Qin Shanshan didn’t have a fiancé. The only person who could possibly be considered one was Tang Yuanxiao.
As the crowd looked on in eager anticipation, the guard who had just left returned with a man in tow—Su Dan.
Su Dan didn’t recognize anyone there, except for Tang Yuanxiao and Qin Shanshan.
When he entered, he was a little frightened to see everyone crowded together in thick circles. But the moment he spotted Qin Shanshan in the center of the crowd, his eyes lit up and he forgot all about his fear.
"Shanshan."
He hurried over. "Why are you kneeling on the ground? Shanshan, what happened?"
No one had spoken since Su Dan entered. They were all sizing him up.
The same went for Qin Shanshan. It wasn’t that she didn’t want to speak, but that she suddenly couldn’t. For some reason, she had a terrible premonition.
"Why are you here? And what’s this about being my fiancé? Are you crazy?"
Qin Shanshan demanded.
"I came to find you! I went to your family to propose marriage. Your parents have already agreed to betroth you to me, so of course I’m your fiancé."
Su Dan replied matter-of-factly.
The crowd let out a collective gasp, more confused than ever.
Qin Shanshan, on the other hand, felt like she was about to explode with rage. ’Of all the times for this useless fool Su Dan to show up and start spouting nonsense!’
"What are you babbling about? Just get..."
As Qin Shanshan was speaking, Su Dan noticed the strip of cloth in her hand. He let out a sound of surprise, interrupting her.
"Shanshan, why are you trying to get Tang Yuanxiao to clear your name? I’m the one... I’m the one..."
Su Dan grabbed Qin Shanshan’s hand. "I was the man with you that night, Shanshan! I’m the one who took your innocence!"
Seeing Qin Shanshan trying to make Tang Yuanxiao take responsibility, Su Dan grew frantic.
"Shanshan, it wasn’t Tang Yuanxiao! It was me!"
"GASP..." A wave of sharp inhalations swept through the crowd.
The whole morning had been one big spectacle, and with a twist this dramatic, they were having trouble keeping up.
"What’s going on?"
Everyone was asking the same question.
Only Tang Yuanxiao and his supervisor heaved a massive sigh of relief.
While Tang Yuanxiao breathed a sigh of relief, Qin Shanshan had forgotten how to breathe at all.
She stared at Su Dan, watching his mouth open and close. She understood each word he was saying, but put together, they made no sense.
"Shanshan, you can’t be confused about this! I was the one with you! We were together... you’re my woman now. You can’t go after Tang Yuanxiao..."
Su Dan wasn’t stupid; on the contrary, he was quite sharp. Realizing what was happening, he immediately whispered to Qin Shanshan.
He was desperate. Shanshan belonged to him, and he had to make her his wife.
"Shut up! Shut up!" Qin Shanshan finally snapped back to her senses, screaming at him to be quiet.
"What nonsense are you spouting?! What do you mean, ’it was you’? How could it possibly have been you that night? It was Tang Yuanxiao! Tang Yuanxiao! You should be back in your Su Family Village, what are you doing here?! Get lost!"
Qin Shanshan felt like she was going to lose her mind.
From the moment Su Dan claimed he was the one with her that night, she had been on the verge of a complete breakdown.
Qin Shanshan had incredibly high standards. In the past, she had shown Su Dan a bit of favor, but only to get back at Su Li and to enjoy the feeling of being pursued.
But she had never taken someone like Su Dan seriously.
How could Su Dan possibly be worthy of her?
’He isn’t even worthy of carrying my shoes. Su Dan... a good-for-nothing, broke, worthless piece of trash. I’d have to be blind to choose him.’
Qin Shanshan felt an overwhelming sense of disgust, as if she had swallowed something vile. "Get lost! Who the hell do you think you are? Get lost!"
Su Dan’s expression changed. The look of utter disgust and revulsion on Qin Shanshan’s face wounded him deeply.
