“Wh-What?!”
Qin Nuan was dumbfounded, staring at Shen Shiyan in shock, her jaw nearly dropping to the floor.
For a moment, she thought she had misheard him, but Shen Shiyan’s expression showed no sign of joking at all.
He continued looking at her seriously and repeated himself: “I said, would you consider marrying me?”
Realizing he was being serious, Qin Nuan found it utterly absurd: “Why?!”
What was going on?
It was just a one-night accident. She hadn’t asked him to take responsibility—could it be that the big shot was actually asking her to take responsibility instead?
And marriage?
Her marrying Shen Shiyan?!
What a joke!
“Here’s the thing, Miss Qin.” Shen Shiyan knew the proposal was too sudden, so he leaned back in his chair and began to explain.
“Regarding what happened the night before last, you’ve explained yourself, and I’ve also had some preliminary investigations done. I believe this was indeed an accident.”
“As for your apology and asking for my forgiveness, that’s unnecessary. What happens between a man and a woman is a matter for both parties. I drank quite a bit that night as well, and—” He paused here, looking at her: “That night seemed to be Miss Qin’s first time.”
After that night, there had been some traces left on the sheets.
Hearing this, Qin Nuan’s face instantly flushed, and she nervously twisted the hem of her clothes.
He knew.
Shen Shiyan had no intention of embarrassing Qin Nuan, so he quickly moved past that part: “So, that night wasn’t entirely Miss Qin’s fault. Since both parties bear some responsibility, there’s naturally no question of assigning blame.”
Hearing this, the heavy stone in Qin Nuan’s heart finally settled, and her admiration for Shen Shiyan grew a little more.
He really was a man of reason and restraint.
But—
Qin Nuan bit her lip and looked at him, even more confused: “But if that’s the case, why would you suddenly propose marriage to me?”
She wasn’t naive enough to think that just because she’d slept with Shen Shiyan for one night, he’d suddenly fallen in love with her and would have no one else but her.
Sure enough, Shen Shiyan said: “That’s what I’m about to tell you next.”
“What happened that night was indeed an accident, but afterward, someone used that incident to set a trap for me.”
Qin Nuan was startled and looked at Shen Shiyan: “What kind of trap?”
“It’s my second uncle.” At this point, Qin Nuan keenly noticed that Shen Shiyan’s tone had cooled slightly, carrying a barely perceptible chill.
“Miss Qin may not know this, but although the old man in our family favors me as the next heir of the Shen family, there are quite a few people within the family who don’t accept me.”
“This time, I’ve returned to take over the Imperial Group—the Shen family’s most important business. Many people are watching from the shadows, hoping to catch me making a mistake so the old man will change his decision.”
“Yesterday morning, less than two hours after you left my room, word had already reached my second uncle’s ears.”
“My second uncle is now using this matter to make a case against me, accusing me of having a chaotic private life—of being old enough but still unsettled, not steady enough to take over the group. He’s vigorously lobbying Grandfather to replace me as CEO.”
“On the other hand, my grandfather has indeed always hoped that I would marry as soon as possible.”
Shen Shiyan spoke at a measured pace, pausing at key points to make sure Qin Nuan could follow before continuing.
Qin Nuan was stunned, utterly taken aback. She had never imagined that someone like Shen Shiyan could have so many troubles he couldn’t control behind the scenes, with even his private life being watched at every moment.
She had assumed that someone like Shen Shiyan lived a life free of worries.
With that thought, the distance between them suddenly seemed smaller than she had originally believed.
Shen Shiyan continued, “So right now, I need a wife to get through this crisis.”
“But why me?” Qin Nuan couldn’t help asking.
If Shen Shiyan wanted to marry, there would be no shortage of women. So many socialites in the capital were lining up to marry him; it would never be her turn, a mere low-level employee.
Yet Shen Shiyan said calmly, “Because you’re the most suitable.”
“The one photographed leaving my room that morning was you. If I turned around and married someone else, my chaotic private life would be confirmed, and my uncle could still use that to attack me in front of my grandfather.”
“But if it’s you, then what happened that night is just normal interaction between a couple—perfectly legitimate.”
“So, you’re the only best candidate to be my wife.”
So that was it.
Qin Nuan understood everything now, but a wave of guilt washed over her.
So that night when she had walked into the wrong room, she had brought such a big problem upon Shen Shiyan.
Although he said both parties bore responsibility that night, she knew in her heart that in the end, she had dragged him into this.
She was soft-hearted by nature, and after hearing all this, she felt even more guilty.
Shen Shiyan gave her a moment to process before continuing, “So, I hope Miss Qin can seriously consider this matter. Of course, if you’re unwilling, I won’t force you, nor will I hold any grudge. You can rest assured.”
“But if you agree, our marriage can be set for one year. After a year, you can choose to divorce, and I’ll pay you a generous compensation.”
Marry Shen Shiyan…
Hearing this, Qin Nuan was dazed, still feeling it wasn’t real at all.
That was Shen Shiyan, after all—the man standing at the very top of the capital’s pyramid.
To be fair, Shen Shiyan was indeed exceptionally outstanding and possessed great gentlemanly manners.
Despite his high position, he treated her with such politeness and respect, which was enough to make Qin Nuan think well of him.
Not to mention, he had that face.
But this was marriage.
Qin Nuan frowned slightly; she couldn’t just agree casually.
Seeing her hesitation, Shen Shiyan understood and said to her, “I know this request is sudden, so Miss Qin doesn’t need to answer me right now. I’ll give you a week. If you agree, feel free to call me anytime.”
With that, he handed her a personal business card with his name and phone number on it.
This was Shen Shiyan’s personal number!
Countless people in the capital would kill to have it!
Qin Nuan quickly took it with both hands and promised she would think it over carefully.
When she left the 42nd floor, Li Yue once again escorted her to the elevator.
Stepping into the elevator, Qin Nuan stared blankly at the card in her hand.
The card’s design was simple—just a gold-embossed name and a string of numbers—yet it felt as heavy as a thousand pounds.
It seemed that from this moment on, her life was about to undergo unpredictable changes.
.
After Qin Nuan left, Shen Shiyan stood by the floor-to-ceiling window for a moment, his slender fingers resting casually on the window frame, tapping lightly against the glass at a measured pace.
After a moment, he finally pulled his phone from his pocket, lit up the screen, and swiped a few times.
An image appeared on the screen—it was none other than Qin Nuan, wearing that dress, covered in marks, fleeing frantically down the hotel corridor that morning.
His thumb brushed over the image on the phone, and Shen Shiyan slowly curled his lips, murmuring two words under his breath:
“Little rabbit.”
And a naive, innocent little white rabbit with a hint of stubbornness, at that.
In truth, as early as that morning, when he had Li Yue investigate the person who had barged into his room, all of Qin Nuan’s information had been sent to his email within just two hours.
Her family background, her experiences, including the scumbag ex-boyfriend who had betrayed her—he knew all of it clearly.
But just now, he still wanted to hear her say it herself.
After this conversation today, he was nearly ninety percent certain that the little white rabbit would eventually agree to this arrangement.
As for his uncle’s side… he had indeed made the situation sound a bit more serious than it actually was.
His uncle’s wariness of him was nothing new, and this marriage candidate wasn’t irreplaceable.
It was just…
Recalling that night, when her eyes brimmed with tears, trembling with grievance, only able to plead helplessly.
Clearly a rabbit, yet she insisted on burrowing into the wolf’s embrace…
Shen Shiyan turned the watch on his wrist once more, his gaze deepening.