When Song Qinian woke up again, Li Junshen was still by her bedside, holding her hand.
Seeing her eyes open, Li Junshen smiled gently at her, "You're finally awake."
Song Qinian's mind suddenly recalled what had happened before she fainted. She had fallen down the stairs, then felt a sharp pain in her lower abdomen, and had bled.
She struggled free from Li Junshen's hand and cautiously touched her stomach. It was flat. Her baby was gone.
She stared at the ceiling in despair, tears slowly streaming down her cheeks. She hadn't been able to save the child after all.
At this moment, Sophia walked in with fragrant seafood congee. Li Junshen took it and stirred the congee in the bowl with a spoon, trying to cool it down faster. He then looked at Song Qinian, "You haven't eaten for a long time. If you don't eat something, your body will collapse."
Song Qinian ignored Li Junshen. Her eyes were hollow and lifeless. After hearing his words, she closed her eyes without even looking at him.
As if out of sight, out of mind.
Li Junshen watched her look of utter despair, as if she didn't care what happened. He sighed softly, "Even if you don't want to eat, the baby needs to eat."
The moment she heard the word "baby," Song Qinian's eyes shot open, and she looked at Li Junshen in disbelief.
Li Junshen reached out and touched her thin cheek, "I told you, I am a person who distinguishes clearly between rewards and punishments. Although I really wanted to kill Shen Chi'an's child, you spoke up for him, you pleaded, so I decided to spare its life."
Li Junshen wasn't inherently kind-hearted. He only thought of how Song Qinian had become mute because of him, and now she had spoken because of this child. He knew very well that if this child died by his hand, Song Qinian would probably never forgive him in this lifetime.
Forgiveness or not was a minor issue. If Song Qinian developed some psychological disorder because of this child and harmed herself, wouldn't he have hurt her again?
He was keeping this child purely for Song Qinian's sake.
Song Qinian never imagined that the baby in her womb was still alive. But her stomach was so flat that she couldn't feel its presence.
In reality, she wasn't far into her pregnancy, and the baby was just an embryo. It was normal that she couldn't feel it.
Song Qinian was instantly overjoyed. However, to prevent Li Junshen from suddenly having a whim and trying to harm her child again, she slowly gestured with her hands, "The child is mine alone, and has nothing to do with Shen Chi'an. Don't transfer your dissatisfaction and hatred for Shen Chi'an onto my child."
Li Junshen's dark eyes gazed deeply at Song Qinian. He knew she was trying to distance herself from Shen Chi'an to protect the child. But he didn't know if Song Qinian would give up on Shen Chi'an after seeing what he had shown her.
Then, he smiled gently again, "You're mistaken. This child is not yours alone; it belongs to both of us."
Song Qinian looked at Li Junshen warily and remained silent. Her stomach suddenly rumbled with hunger. Thinking of the baby possibly starving, she reached for the bowl in Li Junshen's hand, but he dodged it.
"You spoke up to protect the baby before. Now, if you want to eat, you have to speak. Come on... call my name, and I'll feed you."
Since Song Qinian had already spoken, Li Junshen had no intention of going back to her sign language. He wanted to seize this opportunity to make her speak completely.
"If you don't speak, I won't give you food. I definitely won't let you starve to death, but what happens to the baby, I can't say."
Song Qinian glared fiercely at Li Junshen, her face extremely pale. This person, just a minute ago, was saying the baby was theirs, and now he was disregarding the baby's life.
He indeed didn't sincerely intend to spare the baby.
A mother's strength was immense. For the sake of the baby in her womb, Song Qinian dared not confront Li Junshen directly.
She opened her mouth, but still couldn't speak.
The situation had been so urgent, she didn't even know how she had managed to speak. Now, it was incredibly difficult to speak like a normal person.
Seeing Song Qinian's pained expression, Li Junshen showed no softness. He stirred the congee in the bowl absentmindedly, refusing to give it to Song Qinian.
Song Qinian was dizzy from hunger. She knew that if this continued, the baby would be in danger. So, she clenched her fists tightly and managed to say, "Li... Li... Li Junshen..."
"Say it again!"
Li Junshen showed no significant outward reaction, but inwardly, he was incredibly excited.
When Song Qinian couldn't speak because of him, he had felt so self-reproachful that he wanted to destroy the world. After more than a decade, he finally heard his name from her lips again.
"Li... Jun... Shen"
He reached out and held Song Qinian tightly in his arms. No matter how calmly he tried to appear, the tremor in his voice betrayed him, "From now on, I will make you the happiest woman in this world."
Song Qinian's face remained expressionless.
The happiness Li Junshen spoke of was not what she wanted.
After that, for herself and for the child, Song Qinian dared not go against Li Junshen anymore.
She began to speak. Although her voice sounded foreign to her and she couldn't always adjust to it, she could at least express herself through language.
Li Junshen, on the other hand, was engulfed in an inexplicable sense of joy. Every time he saw Song Qinian, he wore a gentle smile on his face.
One day, when Song Qinian went out, she saw Zhou Luote, whom she hadn't seen in a long time. The moment their eyes met, an awkward expression crossed Zhou Luote's face.
But realizing they couldn't avoid each other, he waved at Song Qinian and greeted her with a dry laugh, "Hi, Miss Song, long time no see."
Song Qinian truly hadn't expected Zhou Luote to be one of Li Junshen's people. She had met Zhou Luote when she was at her wit's end.
When she was looking for a private investigator, she happened to encounter Zhou Luote handing out his business cards. He had approached her enthusiastically, saying that no gossip in the entertainment industry could escape his eyes and investigation, and that he had helped many wealthy women find evidence of their husbands' affairs, allowing the women to retain their assets during divorce.
Furthermore, his fees were considered low compared to other investigators.
Song Qinian didn't have much money at the time, and coupled with Zhou Luote's extreme enthusiasm, she hired him. She never expected that he wasn't a private investigator but a doctor, and someone Li Junshen had sent to keep her from investigating the truth.
Zhou Luote felt a prickling sensation under Song Qinian's gaze. He didn't know why, but he felt that the Song Qinian in front of him was completely different from the mute girl he had known before.
"Heh heh... I heard you can speak now, congratulations... Um, I..."
Zhou Luote originally intended to find an excuse to leave, but Song Qinian called out to him, "What is your relationship with Li Junshen?"