Chapter 63.1

Jiang Nian said, “I didn’t sleep much.”

Lu Yu replied, “Go back to the dormitory and take a nap. Come back after you have rested well.”

Jiang Nian couldn’t resist anymore. She intended to buy breakfast for Lu Yu and the others, but someone had already bought it. —It was Chen Yao’s comrade-in-arms who bought a lot of meat buns and soy milk. He insisted Jiang Nian eat before leaving. When she returned to the dorm, Zhai Peipei and the others were also preparing to go out. They asked about Sun Yuan’s condition, and both of them breathed a sigh of relief.

Lu Xiaoqing said, “That scoundrel Zhao Lin didn’t come back all night. He’s probably scared off.”

Zhai Peipei added, “He can’t run away. Without an introduction letter, he can’t even leave the city.”

Jiang Nian didn’t mention that Sun Yuan had aborted the child herself, fearing Sun Yuan might take her words to heart. She had her own plans, and as long as she covered for Sun Yuan, that was enough. As for what would happen next, she would wait to see what Sun Yuan decided.

Jiang Nian slept well after returning, deeply through the night and even into the afternoon, without waking up when Lu Xiaoqing and the others returned for lunch.

She changed into clean clothes, washed off the blood from her clothes and pants. Sister Zhai had already cleaned the blood at the door. Jiang Nian ate a few bites of the lunch Lu Xiaoqing had left for her, then went to the supply and marketing cooperative to buy vegetables and flour. After cooking, Lu Xiaoqing went with her to the hospital.

Walking along the way, Lu Xiaoqing pinched her arm. “I walked with Sun Yuan on my back last night, and my arms and legs ache.”

Jiang Nian smiled. “You and Sister Zhai have worked hard.”

Lu Xiaoqing gave her a glare. “If you want to thank me, then introduce me to someone.”

Jiang Nian: …

Thanks, I take back what I said earlier.

Just as they arrived at the hospital entrance, Jiang Nian saw Song Bai and Tang Ze coming together. Seeing Lu Xiaoqing staring at Tang Ze, Jiang Nian nudged her arm. “Stop thinking about it. He’s already married.”

Lu Xiaoqing: …

“Sister-in-law.”

“Younger sister.”

Song Bai and Tang Ze greeted them.

Jiang Nian smiled. “Why are you guys here?”

Song Bai said, “We came to see Lu Yu.”

He reached out to Jiang Nian and took the lunch box from her hands, noticing her fingers were slightly red from being squeezed. “Have you eaten?”

Jiang Nian smiled. “Yes, I have.”

The hospital was brightly lit, and it was mealtime, so there were quite a few people around. Lu Yu sat at the bedside, chatting with Chen Yao, Zhou Ji, and the others. When he saw Jiang Nian enter, his cold and stern face softened into a smile. “Sister-in-law.”

Now whenever Jiang Nian heard Lu Yu call her sister-in-law, she felt uneasy.

Song Bai and Tang Ze came in and distributed the three aluminum lunch boxes to them. Lu Xiaoqing tugged Jiang Nian’s hand. “Let’s go see Sun Yuan.”

“Okay.”

Jiang Nian nodded. Just as she was about to leave, Tang Ze frowned and asked, “You were just talking about Sun Yuan?”

Jiang Nian: …

Oh, she almost forgot. Sun Yuan was also Tang Ze’s half-sister-in-law.

She said, “Yes, Sun Yuan.”

Tang Ze said a few words to Lu Yu and followed them. Just as they reached the door, they heard Sun Ying’s voice from inside, “You deserve it. Who told you to marry Zhao Lin? Even if you die, you can’t blame my mom. You’re just like your mother, willing to marry any man.”

“Bang!” There was the sound of the enamel cup hitting the ground.

Sun Yuan’s face turned cold as she looked at Sun Ying and Ding Hua, mother and daughter standing arrogantly by the bed, mocking and picking at her. Since her father married Ding Hua, this woman had never let their home be peaceful, especially her younger sister, who appeared submissive and obedient on the surface but was venomous behind everyone’s back!

Sun Yuan said, “Sun Ying, don’t think I don’t know the shameful things you did!”

Sun Ying’s face changed, and Ding Hua’s tone was even more sarcastic than before, “Don’t smear my daughter with your filth! It’s you with your twisted thoughts and improper behavior. I think you should end up just like the child in your belly.”

“My child, even if dead, is better than the wild seed in your daughter’s belly!”

This statement made everyone in the ward turn their eyes towards Sun Ying.

Sun Ying’s face changed, and suddenly she slapped Sun Yuan. Sun Yuan had just lost her baby yesterday and was weak at the moment, with no room for resistance at all.

Jiang Nian and Lu Xiaoqing looked at each other in shock.

In an instant, Jiang Nian remembered the dream she had the other night—scenes of Wu Youshan and Sun Ying together on their wedding night. Could it be that even if the plot collapsed, it still played out in reality? She looked up at Tang Ze and saw his dark face as he pushed open the door and walked in.

Sun Ying stood proudly with her pregnant belly, her face showing arrogance. The mole beneath her right eye seemed even more sinister. Tang Ze noticed the unfamiliarity in Sun Ying for the first time and saw through her disguise. She appeared meek and submissive in public, but he hadn’t expected her to be so assertive at home.

