Chapter 48

“Isn’t that a bit inappropriate?” She hesitated, her fingers twirling her braid.

“What’s wrong with it? Isn’t this just showing concern for her?”

Su Yinhua thought for a moment and then agreed, heading toward the Cheng family home.

“Qianqian, is Qianqian home?” She called out at the door.

“Yinhua, you’re here? I’ll go call her.” Wu Yuexiang, who knew Su Yinhua, went inside to find Su Qianqian.

Su Qianqian came out. “Yinhua, long time no see.”

“How come you’re back? I thought you were going to wait until the New Year to return.” It was dark outside, and it was hard to see clearly, but Su Yinhua felt that Su Qianqian seemed to have gained weight—she wasn’t as thin and gaunt as before.

“The kids missed their grandparents, so we came back to stay for a while.” This wasn’t exactly a lie. It was true that they were staying for a while, but they would move out again when the time came.

“How’s Cheng Yue doing?”

“He’s an officer now, looking more handsome every day.” Su Qianqian said this with a proud smile.

Sure enough, Su Yinhua’s expression changed.

Su Qianqian wasn’t the original person, and she didn’t mind confronting Su Yinhua. Besides, they wouldn’t have much contact in the future.

Before Su Yinhua could say anything, Su Qianqian immediately asked, “By the way, are you pregnant yet?”

Su Yinhua’s face darkened instantly—Su Qianqian really knew how to bring up the wrong topic.

“Why don’t you go to a big hospital and get checked? See if it’s your issue or your husband’s.”

“I don’t need you to worry about it!” With that, Su Yinhua turned around and stormed off.

Su Qianqian went back into the house, feeling satisfied. She knew that Su Yinhua had come to see her misfortune, so she wasn’t going to hold back.

That night, when it was time to sleep, Su Qianqian told the three children a story. After finishing, she was about to say goodnight when Sanya quietly asked, “Do you think Dad will miss us?” She was thinking about how Dad used to pick her up high, so high that it was both scary and fun.

“I don’t know. When he comes back, you can ask him yourself.” Su Qianqian wasn’t sure about Cheng Yue’s feelings toward the three kids. She didn’t want to say anything positive or negative about him.

The three little ones lay down to sleep.

Su Qianqian kissed each of their foreheads and then lay down herself. She hadn’t slept well on the train, and soon, she fell asleep.

Meanwhile, Cheng Yue was tossing and turning in bed, unable to sleep.

He no longer had to sleep on a folding bed; this one was big enough, and lying on it, he felt that the whole bed seemed to be filled with Su Qianqian’s scent. It was faint, but pleasant—he couldn’t quite describe it, just that it smelled good.

His older brother had called him, saying that they had already received him and that everything was fine, but suddenly, Cheng Yue really wanted to go home and question Su Qianqian about why she left without a word!

Unable to sleep, he got up to drink some water, but when he tasted it, he found something was wrong. The water didn’t taste right. It wasn’t the same as how Su Qianqian would pour it for him.

He went to the bathroom to pour the water out, but as he stood there, memories of Su Qianqian came flooding back—how she had just finished showering, and when he entered, he had seen her clothes, which made him feel an overwhelming heat. He remembered her delicate waist, porcelain-white skin, and the smile on her face.

He also remembered the way she ate candy.

Cheng Yue had never thought about someone like this before. What was happening to him?

The next morning, he immediately asked for time off.

“I’d like to request a week off to go back to Tianshui Village.”

“You haven’t been back in a long time. It’s time for you to go,” Captain Yao nodded. Cheng Yue had been working non-stop for the past five years. It was time for him to take a longer break. “I’ll grant you half a month off. Go home and fulfill your filial duties.”

Cheng Yue thought that half a month would be good; it would give him time to sort out his thoughts.

“Your divorce application should be processed soon.”

He was taken aback and instinctively blurted out, “Can you give me back the divorce application first?”

“Ah?” Captain Yao didn’t immediately understand.

“Sorry, I was hasty. I submitted it without thinking it through. I accept any punishment, but I still hope the divorce application can be rejected.”

Seeing his attitude, Captain Yao smiled, “I knew you would change your mind. Here, take it back.”

Cheng Yue was surprised, “Captain, this…”

“Although I’ve only met your wife once, from that one meeting, I could tell she’s a good person. You were young and impulsive, which is understandable. So, I decided to keep it here for now.”

Captain Yao had high hopes for Cheng Yue. He didn’t want him to carry the stigma of abandoning his wife, especially since they hadn’t seen each other in five years. It was normal for there to be friction after such a long separation. Over time, they would come to appreciate each other, so he planned to observe things further.

“Thank you, Captain!” Cheng Yue saluted.

“Just treat your wife and kids well, and that’ll be enough thanks to me. You should sort out your work; I think your leave will be approved in the next few days.”

As Cheng Yue walked out of the office, he had a smile on his face. Since Su Qianqian left, he had been gloomy, and even his approach to training the soldiers had become stricter.

“Captain, good news?” Cheng Yuan, seeing the smile on his face, quickly approached him, relieved. The past few days had made him nervous.

“I’m taking leave to go back to Tianshui Village for about half a month.”

“It’s about time you went back. Uncle and Aunt miss you a lot.” He didn’t dare to mention Su Qianqian.

Cheng Yue quickly finished his work and arranged everything that needed to be taken care of. After all, with half a month off, there were still many things to handle.

Around noon, Zhou Yun appeared.

“Cheng Yue, my mom invited you to our house for dinner tonight.”

“Thanks for the kind invitation, Captain Wang, but I’ve been really busy recently and can’t make it. Sorry, maybe next time.” Zhou Yun’s mother was the head of a cultural troupe.

“Busy, huh? You need to take care of yourself, don’t skip meals while you’re at it.” Zhou Yun knew that Su Qianqian had left, so she had her family prepare some good food and invited Cheng Yue over.

“Don’t worry, I’ll eat, I’m just busy now.” Cheng Yue said as he grabbed his documents and left.

Zhou Yun lightly stomped her foot, feeling both frustrated and fond. They always say that men focused on their careers are the most attractive, and she knew Cheng Yue was very ambitious, with a strong personal charm. Otherwise, she wouldn’t be so fond of him. She admired his tall, upright figure and thought he looked the best in military uniform.

Feeling frustrated, she went to find Song Qianqian.

“What’s wrong? Who made our young lady so angry?” Song Qianqian had a good relationship with Zhou Yun.

“It’s Cheng Yue. I invited him to dinner at my place, and he said he was busy.”

When Song Qianqian heard Cheng Yue’s name, she thought of Su Qianqian and her expression darkened. “Did that country wife leave? Are they divorced?”

“She left, but they probably haven’t divorced yet, but it should happen soon,” Zhou Yun said confidently.

Song Qianqian nodded. “That country bumpkin is totally unworthy of Cheng Yue. Someone like him should be with you. You two are a perfect match, really a case of beauty and talent.”

“Don’t say that, it’s a bit embarrassing.” Although Zhou Yun said this, she couldn’t stop smiling.

“You shouldn’t be shy. Men need to fight for what they want, especially a quiet guy like Cheng Yue. Just look at how Su Qianqian was back then, and he married her. You, on the other hand, have to use a bit of strategy.”