The ti was still early. Fu Shinian didn’t drive straight to the Deep Harbor Wharf; he had matters to handle first and drove to the company.
The manager of the company’s legal departnt was already waiting in the office. Seeing Fu Shinian co in, the manager bowed slightly:
"Mr. Fu."
"Mm." Fu Shinian responded briefly, walking over to the reception area and sitting on the sofa. "Give the docunts. I have other things to take care of."
The tasks he had assigned them before were now down to the final signatures. Once his na was signed, many matters would no longer trouble him. The manager of the legal departnt, hearing this, didn’t delay and handed him the docunts directly.
There were three sets: one for Fu Shinian’s personal assets, one for the company’s shares, and one for his will.
Fu Shinian skimd through them to confirm there were no issues, then signed his na at the end before handing them back to the manager. Throughout the entire process, he showed no emotion, leaving only one detached reminder:
"That’s all. You may leave now. Rember: these are to be given to my wife only if sothing happens to ."
The legal manager froze for a mont but refrained from asking further. They simply nodded:
"Understood, Mr. Fu."
After the legal departnt manager left, Fu Shinian stood up. Before he could take a step, Song Yi walked in, looking at him silently.
Fu Shinian hadn’t explained anything to Song Yi about all this beforehand. But now, seeing Song Yi’s expression, Fu Shinian knew he must have already guessed. After all, having been by his side for years, Song Yi often understood his decisions with just a glance. This ti was no exception, especially for sothing this significant.
However, Fu Shinian did not wish to offer any explanation.
He glanced down at the ti. It was already precisely one o’clock, and his appointnt with Qin Nianwan was at two. He now had to leave. As he stepped toward the door, Song Yi blocked his way—sothing he had never dared to do before.
Fu Shinian showed no particular emotion; he wasn’t angry but seed slightly resigned as he looked at Song Yi and spoke softly:
"If you already know, then you should understand you can’t stop , nor should you try to."
Song Yi nodded:
"I know. I’m not trying to stop you from going; I just want to go with you."
Fu Shinian paused briefly, then smiled:
"Go with ? For what? Do you understand how dangerous this is? Are you trying to get yourself killed?"
"If you’re not afraid, I’m not afraid either."
"I’m not afraid because if I don’t go, Su Mu will go instead. I’m not afraid because my daughter is in Qin Nianwan’s hands. I would much rather not go, but no one has given an alternative." Fu Shinian looked at Song Yi. "But you’re different. You have family, you’re unmarried, you haven’t even had a proper relationship. If you follow and sothing happens, wouldn’t you regret it?"
Song Yi shook his head:
"I’ve thoroughly considered everything before making this decision. Yes, I have family, but Mr. Fu, I can’t ignore the fact that if it hadn’t been for your kindness toward back then, I might not even be alive now, and my parents wouldn’t be..."
"I saved you so you could live well—not to sacrifice your life for mine."
Song Yi wanted to say more, but Fu Shinian interrupted him:
"Don’t waste my ti. I won’t agree to let you co."
As Fu Shinian tried to step past Song Yi to leave the office, Song Yi shifted to block him again, stopping him once more. Fu Shinian, though his patience seed almost exhausted, held back any anger, recalling that Song Yi’s actions were motivated by loyalty to him. He sighed inwardly.
"Song Yi, you know , so you understand my intentions. You should also know I won’t agree. Doing this will only waste my ti. If I leave even a minute earlier, perhaps the outco will be different."
"But..."
"There’s no ’but.’" Fu Shinian said, "This is, ultimately, my family’s matter. I don’t want anyone else hurt because of . That’s why I didn’t tell you or anyone else—I wanted to avoid this kind of situation entirely. If you truly want to help , then stay here. If sothing happens to , safeguard the company well for ."
"Mr. Fu..."
"If anything really happens, Su Mu likely won’t recover quickly. While she’s recuperating, you’ll assu full control of the company. You’ve been by my side for years—I trust you can handle it, and you will handle it. This is my faith in you."
