“Impossible?” Shen Shixiu stared at Shen Qianan coldly. “Fu Chengyan knew Shi Nuan long ago! Do you really think his love for her would have grown so much within half a year?” Shen Qianan turned pale upon hearing Shen Shixiu’s words and staggered a step or two back until her legs hit the sofa. Grasping onto the sofa arms for support, she said through clenched teeth. “You are bluffing. How do you know all this? You must be lying to me!”
“Do I have to lie to you? I have done a thorough investigation before coming here. But if Fu Chengyan likes you in the slightest bit, I will spare no effort to help you. After all, it will benefit the Shen family if both of you marry. However, the truth is he does not like you, and that’s the reason why I won’t help you out.”
“I don’t believe you!”
Shen Shixiu knitted his brows and made a call to Jiang Zhan. “Give the information we have gathered to me.”
Jiang Zhan joined them swiftly and gave the document to Shen Shixiu.
Shen Shixiu flipped through the document and passed a page to Shen Qianan. “Take a look yourself. See if I’m lying to you!”
Shen Qianan took the document with trembling hands. Her fists clenched tightly as she skimmed through the contents on the paper. “No… This is impossible!”
“Fu Chengyan is a student of Shi Nuan’s grandpa. I bet you didn’t know that, did you? Do you think that a man like Fu Chengyan will fall in love so easily?”
Shen Qianan’s eyes clouded over. “But Yan used to treat me…” Yes, Fu Chengyan used to treat me very well and accede to my request no matter what I asked. And during all those years, he kept quiet whenever I claimed to be his fiancée. I regarded his silence as a tacit admission of his love for me.
Now, Shen Qianan felt like she was the greatest fool on earth.
So it turns out that he has never loved me. He has treated me so well only because I bear a strong resemblance to Shi Nuan.
A gloomy look fell over Shen Qianan’s face. She staggered backward in a dazed state and fell onto the sofa. Her entire body was shivering, but she was still grasping the paper in her hands tightly.
I can’t accept it. I can’t accept the fact that I have been wrong all these years. So it was because of Shi Nuan that Fu Chengyan had treated me so well back then. And he had used me to rid of all the women around him for so many years! So… Fu Chengyan did not ask me anything during that time when I was kidnapped because he did not care about me? To think I have thought that it was because he wanted to protect me!
Shen Shixiu shook his head resignedly at the sight of the desolated Shen Qianan. “Fu Chengyan knew Shi Nuan long ago. So it is not surprising that he has married her. He treated you so well only because you resembled Shi Nuan, and having you around would help deter other women from approaching the single him back in the day. After all, you have saved his life before, hence he has promised to take care of you for your whole life on the condition that you do not break his principles. I guess you have forgotten about that condition?”
So this is it…
Shen Qianan stared at Shen Shixiu in a daze. Her lips trembled before she let out a pathetic laugh while tears rolled down from the corners of her eyes. “Why? Why must you tell me this?”
“Just give up. You can start afresh in life if you give up now. Why insist on something when you know that nothing will come out of it?” Shen Shixiu asked blandly. He placed his hands behind his back as he stared at Shen Qianan unfeelingly. In fact, his stare was so cold that it was as if he felt no brotherly love towards his sister.
“I can get Jiang Zhan to get you a plane ticket if you want to leave now.”
“No! I’m not leaving! Shen Qianan shook her head obstinately. “So what if I’m just her substitute? I don’t believe that all my years at Yan’s side cannot beat the six months that Shi Nuan spent with him! It can’t be true love between them! They only met each other at such a young age!”
“Why are you so stubborn?” Shen Shixiu frowned. “In that case, I won’t let you have your way. Don’t think I don’t know about what you have done in C Country. I have found out whatever Fu Chengyan has discovered too!”
“I…” Shen Qianan bit her lower lip. “Why must all of you treat me in this way? It’s my life. I have the right to make my own decisions!”
“Maybe Fu Chengyan will still marry you if you didn’t do what you did three years ago. But now, you have lost your chance with him. Seeing Yu will always remind you of the choice you have made back then.” Shen Shixiu cast a glance at Yu, who was sleeping on the bed. Resignation flashed across his eyes. “Except for Fu Chengyan, do you not love Yu’s biological father before?”
“I…”
“Who’s outside?”
Shen Shixiu’s eyes darted to the door, which was slightly ajar. He dashed over, opened the door and muttered in shock, “Ms. Shi!”
