Chapter 49.2

Wu Guihua, seeing Jiang Suihan’s troubled expression, assumed she was upset about the earlier incident. Indeed, no woman would remain calm when her husband was coveted by another woman.

“Xiao Jiang, don’t be too upset. Focus on your life with Xu Zhao and ignore the outside troubles. Don’t let it affect your mood. Xu Zhao is not like that. Wang Lijuan is just wasting her effort.”

Jiang Suihan snapped back to reality and thanked Wu Guihua for her kindness, “It’s getting late, so I won’t keep you. Please, don’t spread what happened today. We don’t want any gossip affecting our family.”

Wu Guihua understood and agreed, thinking on her way back that Xu Zhao had always had a lot of admirers. Even after marriage, he was still popular. Comparing this, she felt more secure about her own husband’s looks.

On the way, someone greeted Wang Liying, but seeing her grim face, frowning brows, and angered demeanor, the greeting was left unanswered. Wang Lijuan followed behind, head bowed, silent.

What happened to the Wang sisters? Did something go wrong?

Onlookers were puzzled and watched them walk by in confusion.

Slamming the door shut, Wang Liying turned and raised her hand angrily, but seeing the stubborn look on her sister’s face, she slowly lowered it.

Wang Lijuan looked up, “Sister, just hit me.”

Wang Liying, enraged, was at a loss for words. She clenched her teeth and said, “If you weren’t my sister, I’d really slap you. Do you know what you just said at the Xu family? How could you, an unmarried girl, be so shameless to say such things!”

“Before, you told me you didn’t like Xu Zhao, and I believed you, defending you to others. Now look at what you’ve done. Xu Zhao is married, has a wife, and you’re still pining for him. Is he so wonderful that you’d sacrifice your dignity for him?”

Wang Lijuan didn’t know how to explain the situation to her sister and could not clarify. She hung her head and said dryly, “Sister, I’m sorry.”

Wang Liying sneered coldly, her tone sarcastic, “No, you’re not sorry for me. You’re sorry for yourself. You’ve ruined your own reputation and admitted in front of everyone that you have improper thoughts about Xu Zhao. Do you think you’re so great and noble?”

She was truly infuriated, unable to understand what her younger sister was thinking. Her younger sister had not been like this before; she was once a very shy and quiet person.

“Did someone say something in front of you that made you develop these thoughts?”

Wang Lijuan shook her head. “No, I admit that I have a bit of interest in Xu Zhao, but I won’t compete with Jiang Suihan.”

If there was going to be a competition, it wouldn’t be now. At least, it should wait until six months later, by which time Jiang Suihan would no longer be around. Competing with a dead person is pointless.

Wang Liying couldn’t help but roll her eyes dramatically. “Even though we’re family, I have to be honest. What do you have to compete with Jiang Suihan? She’s more beautiful, has a higher education, and is from the city. I heard her father is a university professor, while our family is just a farmer. How could you compete with that?”

She had to dispel her younger sister’s delusions as soon as possible. If things continued like this, it would be difficult to handle later, and if necessary, she would have to send her back to their hometown.

Wang Lijuan stamped her foot, angrily saying, “Sister, you’re just putting me down to make others look good. Am I really that bad, with no advantages at all?”

She admitted that she was indeed inferior to Jiang Suihan in some aspects, but it wasn’t as terrible as her sister described. She still had her own strengths.

Wang Liying spoke frankly, “You might have a chance against others, but with Jiang Suihan, it’s just unrealistic. And there’s something important.”

Wang Lijuan asked, “What?”

Wang Liying replied, “Xu Zhao doesn’t like you. No matter how much you do, he will only find you annoying, or even dislike you. He might already be fed up with you.”

Wang Lijuan was taken aback and choked up.

It was true, as her sister had said. Xu Zhao completely ignored her and avoided her like the plague.

Wang Liying patted Wang Lijuan’s shoulder and patiently advised her, “Listen to your sister. Finding a three-legged toad is hard, but there are plenty of two-legged men. I’ll definitely find you a man who’s as good as Xu Zhao, and you’ll have a grand wedding.”

Wang Lijuan was extremely frustrated and reluctantly agreed. She didn’t want to go back to their hometown. She needed to stay in the army.

Noticing her younger sister’s impatience, Wang Liying decided not to say more. She reluctantly suppressed her worries and resolved to keep a close eye on her sister from now on, not allowing her to make any more mistakes.

After dinner, Jiang Suihan finished her bath early and went to bed to read.

Xu Zhao, having roughly dried his hair, also picked up a book to read.

Half an hour passed, and Jiang Suihan kept her eyes on the book without looking at him or speaking a word.

Xu Zhao couldn’t stand it anymore and turned to her. “What’s wrong with you today?”

He felt something was off since he came back. She hadn’t talked much during dinner and seemed indifferent.

Jiang Suihan didn’t look up and replied calmly, “Nothing, I’m fine.”

Zhang Xiangqian had said that women often say one thing but mean another—when they say they’re fine, they might not be. Xu Zhao didn’t recall having upset her today, so her indifference must mean something was wrong.

