Chapter 245: Chapter 245: Will Not Forgive_1 Chapter 245: Chapter 245: Will Not Forgive_1 Upon hearing this, Xia Qingtian sneered, finding it absurdly funny.

“So, you’ve done all these things because of me?” she asked mockingly. “Why? Why would you do all this for me?”

She was curious to hear what ridiculous excuse Shen Yaxuan could come up with next.

Shen Yaxuan looked at her honestly, confessing, “Because I love you!”

Xia Qingtian was taken aback, but quickly recovered, “After all the times you have deceived me, you think I would believe your lies?”

Shen Yaxuan knew his credibility was bankrupt, so he offered, “If you don’t believe me, you could come home with me, and I can show you evidence!”

“I’m not interested,” Xia Qingtian had no interest in going home with him to see any evidence, “In short, I’ve said what needed to be said. Don’t follow me anymore.”

With that said, she was ready to turn and leave.

“Wait…” Shen Yaxuan grabbed her wrist, “I know you don’t like owing people anything, especially me. If you cooperate with me today, it will compensate for what I did to save your life, and we will be even.”

He wanted Xia Qingtian to see his sincerity, not to think of his confession as another lie.

Even if she did not accept, at the very least, she should know that he truly loved her.

Xia Qingtian agreed, “Fine.”

Shen Yaxuan was right; she didn’t like owing others.

Hence, Shen Yaxuan handed over the inspection of the old city’s renovation to someone else and took Xia Qingtian back to his home.

He opened a quiet attic on the top floor and made a beckoning gesture toward Xia Qingtian, “Come in…”

Xia Qingtian entered cautiously.

The attic was small with sparse furniture. The walls were entirely covered with portraits of a beautiful, young girl.

The girl bore the same face as hers.

All these portraits were undoubtedly of her.

Xia Qingtian was quite startled, “These are…”

Shen Yaxuan looked at her lovingly and said, “These are all hand-drawn by me. They are the countless memories of you in my mind.”

Indeed, Xia Qingtian could feel the strong love emanating from these drawings, and she began to believe—

Shen Yaxuan liked her!

Shen Yaxuan looked deeply into Xia Qingtian’s eyes, “Qingtian, I genuinely love you, and I want you to be happy.”

“You didn’t recognize me, so you probably don’t remember. But I’ve always remembered that when I was very young, we were both kidnapped. You happened to be passing by and were mistakenly kidnapped too. We were locked in a dark warehouse for four days and four nights, and you encouraged and comforted me the whole time…”

“After we were rescued, my parents sent me abroad. I’ve been looking for you and inquiring about your whereabouts until we finally met again, and I recognized you at once! But you didn’t remember me!”

“When Jingyan had me searching for the woman from the Imperial Hotel that night, and I found out it was you, it devastated me. In the end, I chose to let you be with him, but just as I prepared to tell him the truth, I found out you weren’t happy, and that you were even imprisoned by him.”

“After you fled from him, weren’t you trying to escape him forever? If he hadn’t found you and brought you back to A City, you would have already moved on and lived a life without him.”

“Everything I’ve done up till now, including helping Chen Momo, was because I wanted you to be happy and free. As long as you’re happy, I’m willing to do anything, even betray my best friend or risk my own life, without any hesitation.”

He poured out all the secrets he’d held in his heart, and suddenly felt much lighter.

He looked at Xia Qingtian hopefully, “Qingtian, can you forgive me for the deceit I’ve committed before?”

Back in the hospital, Xia Qingtian had been having pleasant conversations with him.

He couldn’t bear to see her returning to her frosty demeanor.

Xia Qingtian was stunned, recalling the kidnapping incident from her childhood. She never imagined that he was Shen Yaxuan.

She was filled with mixed emotions, but flatly responded, “I’m sorry, but I can’t forgive you.”

Shen Yaxuan’s face suddenly became stiff, “Why, everything I have done is all…”

“Please stop saying that everything you’ve done is for me…” Xia Qingtian cut him off, “That’s just your wishful thinking.”

“I want happiness, I want freedom, I can fight for that myself. I don’t need you to deceive me and manipulate me under the guise of caring about me, of loving me.”

“Maybe you really do love me, maybe your intentions are good, but everything you’ve done has hurt me. I will never forgive your manipulations, nor will I forgive your deception.”

Shen Yaxuan suddenly seemed utterly dejected.

Everything that needed to be said was said: Xia Qingtian didn’t want to stay with Shen Yaxuan any longer.

“Alright, you’ve done what you wanted. We’re even now. From this point on you follow your road and I’ll follow mine. Let’s stop bothering each other.”

With that, she turned and walked away.

This time, Shen Yaxuan didn’t stop her.

As she approached the door, Xia Qingtian seemed to remember something and paused, “Please stop pretending to act in my interest and hurting me and deceiving me, or I’ll hate you even more.”

This time, she didn’t stay; she left entirely.

Shen Yaxuan sat in the loft, looking lost, gaping at Xia Qingtian’s face in the painting, thinking about what she’d just said. His face revealed deep love and struggle.

Did he really do something wrong?

Should he really let go? Not interfere with her and Jingyan’s matters?

And should he not help Chen Momo anymore?

…

Meanwhile.

Chen Momo was living comfortably in the old house.

Master Bo would have the servants make her the priority in the mansion, and he would even ask her personally if the baby in her belly was behaving every day.

Sometimes when he went out, he would bring back gifts for her and the baby. Chen Momo believed that over time Master Bo’s feelings for her unborn child would only deepen, exceeding those for Xia Qingtian.

Chen Momo’s plan was going well. She was in high spirits and wanted to celebrate with someone.

The first person she thought of was Shen Yaxuan.

So, she called him and planned a meeting place.

Chen Momo told Master Bo that she was going out and then left.

Upon arriving at the agreed location, she found out that Shen Yaxuan had chosen a bar, and it was incredibly smoky.

When she found him in the VIP room, he was already drunk.

Chen Momo went up and took the drink from Shen Yaxuan’s hand, “Mr. Shen, why have you drunk so much?”

Even after his drink was taken, Shen Yaxuan wasn’t angry. He just picked up another bottle and started to drink from it.

Chen Momo had known him for quite a while, but this was the first time she saw him so dejected.

She knit her brows, “Mr. Shen, what the hell happened to you?”

She worried that if Shen Yaxuan continued to drink like this, it would affect her, because she had her prenatal appointment in a few days.

To deepen the emotional bond between Master Bo, her, and the baby, she had asked Master Bo to accompany her.

She would need Shen Yaxuan to make arrangements at the hospital.

“Chen Momo, should I give up?” asked Shen Yaxuan, after swallowing his drink.