Song Yi was stunned, far from expecting such an important responsibility to be left to him. For a brief mont, he was at a loss for words. Fu Shinian reached out and patted him on the shoulder:
"Don’t delay any longer, alright?"
Despite Fu Shinian’s urging, Song Yi remained unmoved. Just as Fu Shinian lost patience and tried once more to walk past him, Song Yi grabbed his arm. Fu Shinian followed his gaze to the hand gripping his arm, then slowly looked back at Song Yi. As he prepared to speak, Song Yi interrupted:
"I won’t go, but there’s one thing you must take with you."
"What is it?"
Song Yi released Fu Shinian, pulled sothing from his lower back, and handed it to him. Though the object was wrapped in black velvet cloth, its distinctive contour made Fu Shinian imdiately recognize it. Stunned, he stared at Song Yi:
"You..."
"I bought this at the black market so ti ago. I hoped I wouldn’t need to use it, but feared what could happen. Originally, I intended to use it myself, but if you insist on not letting go, I’ll hand it over to you instead. Don’t talk to about legality—I know all of that. But given everything Qin Nianwan has done, neither the police nor Rong Shen have any leads on her, which shows she’s far more formidable than I thought. Moreover, she’s vicious to the core. I think any thod is justified, especially since she doesn’t seem to intend to let you return alive."
Song Yi looked at the object in his hands:
"At least to protect your wife and Qiqi—take this for self-defense."
It was a gun, sothing Fu Shinian never expected.
Fu Shinian had considered bringing sothing but knew he’d need to go through Rong Shen for it. If Rong Shen were involved, he would inevitably know what Fu Shinian was planning, so Fu Shinian had kept quiet. What he didn’t do, Song Yi had already done in his stead.
He couldn’t refuse. As Song Yi said, for Su Mu and Qiqi, he should increase his chance of survival, even for re self-preservation.
"Thank you."
"You’ve trained at the shooting range, though your aim isn’t great, so I’m not concerned." Song Yi looked at Fu Shinian. "Take care."
Fu Shinian carefully put away the gun Song Yi had handed him, then took the elevator to the underground parking lot. Without delay, he drove straight to Deep Harbor Wharf. The ti was tight, and at this mont if he hurried, he’d arrive just in ti for his appointnt with Qin Nianwan.
By now, Fu Shinian felt no fear. There was no way to avoid what lay ahead, so he faced it calmly. Yet, his heart was still uneasy—not for himself but for worrying whether Qin Nianwan would genuinely bring Qiqi.
If not, then his sacrifices might turn into a cruel joke.
When he arrived at the Deep Harbor Wharf, it was less than ten minutes to two. Fu Shinian stepped out of the car, surveyed the surroundings, and walked inside step by step. Qin Nianwan hadn’t provided a specific location, but it certainly wouldn’t be near the entrance.
This place had been abandoned for years, laden with rust and debris, and the ground was piled with uncleared snow. Fu Shinian followed a trail of footprints in the snow, stopping near an old, dilapidated ship by the sea. The sea breeze blew against his face, sending a shiver through him.
He wasn’t sure how long the ship had been docked here, but judging by its condition, it had likely been years. He hesitated, uncertain whether stepping onto it would collapse it under his weight.
It was winter, and this long-abandoned area lacked casual visitors. Knowing this, Fu Shinian shouted boldly:
"Qin Nianwan!"
After a while, a figure appeared on the ship. Although Fu Shinian wasn’t eager to see this woman, he couldn’t deny that compared to the previous ti when she had failed to show up at the central bus station, seeing Qin Nianwan appear now brought him so relief—at least she was here.
Qin Nianwan stood atop the decrepit vessel, looking down at him nonchalantly. She showed no surprise that Fu Shinian had appeared instead of Su Mu:
"Co up."
"Where’s Qiqi?"
Qin Nianwan chuckled. "If you ca just to see your daughter, you might as well leave. I didn’t bring her here."
Fu Shinian frowned slightly, unsure of the truth behind her words. Truth or lies, he couldn’t simply walk away—not when this was the closest he’d co to news of Qiqi in over a month.