Xu Zhao tried a different approach. “Did you run into someone today?”

If it wasn’t him, then it must have been someone else.

Jiang Suihan lost interest in her book, tossed it aside, turned around, sat cross-legged, and crossed her arms with a full display of attitude.

She glanced at him and said sarcastically, “It’s nothing much. Just met a girl who has feelings for you. She confessed her feelings to you in front of me, and I almost cried from the emotional display.”

Xu Zhao choked and widened his eyes in disbelief. “Don’t joke around. Besides you, even the mosquitoes around me are male.”

What on earth!?

Where did this girl come from?

Saying such dubious things in front of Jiang Suihan seemed like an attempt to create discord.

Jiang Suihan couldn’t hold back and burst into laughter. Then she realized she was still in a fight with Xu Zhao and immediately composed herself. “Men’s words are deceitful. Only a fool would believe them.”

Xu Zhao felt very wronged. He was being unjustly accused without any clear explanation.

“At least give me a chance to explain. I don’t even know what’s going on. Even if I were sentenced to death, I’d want to understand the reason.”

Jiang Suihan looked at him and began to recount in detail what happened earlier that day, word for word, without embellishment, very objectively.

“Anyway, the situation was like this. Your admirer boldly expressed her determination to get you in front of me. I was deeply shocked. Your charm as a married man is truly impressive. That young girl can’t stop thinking about you. I’m impressed.”

She actually knew it wasn’t Xu Zhao’s fault. He was also an innocent party in this situation. However, since the trouble started with him, having a “third party” provocatively intruding at home made anyone uncomfortable. Holding back frustration without expressing it made it hard to sleep at night.

With this veiled criticism, Xu Zhao understood that things were serious. He took Jiang Suihan’s hand with a serious expression and said, “Don’t be angry. I want no one but you.”

Jiang Suihan looked up into his clear, bright eyes, pressed her lips together, her face slightly flushed, and said in a soft voice, “I understand.”

She wasn’t really angry with Xu Zhao. Her young girl’s heart just wanted him to comfort her and say some sweet things to make her happy.

Xu Zhao gently brushed the stray hair from her forehead behind her ear and softly reassured her, “There’s no need to worry about people who don’t concern us. In the future, if you encounter things that upset you, don’t keep them to yourself. We agreed to be honest with each other, so your matters are my matters.”

His eyes flashed with a dark glint, showing his strong dislike for those who are self-righteous and lacking self-awareness. He couldn’t understand where they got the confidence and courage to meddle in his relationship with Jiang Suihan, thinking he was one of those desperate men.

Repeatedly fabricating lies and making Jiang Suihan feel wronged and upset was truly frustrating. Did they really think he was an easily angered little kitten!?

Jiang Suihan leaned against him, playing with his hand absentmindedly. Compared to her small hand, his was very large, and the contrast was quite noticeable.

She suddenly really wanted to know what he was thinking at that time and couldn’t help but ask him, “If the person who was engaged to you back then hadn’t been me, would you still have chosen to get married?”

Xu Zhao paused for a moment, his lips curling into an involuntary smile. “What if I said yes?”

Jiang Suihan immediately pulled her hand away, feeling a vague frustration. She mumbled an “oh” and turned her head, falling silent.

The thought of Xu Zhao marrying someone else, having children, made her increasingly uncomfortable. Her eyes involuntarily reddened.

Xu Zhao lifted her chin, seeing her eyes red, her lips pressed together, looking as if she might cry at any moment.

Oh no, the joke went too far!

He gently touched the corner of her eye and spoke with unprecedented tenderness, “Alright, don’t be upset. I was just teasing you. Don’t take it to heart, okay?”

In terms of emotions, he wasn’t someone who liked to settle. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have waited until he was in his twenties and still resisted getting married despite his family’s urgings.

It was precisely because that person was Jiang Suihan, and it happened to be Jiang Suihan.

Jiang Suihan clenched her teeth and glared at him, feeling both shy and embarrassed. She felt so ashamed, almost crying in front of him over something that never happened. It was so embarrassing.

She wasn’t usually this petty. Perhaps knowing someone cared for her had made her a bit spoiled.

Straightening up, she quickly bit Xu Zhao on the chin.

“Hmph, that’s what you get for making me angry.”

Her bite left his chin a little numb but not painful. Xu Zhao pinched Jiang Suihan’s right cheek. “You’re biting now?”

Jiang Suihan spoke with a slightly muffled voice due to his grip. “I bit you. Why don’t you bite me back?”

Xu Zhao suddenly leaned in and bit her lip. Seemingly unsatisfied, he continued to kiss her, turning on her lips.

He murmured in a deep voice near her ear, “Close your eyes.”

Jiang Suihan instinctively closed her eyes, following his rhythm. Their breaths intertwined, and they ended up falling onto the bed.

In her dazed state, she suddenly remembered they were supposed to be having an argument. How did things end up like this? This development was unexpected.

She tried to get up but realized that her efforts were as ineffective as tickling Xu Zhao. He grabbed her hands and lifted them above her head, pressing down on her again.