Chapter 17: Argument

After Jiang Banyue opened the door, she walked over to Gu Qingci to take the child from his arms, but Gu Qingci bypassed her and entered the house with the child. Jiang’s father and mother followed, each holding a child.

Jiang Banyue was about to return inside when she suddenly felt a burning gaze focused on her. Curiously, she turned to look and saw a military jeep parked across the street. For some reason, her heart skipped a beat.

She froze in place. Inside the car, Shen Yunhe’s gaze was fixed firmly on her. The cigarette in his hand trembled slightly. Jiang Banyue quickly withdrew her gaze and turned to enter the house. Gu Qingci, waiting for her to return, went outside to look for her.

“What’s wrong?” he asked.

“Nothing, let’s go inside!” she replied.

“Alright.”

Gu Qingci walked beside her, glancing back at the jeep across the street. He couldn’t help but wonder why a military jeep was parked there, especially at this time of day, and why it was facing their home. He didn’t think much of it and walked inside with her.

After they all entered, Shen Yunhe extinguished his cigarette, rolled down the car window halfway, and flicked the cigarette butt out. He leaned back in his seat, closing his eyes. His mind kept replaying the scene from just moments ago.

The man had been holding the child, standing next to Jiang Banyue. They looked like a family.

“Tch!”

Shen Yunhe let out a bitter laugh, and his heart ached with every beat. It felt as though something was blocking his throat, making it hard to breathe.

“She’s clearly my woman, and that’s my child…”

He cursed himself for having such sharp eyesight, witnessing everything from outside. Inside the house, the baby sat on the carpet crying for someone to hold them. Jiang Banyue and Gu Qingci both bent down to pick the child up at the same time, their heads bumping lightly. Gu Qingci placed a large hand on Jiang Banyue’s head, gently rubbing it.

Shen Yunhe’s large hand rested on the steering wheel, the veins on his hand standing out. His brows were tightly furrowed, and his chest churned with an overwhelming sense of bitterness. His eyes, bloodshot, struggled to suppress the urge to storm in and beat someone up.

Inside, Jiang Banyue was holding Huai Yu, her forehead bruised from the bump, causing her so much pain that she almost cried. Gu Qingci had brought an ice pack and placed it on her head.

“How is it? Better?” he asked.

Jiang Banyue took the ice pack, stepping back a few paces. “I’m fine. It’ll get better in a moment.”

Gu Qingci frowned as he looked at the red bump on her forehead. He grabbed the car keys and was about to head outside.

“I’m going to the pharmacy to buy some ointment for you.”

“Don’t, there’s no need!”

Jiang Banyue thought he was overreacting. It was just a bump to the head, and it would go down on its own in a bit. There was no need to spend money on medicine.

Jiang’s mother also persuaded him, “Gu, don’t worry. It’s just a bump. It’ll be fine in a moment. This child is tough. She once fell off a tree and landed on her bottom, but she was fine, jumping around as if nothing happened.”

“Mom, what are you saying!” Jiang Banyue felt her face burning with embarrassment, wishing she could sink into the ground.

Gu Qingci couldn’t hold back his laugh and quickly composed himself. He stepped forward and took the baby from Jiang Banyue’s arms.

“I’ll hold him. You should keep the ice pack on your head.”

“Mm.”

Jiang Banyue sat on the chair, pressing the ice pack against her forehead. She turned and saw Dabang leaning against the door, looking out. She stood up and walked over to him, squatting down beside him.

“Baby, what are you looking at?”

“Ah!”

Jiang Huaijin felt that the person in the car might be his father. He wasn’t sure, but he kept leaning against the door, staring at the car, hoping to catch a glimpse of the man inside through the window.

“Mom, hug me.”

Jiang Huaijin leaned into his mother’s arms, but his eyes were still fixed on the car, trying to see clearly the man sitting inside.

“Baby, what’s wrong?”

“I’m fine, Mom.”

Jiang Huaijin whispered close to her ear. He didn’t want to tell his mother that the person in the car might be his father, but he wasn’t certain.

Gu Qingci stayed for a while and then drove away. At six o’clock in the afternoon, Huai Yu and Huai Rou had both fallen asleep, and Jiang’s parents had also left. Jiang Banyue stood at the door, holding her eldest son, seeing off her parents.

“Go back, make sure to close the windows and doors at night, okay?” Jiang’s father reminded her.

“I know.”

Jiang’s mother added, “Don’t forget to take Huai Rou’s temperature again tonight.”

“Okay, don’t worry. You guys head back.”