Fu Shinian stepped onto the ship. Qin Nianwan stood at the cabin entrance, waiting for him. Seeing his approach, she smiled faintly before turning and heading inside without a word. Fu Shinian had no choice but to follow.
Before learning Qiqi’s specific location and status, killing Qin Nianwan would serve no purpose. Right now, he had no choice but to be led along like a puppet controlled by her strings.
At the innermost part of the cabin, Fu Shinian discovered Qin Nianwan wasn’t alone. The person with her seed familiar, but he couldn’t recall where he’d seen them before. Qin Nianwan made no introductions, simply gesturing to the chair beside Fu Shinian:
"You can sit here."
Fu Shinian didn’t move, staring at Qin Nianwan:
"I ca here for Qiqi. Let see her. As long as I confirm she’s safe, I’ll agree to anything you ask."
"What if I want you to marry ?"
Qin Nianwan smiled faintly as she looked at him.
Fu Shinian couldn’t help but wonder if Qin Nianwan and Zhou Yaxian shared the sa strange tendency—to coerce people into marriage. Not long ago, Zhou Yaxian pressured Su Mu, and now Qin Nianwan was targeting him. He chuckled:
"Marriage? Qin Nianwan, how are you worthy?"
The obvious ridicule in his tone didn’t provoke Qin Nianwan. Perhaps she’d anticipated such a response, or perhaps she never intended to take it seriously. She smiled slightly, sat on the nearby sofa, and whispered sothing to Han Lu, who nodded and left the cabin. Fu Shinian watched her disappearing figure:
"When can I see Qiqi?"
"Don’t rush—you’ll see her eventually."
Fu Shinian glared at her. "I don’t have ti to waste with you here."
"And what exactly can you do?" Qin Nianwan smiled at him faintly. "I didn’t call you here—I invited Su Mu. You ca on your own. The fact that I didn’t have your child killed outright for your breach of agreent is already a concession for old tis’ sake. Don’t push my limits. To be honest, my mood hasn’t been great lately, and even I don’t know what I might do."
"What is it you really want?"
Qin Nianwan’s expression showed hints of disorientation. She looked at Fu Shinian and nodded almost imperceptibly:
"Yes, what is it that I really want?"
Fu Shinian stared at her without speaking.
"My life has been a chaotic ss. Thinking back, my happiest monts were those I spent with you. Fu Shinian, let ask you this: did you ever like , even for a fleeting mont?"
Fu Shinian wouldn’t answer, and Qin Nianwan didn’t seem to expect a response. She simply smiled.
"I had already guessed that Su Mu wouldn’t co. You care too much about her to let her face such danger alone. Yet, before seeing you, I still had a shred of hope. I thought maybe she wouldn’t an so much to you that you’d risk your life for her. But it seems I was wrong. You truly love her that much? What is it about her that you love?"
Listening to Qin Nianwan’s words drained every ounce of Fu Shinian’s patience:
"I ca here to solve problems, not to answer your questions. Can you stop putting on this performance? You might think it’s fun, but I find it revolting."
Qin Nianwan looked at him silently, her expression neutral. Several seconds later, she smiled faintly:
"Aren’t you afraid that using this attitude with will make take it out on Qiqi all the more?"
Hearing these words and rembering the photos Su Mu had received days ago, Fu Shinian’s expression darkened. His sharp gaze fixed on Qin Nianwan: "You didn’t just et yesterday—you know I’m soone who repays every grievance. Whatever harm you cause Qiqi, I’ll repay a hundredfold. Even if you’re dead, I’ll dig up your corpse and desecrate it. Do you think I’ll let you off easily?"
"Is that so?" Qin Nianwan’s lips curled into a slow smile. "Then that’s good, isn’t it? It ans that, whether through love or hate, you’ll rember for the rest of your life."
Fu Shinian frowned at her:
"Are you insane?"
"Yes, I’m insane—always have been. From the mont you broke up with , I stopped being normal. Originally, I just wanted to scam you for your money and stage a little drama. But how is it that in the end, I beca... this?"
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