Angry, hurt, and humiliated, he roared back, "It was me! It was me!"
"I went through so much trouble to find out where you were staying! When I got there and opened the door, you threw yourself at me! You were the one who wouldn’t let go!"
As the memory resurfaced, Su Dan’s eyes grew red. Recalling that unforgettable night, he felt a stir of desire, even in the midst of the current chaos.
After finding Su Li and getting Qin Shanshan’s address, Su Dan had made his way here.
He couldn’t get into the residential compound, but he managed to ask around and get information on Qin Shanshan.
Eventually, by following the leads, he found Qin Shanshan’s home address.
When he arrived, the door was shut from the outside with a padlock on it. Although it wasn’t locked, it suggested no one was home.
Su Dan decided to wait by the door for Qin Shanshan to return and give her a surprise.
But just as he sat down, he heard a noise coming from inside.
It was a strange sound. Listening to it sent a jolt like an electric current through his body.
He recognized it as Qin Shanshan’s voice, which made the situation all the more bizarre.
But however strange it was, he didn’t hesitate to deftly open the door.
He had barely opened the door, with no time to even turn on the light, when Qin Shanshan threw her arms around him.
With Qin Shanshan clinging to him, Su Dan didn’t stand a chance.
He already adored Qin Shanshan, holding her dear to his heart, and now she was being so passionate.
Though Su Dan found Qin Shanshan’s behavior odd, to him it was a blessing that had fallen from the sky.
That wild night was something Su Dan would never forget for the rest of his life. His feelings for Qin Shanshan became deeply rooted, so much so that he felt he could die in her arms.
Just reminiscing about it made Su Dan wish he could carry Qin Shanshan off to a secluded spot right that instant.
He was standing close to Qin Shanshan, and she immediately sensed his arousal.
Listening to his words and sensing his physical state, Qin Shanshan almost vomited.
"Get lost! What nonsense are you spouting?! Get lost!"
Qin Shanshan wished she could tear Su Dan’s mouth to shreds. Her emotions were spiraling toward a complete collapse.
She refused to acknowledge Su Dan’s claims; she would deny them to her dying breath.
"Just because you say it was you, that makes it true? If it was you, why have I never seen you before? And why did you disappear afterward? Don’t even think about it, you toad lusting after a swan! Get lost!"
Qin Shanshan shrieked, her voice cracking.
She didn’t have to look up to know what kind of expressions were on everyone’s faces.
She was going to lose her mind. She was really going to lose her mind!
Qin Shanshan’s words left Su Dan feeling humiliated and dejected, a mess of love and hate.
"I was just worried you wouldn’t be able to accept me right away, so I left first."
What Su Dan didn’t say was that, in truth, his legs were jelly when he woke up the next day.
It had been his first time, and the drug in Qin Shanshan’s system had been potent. The next day, his legs were still trembling when he got up.
He hadn’t dared to look at Qin Shanshan for too long, afraid she would hate him for taking advantage of her before they were married. So, in a cowardly but what he thought was a clever move, Su Dan had fled.
When he left, he put the padlock back on the latch, just as Mrs. Tang had left it.
No one could have imagined Su Dan arriving and leaving so abruptly; he was the last person anyone would have suspected.
"Since I was the one who took you, I had to be responsible. That’s why I went home, then to your family’s house to propose. The moment your parents agreed, I rushed back here to find you."
Su Dan felt he had done nothing wrong.
Although, when he proposed to the Qin Family, they had beaten him and thrown him out at first. They only agreed to the engagement after he threatened them, claiming Qin Shanshan was already his woman.
How could the Qin Family refuse? Su Dan had sworn up and down that Qin Shanshan belonged to him, even describing things like the moles on her body with perfect clarity.
After the Qin Family agreed, Su Dan gathered all his family’s money and rushed back to the Imperial City, eager to find Qin Shanshan and share the good news.
The result... was this.