Qiao Yichi was taken aback, not expecting Song Yansheng to ask in this way.
He moved his thin lips, saying, "I don’t know much about Shi Nuan, but you’ve said more than once that she’s like you, so I think there’s an eighty or ninety percent chance she’ll reject him, it’s unlikely she’ll agree!"
Song Yansheng shook his head: "No, it’s not unlikely she’ll agree, but she absolutely won’t agree!"
Qiao Yichi frowned, not quite understanding: "If that’s the case, then what are you worried about?"
Song Yansheng said, "Nuannuan won’t agree to Shen Zui, but she also won’t wholeheartedly accept me. In the end, neither Shen Zui nor I will win her over... Shen Zui, he thinks his return to Nuannuan is a rescue and hope, but in fact, it pushes her more rapidly towards destruction and despair. Nuannuan is sensitive by nature, she seems strong, but inside she’s very fragile. She depends on me now, I’m the only one who might keep her. If I can’t, then no one else, including Shen Zui, can either!"
Song Yansheng knew very well that Shi Nuan being with him now was temporary.
She had long since lost hope in the future, with only an unfinished obsession keeping her going day by day.
He originally wanted to slowly win her over, make her unable to leave him, fall in love with him, and let her know that her world has never been just hers alone.
He really was fully confident, but the name Shen Zui was too profound for both Shi Nuan and for himself.
Shi Nuan still held Shen Zui in her heart, now that he’s back, even if she rejects him, how could her heart remain unperturbed?
Shen Zui standing there, even if he does nothing, just standing there, she can’t ignore him to accept Song Yansheng!
Qiao Yichi slightly furrowed his brows, after a while, he said, "Actually, I think, are you being too insecure about your feelings? Even if Shen Zui is back and wants to compete with you, you’ve already married Shi Nuan. What can he do? Shen Zui only makes it a bit harder for you to win Shi Nuan over, other than that, I don’t see any problem..."
Song Yansheng squinted, glancing lightly at Qiao Yichi, who continued.
"Feelings are actually hard to articulate clearly. What we call ’romantic rival’ could be the disruptor on your path to love, but on the other hand, it could also be the catalyst that solidifies your relationship. Shi Nuan is still young, when she was with Shen Zui, she was only fifteen, a teenager, what do they know about love? Now she’s just in her early twenties, truly understanding what love is, what romance is, she still needs time and experiences to slowly understand. And now, the person closest to her, the one with the best chance to offer her love and romance, is not Shen Zui, but you!"
Qiao Yichi’s words provided some solace, but couldn’t entirely dispel the congestion in Song Yansheng’s heart.
In every aspect, Song Yansheng was extremely confident, except when it came to love, where he couldn’t remain calm and composed.
Between him and Shi Nuan stood not only Shen Zui but also Song Yichuan.
He tried hard to ignore Xiao Chuan, if it weren’t for that cold and apathetic night, he could even ignore Shen Zui.
But how could he ignore it? The feeling of being doused with a bucket of cold water was unpleasant, more hurtful than Shi Nuan’s direct rejection!
Because with directness, he could still speculate many reasons, but a "Shen Zui, I miss you so much" had already destroyed all reasoning.
It only left that possibility he least wanted to acknowledge, and most unwilling to admit!
So cruel, truly, especially cruel!