Chapter 63

Chapter 63

Sheng Lian’s eyelid twitched.

In the darkness, Sheng Lian’s fingers moved slightly, dragging the video timeline back again.

In the dimly lit stairwell, he delivered familiar lines, pacing back and forth anxiously.

And outside the door—a flash of fabric...

Sheng Lian pondered for a moment before switching to another surveillance angle.

Sure enough, the figure that had flashed past was Lin Qingshi. That day, Qingshi had indeed gone to the company, but they hadn’t met. Later, upon hearing that Qingshi was unwell, Sheng Lian had rushed to the hospital. Qingshi had been acting strangely that day, but no matter how much he thought about it, he couldn’t figure out why. Now, the answer was obvious.

He replayed the exact segment Qingshi had overheard, then took a deep breath.

...What kind of jerk thing to say was this?!

Even Sheng Lian himself cringed at the line, *"If it weren’t for the child..."* It sounded completely cold-hearted—especially since Qingshi had only caught that one snippet, stripped of context!

But—but he was misunderstood!

In the dark, Sheng Lian’s face flushed pale then red.

He lightly smacked his own mouth.

*Damn mouth! Couldn’t you have spoken faster? If Qingshi had heard just one more word, this whole mess could’ve been avoided!*

So, all this time, Qingshi had thought he was just acting? That everything was for the sake of the child?

No wonder...

It must have been from that moment on that Qingshi had resolved to divorce him after giving birth.

The more Sheng Lian thought about it, the more his chest tightened.

He couldn’t blame Qingshi for misunderstanding. Pregnancy made one prone to sensitivity and overthinking, and Qingshi’s health had been delicate. It was only natural for him to be consumed by hurt and unable to think clearly.

Sheng Lian thought that if he had heard Qingshi say he was only after his money...

Well, he’d just work his ass off to earn more and keep him by his side forever—wait, no, now wasn’t the time for such thoughts.

This was all his fault. Sheng Lian studied the peaceful lines of Qingshi’s sleeping face with his gaze and sighed heavily.

If only he had expressed his feelings sooner, if only he had communicated more, this tiny misunderstanding wouldn’t have festered until Qingshi actually wanted a divorce!

But this also meant... back then, he had already held a unique position in Qingshi’s heart, hadn’t he?

Sheng Lian’s emotions were mixed.

On one hand, his heart ached for Qingshi. On the other, he was giddy with happiness at this glimpse of Qingshi’s true feelings.

Torn between the two, his expression twisted—a smile tugging at his lips while his brows remained furrowed.

This was the sight that greeted Qingshi when he opened his eyes.

The room was dark, the thick curtains blocking out the sunset, allowing Qingshi to sleep soundly.

But in the dimness, waking up to Sheng Lian’s weird expression made Qingshi’s heart skip a beat. He let out a small gasp and instinctively recoiled.

Sheng Lian quickly pulled him close to prevent him from rolling off the bed, one hand gently rubbing his chest as he whispered, "It’s okay, it’s okay, Qingshi. It’s just me. You’re safe..."

Completely unaware that he was the cause of the scare.

He assumed Qingshi was simply startled by sharing a bed again after three months apart, still half-asleep and disoriented.

Surrounded by Sheng Lian’s familiar scent, Qingshi’s body relaxed before his mind could catch up. His heartbeat steadied as he took a few shaky breaths, then slapped Sheng Lian’s hand away from his chest. "Move it."

"Right, right." Sheng Lian withdrew his hand, sulking.

He didn’t mention that he’d figured out the reason for Qingshi’s divorce. Qingshi was proud—if he brought it up, Qingshi might blow up out of embarrassment. And if he ran away again? Sheng Lian feared he’d probably lose it.

Now that Qingshi had gotten some sleep and it was time for dinner, Sheng Lian decided to let the matter drop. Everything would return to normal, just like before, as if nothing had ever happened—

"Sheng Lian."

Qingshi’s voice was soft with gentleness, which made Sheng Lian lower his own in response.

"What is it?"

In the dark room, they lay facing each other, eyes locked, voices hushed.

"I’m sorry," Qingshi murmured, lips pressed together as he avoided Sheng Lian’s gaze. For so long, he had never opened up to anyone, his defenses barely lowered. "Back then... I overheard your call. I thought..."

