After the wedding ceremony, it was time for the banquet.
Shen Chi Yan had warned Song Qi Nian not to leave his side for even half a step, so she stayed with him throughout.
Shen Chi Yan was seated at the head table, and Song Qi Nian was placed beside him. On Shen Chi Yan's other side sat Lin Qiu Tong.
The current situation was quite awkward for Song Qi Nian.
Yet, Lin Qiu Tong appeared poised and at ease, chatting and laughing with those around her, occasionally conversing with Shen Chi Yan.
Song Qi Nian became a non-entity. Her only thought was to get through this banquet safely.
Before long, the bride, after changing outfits, came with the groom to toast the guests.
Shen Yu Shu was wearing an expensive black suit today, with a tie and tie clip worth tens of thousands.
He was slightly surprised when he saw Song Qi Nian. He hadn't expected Shen Chi Yan to bring her to such an event.
Upon seeing Lin Qiu Tong, he frowned slightly.
What was Shen Chi Yan implying?
Was he trying to emulate Emperor Shun, with his primary wife and his concubine, E Huang and Nü Ying, by his side?
Zhou Yu Ting's plump face beamed when she saw Shen Chi Yan.
Shen Chi Yan was known for his aloofness and demanding nature. In the past, whenever invited to a celebration, he would send a gift but never attend in person.
To actually see him here today made Zhou Yu Ting feel exceptionally honored.
"Mr. Shen, we're surprised you could grace us with your presence. My husband and I would like to toast you."
Shen Chi Yan raised his glass, a faint smile touching his lips. "I wish you both a united heart and a lifetime of happiness."
"Thank you, thank you. We certainly will."
Lin Lan Xing was also present today. She couldn't stand seeing Song Qi Nian sitting next to Shen Chi Yan, so close to him. A thought struck her, and she smirked, "Yu Ting, the beautiful lady next to Brother Chi Yan is Song Qi Nian. She was your husband's last friend during his time at Ding Sheng Group."
Zhou Yu Ting's attention had been solely on Shen Chi Yan. Upon hearing Lin Lan Xing's words, she looked towards Song Qi Nian.
Song Qi Nian was slender and beautiful, the kind of woman who would catch anyone's eye, male or female.
Zhou Yu Ting had heard many rumors about this Song Qi Nian. For instance, that she had used underhanded tactics to marry Shen Chi Yan and had interfered in the relationship between Shen Chi Yan and Lin Qiu Tong.
Before her own marriage to Shen Yu Shu, Lin Lan Xing had warned her to be wary of this woman and had even shown her a photo of Song Qi Nian with Shen Yu Shu in a car.
Considering that Shen Yu Shu and Song Qi Nian might have had a past entanglement, Zhou Yu Ting's gaze towards Song Qi Nian was filled with hostility.
Fortunately, despite her fiery temper, Zhou Yu Ting knew that Song Qi Nian had been brought here by Shen Chi Yan. She wouldn't dare to do anything to Song Qi Nian in front of everyone, lest she anger Shen Chi Yan.
With this in mind, Zhou Yu Ting smiled at Shen Yu Shu. "Yu Shu, since she's your best friend, why don't you toast her?"
Shen Yu Shu nodded and walked over to Song Qi Nian. "Nian Nian, I didn't expect you to be here. Let me toast you."
Today was Shen Yu Shu's wedding day. Regardless of any past unpleasantness, Song Qi Nian didn't want to embarrass him. She picked up her wine glass and clinked it against Shen Yu Shu's. Just as she was about to drink, Shen Chi Yan suddenly snatched her glass away.
"She's not feeling well today. I'll drink this on her behalf."
With that, he tilted his head back and drank the entire glass of red wine.
Handsome people are captivating no matter what they do. Shen Chi Yan's act of drinking was both manly and dashing.
The married and unmarried women present were practically starry-eyed.
Song Qi Nian was indeed on her period today, but she hadn't expected Shen Chi Yan to remember this and, in front of Lin Qiu Tong, to shield her from drinking.
