Li Junchen's sudden change in attitude left Shen Huanling somewhat bewildered.
Looking at Li Junchen's suddenly cold, handsome face, Shen Huanling tentatively reached out to touch him again, only to be met with Shen Qiwen's chilling, terrifying gaze.
Shen Huanling's heart gave a violent jolt, and her eyes reddened in fear. "Junchen Gege..."
Li Junchen let out a cold, mocking laugh. "You still know I'm your Ge?"
Upon hearing this, Shen Huanling's complexion grew even uglier. She disregarded everything and grabbed Li Junchen's arm. "When I fell in love with you, I didn't know you were my Ge. Now, I can't help but love you."
The more Shen Huanling spoke, the more wronged and unwilling she felt. She had finally fallen in love with someone, so why was heaven treating her like this?
"I don't care if you're my Ge. As long as I love you and you love me, that's enough. We can go to a place where no one knows us, and we..."
Li Junchen interrupted Shen Huanling's fantasy without politeness. "When did I ever tell you, or convey that I love you?"
Shen Huanling looked at him with disbelief. "You don't like me? Then why did you answer when I called you? And just now, why did you hug me to get into the car?"
After getting to know Li Junchen, Shen Huanling, fearing he would be snatched away, immediately launched a fervent pursuit. At first, Li Junchen didn't pay her much attention. Later, when he heard she was returning to the old residence for dinner and that her whole family would be there, Li Junchen finally answered her video call and greeted her family.
Didn't this imply their relationship?
And just now, knowing he was her Ge, he had still hugged her into the car. She thought he, like her, didn't care about societal norms and wanted to be with her.
Li Junchen had no intention of explaining himself to Shen Huanling. The only reason he had paid attention to Shen Huanling was to get another look at Song Qinian.
Hugging Shen Huanling into the car just now was merely to gauge Song Qinian's reaction. Song Qinian had first looked astonished, followed by a deep sense of disdain and disgust. She clearly didn't care who he was with.
Thinking of this, Li Junchen's mood soured. Yet, Shen Huanling kept interrogating him, "Tell me, everything you've done to me..."
Before Shen Huanling could finish speaking, Li Junchen grabbed her slender neck.
The ferocity and chill emanating from Li Junchen made Shen Huanling too scared to move.
Her breath was stolen, and Shen Huanling's small face instantly turned red. She looked at Li Junchen in terror, as if she had never seen such a frightening person.
"Remember, my sense of boundaries with siblings isn't that strong. The reason I don't like you is simply that I have no interest in you as a person."
With that, Li Junchen released Shen Huanling with disgust, as if touching her made him feel dirty. He took out a handkerchief and wiped his hands, his voice extremely cold and terrifying. "Get out. Don't make me say it a third time."
Shen Huanling was greatly frightened. Upon hearing Li Junchen's cold and ruthless words, she was heartbroken and didn't react for a moment.
Only when Li Junchen's sharp, dark eyes swept over her did she hastily open the car door and scramble out, without time to think.
The next second, the car sped away without a hint of hesitation, kicking up a cloud of dust that sprayed into Shen Huanling's face.
Shen Huanling stared blankly at the departing car, tears streaming down her face like water.
Pedestrians around stared at her like a freak, and no one stepped forward to comfort her.
When she finally came to her senses, she clenched her fists tightly, her heart filled with unwavering resolve. She would absolutely not give up!
If Li Junchen truly had no interest in her, he wouldn't have paid attention to her from the start. Therefore, he must still be concerned about their sibling relationship.
Persistence can move mountains. She believed that one day her sincerity would move Li Junchen.
Song Qinian and Shen Chi'an's relationship, on the surface, seemed unaffected by the incidents involving Lin Qiutong and Mu Yuxin. However, Song Qinian always felt a subtle distance between them.
There's a saying: "Strike while the iron is hot." Lin Qiutong was currently in a state of despair and pain, which presented Song Qinian with an excellent opportunity to extract information about Song Guanliang from her.
Therefore, while Shen Chi'an was at work, Song Qinian tidied herself up and went to Lin Qiutong's hospital room.
During Lin Qiutong's illness, it was Lin Lanxing who had been by her side.
When Lin Lanxing saw Song Qinian, her face was filled with anger and hatred. She shoved Song Qinian violently and snatched the flowers from Song Qinian's hand, throwing them to the ground and stomping on them. "If it weren't for you and that Mu Yuxin, my sister wouldn't be like this. Are you here with these cheap flowers just to gloat at my sister's misfortune?"
Lin Lanxing pushed Song Qinian a few more times. "Get out! You're not welcome here!"
"Lanxing!"
Lin Qiutong suddenly called out. Lin Lanxing turned around and saw that Lin Qiutong's face was pale and unwell. She felt immensely pained. "Jie, don't worry, I'll kick this bitch out right now!"
"Let her in."
"What?"
Lin Lanxing's face was full of disbelief. She then pointed at Song Qinian and furiously cursed, "This woman clearly has ill intentions, you..."
"I also have some things I want to say to her. Let her come in, and then you go out."
Lin Lanxing's face turned green with anger, but since Lin Qiutong had said so, she didn't want to upset her. As she left, she coldly warned Song Qinian, "I advise you not to play any tricks. Otherwise, even if you are Shen Chi'an's wife, I won't let you off."
Facing Lin Lanxing's outburst, Song Qinian's expression remained calm, as if she didn't take Lin Lanxing seriously at all.
The door closed. Song Qinian glanced at the flowers on the ground and then bent down to pick them up.
Lin Qiutong watched this scene coldly, a sneer curving her lips. "Seeing me in such a miserable state, are you feeling very proud?"
Song Qinian placed the picked flowers into the nearby trash can. Then, she looked at Lin Qiutong. "I have nothing to be proud of. Besides, everything in the Lin family was never yours to begin with. You occupied Yuxin's position for over twenty years. Now, it's simply being returned to its rightful owner."
"Well said, 'returned to its rightful owner'!"
Lin Qiutong's eyes, glaring at Song Qinian, seemed about to spit fire. "It wasn't my fault back then, so why should I bear all the consequences now? You all think Mu Yuxin is the most pitiful and miserable one, but what about me? I am also a victim!"
"No one is saying you aren't a victim. But some things are destined not to be yours, and you won't get them no matter how hard you try."
Lin Qiutong heard a double meaning in this statement.
Lin Qiutong thought of Shen Chi'an, and her chest ached with anger. She clenched her fists, venomously wishing those assassins were useless, letting this damned woman survive in the forest back then.
As if recalling something, she glared fiercely at Song Qinian and questioned, "Everything that happened on my birthday was orchestrated by you, wasn't it?"