Chapter 19.1

When He Yan ran back home, Su Ting was sweeping the floor.

Originally, she and He Dongchuan had planned to go to the post office to mail something today, but the night before, just before going to bed, He Dongchuan had been called away. They said there was something wrong at the base, and he still hadn’t returned by now.

Su Ting was worried, so she put off the plan to mail the items and decided to wait until he came back to discuss it.

After breakfast, with nothing else to do, Su Ting started tidying up the house. If this were before she had traveled through time, she surely wouldn’t have been so diligent—scrolling through her phone when bored would’ve been much easier. But now, there was no phone to scroll through, no TV to watch, so she had no choice but to do chores.

While she was wiping down the table and sweeping the floor, Su Ting heard the sound of “thud-thud-thud” footsteps coming from outside.

He Dongchuan’s footsteps were light, but the sound she heard was definitely He Yan’s. Su Ting was puzzled and asked: “Aren’t you supposed to be out playing? Why are you back so soon?”

After asking, she didn’t hear a reply.

Just as she was sweeping toward the foot of the bed, she walked to the door and asked: “What’s going on…”

Before she could finish her sentence, Su Ting saw the little guy standing in the middle of the living room, holding his toy car, his eyes red and his lips pressed tight. She paused for a moment and quickly walked over, asking: “Has someone bullied you?”

He Yan didn’t answer. Instead, he looked up at her and asked: “Are you and Dad getting a divorce?”

Su Ting froze. “Why are you asking this all of a sudden?”

Her response, in He Yan’s ears, sounded like an admission. He reached out to tug at her sleeve and urgently said: “Are you really getting a divorce? Please don’t get a divorce!”

Although Su Ting might not get a divorce in the future—if He Dongchuan’s fate didn’t change in three years, she would be widowed rather than divorced—she couldn’t guarantee that to He Yan. If He Dongchuan survived but their relationship remained loveless, she would still prefer a divorce.

Su Ting held He Yan’s hand, trying to deflect the question. “Don’t worry, your dad and I just got married. We haven’t thought about divorce yet. Your question just threw me off. Xiao Yan, can you tell me what exactly happened? Why do you think your dad and I are getting a divorce?”

He Yan lowered his head, moved his lips, but only managed to say the word “I” before stopping.

Su Ting took his hand and led him to sit on the bed in the master bedroom. She peeled an orange, handed him half, and said: “Here, have some orange. Don’t be nervous, we’re just talking. Were you playing with Zhang Xiaokai earlier?”

He Yan broke off a piece of the orange and put it in his mouth, saying: “He didn’t go to the door there.”

“Then who were you playing with?” Su Ting asked.

He Yan mentioned a few names.

Su Ting had been in the family compound for over half a month, and she had met most of the people there. The children He Yan named were all familiar to her, which surprised her a little, as they didn’t usually play together.

But she didn’t linger on the question and continued: “What did you play? Toy cars?”

He Yan shook his head. “We played house.”

“Who did you play as?”

“Dad.”

“Wow! Then who played Mom?”

“Zhao Lingling.”

From there, He Yan gradually started to open up, describing the game of house in detail, right through to bedtime, and it wasn’t until then that he lowered his head again.

Su Ting immediately guessed what the issue was and gently stroked his head, asking: “So what happened next? Did the game end after bedtime?”

He Yan bit his lip, remained silent for a long time, then finally looked up and asked: “Mom, why do other people’s dads and moms sleep hugging each other, but you and Dad never sleep hugging each other?”

Su Ting wasn’t prepared for the question and almost choked on her own saliva. After coughing a couple of times, she asked: “Whose dad and mom sleep hugging each other? Did they see that?”

At first, Su Ting had a slightly wrong thought, but quickly realized that it was quite normal for married couples to sleep together. It was just that usually, married couples would hide their affection in front of their kids and not act too intimately. At least, in her memory, she had never seen her parents being affectionate.

“Zhao Lingling’s dad and mom sleep together, and everyone else says that dad and mom sleep in one bedroom at night. Only me…” He Yan’s voice gradually grew quieter as he spoke.

Su Ting thought about Zhao Lingling’s parents. Well, they were just an ordinary couple, but she was a bit surprised by how well they seemed to get along. She then asked: “Is this why you think Dad and I will get a divorce?”

He Yan nodded. “The bad person said that couples who are in a good relationship always sleep together. You and Dad sleep apart because you can’t get along, your relationship is bad, so you’ll get a divorce.”

“Bad person? Which bad person?”

“The one who told you to take me to the city and leave me there.” He Yan added, worried Su Ting might not remember. “Qian Honghong’s mom!”

Su Ting frowned. “She’s here too?”

“She took the money and went to play.” He Yan answered, then looked up and asked: “Mom, is what she said true? Are you and Dad really not getting along and going to divorce?”

Looking at the worried expression on the child’s face, Su Ting felt a complicated mix of emotions.

She could say a few comforting words to appease him, but what about after that? 

Don’t think that children don’t remember things. She still remembered when her father had promised to take her to the playground but failed to show up. She could still recall it clearly, even now. And the little guy in front of her, he was the kind of person who held grudges, like the characters in novels.

If, three years later, He Dongchuan survived and they successfully divorced, she didn’t expect to be able to cling to a wealthy benefactor, but at least she couldn’t afford to offend anyone.

With that thought in mind, Su Ting carefully considered her words. “Actually, relationships between people are very complicated. Just like with your dad and me. Our relationship is good for now, but what will happen in the future? No one can be sure. So, I can’t promise you that we’ll never get divorced.”

When He Yan heard Su Ting say that she and He Dongchuan had a good relationship, his eyes brightened. But when he heard the whole sentence, his gaze gradually dimmed.

There was still a possibility of divorce.

