Her own biological mother had swindled her out of all her savings—she didn't care! Her stepfather's family had schemed against her—she didn't mind either! But why, after she had already humbled herself so much, did they have to drive her brother away? Why did they have to push her like this? Did the Shen family have to force both her and her brother to death before they'd be happy? Brother, where are you? Where on earth are you?
The rain overhead grew heavier, and Shen Qi was already sobbing uncontrollably in the downpour. If she couldn't find her brother, what meaning was there in living? She might as well jump into the river and end it all! Jump into the river... the river? Shen Qi's eyes suddenly lit up! The river! Could it be that her brother was now...
Shen Qi seemed to recall something. She scrambled up from the rain, stumbling and staggering as she ran toward a city river not far from the Shen residence. When she was little, she had gotten lost once. When the whole family found her, she was right by that river. Could it be that her brother had gone to the river to look for her?
Shen Qi sprinted madly toward the riverbank. From a distance, she saw a faint, solitary figure standing by the shore. Shen Qi's heart suddenly raced! It was her brother! It really was her brother!
Afraid that Shen Lu might do something rash, Shen Qi shouted at the top of her lungs: "Brother, I'm here! Bro—" She charged forward, stumbling with every step. She didn't know how many times she fell along the way, but no matter how much it hurt, she got right back up and ran toward Shen Lu.
Closer, closer... Shen Qi could now clearly see Shen Lu's silhouette. Standing by the river, Shen Lu turned around dazedly, watching the unsteady Shen Qi. His stunningly beautiful, blank face suddenly burst into a radiant glow: "Xiao Qi?"
Sobbing, Shen Qi rushed over and threw her arms tightly around Shen Lu's body. All her pent-up grievances erupted, and she wept silently. Shen Lu stood there numbly, letting Shen Qi hold him. After a long moment, he said contentedly, "Xiao Qi's back. That's good."
Shen Qi clung to Shen Lu's waist, shaking her head silently: "Brother... you..." She was already choking on her tears.
Shen Lu said happily, "Xiao Qi, you're back..." In Shen Lu's mind, he had finally found Shen Qi by the river, and he was overjoyed.
Shen Qi wiped her tears fiercely: "Brother, let's go. Let's go home. Let's leave that wolf's den and never be apart again." Shen Lu cheerfully followed Shen Qi through the rain.
But after coming to her senses, Shen Qi felt lost. Leaving the Shen family, where could her brother go? The house she lived in now was a villa provided by the He family. Though it was mostly empty, someone still came by regularly to clean and deliver food. If she brought her brother there and got caught, it would be disastrous.
Suddenly, Shen Qi remembered she had rented a small apartment, specifically to store her memories with Zhan Bo! The apartment was tiny—just one bedroom and a living room, about thirty square meters. But her brother was very quiet and would never cause a fuss. Maybe...
Shen Qi turned to look at Shen Lu and hesitated before saying, "Brother, how about we move to a different place to live?" Shen Lu looked down at Shen Qi, his smile instantly brightening: "Okay."
Shen Qi was almost dazzled by her brother's smile. She had known since childhood that her brother was impossibly handsome, but seeing him smile so happily like this was rare. For some reason, Shen Qi suddenly thought of that man who always narrowed his eyes and slightly curled his lips... His looks were on par with her brother's, but his smile was so different...
Shen Qi snapped back to reality and reached up to pat the rain off her face. What was going on? Why had she suddenly thought of him?