Shi Nuan rubbed her nose in embarrassment before letting out a dry chuckle. “Sorry. I didn’t mean to eavesdrop. But Mr. Shen, I waited for you in the car for thirty minutes and realized that you left your phone in my car when I tried to reach you on your phone.”
With that, Shi Nuan waved the phone in her hand. “Have you settled your matter?”
Shi Nuan looked into the room, and her gaze landed on Shen Qianan’s pale face. Pursing her lips, she asked, “Should we visit the university another day instead?”
“It’s not necessary. I have settled the matter here.” Shen Shixiu glanced at Shen Qianan. “Think about what I have told you, and let me know your decision.”
“I…” Seeing that Shen Shixiu was about to leave, Shen Qianan stood up hurriedly. “Shi Nuan, can I talk to you?”
After a moment of hesitation, Shi Nuan asked, “What do you want to talk about?”
Shi Nuan looked inquiringly at Shen Shixiu, who was furrowing his brows but said, “Go ahead, Ms. Shen, if you want to talk to her. But you can’t take long as I have to attend to another matter later in the day.”
Shen Qianan nodded and looked at Shen Shixiu. “Can you please excuse us?”
Shen Shixiu glanced at Shi Nuan, then at Shen Qianan before nodding his head and left the two women alone in the room. Shen Qianan scrutinized Shi Nuan’s face as if she wanted to read her mind, but it was a futile effort. Shi Nuan was only staring back at her blankly.
Shen Qianan pursed her lips. “What would you like to drink?”
“I’m good. Ms. Shen, you can go ahead and say whatever you want to say.”
Suddenly, Shen Qianan smiled and stared at Shi Nuan straight in the eyes. “Did you hear everything just now?”
Embarrassed, Shi Nuan hesitated for a second before nodding her head. “A bit, but not the entire conversation.”
Shi Nuan’s outright statement caught Shen Qianan off guard. She fell silent for a long while before pointing at the sofa. “Take a seat.”
Shi Nuan lifted a brow but still obliged. “Ms. Shen, please speak your mind.”
Shen Qianan asked hesitantly, “Don’t you have anything to say to me?”
Shi Nuan asked doubtfully, “What should I say?”
“You must be laughing at me right now!” Shen Qianan bit her lower lip. “Are you laughing at me now that you find out Yan has always loved you, and I’m only your substitute? Don’t you have anything to say to me?”
“What should I say?” Shi Nuan looked at Shen Qianan in genuine bafflement. “I don’t understand what you mean. Actually, I’m not laughing at you because you don’t affect the relationship between Yan and me!”
“I don’t believe you!” Shen Qianan clenched her fists tightly as an incredulous look crossed her face. “How can you not mind my existence? I don’t believe you! I’m Fu Chengyan’s ex-fiancée, after all.”
“I’m an ordinary woman, so of course, I will mind. But I can think for myself. It’s not difficult to realize the truth after thinking it through.” Shi Nuan smiled. “Ms. Shen, do you think I’m an idiot?”
Shen Qianan felt embarrassed. “Do you really not mind that Fu Chengyan and I used to be together?”
“You have said it yourself. It’s all in the past!” Shi Nuan was an open-minded person. “Ms. Shen, one should embrace the future instead of living in the past. Actually, you have never stood between Yan and me. So it’s really not necessary for Old Master Fu to get you to return.”
Shi Nuan’s graciousness was way classier than Shen Qianan’s malice. Even Shen Qianan had to admit that to herself. To think that I have always assumed Shi Nuan would lose to me in all aspects. It turns out that I’m the loser who has been utterly defeated by her!
“But haven’t you given him the cold shoulder because of me?”
“Haha!” Shi Nuan burst out into laughter. “Ms. Shen, you’re older than me, but why are you so childish? It’s not because of you that I have given Yan the cold shoulder. I simply hate the feeling of being deceived. He has told me about you before. So you turning up now is not a problem in my eyes. I’m only angry with him because he has not told me the complete truth.” Shi Nuan stood up, suddenly feeling that Shen Qianan was not worth her time. We are simply not on the same wavelength! ”Okay. If there is nothing else, I would like to go first.”
With that, Shi Nuan left the room.
She did not inform Shen Shixiu about her departure. Given the situation, I don’t think it is appropriate for us to visit the university now.
But Shen Shixiu was waiting for her beside the car with his usual calm demeanor.
Seeing his tall, broad-shouldered frame from afar, Shi Nuan sighed. After a moment of hesitation, she walked over and smiled at him brightly.
“Mr. Shen, why did you come down first?”
