The bus arrived at the compound entrance, and Su Banxia stepped off, carrying her belongings.

After signing in at the gate, she entered the compound with her things.

Several women who hadn’t gone out shopping were in the compound. When they saw Su Banxia, their usual disdainful expressions were replaced with polite smiles.

“Banxia, you’re back?”

Su Banxia smiled and nodded.

In the past, whenever she returned from outside, the people in the compound would assume she had been gambling and couldn’t be bothered to greet her. The moment she walked away, they would inevitably gossip behind her back.

But today was different—they all greeted her warmly.

“Banxia, you’re back from shopping?”

“Yes. Are you all chatting, sisters?”

“We’re just sitting around with nothing to do.”

“Well, I’ll let you get back to it. I’m heading home now.”

Not interested in idle chatter, Su Banxia went straight upstairs.

The women’s eyes followed her until she disappeared into the building. As soon as she was out of sight, they huddled together conspiratorially.

“Did you see? She cut her hair. It actually looks quite sharp.”

“I saw. She doesn’t look so sloppy when she cleans up. It’s just too bad she gambles so much.”

“Exactly. Battalion Commander Jiang is such a pitiful man.”

“She paid back everyone in the compound yesterday. I wonder if she’ll borrow money again in the future.”

“Goodness, if she tries, you can lend to her—I won’t.”

“Let’s all remember this lesson moving forward.”

After discussing the matter at length, they finally moved on to other topics.

As soon as Su Banxia entered her room, she sneezed several times in a row.

One sneeze means someone’s thinking of you, two means they’re cursing you, and three means you’re catching a cold.

Those women must be secretly cursing her—surely they weren’t missing her?

Whatever. Let them talk. At least they weren’t saying it to her face.

She put her things away one by one and finally let out a sigh of relief.

…

Jiang Guo’an and Chen Feng handed the thief over to the police station. After completing the paperwork, they stepped outside.

Chen Feng said, “Old Jiang, don’t you think your wife seems… different lately?”

Jiang Guo’an had noticed, though he couldn’t quite make sense of it.

More than that, he felt uneasy.

Chen Feng, completely oblivious to Jiang Guo’an’s troubled expression, continued, “I heard last night that your wife paid back all the money she owed everyone in the compound. Is that true?”

“Yes.”

Mentioning the matter only deepened Jiang Guo’an’s unease. He was worried she might be plotting something again.

“That’s a lot of money. Did you ask where she got it?”

“I did. She wouldn’t say.”

Chen Feng was stunned. He knew the couple didn’t have a good relationship, but he hadn’t realized it was this bad.

“You… you never should have married her in the first place,” Chen Feng said.

Jiang Guo’an didn’t want to dwell on such unpleasant matters. He felt that the issues between them were only getting worse the longer they were left unresolved.

On the way back to the base, Jiang Guo’an couldn’t get the image of Su Banxia overpowering the thief out of his mind.

He accelerated back to the base and spent some time on the training grounds. It wasn’t until after the morning drills that he finally headed home.

At mealtime, Su Banxia, who was dieting, simply made herself two steamed corn buns and stir-fried a dish of shredded cabbage with pork.

In her previous life, weight loss had been a lifelong pursuit for women, so preparing diet meals was second nature to her.

Just as she picked up a bun and was about to start eating, there was a knock at the door.

Su Banxia took a deep breath. Based on her experience over the past two days, she was willing to bet her surname that the person at the door was Jiang Guo’an.

She opened the door—and sure enough, it was him.

“Why are you here again?” she asked.

Jiang Guo’an noticed she had cut her hair to shoulder length. Her face was clean and bright, making her look much more spirited.

With her hair cut short, her face seemed less round than before, and her eyes appeared especially bright and clear.

When he saw her catching the thief this morning, her hair hadn’t been cut yet.

Su Banxia was puzzled by his intent stare.

“What is it now?”

Before coming, Jiang Guo’an had many questions on his mind, but seeing her face now, the words stuck in his throat, unable to come out.

In the past, she was a slovenly gambler, and he simply refused to come back.

But since returning yesterday and seeing the house spotlessly clean, he had felt uneasy.

And then there was her attitude—it wasn’t just a change; it was as if she had been completely rewired.

Seeing Su Banxia blocking the doorway, Jiang Guo’an said, “Let me in first.”

Su Banxia shot him a glance before stepping aside.

Remembering that the groceries were bought with hus ration book, she said, “Would you like to sit down and have a meal together?

It’s nothing fancy—just steamed corn buns and stir-fried cabbage with shredded pork.”

Jiang Guo’an looked her over, but he still couldn’t figure her out.

“I’m not eating. You go ahead.”

His tone was as cold as ever. Su Banxia had expected as much.

After all, the original host had done unforgivable things. His dislike for her was bone-deep.

Fine, if he didn’t want to eat, she would eat by herself.

Let him be jealous.

Jiang Guo’an watched as she picked up her chopsticks and began eating leisurely, with a grace he hadn’t seen before.

The atmosphere grew unusually quiet. As time ticked by, Jiang Guo’an couldn’t help but ask, “When you caught the thief today, I noticed you used two specific moves. Who taught you?”

Su Banxia’s hand paused mid-air, her heart sinking.

Oh no, has he figured it out?

She looked up and said, “What do you mean, ‘who taught me’? Do you need to learn how to be a good Samaritan?

He was about to stab me with a knife—of course I had to find a way to subdue him.

Maybe I’m just naturally clever and came up with those moves in the heat of the moment?”

As she spoke, she felt a twinge of guilt. She took a big bite of the corn bun and a large mouthful of stir-fried cabbage, puffing out her cheeks angrily.

There, that’s more like it.

So, the elegance was just an act.

Jiang Guo’an thought it over and decided she might have been forced into those moves out of desperation.

Seeing how calm she had been these past few days and how tidy the house was, he felt a vague sense of discomfort.

In truth, if the house could stay clean every day and if she could quit gambling, he wouldn’t mind her weight. They could make this marriage work.

But unfortunately…

Never mind. He had thought this way before, only to be deceived every time.

Su Banxia sneaked a glance at him, thinking he was still distrustful of her and came back daily to keep an eye on her, afraid she would gamble again.

This was getting tedious.

She said, “I know you don’t trust me, but I swear on my honor that I won’t gamble again.

Just give me a month.

I hit my head these past few days and need some rest.

Once I’ve recovered, I’ll go into the city to rent a place.

After we divorce, you don’t even have to send me back to my hometown. I won’t blame you.

If you really can’t wait a month, a few days will do.

I just need somewhere to stay.”

Seeing how eager she was to leave now, Jiang Guo’an grew even angrier.

In the past, he was the one who brought up divorce, and she would cling to him, begging on her knees for forgiveness, refusing to let go.

Now, the moment he mentioned it, she couldn’t wait to leave.

Who is really at fault here?