Shen Qi wiped the tears from her eyes, slowly stood up from the floor, and supported herself against the table as she sat down on the sofa.
"I will definitely do what I promised you." Shen Qi looked at Shen Yinyin, using all her strength to restore a bit of sensation to her body, numbed by extreme grief.
"I never owed you anything—you owed me!" Shen Qi continued. "From today onward, I sever all ties with your family of three! If I ever see you again, I won't let you off!"
Finally hearing Shen Qi's words, Shen Yinyin was instantly overjoyed and quickly said, "Yes, yes, I know! I'll never show up in front of you again. So, if there's nothing else, I'll be going now!"
With that, Shen Yinyin grabbed her bag and scrambled away, stumbling as she fled.
Shen Qi collapsed onto the table, unable to control her emotions any longer, and burst into tears again.
Outside the door, Xiaoxia had heard every word of the conversation clearly.
Xiaoxia never expected that her young mistress's background would be so bizarre.
"Dad, I'm sorry..." Shen Qi sobbed, barely able to speak. "Mom, I'm sorry..."
Her daughter was unfilial.
Her daughter had taken an enemy as a mother.
Everything was her fault.
"Brother, I'm sorry..." After saying this, Shen Qi completely broke down.
She didn't know how long she cried before a handkerchief embroidered with the character "He" was handed to her.
Shen Qi looked up through tear-filled eyes and saw He Yining standing before her.
"Yining..." She only managed to say his name before she couldn't speak anymore.
He Yining opened his arms to her, and without a moment's hesitation, Shen Qi threw herself into his embrace.
He Yining stroked the top of Shen Qi's head.
His little bunny was crying so sadly.
Shen Qi hugged He Yining's waist and let it all out, crying freely.
He Yining stood there, motionless, letting Shen Qi's tears ruin his expensive shirt.
Finally, Shen Qi cried herself out and, lying against He Yining's chest, gradually fell asleep.
The teardrops clinging to her eyelashes were heartbreaking to see.
He Yining carefully picked Shen Qi up and turned to leave.
Xiaochun stood to the side and said in a low voice, "President, we've located Shen Gang."
"Take him back first. We'll talk after Xiaoqi wakes up." He Yining nodded. "Xiaoqi is tired."
"Yes, President." Xiaochun gave Xiaoxia a look, and the two quickly stepped back to bring the car to the door.
He Yining looked at Shen Qi, who had cried herself to sleep, and remembered the first time he had seen her.
She had been crying just as sadly back then.
It was truly heartbreaking.
He never imagined that the Shen family had such a sordid secret.
No wonder this little one always lacked confidence, always feared getting hurt, and always instinctively ran from everything.
So this was how her childhood had been.
He Yining held Shen Qi even more carefully.
He could have placed her in the seat to let her sleep peacefully.
But for some reason, he couldn't bear to.
He was afraid that if she woke up and didn't see him, she would cry.
"Little one, trust me. Even if the whole world abandons you, I won't leave you." He Yining said softly. "Those things are in the past. No one like that can hurt you anymore. Never again."
In her sleep, Shen Qi seemed to dream of something painful, clutching He Yining's clothes tightly, refusing to let go.
She truly lacked a sense of security.
Back at Jinghua Manor, He Yining carried Shen Qi straight into the bedroom and instructed the housekeeper, "Prepare some ice. She's been crying too long; her eyes will swell."
The housekeeper immediately sent a maid to get it and followed behind, saying, "Young master, that Lin Xi called earlier looking for you."
"Tell her to go cool off somewhere." He Yining frowned and said bluntly, "Don't bother me."
He took a few steps, then suddenly stopped. "Wait."
The housekeeper halted, listening attentively.
"It's time to test her properly." A sly smile curled at the corner of He Yining's mouth. "We've played enough. Time to reel in the net. Xiaochun."
Xiaochun stepped forward. "President."
"How's the monitoring on Lin Xi's computer and phone?" He Yining's lips turned cold. "How often has she been contacting that mysterious person?"
"Just as you predicted, it's become more frequent in the last few days." Xiaochun quickly replied. "We've locked onto the frequency. Should we act now?"
"No, we still need to put on a big show." He Yining's phoenix eyes grew colder. "Without a big show, how can we flush out the mastermind? Proceed."
"Yes, President." Xiaochun turned and left.
He Yining said to the housekeeper, "If Lin Xi comes looking for me again, tell her I'm not here."
"Yes, young master." The housekeeper acknowledged.
Shen Qi groggily opened her eyes and realized she was already home.
Huh? How had she gotten back?
