Married in a Day, Loved for Years

“Yunduan Hotel. Room 1018.” Shen Nian stood outside the door, listening to the intermittent moans coming from within. “Jin'an, stop teasing!” a woman protested in a soft, breathless voice. “Wanwan, you're incredible.” The man's ragged breathing carried clearly into the hallway. Shen Nian glanced around the wretched hotel. Did they even bother soundproofing the rooms? The woman's moans rose again, louder this time. With a cold smile, Shen Nian turned to leave. Then she heard the woman speak. “Jin'an, aren't you marrying Nian soon? Does that mean we won't be able to do this anymore?” Jiang Wan had been Shen Nian's classmate in high school. She and Pei Jin'an had been sleeping together since then. Shen Nian had known all along. “Please. I'm just marrying her and keeping her at home,” he said with a sneer. “If my parents didn't think Old Master Shen would leave her his entire fortune, why would I marry an adopted daughter?” Inside the room, his hand tightened around Jiang Wan's waist. “You're the only one I want.” “Doesn't that make Nian rather pitiful?” Jiang Wan slipped her arms around his neck and pressed closer. “What's pitiful about her? She's been throwing herself at me for over a decade, constantly talking about marrying me. Yet she acts so pure she won't even let me touch her hand.” He squeezed Jiang Wan's cheek. “You're the one who knows how to make me happy.” He pressed her beneath him, and they lost themselves in each other again. Outside, Shen Nian tightened her grip on the old pocket watch in her hand and walked away. Jiang Wan had sent her explicit photographs of their encounters more than once. Today, she had merely come to witness the truth in person. Three months later. Only Shen Nian and Jiang Wan remained in one of the Central Music Ensemble's rehearsal rooms. Hearing familiar footsteps approach, Jiang Wan chose her moment precisely. “Shen Nian, why would you do this to me?” She rushed toward a nearby table and drove her lower abdomen straight into its corner. “Ah! My stomach! It hurts!” Shen Nian stood more than two meters away, arms folded, watching the performance. What an achievement. Jiang Wan had managed to frame someone without even being touched. Shen Nian almost wanted to applaud. A man burst through the doorway and shoved her aside. She fell, her elbow striking a pillar with a dull thud. Pain shot through her arm. “Wanwan, what happened?” Pei Jin'an gathered Jiang Wan into his arms, his face full of anguish. “Jin'an, I'm sure Nian didn't mean to push me. But our baby…” Tears appeared at precisely the right moment. He turned on Shen Nian, his eyes blazing. “You vicious woman! Wanwan's pregnant. How could you hurt her?” Shen Nian gave a short, humorless laugh. “If I told you I never touched her, that she staged the whole thing herself, would you believe me?” “Absolutely not! Wanwan's always been innocent. She's too kind, and that's why you keep bullying her!” He stared straight into Shen Nian's eyes. “I can't believe I misjudged you so badly. In our final year of high school, a gang of thugs attacked me. Wanwan risked her life to save me, even though she was so frail. Where were you? You keep demanding that I marry you, but when have you ever actually cared about me?” Shen Nian laughed inwardly. “You still think Jiang Wan was the one who saved you?” Jiang Wan's eyes darted nervously. She hurried to interrupt. “Jin'an, my stomach hurts. Look…” She pointed at her skirt. Blood had already stained the fabric. “Don't be scared, Wanwan. I'll take you to the hospital.” Pei Jin'an lifted her into his arms. As he passed Shen Nian, his voice turned vicious. “You're going to pay for this.” He strode out of the rehearsal room carrying Jiang Wan. A mocking smile tugged at Shen Nian's lips. Yet as she stepped outside, she still felt dazed. What had happened to her world? Everywhere she turned, there were schemes and calculations. Nowhere felt safe. Distracted, she walked straight into a broad, solid chest. The man froze. “Sorry.” Without looking up, Shen Nian stepped around him and kept walking. He lowered the hands he had instinctively raised and watched her leave. Shen Nian met up with her agent, Ying. They had an endorsement meeting with an advertiser that day. On the drive back, her phone would not stop ringing. “Maybe you should answer,” Ying suggested. Shen Nian glanced at the screen. Seventeen missed calls. All from Pei Jin'an. Irritated, she accepted the next one. “Shen Nian, are you satisfied now?” His furious voice blasted through the phone. “Jiang Wan can't have children anymore. She'll never have a child of her own!” “What does that have to do with me?” “How dare you ask that? You pushed her! She's always been delicate, and now an innocent life is gone because of you. Don't you feel any guilt?” “Pei Jin'an, do you have any conscience at all? You think I don't know you've been having safflower added to her food every day? You didn't want her using a baby to tie you down. And now you're trying to blame me? Impressive.” “How do you know about that?” “I even warned her, out of basic human decency. She refused to believe me. Now she's suffering the consequences, and the two of you want to pin it on me. You've really thought of everything.” Her voice grew colder with every word. “Don't change the subject! No excuse can erase the fact that you murdered an innocent life!” “My conscience is clear. Whatever you think you can hide, heaven sees it. You both know who's really guilty. Do whatever you like. Just leave me alone.” She was about to hang up when he stopped her. “Wait. If you have any conscience left, tell your grandfather to transfer five percent of Pei Group's shares to me as compensation. Otherwise, I'll destroy your reputation.” Shen Nian drew a slow breath. She almost laughed. Even now, he was still trying to squeeze something out of her. “Pei Jin'an, I wish the man I'd chased for seventeen years were merely a scumbag. But you don't even qualify as human.” She ended the call. Taking out the old pocket watch she always carried, she rubbed her thumb over its worn surface. She opened the lid. Inside was the image of a smiling girl. The hands continued their steady journey around the dial, untroubled by anything outside it. Her thoughts drifted back to the year she turned eight. That was when Shen Yucen had been brought into the Shen family as their true daughter. Overnight, Shen Nian had gone from the family's beloved little girl to their adopted daughter. The Shens had held a lavish banquet to announce to all of Jingcheng that their real daughter, Shen Yucen, had finally been found. Everyone understood what that meant. Shen Nian, once treated like a precious jewel, was an impostor. The family could hardly abandon her without damaging its reputation, so they would keep her as an adopted child. Throughout the banquet, she endured disdainful looks and mocking remarks. Her adoptive mother would not even let her hide. She had to stay where everyone could see her, a contrast to the daughter they were celebrating. So she remained in the reception hall, trying to bear it. But she was exhausted. Her small body could barely contain all the hurt. Eventually, she sat on the stairs, clutching a stuffed rabbit and crying. No one came to comfort her. She cried until she fell asleep. When she woke, there was a piece of chocolate and a folded note in her hand.