Chapter 26: An Xiuxiu Wants a Divorce

Luo Yechengg casually walked up, grabbing An Xiuxiu with one hand, frowning as he scolded her:

“Stop causing a scene, will you? Aren’t you ashamed?”

“Ashamed? Are you saying I’m embarrassing you?”

An Xiuxiu’s eyes filled with tears as she looked at him with disappointment. She had always liked this man, hoping that when she grew up, she could marry him. But even after more than a year of marriage, this man had continued to sleep in a separate room, never showing any desire to be close to her. Was she really that bad?

“I’m not causing a scene. Luo Yechengg, I want a divorce. I know you don’t like me. I thought that if I tried hard enough, you would eventually like me, but it’s been more than a year, and you haven’t changed at all. I’m tired, and I don’t want to continue. I want a divorce; I want to leave here!”

“Enough, An Xiuxiu, let’s go home first!” Luo Yechengg glanced around at the people who had gathered to watch, then roughly pulled An Xiuxiu back home.

Liu Juan, her face pale, slowly got up and walked back to the dormitory. The military wives anxiously discussed:

“Do you think An Xiuxiu really wants a divorce?”

“Who knows?”

“Luo Yechengg is too cruel. He even hit his own wife, leaving a red handprint on her face!”

“That Liu Juan is too strange. Everyone who gets involved with her ends up divorcing.”

“Alright, stop talking! Let’s go!” The military wives left, heading to their respective homes.

When Liu Juan returned to the dormitory, everyone was shocked to see her condition. She had been dressed up earlier to attract attention, but now she came back disheveled, her face swollen.

Everyone avoided her, none of them showing any concern. Liu Juan washed her face and looked at herself in the mirror, gritting her teeth in anger.

“An, Xiuxiu! I will never let you off!”

Liu Juan was plotting how to deal with An Xiuxiu, but at the same time, someone was plotting against her.

Shen Yunhe returned to his office with a cold expression and made a phone call.

“Hello, who’s this?”

“It’s me, Shen Yunhe!”

“Yunhe, you finally remembered to call me!” The voice on the other end was cheerful.

“Zhang Ruoqi, I need a favor!”

“You?”

“I need you to investigate someone—Liu Juan’s father from the art troupe. I’ve heard he’s a factory director. He must have some dirty business going on. Find it all out. I’m going to ruin him!”

Shen Yunhe was determined to completely crush the disgusting Liu Juan. She had the nerve to bully his wife and cause their divorce. He was going to deal with her once and for all, cutting off her strength at the source.

“Of course I can find something out. People who run factories are always involved in shady business. But why are you so determined to go after him like this? What did he do to you?”

“Don’t ask. Just get the information and contact me when you have it!”

“Alright, I’ll get back to you with the details.”

Zhang Ruoqi was a man with some connections, mixing in both the underworld and the legitimate business world. He was known for his loyalty. A few years ago, Shen Yunhe had saved Zhang Ruoqi during an anti-bandit operation when he was taken hostage. Since then, Zhang Ruoqi had treated Shen Yunhe as his savior and wanted to repay him. Shen Yunhe had said to him:

“If you really want to repay me, then live an honest life and stay out of illegal activities!”

Moved by his words, Zhang Ruoqi immediately cut ties with the underworld and focused on legitimate business. He was generous and loyal, which earned him the respect of many people. Over time, he built a strong network of connections, and both the underworld and legitimate circles would give him some face.

Shen Yunhe had been waiting for news from Zhang Ruoqi, thinking about it even while at the training field, distracted and unsettled. Luo Yecheng, on the other hand, had been very irritable recently. An Xiuxiu was insisting on a divorce, packing up her things to leave.

Although he didn’t like An Xiuxiu, once he married her, he had to take responsibility. How could she just demand a divorce like that? Was marriage just a game to her?

After the training session, Captain Wang Jianguo suggested everyone go for a drink. Luo Yecheng, not wanting to return home and face the furious An Xiuxiu, decided to go out for a drink. Shen Yunhe, also returning home alone, followed suit.

A group of young people sat together, bottles of alcohol filling the table. Shen Yunhe quietly drank, observing the noisy atmosphere around him. He felt agitated inside, thinking about Jiang Banyue and his children. Several times, he picked up the phone to call her, wanting to talk, but afraid of upsetting her, he could only stare at the phone, lost in thought.

