"But I don't love you!" Song Qinian gestured furiously. "Even if Shen Chi Yan chose Lin Qiu Tong, I would never fall for you!"
Li Jun Shen shrugged, seemingly unfazed. "It doesn't matter. As long as you stay by my side. I just want to tell you that Shen Chi Yan might have a bit of affection for you, but his true love is still Lin Qiu Tong. How about we make another bet?"
Song Qinian glared at him, wondering what trick he was up to now.
"You don't believe Shen Chi Yan knew your father was innocent all along, do you? Let's bet that after I clear your father's name, Shen Chi Yan will still protect Lin Qiu Tong and prevent her from going to jail."
Song Qinian clenched her fists. She desperately wanted to tell Li Jun Shen that Shen Chi Yan wouldn't be the type to bend the law, but given it was Lin Qiu Tong, she couldn't be one hundred percent sure Shen Chi Yan would be so impartial as to send her to prison.
"You won't turn back until you hit the south wall. If you don't want to be stuck, I'll let you have a good crash. Of course, if you don't want your father out of prison, you can continue to deceive yourself forever."
Song Qinian excitedly grabbed Li Jun Shen's collar. "You promised to help my father get out. You can't break your word."
Li Jun Shen took Song Qinian's hand and gently kissed her slender, beautiful fingers. "So, you accept my bet?"
Song Qinian furiously shook his hand off. Although Li Jun Shen's words sounded like he was asking for her opinion, he was actually giving her no choice.
This man was too dangerous. She could never stay by his side for a lifetime.
But he held the proof of her father's innocence. So, she had to wait until he got her father released first.
Song Qinian stayed on the island for a few days. Li Jun Shen didn't restrict her freedom. She could leave the villa and explore the surroundings, but Sophia was always with her.
Song Qinian despaired to find that apart from Li Jun Shen's villa, there were no other houses on the island. The villa was surrounded by the sea on all sides. She couldn't escape.
Li Jun Shen spent most of his time with her, and very rarely worked in his study. As long as she didn't look at him, Song Qinian was quite happy.
One day, Li Jun Shen came to find Song Qinian in a good mood, announcing he had two pieces of good news.
Song Qinian, who was painting at the time, stood up excitedly at his words. She gestured anxiously, "Has my father been released?"
Li Jun Shen didn't answer. Instead, he handed her a tablet.
Song Qinian tapped it open. On it was a video of Song Guan Liang being released from prison. Liu Xiao Han had rushed to pick him up. Seeing Song Guan Liang, whose temples were now gray and who had lost a lot of weight, Liu Xiao Han hugged him and burst into tears.
Watching the two of them, Song Qinian couldn't help but shed tears as well.
When Song Guan Liang was imprisoned, she thought every day about how to rescue him. Now that he was out, she couldn't be there to pick him up, nor could she be by their side to show filial piety.
At the end of the video, Liu Xiao Han held Song Guan Liang's hand, and they got into a taxi together, presumably heading home.
Immediately after, the video showed Lin Qiu Tong receiving the Best New Actress award. She was wearing a red backless gown and was giving her acceptance speech.
"Thank you to my fans for your support, and to the audience for your trust. In the future, I will definitely bring you more and better works. Finally, there is one person I must thank. He is the most important person in my life. If not for him, I might not be standing on this stage. A Yan, thank you..."
The video cut off here. Song Qinian looked at the black screen, which reflected her own unnaturally pale face.
"The first piece of good news is that your father is out of prison. The second piece of good news is good for me, but perhaps not for you... You saw that Lin Qiu Tong won the Best New Actress award. Shen Chi Yan not only didn't send her to jail, but he's also promoting her."
Seeing Song Qinian about to collapse, Li Jun Shen put his arm around her slender waist. "Now you believe who Shen Chi Yan's true love is, right?"
A wave of pain shot through Song Qinian's chest. That's right. Her father was out. The kidnapping case from four years ago should have been brought to light. Why wasn't Lin Qiu Tong in jail? Why didn't she have to pay for what she had done?
She had caused someone to be wrongfully imprisoned for four years. If she didn't have powerful connections to protect her, how could she have gotten away with it?
Shen Chi Yan...
Had he been deceiving her from the very beginning?
To him, Lin Qiu Tong would always be more important than her, wouldn't she?
Song Qinian felt a mix of heartache and resentment. She furiously pushed Li Jun Shen away. "Since you know Lin Qiu Tong framed my father, why didn't you send her to jail? You had the power to get my father out, you have the power to make her pay!"
Li Jun Shen curved his lips into a slight smile. "Nian Nian, you're still too young. Have you heard that the higher one stands, the harder they fall? Don't you want to see Lin Qiu Tong at the very top, only to crash down?"
"No! I don't want to see her at the top. I just want her to go to jail immediately..."
Li Jun Shen gripped Song Qinian's gesturing hand. "You're so eager for her to go to jail. Is it really to avenge your father, or are you afraid she'll end up with Shen Chi Yan?"
Li Jun Shen's words struck a chord in Song Qinian's heart. Tears streamed down her face, her mind a chaotic mess of pain.
Whenever she thought about how Shen Chi Yan's subsequent kindness to her was all a lie, whenever she thought about Shen Chi Yan being with Lin Qiu Tong, she couldn't calm down.
Perhaps it was her extreme emotional state, or perhaps it was the accumulation of events over the past period that had weighed on her heart. Just as she tried to struggle free from Li Jun Shen's grasp, her body suddenly went weak, her vision blurred, and she collapsed.
Li Jun Shen's expression changed slightly, and he immediately scooped her up.
Song Qinian had a dream. In the dream, a wedding was taking place. She was wearing a white wedding dress, and holding her father's arm, she walked step by step towards the man ahead.
His back alone was enough to make everyone present swoon. He was tall and slender, dressed in a white suit, like a prince straight out of a comic book.
Then, he slowly turned around. His handsome and charming face was one that Song Qinian could never tire of looking at. She remembered falling in love with his face the very first time she saw him.
He smiled at her against the light as he walked closer, the smile at the corner of his lips radiating such happiness. His eyes, as he looked at her, were so tender they could melt her.
She couldn't wait to run and throw herself into his arms, but she still remembered the proper protocol. She could only impatiently and joyfully wait for him to walk faster.
Come and take her hand quickly, and lead her to the end of happiness...