After Shen Chiyan came out of the ICU, Lin Qiutong also fell ill.
Upon learning that Shen Chiyan had woken up, she had intended to visit him despite her illness, but was stopped by her family.
Even though Lin Qiutong was far from being a good person, seeing Ye Fanglin so exhausted and worried for her, she felt a pang of guilt.
Coupled with Shen Chiyan's current weakened state and her fear of infecting him with her cold, she decided to wait until her cold subsided before going to the hospital to see him.
Moreover, Song Qinian had been missing for several days, and was likely dead. She no longer worried about Shen Chiyan being taken from her.
Lin Qiutong rested and ate well at home for a few days, regaining her energy. Just as she was about to put on makeup to go to the hospital to see Shen Chiyan, her phone rang.
Seeing Shen Chiyan's name on the caller ID, Lin Qiutong, both surprised and excited, answered, "A'Yan... I was just about to come to the hospital to see you, and you called."
"Then I'll wait for you at the hospital."
"Okay!"
After hanging up, Lin Qiutong felt ecstatic.
Song Qinian was missing, and Shen Chiyan had called her instead of looking for Song Qinian after waking up.
It seemed Shen Chiyan still had feelings for her.
Before going to the hospital, Lin Qiutong specifically went to a flower shop to buy a bouquet of baby's breath.
She knocked and entered. The moment she saw Shen Chiyan, her heart fluttered. She gave him a sweet smile, "A'Yan, you're finally awake."
Shen Chiyan merely nodded faintly and then glanced at Shen Liubai, "Brother..."
Shen Liubai understood Shen Chiyan's intention. He left with a simple "You two talk," and thoughtfully closed the door behind him.
Lin Qiutong placed the flowers on the cabinet beside the bed. As soon as Shen Chiyan saw the baby's breath, his mind was flooded with thoughts of Song Qinian.
The thought of Song Qinian sent a wave of overwhelming panic and unease through him.
However, at such a time, Shen Chiyan had to force himself to remain calm.
"Qiūqiū, Gao Kunlun said that when he found me, only you were with me, and Song Qinian was already gone. Why were you in that forest? Where did you find me? What was my condition then? And where did Song Qinian go?"
As soon as Shen Chiyan saw Lin Qiutong, a string of questions all about Song Qinian made Lin Qiutong extremely uncomfortable.
She was the one who had gotten him out of the forest, yet he hadn't asked about her for days, only caring about that damned Song Qinian.
Shen Chiyan's face was pale and cold. Despite his severe injuries, his eyes were sharp.
Lin Qiutong had anticipated this day would come once Shen Chiyan woke up. Fortunately, she had already prepared her words.
"After your car accident, I was extremely restless. Later, Qinqin told me you went to find Song Qinian, and that you remembered everything from three years ago. She said the person you wanted to confess to wasn't me, but Song Qinian..."
As she spoke, Lin Qiutong began to cry. "A'Yan, tell me the truth, the person you wanted to confess to back then was me, or Song Qinian? Do you really... have you never loved me?"
Shen Chiyan hadn't expected Lin Qiutong to ask this question. He had intended to find a suitable time and place to clarify their relationship after bringing Song Qinian back to Jinghua City, but he hadn't anticipated the ambush along the way.
Since the conversation had reached this point, Shen Chiyan decided to seize the opportunity to be clear.
"Qiūqiū, I'm very sorry. From beginning to end, the only person I've ever loved has been Song Qinian!"
"Impossible!"
Lin Qiutong became extremely agitated. "You clearly liked me! You waited for me for three years. If Song Qinian hadn't used those tactics to get you to marry her, you two would never have..."
Before Lin Qiutong could finish, Shen Chiyan calmly interrupted, "No, if I hadn't had the car accident three years ago, I would have confessed to Song Qinian long ago. The first time I saw her in college, it was love at first sight. Three years ago, the person I went to the Bund to confess to was also her!"
Shen Chiyan didn't want to hurt Lin Qiutong, but he couldn't let her continue to misunderstand.
"You might not imagine how much I like Song Qinian. I approached her cautiously, afraid of scaring her. The reason I didn't tell Si Nian and Yu Qi about Song Qinian's existence was partly because I wanted to introduce her to my friends as my girlfriend after I had won her over, and partly because I feared they would be curious about Song Qinian and scare her by approaching her directly."
Shen Chiyan never expected that his own small selfish act would cause him and Song Qinian to miss three years.
"Because of the car accident, I lost my memory and forgot the person I loved most. I only remembered that I was going to the Bund that day to confess to someone, but I couldn't recall who it was! Everyone said that you were the only girl around me, and that the person I liked must be you, and for a while, I believed that too."
As he spoke, Shen Chiyan let out a sigh, suppressing the longing for Song Qinian in his heart, and continued, "A person's body and heart cannot lie. For the past three years, I've always wanted to divorce Song Qinian, but when Song Qinian truly proposed divorce, I felt no happiness or relief; on the contrary, I felt agitated and anxious. I also have to thank this car accident for finally making me remember everything..."
"Enough!"
Lin Qiutong interrupted Shen Chiyan, filled with anger and despair. "You say you love Song Qinian, then what about me? What do I count as?"
"I'm sorry. Previously, both others and I misled you."
"Misled? Haha... Misled about what? Misled into thinking you liked me? But whether you like me or not, I like you very much!"
Meeting Lin Qiutong's tear-filled, fervent gaze, Shen Chiyan calmly shifted his eyes away. "I'm sorry, in this life, I will only love Song Qinian."
Before he was certain of his love for Song Qinian, Shen Chiyan had struggled, wavered, and hesitated.
Once he confirmed his feelings, he became very resolute.
For Song Qinian, Shen Chiyan's words were no different from a death sentence. She was in pain, angry, and desperate.
She had schemed and planned so much to get Shen Chiyan, even ending up bedridden for three years.
Finally waking up, she thought she had finally seen the light of day, only to be kicked from heaven into hell by him.
How cruel he was!
"A'Yan, I just want to know one thing: we've known each other since we were children. Over the years, have you ever had feelings for me, even once?"
"Never!"
Shen Chiyan knew his words would hurt Lin Qiutong, but since he couldn't love her, he couldn't give her any false hope, as it would only harm her.
Upon hearing this, Lin Qiutong could no longer hold back and burst into tears.
She covered her face, crying with profound sadness. Shen Chiyan felt terrible and reached out, intending to pat her back to comfort her, but ultimately clenched his fist and did not touch her.
Lin Qiutong had actually been waiting for Shen Chiyan to comfort her. Seeing his complete lack of reaction, her heart grew even colder and more desperate...