She vaguely remembered crying while holding He Yining's waist.
Had he brought her home again?
She reached up and touched her cheek. Her eyes weren't even swollen?
That didn't make sense!
Just then, a knock came at the door. The maid, hearing that Shen Qi was awake, entered with tea.
"Young mistress is awake." The maid said. "The young master instructed you to eat first. After you've eaten, he has something to tell you."
Shen Qi nodded.
Before she could get up, the maid helped her sit up, pushed a table over, placed a simple meal on it, and attended to her as she ate.
Shen Qi ate mechanically, without any appetite.
But she knew that if she didn't eat, He Yining wouldn't say a word to her.
After she finished, the maid helped her get up and change clothes, then said, "The young master is waiting for you in the basement."
The basement?
This was the first time Shen Qi knew that Jinghua Manor had a basement.
It must be a secret she hadn't known about.
Shen Qi nodded and followed the maid's directions to open a door.
Beyond the door was another world.
Unlike the exquisite luxury above, everything here was starkly simple.
Plain iron tables and chairs, plain display racks.
But nothing on the racks was ordinary.
All kinds of large- and small-caliber sniper rifles, submachine guns, daggers, grenades, and even nerve agents.
This was indeed another world—cold and ruthless.
As soon as Shen Qi descended into the basement, Xiaochun was waiting at the entrance.
"Young mistress, the president is waiting inside." Xiaochun said. "Please follow my path exactly and don't make a wrong step."
Shen Qi nodded and followed Xiaochun step by step through the corridor lined with weapons, entering another door.
Inside the room was a huge red sofa.
He Yining sat on it, looking languid yet dangerous.
Shen Gang sat dejectedly on the burgundy carpet, head bowed, utterly drained.
Shen Qi instinctively walked toward He Yining.
He Yining reached out his hand to her, and she obediently placed hers in his palm.
His hand was so broad and warm, and Shen Qi felt an inexplicable calm settle in her heart.
"I've brought him to you. Ask whatever you want." He Yining stroked the top of her head, his expression full of affection.
Shen Qi nodded and turned to look at Shen Gang.
This man had once been her stepfather, but he was also the murderer of her biological father.
Facing him now, her heart was a mix of emotions.
Hearing Shen Qi's voice, Shen Gang suddenly crawled toward her. "Xiaoqi, I was wrong! I was really wrong! Please forgive me!"
Before he could get close, Xiaoxia darted out from a corner and kicked him back.
Shen Qi closed her eyes, suppressing her anger, and said, "Tell me, what really happened back then?"
Shen Gang shrank back, his eyes darting evasively, unwilling to answer.
He Yining glanced at him lazily, a hint of dominance flashing in his phoenix eyes. "Don't want to talk? Xiaoxia, bring the nerve agent. Looks like he hasn't suffered enough."
At He Yining's words, Shen Gang trembled violently like a sieve. "No, don't... I'll talk! I'll say everything! Young Master He, Xiaoqi—no, Miss Lin—I was wrong! I was really wrong! I'll tell you everything!"
Shen Qi clenched her fists, her body tense.
Today, she was probably going to hear more things that would drive her even crazier.
No matter what, she had to uncover the truth!
Shen Gang ran his hands through his messy hair and began his story. "As far back as I can remember, I was an orphan. I was born in the turbulent years after the three-year natural disaster. My parents starved to death, and no one took me in, so I wandered and begged. One day, I begged at the door of a family named Shen, saying I'd work for them for life in exchange for three meals a day."
"The Shens took me in. At the same time, they also took in a girl. I was named Shen Gang, and she was named Shen Cui. From then on, we had a place to stay and food to eat. A few years later, the Shens had a daughter, named Shen Ziyao. They had many sons but no daughters, so from the moment she was born, she was the family's precious jewel, getting the best of everything."
"From the day Shen Ziyao was born, she was the apple of the Shens' eye. I envied her so much, I was so jealous! I was only a few years older than her, but I had to sweep and clean for the Shens, while she just had to dress up pretty every day. Shen Cui felt the same way—she was insanely jealous of Shen Ziyao. But we both knew we could never compare to her."
"Shen Ziyao's luck was incredible. Before she even grew up, the country had already begun its reforms and opening up. She was sent abroad to study at a young age and became a famous writer and painter. When she returned, even the provincial governor personally received her. What was hardest to accept was that soon after coming back, she met a wealthy businessman named Lin Yuxiang, and they fell in love at first sight, quickly getting engaged. That's when I found Shen Cui and asked her if she wanted to rise above her station."