Li Xiaoyue nervously clutched the hem of Chen Lin's shirt, her voice trembling. "Then... then she..."
She dared not imagine Song Qiuya's reaction.
That woman, cool and aloof as the moon, so accomplished that Li Xiaoyue felt ashamed beside her-how furious and disappointed would she be to learn that another woman had "tainted" her man?
Seeing her look as though she were awaiting judgment, Chen Lin felt a pang in his heart. He lowered his head and gently kissed her smooth forehead.
"She was angry, and she felt hurt," Chen Lin said honestly, hiding nothing. "But she also knew you did it to save me. So... she accepted it."
"Accepted it?" Li Xiaoyue jerked her head up. Her habitually timid eyes widened, filled with disbelief.
How was that possible?
If she had been in Song Qiuya's place, she could never have been so generous.
A powerful surge of tangled emotions-joy, guilt, and gratitude-swept through her like a flash flood, breaking down the defenses in her heart.
She could hold back no longer. Burying her face deep in Chen Lin's chest, she finally let the tears she had suppressed for a whole day and night spill free, sobbing with joy.
Chen Lin said nothing. He simply held her quietly, letting her release her emotions as he gently patted her back, which trembled with her sobs.
Only after a long while did Li Xiaoyue gradually calm down. She lifted her head from Chen Lin's chest, her swollen, reddened eyes holding the clarity of a sky after rain and a sense of security she had never felt before.
Chen Lin wiped away her tears and said softly, "All right. It's all behind us now. From now on, you have me."
Once he had soothed the overwhelmed Li Xiaoyue, he left her in the