Chapter 20: Lin Shuqiao Confessed to Him?

So it was Meng An’an…

Jiang He had actually given the jade pendant to Meng An’an!

A cold gleam flickered in Lin Shuqiao’s lowered eyes.

Spending her money to please another woman—Jiang He was truly something else!

In her previous life, while shopping, Jiang He had pretended to admire that pendant.
Turns out, he never cared for it—he’d only wanted to gift it to Meng An’an.

Using one woman’s money to curry favor with another? That was some world-class shamelessness.

If she hadn’t thoroughly humiliated that scumbag today, she would still be stewing in resentment.

She reconfirmed with Lu Ziqi, “Ziqi, you’re sure he went into Meng An’an’s house?”

Gu Ziqi nodded firmly. He had followed Jiang He the whole way and personally saw him enter Meng An’an’s home—with the pendant box in his hands when he left!

Suddenly, Lin Shuqiao had an idea. Since the crowd hadn’t dispersed from Jiang He’s doorstep yet, she returned once more.

“Dear neighbors and fellow townsfolk! Now that Comrade Jiang has returned everything he owed me, we’re completely settled. So please—don’t be misled by any further rumors twisting right and wrong!”

As she spoke, Lin Shuqiao raised her hand and smiled faintly. Her tone, however, was chilling.

“If I hear anyone gossiping again, don’t blame me for being rude.”

Everyone had seen what happened today with their own eyes. Naturally, they believed Lin Shuqiao—and were a little scared of that sharp tongue of hers.

This incident made it clear: Jiang He was not only a deadbeat, but someone who tried to seduce a married woman. Shameful.

Jiang He was about to go back inside when he paused, caught by Lin Shuqiao’s voice.
Had he known what she was about to say, he definitely would’ve kept walking.

“Comrade Jiang,” she said loudly, “I advise you to stop having any crooked thoughts about me. I’m really not interested in you.”

Noticing some gazes from the crowd, Lin Shuqiao added,
“I already have our Commander Lu. Even if we divorce soon, I still wouldn’t go for a freeloading man like you!”

Her declaration was firm and loud, every word falling clearly on the ears of the crowd.

If Jiang He hadn’t been caught off guard earlier, he wouldn’t have lost face like this.

Standing by the door, Jiang He’s face turned so dark it looked like it could drip ink. His clenched fists were pale from the pressure.

Lin Shuqiao—

For this humiliation, he swore he’d make her pay tenfold!

He violently flung open his door and slammed it shut with a loud bang.

Only then did the whole fiasco finally come to an end.

---

Now, the entire neighborhood was buzzing with gossip about how Jiang He was a kept man who dared to pursue the commander’s wife and try to ruin a military marriage. It was the hottest tea at every mealtime.

If not for Aunt Zhang’s meddling, Lin Shuqiao might not have been able to get her money back so smoothly.

Yet strangely enough, Aunt Zhang had disappeared—Lin Shuqiao hadn’t had a chance to “thank” her yet.

Elsewhere, as morning drills ended, Lu Zheng didn’t linger. He grabbed breakfast from the cafeteria, intending to bring it to Lu Ziqi, but was suddenly called over by Commander Kong.

Seeing the commander’s stern face, Lu Zheng couldn’t make any excuses. He stood at attention, military posture perfect, eyes straight ahead.

“Comrade Lu, I called you over so suddenly because I want to talk about your divorce.”
Commander Kong sighed. “I heard you plan to divorce your wife. Marriage is no trivial matter—think carefully before you act!”

“I’ve thought it through carefully,” Lu Zheng replied without hesitation, pausing for only a second before nodding in affirmation.

Thinking of how determined Lin Shuqiao had been about the divorce, he respected her decision—but something inside him felt strange.

That feeling… he couldn’t quite understand it.

But divorce—it was practically already a done deal.

“Sigh… how did a good marriage end up like this?” Commander Kong sighed deeply.

He hated to see his subordinates unhappy in marriage, but young people had their own ideas nowadays—he wasn’t sure how to advise them.

He’d also heard some gossip about Lin Shuqiao and Jiang He. While free love was encouraged now, Lin Shuqiao seemed to have taken “freedom” a bit too far.

