If You Could Hear My Heart

Zhou Ran nodded, "Hmm, your grandmother was very beautiful."

"So my mom is beautiful too!" Xiaobao said cheerfully, as though he had stumbled upon an incredible conclusion.

Zhou Ran did not respond further. She looked at the little boy, feeling a sense of affection within her heart.

After examining the photo for a while, Xiaobao returned it to Zhou Ran, then skipped away to find Shen Di.

"Auntie, Uncle!" Xiaobao bounded over to Shen Di and Qin Chen enthusiastically.

Shen Di bent down slightly, "Running around again, aren't you?"

"I wasn't running around." Xiaobao quickly clarified.

"Uncle, is the drink in your hand tasty?" Xiaobao tilted his head, staring at the red wine in Qin Chen's glass.

Actually, Xiaobao knew it was wine. He intentionally called it a drink because he wanted to have a taste.

"Kids can't drink this." Qin Chen said with a smile.

"Mom says the same thing. She says drinking it will stop me from growing taller."

"That's right, drinking it will keep you from being as tall as your dad. So, you definitely can't drink recklessly." Qin Chen explained.

Xiaobao felt his uncle was very approachable, and since his uncle had returned from abroad, Xiaobao insisted on pestering Qin Chen to tell him a story.

Shen Di, feeling unwell, quietly took a seat on a nearby sofa, watching them.

She held a glass of red wine in her hand. She knew she shouldn't drink, but it had been a long time since the Shen Family had such a lively day. She wanted to have a sip.

With one hand holding the wine glass and the other supporting her chin, she silently watched Qin Chen and Xiaobao.

Elegant music filled the air, cheerful and tinkling like spring water. The chatter of the guests spilled through the living room.

Shen Di usually preferred quietness, but for once, she found this lively scene pleasing.

A faint smile curled at the corner of Shen Di's lips, as delicate as the flowering crabapple in spring—beautiful yet understated.

Not far away, two pairs of eyes landed on her, gentle yet tinged with helplessness.

Whenever he looked at her, there was always tenderness in Qin Chen's gaze. Yet, upon seeing the wine glass in her hand, a helpless expression surfaced.

She simply wouldn't listen, and Qin Chen couldn't control her...

Wen Zhiyuan, dressed smartly in a suit, gazed at her, his expression somewhat dazed.

In the eyes of others, Shen Di was elegant, radiant, and graceful. Even her voice was as soft-spoken as a breeze. Yet, in Wen Zhiyuan's eyes, she was childlike.

Wen Zhiyuan took another sip of the wine in his glass. He had already had quite a few drinks tonight, and his gaze was laced with a trace of intoxication.

Occasionally, when Shen Di turned her head, she would catch sight of Wen Zhiyuan, but she immediately averted her gaze, as if she hadn't seen him at all.

Whenever she felt uneasy, she would lightly tap on the glass with her fingers repeatedly, tracing patterns on its surface again and again.

Maybe the unease was real—her chest felt a bit uncomfortable. Shen Di furrowed her brows and stood up, intending to go to the dressing room to touch up her makeup.

Makeup was the best disguise for a woman; it could conceal all authentic emotions.

As soon as she entered the dressing room, an oppressive feeling overwhelmed her, leaving her breathless.

Shen Di opened her purse, took a pill with the pure water in the dressing room, and swallowed it. Her chest throbbed with pain.

It had been a long time since she felt this way. Her health had been poor recently, and her medication dosage had gradually increased.

She couldn't even finish touching up her makeup before clutching her chest and crouching down, her brows drawn tightly together.

"Hiss..." The pain was sharp, unbearably sharp, so much that she couldn't even keep her eyes open.

She gritted her teeth, one hand bracing against the chair in the dressing room.

Her head felt dizzy too, spinning as she leaned against the chair, gasping for breath in agony. Gradually, the music faded from her hearing, leaving her feeling a flicker of fear...

She didn't know how much time had passed—maybe just a few minutes—before the dressing room door was pushed open!

"Adi!" Wen Zhiyuan entered urgently and lifted her from the ground in one motion.

Wen Zhiyuan was genuinely alarmed. His pupils constricted, and even his fingers trembled slightly.

Shen Di weakly grasped his suit jacket with one hand, her eyes drifting toward the doorway, she murmured, "Close the door. Don't... don't let them worry."

She hadn't expected Wen Zhiyuan to come over. Perhaps he had been paying attention to her all along.

Wen Zhiyuan reluctantly complied, closing the dressing room door as she requested.

From her purse, he pulled out several bottles of medicine, examining each one carefully.

He was, after all, a cardiologist. When his gaze landed on one particular bottle, he couldn't help but curse, "Didn't I tell you not to take this medicine?! Doesn't Qin Chen keep an eye on you?!"

But immediately after scolding her, his heart softened upon noticing her pale lips, which looked as white as paper, and how poor her complexion was.

Shen Di's delicate fingers clung to his suit jacket, beads of sweat as large as pearls trickling from her forehead and nose.

"Leave me... alone." Shen Di gritted out through clenched teeth.

"You're arguing even in this state! I've told you so many times—this medicine may work fast, but it's no different from drinking poison! You shouldn't take it unless it's absolutely necessary. But look at you, carrying it with you like candy?" Wen Zhiyuan's fury was palpable.

"What does this have to do with you?" Shen Di shot back.

She knew the logic behind it all. But sometimes, the pain in her chest was just unbearable.

Like earlier, she had taken one pill, and although the pain had eased, it was still there.

"Does Qin Chen not take care of you?" Wen Zhiyuan asked, locking his gaze on hers.

"Not everyone meddles like you do." Shen Di retorted.

"You're right. You've said this to me countless times, ever since the day I met you—that I meddle too much, that I'm unnecessarily sentimental." Wen Zhiyuan's voice was heavy.

He was usually gentle and refined, but it was always Shen Di who could ignite his temper.

"I don't need your concern. This is an old problem of mine." Shen Di released her grasp on his suit, bracing her hand against the chair to stand.

She hadn't realized that her grip on his suit had left several wrinkles in the fabric.

Once she let go of his suit jacket, Shen Di stood up.

The pain in her chest had lessened somewhat, though it still lingered.

From her bag, she pulled out a compact mirror. Her reflection startled her.

Her complexion was pale, so pale that even blush couldn't conceal it.

"You know it's an old problem, yet you still drink alcohol. Shen Di, do you have a death wish?" Wen Zhiyuan demanded, his anger escalating, his voice rising.

He had consumed quite a bit of alcohol himself tonight.

Seated in the chair, Shen Di looked at Wen Zhiyuan. He was genuinely furious, his reddened eyes revealing his frustration.

Others viewed Dr. Wen as composed and elegant, but in Shen Di's eyes, he seemed to quarrel with her at every turn.

Shen Di smiled faintly, looking almost intoxicated, and said in a light, casual manner, "I know, but I still drank. Doesn't that count as self-indulgence?"

"Why do you never think about others, always so willful?" Wen Zhiyuan grabbed her wrist and pressed her back into the chair. "You're engaged to Qin Chen now, so you need to be responsible—for yourself and your family!"

Even in the past, she never considered his feelings or thoughts. She always acted according to her own will.

He knew she was strong-willed, independent. But she didn't realize that at times, she didn't need to be so resolute, because there were many people who cared about her.

"Why should you be angry when Qin Chen isn't?" Shen Di asked provocatively, her gaze challenging as a faintly seductive smile played on her lips.

Wen Zhiyuan curled his lips into a wry smile, as if mocking himself, "Yes, I'm meddlesome and overly sentimental."