Seeing his disappointment, Su Ting quickly raised her hand. “But don’t worry, Xiao Yan. Although your dad and I might not stay married, our mother-son relationship is forever! In my heart, you will always be my son.”

Su Ting was extremely picky about men. After graduating from university in her previous life, she had stayed single. This life, even after the divorce, she wasn’t sure if she could find a man who she liked.

Even if she did, she might not want to have children. She was afraid of the pain and didn’t feel like there was any compelling reason for her genes to be passed on.

Thinking about it, the only person who would call her “mom” in this life might really be He Yan.

Of course, how long that “mom” would last was uncertain.

Even blood-related family members couldn’t always keep in touch, let alone the fragile relationship they had. But no matter what happened in the future, it was never wrong to say the right things now.

He Yan didn’t know what Su Ting was thinking, but after pondering for a long time, he said: “Then, if you and Dad get divorced, I want to stay with you.”

This…

Seeing Su Ting’s troubled expression, He Yan’s eyes turned red as he asked: “You don’t want me to stay with you?!”

Su Ting quickly replied: “No, I don’t mind, but your custody is with your dad. After the divorce, if you want to stay with me, it has to be approved by him first.”

Su Ting felt that He Dongchuan would definitely not agree. After all, how could a father let his child stay with a stepmother who had no blood relation? Who would do something so unreliable?

Clearly, He Dongchuan wasn’t that kind of unreliable person.

But whatever, she would push the problem onto him. After all, he was the biological father, and no matter how angry He Yan got, he couldn’t do anything to him.

He Yan was young and didn’t understand all the complexities, but he understood Su Ting’s words. After thinking for a moment, he said: “I understand.”

Su Ting wasn’t sure exactly what he understood, but she knew the matter was settled. She let out a sigh of relief.

Soothing a child was truly exhausting!

Just as she was thinking, He Dongchuan’s voice sounded from the door: “What are you two talking about?”

Su Ting was startled and reflexively looked up, asking: “Why are you standing there? Wait, when did you get back? How come you didn’t make a sound?”

He Dongchuan had been back for a while. He had heard everything from the moment Su Ting said: “Although your dad and I might not stay married.” 

But sometimes, it’s better not to point things out. He Dongchuan said: “I just got back. Maybe you were so focused on your conversation that you didn’t hear me.”

Su Ting believed his words, mostly because his footsteps were usually light, and she had been so focused on soothing the child that she might not have heard him. She casually replied, asking: “Oh, what happened at the base? Is everything okay now?”

“Nothing major. A soldier went out for extra training last night and got injured. We had to send him to the hospital by boat last night.”

He Dongchuan spoke so lightly about it, but Su Ting wasn’t so easily deceived. She had already figured out the general situation on the island.

If referred to in military terms, Pingchuan Island should be called the Pingchuan Water Police District. The Military Unit there was organized at the division level, and the island held a very strategic position. Therefore, although the island wasn’t large, it had everything it needed, like a health clinic. But the workers there weren’t barefoot doctors; they were qualified military doctors.

For most issues, as long as it wasn’t a major surgery like losing an arm or a leg, the clinic could treat them. But if surgery was needed, it would be trickier, though not entirely impossible.

If they had to send someone to the city hospital by boat overnight, it was clear the injury was serious.

However, since He Dongchuan didn’t want to talk about it, Su Ting didn’t push for details. She didn’t want to overstep with military-related matters, so she simply asked: “Is the person okay?”

He Dongchuan replied: “He had surgery. I stayed at the hospital overnight to make sure everything was fine before I came back.”

So, the person had undergone surgery.

Su Ting thought for a moment before asking: “So, you didn’t get much rest last night?”

“I slept two or three hours off and on. What about you? Have you finished organizing everything to send back?”

“Don’t worry about that. Sending the items isn’t urgent. You should go rest in your room.” Su Ting said, then seeing that he wasn’t moving, added to He Yan: “Take your dad to the room.”

He Yan, holding a toy car, stood up and reached out to pull He Dongchuan.

“When are you going to send the items?” He Dongchuan asked.

Su Ting replied: “When can’t I send them? Besides, the things I bought are all dry goods. Whether they arrive two weeks earlier or later, it won’t matter. They won’t spoil.”

Actually, she was still a bit hesitant. The letter was written, imitating the original’s notes, but when it came time to actually send it, she couldn’t help but worry. She was afraid she hadn’t written a character properly, or that the Su family would notice the stiffness in her penmanship, or worse, detect something odd in the tone of the letter.

If the letter didn’t get sent, she would actually feel relieved.

But Su Ting knew that this matter couldn’t be delayed for too long. If she didn’t send the letter this week, she would have to send it next week. Moreover, sooner or later, she would have to face the Su family in person.

It was thinking about these things that made Su Ting truly feel what it meant to be wearing someone else’s life.

She wasn’t wearing the life of a paper-thin character or the role of a villainous female supporting character from a novel; she was living the life of a real, flesh-and-blood person who had truly existed.

It was only at this moment that Su Ting stopped seeing the original person from a lofty, judgmental perspective.

In the novel, the original person’s actions were certainly foolish and love-stricken, and Su Ting still didn’t think she was a good person. But the more she realized that “she” was a living person, the more Su Ting couldn’t use the excuse that she hadn’t wanted to live this life to stand on some moral high ground and criticize the original.

Because, no matter what kind of person the original was, it was a fact that she occupied the life of another.

Before, Su Ting hadn’t thought about where the original Su Ting went after she became Su Ting. Did she disappear, or did she merge into this body?

She hoped it was the latter.

That way, she wouldn’t owe the original anything.

Seeing Su Ting fall silent, He Dongchuan said: “Next time I have a break, I’ll go with you to the post office.”

Su Ting nodded. “Alright.”