“I’ve heard some things about your wife,” Commander Kong said, frowning. “If you’ve truly failed to communicate and want a divorce, then I—”

From outside in the corridor, the sound of gossiping voices suddenly interrupted the serious conversation inside the office.

One of them, unaware of how loud he was being due to his excitement, exclaimed:
“You have no idea how badass Commander Lu’s wife was just now! She outright rejected Comrade Jiang in public—and even confessed to the commander!”

“Really?! I wish I’d been there to see it live!”

Lu Zheng, who had been staring straight ahead, suddenly flicked his gaze toward the source of the voices.

Lin Shuqiao… confessed to him?

His face remained cold and stoic, lips pressed into a firm line, but a flicker of light danced in his eyes.

Commander Kong’s expression eased slightly when he overheard, though his tone still carried his usual sternness.

“Fugui! What nonsense are you babbling out there? Get in here!”

Fugui stiffened at being called and quickly tried to recall if he had done anything wrong lately.

“Reporting in, sir!”

“Enter! Fugui, repeat exactly what you just said.”

Unfortunately for him, Lu Zheng was also in the room. Fugui cast a timid glance his way, feeling utterly doomed.

His gossip had been about Lin Shuqiao, and now Lu Zheng had heard everything—no wonder the commander had called him in!

“Hehe, Commander Kong, I just happened to pass by Comrade Jiang’s house earlier and saw a bit of the commotion. Seemed like Commander Lu’s wife was there demanding repayment.”

“Repayment? What kind of debt?”
A romantic debt, perhaps?

Fugui was a master at storytelling, but before a superior officer, he stuck to the facts—well, mostly.

“She said all the things she’d given Comrade Jiang before were just loans—she wanted them returned. Then, in front of all the neighbors, she loudly declared that she had no feelings for Jiang and publicly expressed her support for Commander Lu!”

After hearing this, Commander Kong stroked his chin, pondered for a moment, and then broke into a hearty laugh.

“If that’s really what happened, then she’s one bold and admirable woman! If she joined the army, she’d be a force to reckon with!”

He turned again to Lu Zheng.
“There must be some misunderstanding here. Commander Lu, I think you should go home and have a proper talk with your wife. Every household has its squabbles—if a simple misunderstanding ends up hurting your relationship, it’s really not worth it.”

With that, Commander Kong offered no more advice, just a subtle nudge to Lu Zheng to reflect carefully and not rush into anything.

Lu Zheng exited the office, brows furrowed in thought.

Based on what Fugui had said, this sounded both like Lin Shuqiao—and unlike her.

Or rather, it sounded more like the new Lin Shuqiao, the one who had changed.

Lost in thought, he didn’t realize how intense his expression had grown. Fugui, who had followed him out, carefully studied his face.

Assuming the commander was still puzzled by everything, Fugui quickly added,
“Commander Lu, you don’t even know! I heard Lin Comrade say she originally bought that jade pendant for you! But then Jiang He borrowed it with some excuse and later claimed he lost it!”

“I think he just never planned to return it!”

Lu Zheng’s eyes darkened as he asked in a low voice:
“She bought that jade pendant for me?”

His attention was locked entirely on Lin Shuqiao.

He didn’t recall her ever saying anything about a pendant… So it was Jiang He who took it.

His brows finally eased a little, the stormy expression in his eyes dimming as he turned to look at Fugui again.

“That’s right!” Fugui responded eagerly. “You really can’t judge a book by its cover. That Jiang He’s a total scoundrel! Then he claimed it was at a friend’s place. Lin Comrade yelled at him to go find it. I don’t know if he ever did—I couldn’t stay to watch or I’d be late and punished!”

With that, Fugui hurried off to formation, leaving Lu Zheng standing alone, pressing his fingers against his furrowed brow.

He had seen Lin Shuqiao’s recent changes for himself.

But he’d also personally witnessed her being intimate with Jiang He behind his back.

He had even coldly distanced himself from Ziqi because of it.

Thinking of Lu Ziqi now, he suddenly lowered his hand and remembered his original errand—he turned toward the cafeteria to grab breakfast.

Yet just as he was walking back with the food, he unexpectedly ran into Lin Shuqiao—who was returning home with Lu Ziqi.