After Jiang’s parents left, Jiang Banyue returned inside with her son. With Huai Rou being sick, she had been exhausted, and since there were no customers at the shop, she planned to close early.

In the car, Shen Yunhe saw that everyone had left, so he opened the car door and stepped out, striding toward the store. Jiang Banyue, holding her son, lowered her head and kissed his forehead.

“Baby, are you tired? Let’s close the door and go to bed early tonight.”

“Okay.”

Just as mother and son were speaking, the store door creaked open. Jiang Banyue turned around and was instantly enveloped in a warm embrace. The mother and son were tightly held in Shen Yunhe’s arms.

A strong masculine scent rushed toward her, accompanied by a faint smell of smoke. Jiang Banyue struggled in panic, but Shen Yunhe didn’t let go; instead, he held them even tighter.

“Sweetheart, it’s me.”

“I know it’s you, Shen Yunhe, let go of me!”

“No.”

Shen Yunhe domineeringly held the mother and son in his arms, lowering his head to kiss his precious son. The baby in his arms opened wide eyes, staring at him, making his heart soften, and he spoke in a soft voice, fearful of startling the baby.

“Baby, I’m your father.”

The baby had been leaning against the door, staring at him, and he had been staring back, growing more and more fond of the child. Several times, he had been impulsively tempted to get out of the car and hold him. This was his child, his blood, the continuation of his life.

Jiang Banyue, being held in his arms, felt the heat of his breath on her ear, making her uncomfortable and blushing. She pushed him away, angry and flustered, and snapped:

“Let go of me, or I’ll bite you!”

Shen Yunhe raised an eyebrow and smiled, leaning provocatively toward her ear.

“Go ahead and bite.”

“You…”

Jiang Huaijin froze, staring blankly at his father. This side of his father was new to him. The father he remembered was always serious, silent, and never smiled. The little warmth he had was always given to the three children.

After everything happened, their father became even quieter, a gloomy aura surrounding him. Every time he went on a mission, it seemed as though he had no regard for his life, living like a walking corpse.

To him, death might even be a form of relief.

Jiang Banyue really couldn’t take it anymore. She felt that her whole body was soaked in the man’s scent and desperately wanted to escape from his embrace. In a moment of panic, she bit his arm.

“Hmm?”

Shen Yunhe looked down in surprise, gazing at her. This woman had always been gentle and soft-spoken. When did she learn to be so fierce and bite?

“Let go of me!”

“Okay.”

Shen Yunhe let go, then picked up the baby from her arms.

“I want to stay and be with the kids. I am their father, and I will come often to see them. I don’t want them to grow up without a father.”

“No!”

Jiang Banyue immediately rejected him sternly. She would never allow anyone to harm her children.

She took the baby from Shen Yunhe’s hands, stepping back a few paces, her gaze fixed on him warily.

“Why can’t I see the kids? They’re my children too.”

Jiang Banyue glared at him coldly, her tone full of bitterness.

“Your children. Since you care so much about them, why couldn’t you protect them properly?”

“What do you mean by that?” Shen Yunhe was pained by her words, his fingertips turning white as he clenched his hands.

“You…”

Jiang Banyue was furious and about to scold him, but Jiang Huaijin gently tugged at her clothes, his eyes pleading. Seeing the cautious look in her son’s eyes, Jiang Banyue’s heart softened.

“It’s nothing. If you marry another woman in the future, I’m afraid she might harm the children. So, in comparison to life, not having a father doesn’t matter that much.”

Shen Yunhe hurriedly explained, “I won’t marry anyone else. In this life, I only want you. If you don’t remarry me, I’ll stay single forever.”

Jiang Banyue sneered and turned her head to look outside. The night had already fallen, and there wasn’t a single bit of moonlight.

“Go away! Don’t come looking for me again. I don’t want to see you!”

Just the thought of what her children went through in their previous lives made her uncontrollably angry. If Liu Juan dared to harm her children again, she would rather sacrifice her own life to kill her.

“Banban…” Shen Yunhe took a few steps forward, raising his arm to grab her hand, but Jiang Banyue took a few steps back.

“Go away!”

Shen Yunhe slowly lowered his arm, his eyes filled with pain, his throat choked with emotion. His chest heaved violently, and his heart seemed to be crushed in a tight grip. He closed his eyes, hiding the anguish in his gaze, and turned to leave, walking slowly toward the door.

Jiang Huaijin opened his mouth, silently calling out for his father. Jiang Banyue closed the door and carried her son upstairs. Shen Yunhe stood motionless on the street, his eyes locked on the closed door, allowing the pain in his heart to overflow and consume him completely.