In the studio, Lin Qiutong sat on a chair, painting. She wore a white dress, and her long hair, draped over her back, was cut evenly.
The wind blew in from the slightly open window, rustling her dress and hair.
This scene was eerily similar to the one in his dream. His heart pounded, and his feet involuntarily carried him towards Lin Qiutong.
Finally, he clearly saw the painting on the easel: a bouquet of pink baby's breath.
Perhaps sensing someone's presence, Lin Qiutong turned around.
In his dream, he would always wake up just as the girl was about to turn.
At this moment, the two figures merged into one.
Qiuqiu!
It really was Qiuqiu!
"A'Yan..."
Seeing Shen Chiyan, Lin Qiutong smiled and ran towards him. Before he could react, she threw herself into his arms.
Shen Chiyan's body stiffened. He reached out and touched Lin Qiutong. In that moment, he didn't know whether to push her away or hold her tightly.
Sensing Shen Chiyan's unusual behavior, Lin Qiutong's eyes flickered slightly. As expected, Shen Chiyan must have remembered something.
She quickly let go. "I just painted a bouquet of baby's breath for my brother. Wait for me for a moment."
"...Okay."
Shen Chiyan's gaze remained fixed on Lin Qiutong, watching her place the painting into a tube, and then watching her walk towards him.
"Alright, let's go."
Lin Qiutong linked her arm with Shen Chiyan's. Seeing that he didn't move but kept staring at her, a puzzled expression appeared on her face. "What's wrong? Is there something on my face?"
Shen Chiyan shook his head. "No, let's go."
He knew Lin Qiutong was the person from his dreams he had been searching for, and he should have been happy. But for some reason, he felt something was missing.
At the cemetery.
Shen Chiyan held a black umbrella, tilting a large portion of it over Lin Qiutong.
They stood before a tombstone. The photograph on the stone was of a boy in his teens, smiling brilliantly, exceptionally handsome.
At the prime of his youth, his life had been forever frozen at the age of twelve.
A bunch of lilies lay before the tombstone, which Shen Chiyan had just placed.
Lin Qiutong's mournful eyes gazed deeply at the photo, and she tearfully wiped her eyes.
"Brother, A'Yan and I have come to see you."
Lin Qiutong opened the painting tube, took out the painting, and unfolded it for Lin Feichi. "I don't know how you are over there, if you are lonely. I painted you a bouquet of baby's breath, let this painting accompany you in my stead."
Lin Qiutong then put the painting back into the tube and leaned the tube against Lin Feichi's tombstone.
"Whenever my brother and I made mistakes and Dad was about to punish us, my brother would always protect us."
"He was likable since he was little. In elementary school, people already said they liked him."
"He loved airplane models and said he wanted to be a pilot when he grew up."
Whenever Lin Qiutong recalled Lin Feichi, her tears would flow uncontrollably. Half of it was genuine emotion, and the other half was, naturally, feigned.
The more she appeared to miss Lin Feichi and grieve for him in front of Shen Chiyan, the more guilty Shen Chiyan would feel.
"He was so good, so outstanding, yet he left us so early. When we heard the news, we thought the sky was falling."
Lin Qiutong cried as she spoke. At her most sorrowful, she even threw herself into Shen Chiyan's arms. "A'Yan, I miss my brother so much. If he were still alive, he would definitely be an excellent pilot."
Shen Chiyan clenched his fists tightly, his heart filled with unbearable pain.
He reached out and patted Lin Qiutong's back, his touch full of guilt. "I'm sorry..."
Lin Qiutong shook her head and looked up at Shen Chiyan with tearful, pitiful eyes. "A'Yan, I don't blame you. Blame the bastard who cruelly murdered my brother!"
When Lin Feichi was twelve, Shen Chiyan had just turned ten.
They were almost always together, whether at school or playing.
One time, a psychopath set his sights on them and kidnapped them to a house filled with torture instruments.
When they were splashed with water and woke up, they smelled blood all over the room. The walls and tables were covered with tools for torture.
The room was eerie, and everything they saw and felt sent shivers down their spines.
His memory of that day was still very fragmented. He only remembered that when the man lunged at him with a knife, Lin Feichi had shielded him.
Seizing the opportunity, he used an axe nearby to knock the man unconscious, then pulled Lin Feichi and ran.
But Lin Feichi was too severely wounded. He died of excessive blood loss before he could even reach the hospital.
Seeing Shen Chiyan's somber and pained expression, Lin Qiutong felt a pang of sympathy. She knew that Lin Feichi's death was a wound that would never heal for Shen Chiyan.
If it weren't absolutely necessary, she wouldn't want to stir up Shen Chiyan's pain by mentioning Lin Feichi.
"A'Yan, what's past is past. The most important things are the present and the future. We must live well, carrying his share of life with us."
Shen Chiyan nodded, saying nothing.
Lin Qiutong had originally intended to confess her feelings to Shen Chiyan on this occasion.
However, seeing Shen Chiyan's heavy mood, she knew it wasn't a good day for a confession and decided to postpone it.
On the way back, Shen Chiyan kept staring out the window, lost in thought. Lin Qiutong looked at his handsome profile, her heart filled with longing.
This man, she was determined to have.
"By the way, A'Yan, I was in a coma for three years, wasting over a thousand days and nights. Now that my body has recovered, I want to pursue my dream."
"You want to act?"
"Yes."
Lin Qiutong gave a bitter smile. "You know, my lifelong dream has been to become a film empress. The years I should have been striving were spent in bed. I don't know if I'll ever have another chance."
"As long as you want it, you will achieve it."
Lin Qiutong seemed comforted by Shen Chiyan's words and nodded excitedly. "Yes, I will definitely work hard."
"Have you thought about which agency you want to sign with?"
"I want to go to Star Entertainment. After all, it's easier to thrive under a big tree."
Star Entertainment was the largest agency in Jinghua City, an industry owned by the Gong family, with investment from Ding Sheng Group. It had produced many film empresses and emperors.
For the current Lin Qiutong, fame was important, but Shen Chiyan was even more so.
If she became the wife of the CEO of Ding Sheng Group, she would be unstoppable in the entertainment industry.
Most importantly, Gu Zhiyan and Gong Yuqi were both at Star Entertainment.
One was Shen Chiyan's biological mother, and the other was Shen Chiyan's good friend.
Proximity breeds favor. If she could get the support of Gu Zhiyan and Gong Yuqi, wouldn't she be able to crush Song Qinian?
Moreover, she had heard that Gu Zhiyan didn't like Song Qinian. While Gu Zhiyan was cool towards her, she had watched her grow up and would surely help her.
The thought made Lin Qiutong recall Shen family's old lady. Why was that old hag so good to Song Qinian?