She had been angry with him earlier, but this gesture instantly dissipated much of her resentment.
As expected, the Lin sisters' expressions turned increasingly unpleasant.
Lin Lan Xing was not only disbelieving but also filled with intense anger.
Her disbelief mirrored Song Qi Nian's initial sentiment: Shen Chi Yan's true love was clearly her sister, yet now, with her sister beside him, he was defending Song Qi Nian.
Her anger stemmed from the fact that, in such a short time, this shameless woman, Song Qi Nian, had, through some seductive means, managed to get Shen Chi Yan to drink for her in full view of everyone.
Lin Qiu Tong clenched her fists, her face etched with hurt. After the newlyweds departed, she picked up her wine glass from the table and began drinking, appearing to drown her sorrows.
Shen Chi Yan hadn't noticed Lin Qiu Tong at first. Seeing that Song Qi Nian clearly wanted to try the Buddha Jumps Over the Wall dish on the opposite side of the table and was hesitantly looking at it, not daring to turn the table, he gently rotated it with his gloved hand.
He moved the Buddha Jumps Over the Wall to Song Qi Nian's side.
Song Qi Nian looked at him, confused.
"What are you looking at me for? Eat whatever you want. Do you expect me to serve you?"
Song Qi Nian dared not trouble Mr. Shen.
She picked up a spoon and scooped a portion into her bowl.
"Sister... you can't drink anymore. Alcohol is bad for your health."
Hearing Lin Lan Xing's voice, Shen Chi Yan turned to look at Lin Qiu Tong. Her cheeks were flushed, indicating she had drunk quite a bit.
Seeing her pour another drink and lift her glass, Shen Chi Yan frowned and stopped her. "That's enough. Do you really want to get drunk?"
"Heh heh... Today is Yu Ting's wedding. I'm happy for her, so I wanted to have a few more drinks."
Although Lin Qiu Tong said this, anyone could see that her smile lacked genuine happiness, carrying instead a deep sadness.
Shen Chi Yan took the cup from her hand and placed it on the table. "Drink less, eat more!"
Lin Qiu Tong was very obedient to Shen Chi Yan. She picked up her chopsticks to pick up some food, but her hand trembled, and the dish fell onto the table. She blushed with embarrassment.
Shen Chi Yan stepped in to help her, personally picking up some food and placing it in her bowl.
"Thank you, A Yan..."
For the next while, Shen Chi Yan continued to interact with Lin Qiu Tong, and Song Qi Nian once again became a non-entity.
"Miss Lin is Mr. Shen's white moonlight, his cinnabar mole. Even if she occupies the position of Shen Chi Yan's wife by relying on the favor of old Mrs. Shen, love is love, and it isn't."
"The difference between serving her food and telling her to serve herself is clear. This woman truly has thick skin. If it were me, I wouldn't last a second."
"You're wrong. She's not only thick-skinned but also cunning and manipulative. Her father harmed Miss Lin, so she took advantage of the situation to snatch Miss Lin's man. Miss Lin is the truly unfortunate one."
Song Qi Nian had excellent hearing since childhood. Even the cries of babies from the building opposite would wake her up at night.
Hearing the hushed whispers of the crowd, Song Qi Nian clenched her fists tightly.
As long as her father's innocence wasn't proven, she and her father would be the targets of everyone's criticism. Everything she did required caution.
Recently, there had been no news from Zhou Luo Te. She wondered how his investigation was progressing.
Her stomach suddenly began to ache, and Song Qi Nian stood up, intending to go to the restroom. She initially wanted to tell Shen Chi Yan, but seeing him engrossed in conversation with Lin Qiu Tong, she feared he might get angry if she interrupted, so she quietly left her seat.
Ever since the injury to her waist, Song Qi Nian's back would ache unbearably during rainy days and her menstrual cycle.
After leaving the restroom, she went to sit on a sofa in the rest area for a while.
Just as she was about to get up and leave, she suddenly heard a crisp slap. Song Qi Nian froze for a moment, and then she heard Zhou Yu Ting's furious scolding...