Volume One, Chapter Nine: Ruining Your Hands

After coldly dropping a threatening remark, Shen Chiyan turned his attention back to the documents.

Song Qinian, however, felt deeply saddened upon hearing Shen Chiyan’s words.

Suddenly… a glimmer of joy flickered in her eyes.

Just now… Shen Chiyan must have gone to her hospital room, right?

He saw the male doctor there, so he got jealous?

But soon, Song Qinian shook her head—Shen Chiyan didn’t even like her, so how could he be jealous?

Yet, once this thought surfaced, she couldn’t help but let her mind wander.

After hesitating for a long time, Song Qinian gently tapped Shen Chiyan’s arm with her finger.

Startled, Shen Chiyan turned to her sharply, his brows furrowed and face full of impatience.

Song Qinian, a little afraid, still summoned her courage to explain, “The doctor is just a doctor.”

Whenever Song Qinian gestured to others, her big doe-like eyes stared intently, fearing they wouldn’t understand her signs.

Shen Chiyan’s heart skipped a beat under her gaze; an inexplicable irritation welled up inside him. His expression, briefly softened, soon darkened again, cold and forbidding. “Is this how you seduce people?”

Panicked, Song Qinian waved her hand in denial, but the next moment, Shen Chiyan seized her delicate hand in his.

His dark eyes fixed on her slender fingers, a cruel, bloodthirsty smile curling at the corners of his mouth. “You’re mute and have to rely on your hands to communicate. What if I crippled these hands of yours? Then you…”

Before he could finish, Song Qinian, like a startled bird, quickly withdrew her hand and hid it behind her back.

She even edged away toward the car door, trying to put as much distance between herself and Shen Chiyan as possible, as if he were some terrifying beast at that moment.

Shen Chiyan’s face darkened, his mood sour.

Fortunately, by then, the Shen family’s ancestral home had arrived.

As Gao Kunlun opened the car door, Song Qinian quickly got out.

Shen Chiyan watched her flee like a rabbit, snorting softly. Where had the boldness that once led her to climb into his bed gone?

***

The Shen family matriarch, knowing Shen Chiyan and Song Qinian were coming, had the servants prepare a lavish feast.

Upon seeing Song Qinian, the old lady greeted her warmly, “Oh, my dear granddaughter-in-law, Nian Nian, how have you been?”

The matriarch’s hair was pure white, but her spirit was lively. She wore rimless glasses with silver chains, her face kind and gentle, exuding great benevolence.

Song Qinian allowed the old lady to examine her closely, then smiled and signed, “Grandma, I’m well.”

Seeing Shen Chiyan enter and noticing his eyes fixed on her hands, Song Qinian thought of his threat to cripple her hands and quickly hid them behind her back once more.

The matriarch, sharp as ever, witnessed the scene and smacked Shen Chiyan a few times in anger. “You rotten boy! I entrusted Nian Nian to you, and this is how you take care of her? Letting the servants bully her, letting her fall ill and be hospitalized! Did you even threaten her not to use sign language anymore?”

Before Shen Chiyan could respond, Song Qinian instinctively tried to defend him, “That’s not true…”

She hadn’t finished signing when Shen Chiyan’s cold voice interrupted, “In your eyes, she holds a higher place than your own grandson. How could I dare to bully her?”

The matriarch knew her own grandson well. Seeing Shen Chiyan’s expression, she realized he still resented being forced to marry Song Qinian three years ago.

“Hmph, as long as you understand!” she said, turning her attention away from him.

Instead, she warmly pulled Song Qinian closer. “Nian Nian, I had the maids prepare many of your favorite dishes. You’re too thin; you must take good care of your health.”

Song Qinian understood that Grandma was different from Shen Chiyan.

When Grandma urged her to recuperate well, it wasn’t for the sake of bloodlines but out of genuine concern and affection.

A happy smile blossomed on Song Qinian’s face as she took her seat beside Grandma.

At the dining table, the matriarch eagerly served Song Qinian, who happily interacted with her, leaving Shen Chiyan—the head of the Shen family—completely overlooked by the two women.

After the meal, the old lady drew Song Qinian to the sofa to watch television. On the screen was a female-led drama starring Gu Zhiyan, whom Song Qinian had seen once on the day she married Shen Chiyan.

Gu Zhiyan, an award-winning actress, was Shen Chiyan’s biological mother and a revered figure in the entertainment industry for many years.

The matriarch snorted softly upon seeing Gu Zhiyan. “A woman over fifty still running around filming dramas every day—what’s the use of making so much money? Wouldn’t it be better to enjoy life?”

Song Qinian knew Grandma’s worry stemmed from love and concern for her daughter-in-law. Years ago, when Shen Chiyan’s father, Shen Zhenghao, insisted on divorcing Gu Zhiyan, the matriarch flew into a rage, forcing her own son to leave with nothing, but kept her grandson and granddaughter-in-law in the family home.

Within the Shen household, the matriarch wielded absolute authority, even Shen Chiyan had to heed her commands.

***

Song Qinian smiled as she signed, “It’s not about money. Mom just loves acting. It’s her career and her dream. It brings her joy and a sense of accomplishment.”

The matriarch affectionately stroked Song Qinian’s head. “My dear Nian Nian, you’re so good.”

Then, with a sigh, she asked, “Nian Nian, are you truly happy married to that boy, Chiyan?”

Song Qinian glanced toward the balcony, where Shen Chiyan was on the phone, then smiled brightly as she signed to Grandma, “As long as I’m with him, I’m happy.”

Seeing the old lady’s eyes full of concern, Song Qinian’s smile grew even more radiant to ease her worries. “Grandma, I’m truly fine. Also, thank you. Without you, I might never have had the chance to marry him.”

“Good child, you’ve suffered enough,” Grandma said tenderly.

Song Qinian quickly shook her head; she didn’t feel she had suffered at all. Compared to those who love but cannot be loved, she was lucky to be Shen Chiyan’s wife.

The matriarch, anxious over the lack of progress in their three-year marriage, decided to intervene.

After Shen Chiyan finished his call and returned, the old lady fixed her gaze on him and said, “Chiyan, tonight you and Nian Nian will stay here. I’ve already prepared the rooms.”

At her words, Shen Chiyan’s brows knitted tightly.

Seeing this, Song Qinian was about to sign, but the matriarch’s authoritative voice rang out again, “What’s the matter? Don’t like it here?”

At that, Song Qinian dared not move.

With sharp and astute eyes, the old lady glared at Shen Chiyan as if warning him that if he refused to stay, she’d deal with him severely.

The matriarch was old, and Shen Chiyan didn’t want to upset her over such a trivial matter. His dark, ink-like eyes glanced faintly at Song Qinian, and with a slight smirk, he murmured, “Fine.”

Only then did the old lady nod in satisfaction. “Nian Nian, you go wash up and rest first. Chiyan and I have some things to discuss.”

At that moment, a servant approached Song Qinian respectfully. “Young madam, please follow me.”

Song Qinian nodded, glancing back every few steps as she followed the servant to her room.

Watching her retreating figure disappear around the corner, the matriarch gestured for Shen Chiyan to sit on the sofa and then began slowly, “I know you still blame me for forcing you to marry Nian Nian, but have you ever thought about why I did it?”