The noise drew the attention of the waiters at the distant hotel, who all looked over in this direction.
Shen Jinci sized up Li Sihe, still calm, "Your life, it was Bian Yue who took a risk to save you today. I ask you to cherish it and not to yell at me here. I’m afraid you’ll faint again."
Nature made Li Sihe strong and proud, and no matter his gentlemanly demeanor, he couldn’t deny the pride deep within him, akin to that of Shen Jinci’s.
He didn’t want Shen Jinci to attack him using his own body. His face pale, he looked at Shen Jinci’s cold visage and forced a spirited smile: "No need for Mr. Shen to concern yourself. My body is in excellent shape, without any issues."
"That’s the best news, after all, I do hope you live a long and healthy life," replied Shen Jinci with a gentle smile, his tone amiable.
Li Sihe watched him begrudgingly. The next moment, he closed his eyes tightly and said in a deep voice, "Bian Yue is willing to vouch for me today, don’t you have anything to say?"
"My wife is very kind, and I am proud of her kindness and bravery," Shen Jinci said without hesitation.
The veins on Li Sihe’s forehead throbbed ominously, his smile forced, pulling at the corners of his lips, growing more sarcastic, "Not even a tiny bit jealous?"
Shen Jinci had been flustered, had felt insecure, but he had not been jealous.
Today, he was only afraid that Bian Yue’s concern for Li Sihe exceeded his own, but he had never felt jealous because of this.
He knew Bian Yue was resolute and wouldn’t turn back.
So now, looking at Li Sihe’s unwilling face, he said indifferently, "You speak to me this way today and even give me a letter, aren’t you worried that I might actually get provoked and do something to Bian Yue?"
Li Sihe was stunned, not expecting to be countered by Shen Jinci.
"You want to anger me as a matter of course, yet you forget Bian Yue’s current situation. She is my wife, if I truly become concerned and go mad, how would that benefit Bian Yue?"
Shen Jinci calmly said, "You keep saying you love Bian Yue, but what you love most is not her. Your love is mixed with too much. Whereas Bian Yue is pure, she deserves to have a better and more complete love."
Li Sihe felt as if his heart was aching.
Frowning, he looked at Shen Jinci and tried to argue, "It’s not like that..."
"Is it not? Just like tonight, at one in the morning, when you wanted to see Bian Yue, you had the front desk contact her, yet she had been running around all night because of your problems. If you had the slightest empathy, you wouldn’t have come to find her tonight."
Li Sihe felt speechless, silently staring at Shen Jinci, not knowing how to retort.
Shen Jinci then stood up, his tone indifferent, "It’s very late. Rest early."
Li Sihe pursed his lips, coughing out loud due to emotional tumult.
Watching Shen Jinci’s retreating figure, he spoke hoarsely, "You’re just older than me, Shen Jinci. If I had the same amount of time as you, I wouldn’t be inferior to you today."
Li Sihe’s face turned ashen, "Are you mocking me?"
"I say I believe, but not because you are the young master of the Li Family, but because Bian Yue’s judgment wouldn’t be poor."
Li Sihe suddenly felt an overwhelming sense of humiliation.
He somewhat regretted coming tonight and even more regretted his thoughtless words in front of Shen Jinci.
But how can a man with so little time left truly be calm and composed?
He closed his eyes tightly, leaning back on the sofa, his breaths labored...
Bian Yue was sleeping deeply when she faintly felt someone embrace her from behind.
She spoke in a low voice, "Are you leaving?"
"Sleep, it’s still early. I’ll stay with you a little longer." Shen Jinci kissed Bian Yue’s forehead gently, his voice tender.
Bian Yue asked him if it would rain tomorrow morning.
Shen Jinci said he didn’t know, but there would be stars at night...
Bian Yue seemed thoughtful, but was too sleepy to think more, and fell back asleep.
It was actually Bian Yue who woke up first during the day, her attention drawn to the photo and letter on the bedside.
Curious, Bian Yue picked them up and flipped through them. She hadn’t seen her parents’ faces for a long time, so many photos made her eyes moist.
She looked at each one carefully many times, then picked up the letter and opened it.
Just seeing the first line, Bian Yue sat up in shock.
Shen Jinci, a light sleeper, was roused by Bian Yue’s voice and saw her excitedly pinching the letter.
"Mo Shen? Is that your pen pal’s name?"
Shen Jinci had no interest in prying into others’ privacy, and he had left the letter untouched on Bian Yue’s bedside, never having read it.
"Yes, Mo Shen. I’ve been receiving his letters since I was 14, we were pen pals." Bian Yue said with a curved lip, seriously reading on. "Later... after the Bian Family’s incident, we lost contact, I don’t know what happened to him. I clearly gave him the Li Family’s address, but he never wrote back to me."
Bian Yue finished speaking and fell silent, focused on her reading.
Shen Jinci watched Bian Yue’s profile in silence, not knowing what to say.
Why were communications cut off? Because when Bian Yue was 16, the real Shen Jinci had already passed away.
If he was not mistaken, this should be the last letter the person left for Bian Yue.
And when Bian Yue saw the end, her eyes were slightly red.
Shen Jinci didn’t know what she had seen and asked with concern: "Yueyue, what’s wrong?"
"Mo Shen said... that I no longer need to write to him, he’s leaving Xiangjiang and won’t come back again..." Bian Yue said with a bittersweet smile, whispering softly, "So it’s a goodbye letter. It’s good... later I only sent a few more, he didn’t reply, and I stopped mailing."
Shen Jinci looked at Bian Yue’s dejected expression and held her hand, softly saying: "Was he a good friend of yours?"
"A very, very good friend, I’ve always... really wanted to meet him." Bian Yue smiled at Shen Jinci, unaware that every word she said made Shen Jinci’s heart sink a little more.
Bian Yue said: "When the Bian Family had their troubles, at first I hoped... that the person taking me away would be him, not Li Sihe, but we lost contact..."
Bian Yue added: "Jinci, I don’t know how to describe to you, but I trusted him..."
Shen Jinci had never felt that taking over someone else’s life was any great advantage.
He could stand at the pinnacle in Country S just the same; he didn’t necessarily have to return to the Shen Family.
But now, Shen Jinci suddenly realized that, in fact, he had taken every advantage.
If... if that person really was alive, then neither he nor Li Sihe would be able to win Bian Yue’s heart.
"So, if at that time, Mo Shen and Li Sihe both appeared in front of you, you would choose Mo Shen, right?"
Bian Yue pondered for a moment, then nodded without hesitation, saying, "Right."
Shen Jinci took a trip to Ling’an Temple, standing in the main hall, in front of a tall Buddha statue, with the doors tightly shut behind him.
His face was ashen, his brows and eyes dull, overly indifferent, and after a long while, his Adam’s apple moved, and he said softly: "I’m truly sorry."