“Impossible. Qianqian isn’t going anywhere. She will be the mistress of this house from now on. Once Grandma’s health improves, I will marry Qianqian.”
Shen Ci tightened his grip on Shen Qianqian’s hand, as if making a show of defiance, refusing to yield an inch.
“You’re being absurd!” Shen Zhenhua’s eyes widened as he raised a trembling finger at the man before him. “Do you have any idea what you’re saying?”
“The reason you’re so opposed to my marriage to Qianqian—and even the reason you adopted her in the first place—is because you believed she was your illegitimate daughter, isn’t it?” Shen Ci turned and opened the drawer of the storage cabinet, pulling out a stack of documents and slamming them onto the table. “I don’t know whether you were deceived back then or mistook someone for someone else, but the bottom line is that Qianqian is not your daughter. There is no blood relation between her and me whatsoever, so I am determined to marry her.”
The man’s face was cold as frost, each word landing with weight and finality, like a thunderclap out of a clear sky that left the two people before him stunned into silence.
“Shen Ci, you—” Shen Zhenhua instinctively stepped back twice, his face a mask of disbelief as his gaze darted back and forth between the two of them.
“Brother, what are you talking about…” Shen Qianqian was utterly bewildered.
At the age of five, she had been brought back to the Shen family from the orphanage by Shen Zhenhua. It was like going from hell to heaven, and for over a decade since, she had been the young miss of the Shen family.
Both Shen Zhenhua and Shen Ci had doted on her, and outsiders had always assumed she was the Shen family’s biological daughter.
She had thought that Shen Zhenhua and Old Mrs. Shen opposed her marriage to Shen Ci because they were worried about what ignorant people might say.
She never imagined there was a secret like this behind it all.
“These are the paternity test reports between you and me, respectively, and Qianqian. If you don’t believe me, take them back and have a good look.”
Shen Ci turned his face away, as if he had inadvertently caught sight of something utterly filthy—both mocking and disgusted.
Shen Zhenhua took a deep breath, raising a hand to soothe his constricted chest before slowly steadying himself.
“Shen Ci, I’ll say this one last time. Shen Qianqian is the adopted daughter of the Shen family and your sister. I do not consent to your marriage. Not unless I’m dead. Not unless you cease to be my son, Shen Zhenhua’s son.”
Without his realizing it, the young fledgling eagle had grown up, slipping completely out of his control—and had even learned to bite back when he least expected it.
“I promised Qianqian I would take care of her for the rest of her life, and I will keep that promise.” Shen Ci raised his head, meeting the other man’s gaze squarely. “Whether or not I’m your son will not change that decision.”
“You—you! Shen Ci, you’ll regret this! You will definitely regret this!”
Shen Zhenhua stormed off, his retreating figure carrying a trace of grief and fury.
The villa fell silent in an instant. Shen Ci sat on the sofa, his gaze landing on the stack of papers, his brow slightly furrowed.
When had he first begun to suspect Shen Qianqian’s identity?
It was probably around the time of Shen Qianqian’s coming-of-age ceremony, when Shen Zhenhua had gifted her a mansion worth tens of millions as a present.
So he had quietly had someone look into the orphanage where Shen Qianqian had lived, and discovered that her biological mother had once been Shen Zhenhua’s mistress.
“Brother, why didn’t you tell me any of this?” Shen Qianqian’s eyes brimmed with tears, yet she forced herself not to let them fall.
She slowly crouched down in front of the man, cradling his ice-cold hands in hers.
“I’ve liked you since I was very young, but Dad and Grandma both wanted me to be your little sister. I didn’t want to make them unhappy, so I could only hide this affection deep in my heart.”
Sniffling, Shen Qianqian couldn’t help but choke up as she buried her small face in the man’s palm.
“So when I discovered I was sick, I chose to go abroad alone for treatment. I didn’t want you to worry, but it was also because of the despair of teetering on the edge of life and death that I realized I simply couldn’t let go of you. I really didn’t know Dad would…”
Shen Qianqian shook her head forcefully, struggling in pain.
“Qianqian, this isn’t your fault. Don’t overthink things.”
Shen Ci gently stroked the woman’s soft hair, lowering his gaze with a trace of melancholy.
“I’m so upset. Big Brother, you knew all along what Dad was thinking, and you endured it alone for so long. How hard must that have been for you? Why didn’t you tell me? Why didn’t you let me share the burden with you? I could have been there with you.”
Shen Qianqian was emotional, her voice hoarse and strained, carrying a sincere determination, hoping to move him and earn his pity.
Their eyes met, and Shen Ci’s gaze flickered with complex emotions.
If his suspicions were true, if Shen Qianqian really was Shen Zhenhua’s illegitimate daughter, then her very existence would become the biggest joke of the Shen family.
Ironic and absurd.
“Big Brother, from now on, no matter what happens, I’ll be by your side. I will always—” Before Shen Qianqian could finish her words, her vision went black, and her body slowly fell backward.
“Qianqian!” Shen Ci was startled and reached out to catch her falling body. “Qianqian!”
“Lin Li, call the doctor!”
“Yes, Mr. Shen.”
“Qianqian, wake up!” Shen Ci scooped her up in his arms and carried her into the bedroom.
The woman with her eyes tightly shut still had tears on her face, her pale complexion contrasting sharply with her reddened eye sockets.
Shen Ci gently wiped away the tear stains on her face.
The doctor arrived at the villa quickly and ran a series of examinations on Shen Qianqian.
“Doctor, how is she?” Shen Ci, who had been silent all along, asked.
“We’re still running tests. I may need to ask you to step out for a moment.”
Shen Ci glanced at the woman lying on the bed with her eyes closed, hesitated for a few seconds, then turned and left.
The moment the door closed, the doctor set down his instruments, leaned in, and lowered his voice: “Miss Shen, I found what you asked me to look into.”
The woman on the bed opened her eyes, showing no sign of weakness at all.
“It’s true?”
“Yes, I found Yan Shi’s medical records at the hospital. The pregnancy test came back positive.”
“She’s actually pregnant!” Shen Qianqian’s eyes widened, and she instinctively tried to sit up, but the doctor pressed her shoulder down.
And it seemed Shen Ci already knew.
“Where is she now?” Shen Qianqian’s face showed urgency.
If the Shen family really found Yan Shi, there would be no place left for her in the Shen family.
“I haven’t found that out yet. Mr. Shen is also looking for her. If you still want to marry into the Shen family, you’d better be careful.”
The doctor glanced sideways toward the door.
“Start looking for her immediately. No matter what, you must find Yan Shi before Shen Ci does.”
She absolutely could not let that woman come back and shake her position.
“I’ll find a way. You also need to win Shen Ci’s heart as soon as possible. Yan Shi managed to get pregnant with Shen Ci’s child—you can do it too.”
The doctor’s gaze was deep and meaningful.
“You mean…” Shen Qianqian suddenly understood, but then found herself in a dilemma.
Although Shen Ci had said he would marry her, he had always been proper with her, presumably because he couldn’t escape their identity as siblings.
Suddenly, Shen Qianqian smiled slightly, a plan forming in her mind.
“Help me get something…”