Song Qi Nian's hands trembled as she wrote her resignation letter, raw anger coursing through her veins. It wasn't that she couldn't express her fury—she simply loved Shen Chi Yan too deeply. After everything they'd weathered together to finally become husband and wife, the thought of lashing out at him felt impossible.
When she finished writing, she stared at the president's office, her heart heavy with grief. The truth was painfully clear: Shen Chi Yan wanted her gone, wanted her far away from him. She knew the moment she submitted this letter, he'd approve it without hesitation—might even praise her for making the "right" decision.
Leaving Dingsheng Group meant losing her only connection to him. If he continued avoiding their home, they'd become nothing more than strangers sharing a marriage certificate, passing like ships in the night. Her chest constricted at the thought.
Last night had been unbearable. She was flesh and blood after all, capable of being wounded even if she suffered in silence.
Taking a steadying breath, she stood up. Just as she moved to deliver the letter to Shen Chi Yan's office, her phone chimed.
A WeChat message from Li Nanxun lit up her screen: "Miss Song, President Shen is in trouble. He's at Central Hospital."
The words "in trouble" sent ice through her veins, the color draining from her face. Without hesitation, she abandoned the resignation letter on her desk, snatched her bag, and bolted from the building.
By the time she reached the hospital, sweat had soaked through her clothes, her forehead damp with exertion. She spotted Li Nanxun standing at the ward entrance and rushed over. [Secretary Li, where is President Shen? What happened? Is he alright?]
Li Nanxun, still pristinely dressed in his business attire, began explaining what had transpired one hour ago.
Li Nanxun explained that he'd accompanied Shen Chi Yan to the Tianshui Bay project's ribbon-cutting ceremony. Shortly after they'd stepped out of the car, a young boy—no older than seven or eight—had darted into the street, right in front of an approaching vehicle. Shen Chi Yan had acted instantly, lunging forward to pull the child to safety. The rescue had left him with a fractured arm.
Just then, Shen Ke Qin burst in with Jian Mubai close behind, having caught word of the accident.
"Sister-in-law, how's my brother doing?"
Song Qi Nian shook her head. [I haven't seen him yet.]
"What are you waiting out here for? Come on!" Shen Ke Qin grabbed Song Qi Nian's arm and pulled her into the ward.
Inside, they found Shen Chi Yan with his right arm bandaged and suspended in a sling. He was holding his phone in his left hand, which hadn't escaped injury either—angry scrapes marked his skin. His face was set in hard lines as he spoke into the phone. Song Qi Nian managed only a couple of uncertain steps before stopping, while Shen Ke Qin marched right up to him.
"Brother, what have you done to yourself? I don't see you for a few days and you turn into a one-armed warrior?"
Shen Chi Yan cut the call and fixed her with an icy stare. "Why are you here?"
"Are you kidding? I came running the second I heard you were hurt, and this is the welcome I get? Well, excuse me for caring!"
Shen Chi Yan's frown deepened. He didn't need to guess—Gao Kunlun was behind this.
"It's nothing serious," he said dismissively. His dark eyes shifted to Song Qi Nian, cold and distant. She dropped her gaze to the floor, fingers tangling together nervously.
"Why did you bring her here?"
The words made Song Qi Nian flinch.
"Who?" Shen Ke Qin glanced at Song Qi Nian. "Sister-in-law? She was already here when I arrived!"
"Tell her to leave!"
"What?"
Even though Shen Ke Qin wasn't particularly perceptive, she sensed the tension crackling between Shen Chi Yan and Song Qi Nian. Her eyes darted between them, but before she could speak, Li Nanxun stepped into the room.
"Miss Shen, we need a family member's signature on President Shen's hospitalization forms."
Shen Ke Qin brightened, turning to Song Qi Nian with a hopeful smile. "Sister-in-law, I haven't caught up with my brother in forever. Would you mind signing the forms for him? Please?"
Song Qi Nian pressed her lips together. On paper, she was Shen Chi Yan's wife, but he'd never once treated her like family.
"Sister-in-law, please..."
Watching Song Qi Nian's hesitation, Shen Chi Yan's anger flared. He opened his mouth to speak, but Shen Ke Qin rushed forward, clapping her hand over it.
"Miss Song, if you would," Li Nanxun added quietly.
Unable to refuse Shen Ke Qin's pleading, Song Qi Nian nodded and followed Li Nanxun from the room.
The moment they left, Shen Ke Qin yanked her hand away and jumped back, safely out of her brother's reach.
"Brother, that wound on sister-in-law's lip—did you do that?"
As soon as the words left her mouth, she realized how stupid the question was. Who else could have left that mark, if not Shen Chi Yan?
"Really? Sister-in-law is the gentlest person I know—how could you bite her like that?"
Shen Chi Yan's face darkened. He fixed Shen Ke Qin with a piercing stare, his voice razor-sharp. "Everyone's so quick to blame me—has anyone bothered asking what she did?"
"What did she do?" Shen Ke Qin asked, confused.
The memory of last night sent fury coursing through Shen Chi Yan. Rage and something else—something he couldn't name—churned inside him until he thought he might explode.
His expression was so savage it made Shen Ke Qin take another step back.
"What was happening here? Sister-in-law seemed perfectly fine when she came home last night," Shen Ke Qin muttered to herself.
Her phone buzzed—someone had tagged her in a group chat. Opening it, she found a photo of Guan Ming Xu kissing Song Qi Nian.
"Ke Qin, heard Guan Ming Xu's in love with a married woman. When his family found out, his grandfather beat him up and locked him away."
"What? Who's the woman? Who's her husband?"
Shen Ke Qin felt her blood boil. She fired back immediately: "That photo's fake. I was there—that's my sister-in-law in the picture."
Ignoring the flood of responses, she downloaded the photo and thrust it at Shen Chi Yan. "This is what started all this, isn't it?"
The moment he saw it, rage blazed in his eyes. "Where did you get this?"
"That's not what matters right now. You actually believed this? You thought sister-in-law would betray you, so you hurt her?"
Shen Chi Yan's brows drew together. "What are you getting at?"
Shen Ke Qin sucked in a breath, then practically shouted, "The photo is fake! Guan Ming Xu never kissed her!"
"I had it analyzed—it wasn't edited!"
"Then it's just shot from a weird angle! I was there—I swear on my life, sister-in-law would never betray you!"
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