Luo Yecheng, irritated, kept drinking, one glass after another. Wang Jianguo, puzzled, asked him:

“What’s wrong? Something bothering you?”

“Nothing.”

Luo Yecheng nonchalantly took another sip of his drink. He knew An Xiuxiu liked him, and she didn’t really have the courage to divorce. The fuss she was making now was probably just to get his attention.

He liked cultured, refined women, but had married a woman with little education who acted like a shrew, always causing trouble. His patience was wearing thin. If An Xiuxiu brought up the divorce again, maybe he’d just go through with it.

Several of An Xiuxiu’s friends, the army wives, had heard about her wanting a divorce and came over to try to persuade her.

An Xiuxiu, sitting angrily on the sofa, had been driven mad by Luo Yecheng avoiding her since she mentioned the divorce. In truth, she didn’t really want a divorce—she just wanted him to comfort her. But he completely ignored her, making it seem like she was the one causing unnecessary trouble.

When someone knocked on the door, An Xiuxiu opened it to find the army wives who immediately began to speak up.

“Xiuxiu, don’t be silly! Don’t get a divorce, you’ll just be giving that woman Liu Juan what she wants!”

“Right, Liu Juan’s harm is far-reaching. One by one, she’s causing people to get divorced.”

“After the divorce, can you find a man like Luo Yecheng again? You might end up all alone for the rest of your life. That’s so sad!”

“Exactly. Just apologize to him, and everything will be fine. No need for a divorce!”

An Xiuxiu, who hadn’t really wanted a divorce in the first place, was now even more reluctant to go through with it after hearing her friends’ persuasion. If she did divorce, how would she live on her own? She had been relying on Luo Yecheng, living a comfortable, lazy life without doing anything. If she really got divorced, wouldn’t she starve?

Having thought it through, An Xiuxiu decided against the divorce. She smiled at the army wives and said:

“Thank you, sisters. I won’t get a divorce. You’re right—if I just apologize to him, everything will be fine, no need to divorce!”

“Good! We’re glad you figured it out!” The army wives were relieved to see that An Xiuxiu had come to her senses.

An Xiuxiu decided to go out and buy some groceries, planning to cook a nice meal and apologize. She returned to the army base after buying a fish at the market.

At the building’s entrance, Liu Juan stopped Luo Yecheng, looking pitiful as she spoke:

“Luo Yecheng, I’m so sorry. It’s all my fault. I caused the argument between you two.”

Luo Yecheng awkwardly replied:

“No, I should apologize. I’m sorry for my wife.”

An Xiuxiu, standing not far away, saw the two of them and was immediately filled with rage. She grabbed the fish in her hand and hurled it at Liu Juan.

“Ah…”

The fish, smelling of the sea, hit Liu Juan’s head, and her face turned pale with shock. Luo Yecheng felt a jolt in his heart. He turned around and saw his wife, furious, storming toward Liu Juan. She grabbed Liu Juan’s hair, dragging her to the ground, and began slapping her with her black cloth shoe.

“Ahh… help…”

Liu Juan, overwhelmed by the stench, nearly vomited. The shoe slapped her face, leaving a sour, stinky odor. Luo Yecheng was stunned by his wife’s fighting strength. It took him a moment to react, and he hurriedly pulled An Xiuxiu away.

“An Xiuxiu, enough already!”

“No!” An Xiuxiu shook off his hand, furiously shouting:

“Divorce! We’re getting divorced today! Anyone who doesn’t want to divorce is an idiot!”

“Fine! Don’t regret it!” Luo Yecheng’s face turned red, his neck thick with anger. He couldn’t take it anymore.

Luo Yecheng quickly submitted the divorce petition, and higher-ups sent someone to mediate, hoping the couple would reconcile. Both were determined, and there was no way to convince them, so the request was approved.

After the divorce, An Xiuxiu packed her things and left the place that had caused her so much heartbreak. Luo Yecheng stood at the door, staring at her retreating figure, a strange feeling of reluctance stirring in his heart—something he hadn’t even realized until then.

Shen Yunhe walked up beside him. “You’ll regret your impulsiveness one day,” he said, much like Luo Yecheng felt now.

“No, I won’t!” Luo Yecheng ran his hand through his hair, trying to convince himself:

“I never liked her. I married her out of responsibility. It’s better this way—I’ll just find a woman I actually like!”

“Alright, remember what you said today, and don’t regret it later,” Shen Yunhe said, looking at the stubborn Luo Yecheng before turning to leave.