Sheng Lian listened patiently.

When Qingshi finished, his cheeks burned, eyelids fluttering as he stubbornly stared at the patterns on the bedsheet.

He knew Sheng Lian understood what this meant.

It meant that, even back then, he had already let Sheng Lian into his heart. No matter how much he denied it, the affection had been real.

Without feelings, why would those ambiguous words have hurt him so deeply?

*This guy... he’s definitely going to gloat. He’ll run with it, push his luck...*

Sheng Lian remained silent for a long time. Qingshi, kicking himself for blurting it out, reached out to push him away and get up for dinner—

Only to meet Sheng Lian’s eyes unexpectedly.

Sheng Lian had slid down, tilting his head up to look at Qingshi. He caught Qingshi’s hand and pressed a light kiss to it.

The normally easygoing CEO looked uncharacteristically serious, his eyes shining with emotion, pulling Qingshi in.

"Qingshi, you never have to apologize."

Sheng Lian poured out his heart, baring his soul before Qingshi. His gaze chased Qingshi’s darting gaze, leaving him no escape, swept up in the intensity of his emotions.

Everything culminated in three simple words.

"...I love you."

From superficial attraction at first sight, step by step, he had been drawn in—until, over a year later, these feelings finally came pouring out.

Qingshi felt it.

The warmth of Sheng Lian’s palm against his wrist became more noticeable. His fingers twitched slightly as he turned his head away, his dark hair spread across the sheets like retreating waves—only to be caught again by Sheng Lian.

In the quiet room, only the soft sounds of their shifting remained.

Sheng Lian showed a domineering side.

He gripped Lin Qingshi's wrist, his other hand never loosening its hold on the curve of Qingshi's back. Tilting his head up to gaze at Qingshi, his gaze was tender yet demanding. His legs tangled around those slightly cool calves, trapping their owner.

Finally, he got the answer he wanted.

"...Me too."

Sheng Lian was already satisfied.

He had all the time in the world to take things slow. For Qingshi to say those three words was a big step. You have to give the line some slack—if he pushed too hard and drove Qingshi to flee again, what then?

There would be plenty of time ahead. One day, he would make sure Lin Qingshi could openly say "I love you" without hesitation.

Sheng Lian broke into a silly grin. "C'mere, wifey, gimme a kiss~"

The intimate atmosphere in the room vanished in an instant.

Lin Qingshi expressionlessly pulled his hand back, pushed away Sheng Lian's approaching face, and decisively slid off the bed.

Yet his increasingly flushed cheeks betrayed the lingering fluster in his heart.

Behind him, Sheng Lian's smile widened. Though it was a shame he didn't manage to steal a kiss, he didn't mind much.

Lin Qingshi got flustered way too easily. If he hadn't changed the subject, who knows how long an embarrassed and irritated Qingshi would make him sleep in the guest room?

Even if he was pushed away now, at least they could still share a bed tonight!

After three months apart, Sheng Lian was just happy to hold Lin Qingshi in his arms again as they slept.

*

The night of their reunion ended up even better than Sheng Lian had imagined.

—Because the bed wasn't just occupied by him and Lin Qingshi, but also Shengsheng. The whole family, finally reunited.

Sheng Lian: "..."

Perhaps because he had been separated from Lin Qingshi for too long, Shengsheng immediately latched onto Qingshi. Even after being coaxed to sleep in his arms, the moment he was set down, the child would wake, his big eyes immediately filling with tears. Left with no choice, Lin Qingshi carried the child to the bedroom, preparing to let him sleep with them.

He was happy to spend more time with Shengsheng too. The three months he had missed would forever be a regret. In his absence, Shengsheng had grown, his chubby cheeks grinning at him with pink gums and a tiny tongue peeking out, making Lin Qingshi's heart swell.

Sheng Lian, who had just poured his heart out that afternoon, put on a pitiful husband act, but even that couldn't sway Qingshi's decision.

And so, the three of them lay on the same bed.

Shengsheng clutched Lin Qingshi's finger with one hand and gripped Sheng Lian's pajamas with the other, soon slipping into a happy sleep.

In the future, the three of them would never be apart again.

Contents | Previous Page