Chapter 34

Cheng Yue didn’t speak immediately but instead stared at her with a cold, interrogative gaze, as if she were a criminal. The intensity of his eyes made her deeply uncomfortable.

“If you have something to say, just say it,” Su Qianqian urged. Judging by his demeanor, it must be serious, and she braced herself for the worst.

“Don’t you have anything to tell me?” Cheng Yue asked, giving her a chance to confess. If she came clean, perhaps there was still hope.

!!! His words set off alarm bells in Su Qianqian’s mind.

Could Cheng Yue have figured out that this body now has a different soul? But how could she explain that? She didn’t even understand the reason herself. What if revealing it got her locked up and dissected?

Or is he just testing me?

After a moment of deliberation, she decided to play it safe. “Why don’t you tell me instead?” she said, maintaining her composure.

Cheng Yue’s face turned even colder, disappointment flashing through his eyes.

I gave her a chance, and she didn’t take it.

He stood up, went to the study, and returned with a thick stack of papers, slamming them down on the table. “Take a good look at what you’ve done, Su Qianqian! How could you be so heartless? Are you even human? Even a tiger doesn’t harm its cubs! The children were so young, and you still— How could you have no conscience at all?”

Su Qianqian was genuinely startled by his outburst. She picked up the papers and immediately understood the situation.

So, Cheng Yue had someone investigate what happened during those five years at Tianshui Village.

The original host’s actions couldn’t be erased. All Su Qianqian could do now was live a better life moving forward.

The original host really made things hard for me!

“What else do you have to say? You can’t deny these claims, can you? So many people are saying the same thing—both from Tianshui Village and even your own family’s village. They couldn’t all be lying, could they?”

The oppressive atmosphere was overwhelming, and Su Qianqian struggled to bear it. After taking several deep breaths to calm herself, she spoke slowly. “The past is the past. What I’ve done, I’ve done. I won’t deny it. But I’ve changed since then.”

“Changed? You? Do you really think I’d believe that? Someone like you would only pretend to change to gain more benefits! Su Qianqian, a dog can’t stop itself from eating shit, and you can’t change your nature!”

How crude!

“Since you don’t believe me, let’s just get a divorce,” she said coolly. There was no point in arguing further. If all her efforts were seen as an act, it meant he’d never trust her.

“Of course, we’ll get a divorce! But you’re not taking a single one of the kids!”

Cheng Yue was convinced that if the children stayed with Su Qianqian, she’d sell them off for money without a second thought. He believed she was fully capable of such a thing.

Su Qianqian, who had remained relatively calm until now, grew furious at his words.

Her expression turned cold as she retorted, “And can you take care of three kids? Can you guarantee that if you remarry, their stepmother will treat them well? Do you even know if the kids want to stay with you?”

Before Cheng Yue could respond, she continued, “You think a few minutes in bed gives you the right to take the three children I gave birth to? Cheng Yue, do you think you deserve them?”

His face turned ashen, his fists clenching tightly.

“Don’t act like the victim here. If you didn’t want it to happen, could we have had children? Do you think you could have forced me? Now you’re turning your back on me as if nothing happened? What kind of man are you?”

Her sharp words stunned him. He hadn’t expected her to retaliate so fiercely, and the mix of anger and embarrassment left him speechless. His face alternated between red, white, and green in quick succession.

“The children stay with me. If not, forget about the divorce!” she declared firmly.

If she divorced and the children stayed with Cheng Yue, how could someone as rough as him take proper care of them? The children would inevitably think their mother abandoned them, leaving them with the feeling of being rejected by the entire world. No amount of compensation later could make up for that.

An unhappy childhood takes a lifetime to heal.

“Su Qianqian, if I want a divorce, we will get divorced!” Cheng Yue asserted firmly. He believed that with the evidence of her past actions, the organization would surely understand his position.

She let out a cold laugh. “Oh really? Then go ahead and try. I’ll tell everyone you slept with Zhou Yun, forced me into a divorce, and smeared my name!”

“You!” Cheng Yue felt his blood boil, as though he might cough up blood from sheer frustration.

“Stop spouting nonsense! Zhou Yun and I are completely innocent!”

Su Qianqian raised an eyebrow. “Oh.”

Her nonchalant response nearly sent Cheng Yue over the edge. So this is the real Su Qianqian, her true nature revealed. Everything before this was just an act!

With that, she turned and walked out.

As she stepped outside, the door across the hall opened. Wu Sufen, her neighbor, spotted her and immediately asked, “Qianqian, what’s going on?”

“Nothing,” Su Qianqian replied, shaking her head, not wanting to explain further.

But Wu Sufen, ever the busybody, pulled her inside. “I heard you two arguing, something about a divorce. Qianqian, you can’t get a divorce! Men like Captain Cheng are one in a million!”

“He’s the one who wants to divorce me,” Su Qianqian said, casually shifting the blame.

“That’s still not okay! You cry, you fight, you threaten—whatever it takes, just don’t get divorced! You’ve got three kids, your own flesh and blood. How could you live without seeing them again?”

“I’m taking the kids with me.”

Her words shocked Wu Sufen, who clearly hadn’t considered the possibility of a woman taking custody in a divorce. Traditionally, the children always stayed with the father.

“You? A single woman with three kids? How would you manage? And how would you ever remarry?”

“I’m not planning to remarry.”

“What? That’s ridiculous! How can you not remarry?”

Then Wu Sufen caught herself, realizing she’d been led off-track. “Wait, wait, this isn’t the point! You can’t get divorced. A divorce will ruin you—people will talk about you endlessly. Your own family won’t take you back, and you’ll never hold your head up again!”

“Don’t worry, I’ll survive,” Su Qianqian said nonchalantly.

“Why are you so stubborn? Couples fight; it’s normal. Men have tempers—just put up with it, and things will get better.”

Wu Sufen continued to nag for what felt like an eternity. Unable to argue further, Su Qianqian nodded perfunctorily until she could finally excuse herself and leave.

After grabbing a bite to eat outside, she went to the market, bought tofu and various seasonings, and returned home to make fermented bean curd. Once it was ready, it would fetch a good price.

When she walked in, she was surprised to see Zhou Yun there.

Ah, so this woman hadn’t caused any drama recently. I was wondering if she’d finally calmed down. Turns out, she was just lying in wait for us to fight. The moment we do, she shows up. Does she have a radar installed in this house?

“Why did you go out instead of taking good care of him?” Zhou Yun demanded, her tone accusatory. Seeing that Su Qianqian had bought quite a few things, she assumed Su Qianqian must have spent Cheng Yue’s money.

“If you’re so eager to take care of him, why not move in? The three of us living happily together would solve everything,” Su Qianqian replied with a saccharine smile that didn’t reach her eyes.