Volume 1 Chapter 7: When Did I Learn Sign Language?

When Shen Chiyan and Song Qinian married, they did not hold a wedding ceremony; they kept their marriage a secret from the outside world. Only the Shen family and a few of Shen Chiyan’s closest confidants were aware of it.

Gong Yuqi, ever the one to strike a nerve, mentioned Song Qinian, causing Shen Chiyan’s already grim expression to turn even colder.

"Every time I mention your mute, delicate wife, you get that look on your face. It's been three years—surely you haven't even touched her?"

Before Shen Chiyan could respond, a gleam of shrewdness flickered in Gong Yuqi’s narrow, fox-like eyes. "That’s right, with your germophobia, you won't even let me touch you, let alone a little mute. Tell me, is she pretty?"

Shen Chiyan frowned deeply. Unbidden, an image surfaced in his mind: Song Qinian beneath him, her face flushed, eyes shimmering with tears as she endured in silence. A stir of desire flickered in the depths of his body, causing his expression to darken further.

"Hey, I asked you out to chat, what’s with the silent treatment?"

Feeling restless, Shen Chiyan picked up his glass and drank, saying coldly, "Aren't the scandals in the entertainment industry enough for you to feast on?"

"That’s a low blow! What could possibly be tastier than the gossip surrounding you, Master Shen the Fifth?"

In the end, despite Gong Yuqi’s persistent prying, he didn't manage to get a single scrap of information out of Shen Chiyan. When they finished, the two left the club together.

Aside from two secretaries, Shen Chiyan had a dedicated driver named Gao Kunlun. As Gao pulled the car around, Shen Chiyan spotted a middle-aged mute man gesturing frantically at a stranger. The man clearly didn't understand sign language and, growing annoyed, shoved the mute aside.

Before Gong Yuqi could react, he saw Shen Chiyan walking toward the man. The mute was asking for directions, and Shen Chiyan pointed the way. The man bowed repeatedly, used sign language to express his gratitude, and then left.

"Well, well. Who knew the aloof Master Shen the Fifth was so helpful?"

Shen Chiyan kept his eyes fixed on the man’s retreating back, lost in thought. "Yuqi..."

"What?"

"Do you know when I learned sign language?"

Gong Yuqi paused, only then realizing that the man had been a mute and that Shen Chiyan had understood him perfectly. "Uh... didn't you learn it while spending time with your mute wife?"

"No."

"Then..."

"I already knew sign language before I even met Song Qinian."

The first time he had been plotted against by Song Qinian and her mother, he had understood exactly what she was trying to convey through her gestures. To this day, he could not recall how he had acquired the skill.

Gong Yuqi thought for a moment and shook his head. "I’ve never heard of you taking lessons. You don’t have any mute friends, so why would you suddenly learn it? Were you born with a sign language buff?"

Shen Chiyan remained silent.

Shen Chiyan rarely returned home, but he had been coming back frequently lately, leaving the household staff on edge.

The next morning, when Shen Chiyan came downstairs, the servants had already prepared breakfast, but there was no sign of Song Qinian. Whenever he had returned in the past, she would always be up early, waiting for him. Even when he ignored her completely as if she didn't exist, she would still wait. But today, she was nowhere to be seen.

"Where is Song Qinian?"

A stout maid stepped forward and said, "We tried to wake the Madam for breakfast early this morning, but she never came out."

Thinking of Song Qinian’s defiance the night before, Shen Chiyan assumed she was staging another hunger strike, and his anger flared. "Tell her to get out here!"

Seconds later, a servant came stumbling from the basement, pale with terror. "Sir, it’s... it’s terrible. The Madam... she’s... she’s dead!"

Before anyone could react, Shen Chiyan had already rushed into the basement.

He found Song Qinian lying on the floor, her breathing so shallow it was almost imperceptible. Her exposed skin was covered in dense, red welts, and her face was swollen and flushed. Shen Chiyan’s expression turned deathly pale; he didn't know why, but his heart suddenly skipped a beat in panic.

"Song Qinian! Song Qinian!"

He patted her face and checked for a pulse at her carotid artery. Seeing she was still breathing, he roared at the servants standing frozen in the doorway, "Call an ambulance!"

...

"The patient is suffering from a food allergy, compounded by a cold and fever, leading to shock. It’s fortunate you found her in time. Any later, and she might not have survived."

The speaker was a doctor in her forties. She looked Shen Chiyan up and down, unable to reconcile the handsome, refined man before her with the image of a domestic abuser.

But as a professional, she felt compelled to warn him. "Sir, no matter what grievances you have against your wife, you can divorce, but you cannot commit domestic violence."

When Shen Chiyan heard that Song Qinian was out of danger, he felt a slight sense of relief, but at the mention of domestic violence, he furrowed his brows. "What domestic violence?"

Thinking he was feigning ignorance, the doctor said sternly, "We found numerous injuries on your wife’s body—bruises from being beaten, marks from being choked, and impact injuries from being kicked. Domestic violence is a crime. When your wife wakes up, if she chooses to report this, we will support her and contact the local Women’s Federation to ensure her safety."

After the doctor left, Shen Chiyan entered the ward. Song Qinian lay with an oxygen mask, appearing so frail she looked as though she might vanish at any moment.

Shen Chiyan watched her for a long time with ink-dark eyes. He stepped forward, pulled back the blanket, and lifted the hem of her hospital gown. Song Qinian had a naturally pale complexion, and when they were at the hotel the day before, her skin had been clear and unblemished. Now, it was covered in dark, purple bruises, some even broken and bleeding—a shocking sight.

However, Song Qinian had not left the house since yesterday. The source of these injuries was clear without needing to ask.

That afternoon, Shen Chiyan returned home, radiating a murderous aura. He ordered Gao Kunlun to gather all the servants in the living room. They didn't know if Song Qinian was alive or dead, nor why they had been summoned, but seeing Shen Chiyan sitting on the sofa, cold and imposing, they were terrified.

Shen Chiyan sat with his legs crossed, his sharp three-piece suit and handmade leather shoes giving him an air of nobility and cold detachment. His expression was unreadable, making it impossible to tell if he was angry or pleased.

Finally, his thin, sensual lips parted, and his voice, cold as ice, reached everyone’s ears.

"You all know very well that I do not like Song Qinian..."

His dark eyes swept over the servants one by one.

"Yesterday, who beat Song Qinian?"

At first, they looked at each other, none daring to step forward. Then, thinking that since Shen Chiyan disliked her, he might actually reward whoever had taught her a lesson, the stout maid stepped forward confidently. "Sir, I was the one who hit her."