Chapter 19

Strange. Utterly strange.

Wen Jianxin knew well—there is no kindness without reason, and no malice without cause.

Her mother’s attitude today was far too unexpected.

What had happened to make her change so drastically?

It wasn’t just her mother. Everyone was acting oddly.

As if… hiding something from her.

Lowering her eyes in thought, she pondered but still couldn’t figure it out. All she could do was observe everyone’s reactions, as though she were an outsider.

If there was anything they were concealing from her, it must be about her body.

Yet she didn’t feel anything particularly wrong physically.

Just pain, and exhaustion.

But that was normal.

Anyone who had fallen down stairs would feel pain.

Watching her mother and Xu Wangzhi locked in a standoff, neither giving an inch, a surge of displeasure rose in her heart.

This man couldn’t even show her mother the most basic respect. He was not only arrogant but also sharp-tongued and rude. Her impression of him sank even further.

Pressing her lips together, she said calmly,

“It’s just a visit to my parents’ home. Nothing worth fighting over. This is my mother—and she’s also an elder who watched you grow up. I expect you to show her at least the most basic respect.”

When his predatory eyes fixed on her, she simply turned her gaze aside.

“I said nothing wrong. Stop glaring at me like you’re about to eat me alive. In public, give each other a little dignity.”

Xu Wangzhi was about to explode, the veins on his forehead standing out even more.

“If you go back, will you come back again? I forbid you to go!”

His shouting gave Wen Jianxin a headache.

“Don’t raise your voice—I can hear you perfectly well. If I don’t return, it’s only because you’ve failed as a man. After all, I’ve barely woken up, and already you’re yelling at me. Of course I wouldn’t want to come back.”

She spoke with rare composure, without the slightest intention of quarreling—merely stating the truth.

But the calmer she was, the more furious Xu Wangzhi became. His glare was so venomous it seemed he wanted to bury her alive.

“What nonsense are you spouting? Why do you think I’m yelling at you? Don’t you know? You just married me, and now you want to leave—am I not allowed to be angry? No matter what, I won’t let you go. Unless you take me with you.”

Wen Jianxin was left speechless.

“Don’t push your luck. With the way things are between us, the fact that I don’t kill you on the spot is already a kindness to you. What right do you have to make demands of me?”

She turned to Huang Heli, who had remained silent.

“Mom, I want to go home for a few days.”

Her request was firm, her tone leaving no room for compromise.

Huang Heli looked at her deeply.

“Xiner, it’s not that I won’t let you go, but you’ve only just gotten married. I hope you can understand me. Wangzhi truly cares for you with all his heart. I only hope you can be more tolerant.”

Wen Jianxin smiled faintly.

“Mom, I understand you—and I hope you can understand me. Between us, the bond isn’t that of lovers, but closer to that of enemies. For the sake of both families, I haven’t struck him down. I can even remain calm around him—that is already my greatest concession. Beyond that, please don’t force me.”

She spoke lightly, her smile like a breeze brushing past, her whole being radiating a cool, moonlit grace that drew every gaze in the room to her.

Shang Lingzhu felt it most keenly.

It seemed that ever since her daughter had awakened, she had changed.

The suffocating resentment was gone, replaced by a restrained calm.

This version of her daughter—she liked even more.

Huang Heli also smiled, though with a trace of sorrow.

“You children… never let me rest easy. Wangzhi has indeed done many wrong things, but he never meant to. I know you’re a good child. Please, be more tolerant of him. Forget the past, and get along with him—for my sake, if nothing else.”

The last sentence carried a plea.

For a moment, Wen Jianxin’s smile stiffened. Her eyes turned cold as she looked at her.

“Mom, you know he has done many wrongs, yet you choose to shield him—and let me endure the pain instead. How am I not the innocent one here? Forgive me, but I cannot do as you ask. Separating may be the best outcome for both of us.”

“Wen Jianxin!”

Xu Wangzhi roared.

“How many times do I have to say it? I forbid you from leaving! Give up that thought now! You want to be discharged? Fine—I’ll take care of it right away. But you’re coming only with me.”

He was incapable of listening, acting solely on his own will—spoiled, domineering, self-absorbed.

Ignoring her frail body, he scooped her up and strode toward the door.

“Stop right there!”

Shang Lingzhu snapped, moving to block him.

Xu Wangzhi avoided her grasp.

“Mom, this is between me and Jianxin. Don’t interfere.”

Carrying her, he walked out without hesitation, his back radiating wild arrogance.

Just like his name—brazen and untamed.

Huang Heli stepped in to smooth things over.

“Lingzhu, let’s not meddle in the children’s affairs. Maybe without us, their relationship will improve.”

“What nonsense are you spouting?”

Shang Lingzhu could no longer endure.

“Didn’t you see him just now? He’s like a rabid dog! Jianxin is injured, and who knows what abuse she’ll suffer from him now? You’re enabling him!”

Fury consumed her—so much that her noble composure shattered. She wanted nothing more than to curse and drag all these twisted people into the dirt.

Huang Heli’s face twitched. He had never been cursed at like this.

He was angry too at his son’s recklessness.

But what could he do? This was his son. All he could do was indulge him.

Forcing a smile, he said,

“I know you’re upset. Don’t you think I’m upset too? Children are debts—you scold them, you beat them, but it’s useless. Just give me time. I promise, I’ll make him change his ways.”

To Shang Lingzhu, his words were nothing but hot air.

“No need. I only want to bring my daughter back. Everything else can wait.”

When even humility earned her no understanding, Huang Heli’s smile faded as well.

She was a strong woman by nature. If not for her son, she would never have lowered herself so much.

The two fell silent, and no one else dared speak.

Meanwhile, trapped in Xu Wangzhi’s arms, Wen Jianxin felt unbearable pain with every step. She jabbed her elbow hard against his shoulder, trying to force him to set her down.

“Put me down. I can walk on my own.”

He ignored her, carried her through the discharge process, and soon left the hospital with her.

But instead of returning to the Xu household, he brought her straight back to the military base.

At this point, Wen Jianxin was nothing more than a patient, too weak to resist. All she could do was sit silently in the car, watching the scenery rush by outside the window, lost in thought.

Too much had happened in a single day.

Marriage. The fall. The hospital. And now, being carried away again.

She didn’t even know where she was going.

Only one thing was certain—she still could not escape him.

Her heart felt unbearably weary, her head dizzy with fatigue.

“Xu Wangzhi, where are you taking me?”

“Back to the base.”

He drove with fierce concentration, his jaw clenched tight.

“You can only stay with me.”

His tone was frighteningly forceful.

Wen Jianxin let out a soft sigh.

“What’s the point? Between us, it’s kill-or-be-killed. One day, I will end you.”

Xu Wangzhi’s expression didn’t waver. His gaze remained fixed ahead.

“Then wait until the day you kill me.”