxin finally managed to visit. Concerned that Song Qi Nian was spending too much time confined to her hospital room, Mu Yuxin insisted on taking her to the garden despite her limp.

The private hospital grounds were breathtaking. A sprawling garden stretched below the patient wing, bursting with flowers. May brought magnificent peonies that caught every eye, while late summer filled the air with sweet osmanthus fragrance that lifted the spirits.

The gentle osmanthus scent drifting through the garden lightened Song Qi Nian's heart.

"You need to get outside more," Mu Yuxin chided. "How can you find inspiration for your art cooped up in that room all day?"

Song Qi Nian perked up, eager to share her news. Noticing her friend's excitement, Mu Yuxin helped her settle onto a nearby bench.

"Well? What's got you so happy?"

With animated gestures, Song Qi Nian signed: [I sent a comic script to Aiman Tribe, and they loved it! They want to offer me a contract!]

Mu Yuxin's face lit up. "Are you serious? That's incredible! Did you accept?"

Song Qi Nian nodded eagerly. Drawing had been her passion since childhood, and becoming a comic artist was her lifelong dream. But Liu Xiaohan had dismissed art as a dead-end career, forcing her to study business administration instead. She'd taken the job at Dingsheng Group partly because of Shen Chi Yan, partly for the financial security. Still, creating comics that touched people's hearts remained her true calling.

"This is incredible!" Mu Yuxin beamed. "I'm watching a comic artist in the making. When they turn your work into an anime or TV show, I'll be your biggest cheerleader!"

Mu Yuxin had seen Song Qi Nian's artwork before. When she drew, she entered a world of her own, bringing both characters and settings to life with remarkable detail.

"So, have you figured out what kind of story you want to tell? Any ideas brewing?"

Before Song Qi Nian could respond, a cutting voice interrupted them.

"Well, if it isn't Song Qi Nian. What brings you here?"

Sensing the hostility, Mu Yuxin shifted protectively in front of her friend, fixing Lin Lanxing with an icy stare. "Is there a problem?"

Lin Lanxing's eyes swept over Mu Yuxin, lingering on her cheap t-shirt that couldn't have cost more than a few dozen yuan. Her lips curled into a sneer. "Hmph... Birds of a feather. Shabby friends for a shabby person."

Song Qi Nian could handle insults directed at her, but attacking Mu Yuxin crossed a line. Though she couldn't win a war of words with Lin Lanxing, she was ready to act when Mu Yuxin cut in with a sharp retort.

"All those designer labels and expensive perfumes still can't mask the stench coming from your mouth."

Song Qi Nian might not have had a voice, but Mu Yuxin more than made up for it with her quick wit.

Lin Lanxing hadn't expected such a clever comeback from this sharp-tongued woman. Not wanting to waste time on someone she deemed beneath her, she turned her attention back to Song Qi Nian.

"Song Qi Nian, want to know why Brother Chi Yan didn't show up on your birthday?"