The day after a hangover, Song Qinian woke up with a splitting headache and felt weak and sore all over.
After getting out of bed, she found that Mu Yuxin was gone, but had left her a note on the table.
"Breakfast is in the thermal container, it'll be perfect to eat once you take it out."
Song Qinian opened the thermal container to find a bowl of millet porridge and two pickled vegetable buns. She figured Mu Yuxin had gotten up early and gone downstairs to buy them.
Divorce was indeed a devastating and painful event for Song Qinian, but at this moment, her heart felt warm.
She decided to wash up before eating breakfast. While brushing her teeth, she saw a necklace on her neck in the mirror.
It was a pink and white gypsophila necklace.
Song Qinian dazedly reached out and touched it. If she remembered correctly, she didn't own this necklace.
Hadn't she been wearing a smiley face necklace when she went out yesterday? When did it change to a gypsophila necklace?
Could it be that Yuxin had given it to her?
While eating breakfast, Song Qinian sent Mu Yuxin a WeChat message asking about the necklace. However, Mu Yuxin was probably too busy and never replied.
It happened to be the weekend, and just as Song Qinian was about to go out to buy some daily necessities, her apartment door suddenly rang.
"Knock, knock, knock..."
The knocking was urgent, so Song Qinian quickly went to open the door, only to see a distressed Shen Keqin.
"Sister-in-law, you really divorced my brother?"
When they got married, Shen Chiyan had said they would keep it a secret, so Song Qinian dared not tell anyone.
When they divorced, Song Qinian hadn't deliberately hidden it from others, but she hadn't found an opportunity to say anything yet, and Keqin had found out first.
Seeing Song Qinian nod, Shen Keqin burst into tears.
Song Qinian quickly pulled Shen Keqin into the room, wiped her tears, and patted her back in silent comfort.
"I don't know what to say. Part of me hopes you can leave my brother and be happy, but another part doesn't want you to leave my brother. Sister-in-law, I really like you."
Although Shen Keqin had two sisters-in-law, Lin Zhuyin was aloof and reserved, and her attitude towards Shen Keqin was always polite and distant.
Shen Keqin initially wanted to build a good relationship with her eldest sister-in-law and had tried many times to curry favor, but Lin Zhuyin's attitude never changed. She gradually stopped wanting to interact with Lin Zhuyin.
She just treated Lin Zhuyin as her sister-in-law.
But Song Qinian was different. She was pretty and cute, with a sweet smile, a good personality, and she was very kind to her.
Shen Keqin felt so upset at the thought of Song Qinian becoming someone else's sister-in-law that she couldn't eat.
Song Qinian smiled at her, "My divorce from your brother won't affect our relationship. We'll just be good friends instead of sisters-in-law."
"Then can I still come to see you often?"
"Of course!"
"Will you still draw for me and play with me?"
"Absolutely."
Shen Keqin was sad for a while, but then she thought that Song Qinian must be more in pain than herself at this moment. She immediately wiped away her tears, "Sister-in-law, don't worry, I will find you a better man than my brother."
Shen Keqin was a woman of action. With one phone call, she arranged a party for Song Qinian.
Song Qinian hadn't rested well for the past few days and had wanted to sleep soundly. However, she was dragged by Shen Keqin to attend a party, and she had even booked out the entire Xian Ting.
When they went, Shen Keqin also made sure Song Qinian had a beautiful makeover.
When Song Qinian arrived, Shao Feibai, Qi Miaomiao, and others were already there.
Song Qinian didn't know what Shen Keqin had told them, but as soon as they saw her, their enthusiasm was as if they had seen the God of Wealth.
The hall of Xian Ting was filled with red roses, and the venue was decorated warmly and romantically.
"Niannian, come, come, sit here."
Song Qinian was pulled, in a daze, to the single sofa in the center. On the table next to the sofa were desserts, snacks, and delicious drinks.
For some reason, Song Qinian had a bad feeling. She grabbed Shen Keqin, who was busy directing things.
"Qiqin, what are you doing?"
Shen Keqin patted Song Qinian's hand, "Sister-in-law... Niannian, don't worry, it'll be over soon."
Saying this, Shen Keqin clapped her hands, grabbed a microphone, and shouted to the hall, "Line up, five people per group, one group after another."
Within seconds, five men of different types walked up.
Some were in suits, some in casual t-shirts, and some in exaggerated fashion styles.
"Niannian, take a look at them. If you like any of them, tell me. I'll set them aside for now, and you can choose later."
"Choose what?"
"Your future boyfriend!"
Song Qinian: "..."
As expected, her bad premonition had come true!
Song Qinian immediately stood up from the sofa and gestured speechlessly, "I haven't thought about finding a boyfriend."
"That won't do. You must think carefully about this. Isn't it said that to heal emotional trauma, one must start a new relationship? The men I've found for you today are all from our circle. I know their backgrounds well. Even if you get together with them, I won't let them bully you."
Just as Song Qinian was about to gesture, Shen Keqin pushed her back onto the sofa. "Now, don't think about anything. Just take a good look at who you find pleasing to the eye. At the very least, we can admire some handsome men. Hey, you guys, introduce yourselves and your strengths."
Song Qinian: "..."
Since ancient times, emperors chose concubines.
Song Qinian never expected that one day she would also choose a boyfriend like this.
Shen Keqin meant well, but she and Shen Chiyan hadn't truly divorced; they were in a cooling-off period. If this got back to Shen Chiyan now...
After a moment's thought, they were going to divorce anyway. What Shen Chiyan thought was none of her business.
Moreover, seeing Shao Feibai and Qi Miaomiao beside her diligently taking notes on each man's strengths, Song Qinian was speechless.
Forget it, she'd just play along with Qiqin. After all, she wasn't actually going to choose a boyfriend.
"Niannian, what do you think of these guys?"
Song Qinian shook her head.
"You don't like any of them? It's okay, it's okay, there are more coming! Come, come, next group!"
Song Qinian rubbed her forehead; her temples were throbbing.
Shen Chiyan felt as if a year had passed in just one day since his divorce from Song Qinian. His days were unbearable.
Not knowing how to vent his frustration, he came to Xian Ting to practice boxing.
"Sorry, Mr. Shen, Miss Qiqin has booked Xian Ting today."
Shen Chiyan frowned. "What is she booking Xian Ting for?"
"It seems she's selecting concubines, oh no... selecting boyfriends for a friend who just broke up. It's quite lively."