Gao Kunlun had originally intended to roll up his sleeves and get to work, but upon seeing the situation, he was instantly dumbfounded.
What now?
Who was he supposed to hit?
Hit Guan Mingxu?
He was the young master of the steward's family, after all.
Of course, if Fifth Master ordered him to act, he wouldn't hesitate.
Who knew this young master would pick a fight with the wrong person, and then try to elope with Fifth Master's wife.
Shen Chiyan stared coldly at Guan Mingxu, a sneer curling on his lips. "The two women behind you, one is my sister, the other is my wife. On what grounds are you saying this to me?"
"Your wife?" Guan Mingxu retorted angrily. "Do you even treat her as your wife? Have you ever loved her, cherished her, or treated her well?"
Faced with his questioning, Shen Chiyan remained silent, his dark eyes settling gently on Song Qinian's face.
At this moment, Song Qinian didn't dare to look at Shen Chiyan.
Although she was unaware of the day's events beforehand, being caught in this situation by Shen Chiyan made her somewhat afraid.
She feared Shen Chiyan would assume they had colluded.
Song Qinian's refusal to look at Shen Chiyan, in his eyes, was an admission of Guan Mingxu's words.
Shen Chiyan ignored Guan Mingxu and Song Qinian, instead turning his gaze to Shen Keqin, who kept peeking out from behind Song Qinian, only to quickly shrink back due to Shen Chiyan's terrifying expression.
"Qinqin, come here."
Shen Keqin trembled, thinking, "It's over. My brother isn't going after Guan Mingxu, nor is he talking to my sister-in-law, but he's calling me. He's going to kill me first!"
Shen Keqin hid behind Song Qinian, tightly gripping her sleeve, and whispered in her ear for help, "Sister-in-law, that scoundrel Guan Mingxu tricked me. My brother is going to kill me now. You have to save me!"
Song Qinian: "..."
She would probably die before Qinian.
"I'll say it again, come here!"
Shen Keqin was on the verge of tears, but she knew Shen Chiyan's temper. If he truly got angry, it wouldn't matter if she hid behind Song Qinian or even the old lady.
So, she reluctantly emerged from behind Song Qinian and walked towards Shen Chiyan.
Song Qinian, fearing Shen Chiyan might vent his anger on Shen Keqin, was about to speak or make a gesture when Shen Chiyan's cold voice cut in.
"Gao Kunlun, take Qinqin out first."
Gao Kunlun said to Shen Keqin, "Miss Qinqin, please."
Shen Keqin opened her mouth to say something, but a sharp glance from Shen Chiyan silenced her before she could utter a word.
Knowing Shen Chiyan wouldn't actually do anything to Song Qinian and Guan Mingxu, she reluctantly left the private room.
As the door to the private room closed, Shen Keqin immediately pressed her ear against it, eavesdropping.
The moment Shen Keqin and Gao Kunlun left the room, the atmosphere inside became even more suffocating.
Guan Mingxu eyed Shen Chiyan warily, maintaining a protective stance over Song Qinian.
Shen Chiyan looked at the two of them and said calmly, "Since you like Song Qinian so much, and even went so far as to use Qiqi, then I'll give you both a chance."
Despite his words, Guan Mingxu's guard did not lessen one bit.
"What chance?"
"A chance to elope."
Upon hearing this, Song Qinian and Guan Mingxu's expressions shifted.
Although the word "elope" was unpleasant, Guan Mingxu looked at Shen Chiyan in disbelief. "Are you serious?"
"My word is my bond."
Song Qinian's expression grew increasingly pained. Was he finally deciding to discard her?
She bit her lip, a suffocating pain in her chest. He truly didn't care for her at all, otherwise, how could he utter such words so casually?
It was true, she had been hoping he would leave her sooner rather than later!
"I'll give you three minutes. In these three minutes, if Song Qinian is willing to go with you, I will not stop you."
He then turned his dark eyes to Song Qinian. "You don't need to worry about my grandmother not agreeing. She disagrees with me divorcing you, but she didn't say she disagrees with you divorcing me. If you want to leave, I will persuade her. No one will stop you from finding your happiness."
Song Qinian looked at Shen Chiyan, the pain in her chest unbearable, her nose stinging so badly that tears were about to fall if she didn't hold back.
Shen Chiyan walked step by step towards Song Qinian. Guan Mingxu, fearing he would hurt her, stepped in front to protect her.
Seeing Guan Mingxu acting like a mother hen protecting her chick, Shen Chiyan suppressed his anger and continued, "This is your only chance."
With that, Shen Chiyan strode out of the private room.
His departure was so resolute that Song Qinian watched his cold, indifferent back, her tears no longer controllable, falling drop by drop.
As soon as Shen Keqin heard Shen Chiyan's footsteps, she quickly moved to a safe distance.
Seeing Shen Chiyan emerge with a face as terrifying as if he were about to kill someone, she became even more frightened.
But her curiosity was too great. She mustered her courage and cautiously asked, "Brother, are you really going to let Sister-in-law and Guan Mingxu leave?"
Shen Chiyan didn't reply. He walked to the window and extended his hand to Gao Kunlun. "Cigarette!"
Gao Kunlun immediately took out a pack of cigarettes and handed it to Shen Chiyan, then personally lit it for him.
Shen Keqin watched Shen Chiyan's expressionless face, completely unable to guess what her brother was thinking.
Everyone else was trying to elope with his wife, and he was actually giving them a chance.
This showed... how little he actually cared about his sister-in-law!
Shen Chiyan was outside. Shen Keqin dared not eavesdrop but cautiously crept a few steps closer to Shen Chiyan. "Brother, actually, I think if you really love Lin Qiutong and don't love Sister-in-law, letting Sister-in-law go is a good option. Otherwise, looking at someone you dislike all day is quite..."
Before Shen Keqin could finish, Shen Chiyan shot her a cold glance. "I'll settle your tab with you later!"
Shen Keqin: "...I just felt sorry for Sister-in-law. If you treated Sister-in-law better and didn't pine for your first love, then even if Guan Mingxu cried until the Leifeng Pagoda collapsed, I wouldn't help him!"
"So, you're blaming me?"
"No, no, no... How would I dare to blame you!"
"Then shut up!"
Shen Chiyan indeed stopped speaking.
These three minutes passed quickly, yet slowly.
At such a critical juncture, it was difficult to ask Shen Keqin to keep quiet.
Unable to hold back for long, Shen Keqin, fearless of death, spoke again. "Brother, if... I mean, if Sister-in-law really goes with Guan Mingxu, will you really let them leave?"
Shen Chiyan didn't look at Shen Keqin. He smoked, gazing out at the scenery. After a long while, he let out a soft hum. "What do you think?"
Logically, Song Qinian leaving with Guan Mingxu should have been what Shen Chiyan wanted, because then Shen Chiyan could divorce Song Qinian and be with Lin Qiutong.
But Shen Chiyan's ambiguous attitude left Shen Keqin genuinely unable to fathom his thoughts.
Shen Keqin looked towards the private room with worry, wondering how the conversation between the two inside was going.