For the past six months, Tang Ze had been convincing himself that he didn’t care who Sun Ying had been with before marrying him. But he never expected that even the child in her belly wasn’t his!

Thinking about how his entire family had treated her with such care and how he had eagerly awaited becoming a father, it all turned out to be a sick joke!

Jiang Nian looked sympathetically at Tang Ze, feeling his marital journey was truly fraught with hardships.

“Tang Ze?”

Sun Ying was stunned. She hadn’t expected Tang Ze to come to the hospital.

Just two days ago, she had told Tang Ze she wanted to go back to her parents’ home for a few days. Tang Ze had brought her here this afternoon and intended to drop her off at her mother’s home. She had come back this time to clear things up with Wu Youshan and make sure he didn’t bother her again. She thought Tang Ze had returned home, but she hadn’t expected him to appear at the hospital. It was just a coincidence that he witnessed this scene. She didn’t know if Tang Ze had heard what Sun Yuan had just said, and she began to feel anxious.

Beside her, Ding Hua’s expression also changed when she saw Tang Ze.

Tang Ze glanced at Sun Ying, disappointment and coldness evident in his eyes. He looked at Sun Yuan on the hospital bed and asked, “Sister-in-law, is there anything I can help with?”

Sun Yuan hadn’t expected Tang Ze to come, so she shook her head. “Nothing.”

She glanced at Sun Ying, who had just been arrogant but now bit her lip in a pretense of weakness, and saw mockery in her eyes.

Tang Ze, tall enough to almost block the hospital room door, stood there until Jiang Nian and Lu Xiaoqing squeezed in from outside the room. Sun Ying saw them only then, widening her eyes and looking at Jiang Nian. “What are you doing here?!”

Jiang Nian hesitated for a moment, puzzled. “I’m here to take care of my brother-in-law. What’s wrong?”

She pretended not to know anything.

Sun Ying was taken aback, subconsciously looking at Tang Ze. Lu Yu is back and in the hospital?

Tang Ze didn’t miss the spark in Sun Ying’s eyes. His face showed undisguised contempt.

Feeling disgusted by Sun Ying, Tang Ze said to her, “I will apply for the return of the family courtyard, and I will apply to the organization for divorce.”

With that, he left without ever asking whose child was in Sun Ying’s belly, saving her some face.

Tang Ze knew that there was a man named Wu Youshan in Sun Ying’s family compound who liked her. They had grown up together, and even though Sun Ying had married him, Wu Youshan had never given up. Most likely, this child was Wu Youshan’s.

Tang Ze clenched his fists, his eyes filled with hostility.

Ding Hua pulled Sun Ying, “What are you still standing here for? Go after him!”

If her daughter hadn’t insisted on drinking the night before her wedding and hadn’t gotten drunk and gone off with that Wu Youshan guy, she wouldn’t have feared Tang Ze finding out that Sun Ying wasn’t a virgin and causing trouble for their family. For half a year, she had been worried, but today all the hidden secrets were revealed.

Sun Ying looked at Jiang Nian with anger, as if wanting to stab her with a knife.

Ignoring Sun Ying, Jiang Nian brought some dinner for Sun Yuan and asked her to eat first. After sitting down and chatting with Sun Yuan for a while, she left. Before leaving, Sun Yuan stopped Jiang Nian, “Thank you. Your words last night made me think a lot. Sometimes, you have to fight for yourself.”

She wouldn’t tolerate being bullied by Ding Hua and Sun Ying anymore, nor would she be foolish enough to move out of her own home and hand it over to Ding Hua and her daughter.

Jiang Nian smiled. “Have your meal.”

As they walked out of the ward, Lu Xiaoqing asked, “What did you say to her?”

Jiang Nian said, “Just that we women can also hold up half the sky and don’t need to be tortured by marriage.”

Thinking of Hu Zhongming, Qu Hua, and Chen Peng, and witnessing Sun Yuan and Zhao Lin, Lu Xiaoqing suddenly felt that marriage might not be such a great thing after all.

She looked at Jiang Nian. “As expected of a married person. You understand more than I do.”

Jiang Nian: …

As the two approached Lu Yu’s ward, just as Jiang Nian stepped in, Lu Xiaoqing said a few more words, “So Jiang Nian, do you never plan to get married again? But you know, I think you’re right. We women can hold up half the sky and don’t need to rely on men.”

The eyes of several people in the ward fell on Jiang Nian, and Jiang Nian turned around and met Lu Yu’s gaze.

Song Bai stood by the window and glanced at Jiang Nian with some surprise.

Jiang Nian: …

Sister Lu, I really thank you!

Lu Yu and the others had finished dinner. Lu Xiaoqing went over to collect the lunch boxes. Lu Yu looked at Jiang Nian and said, “Sister-in-law.”

These two words carried a hint of coldness.

Jiang Nian: …

With so many people around, she couldn’t explain to Lu Yu about what Lu Xiaoqing had just said. She didn’t dare to look up at Lu Yu either. After all, she had agreed to marry Lu Yu just last night, and now this misunderstanding has arisen today. All she could do was force a smile and ask, “What’s wrong?”

Lu Yu looked at Jiang Nian, who was hanging her head, and couldn’t help but laugh sarcastically. However, he still instructed, “Let Song Bai take you back.”

Jiang Nian didn’t dare to raise her head. “Okay, you rest first. I’ll come over tomorrow morning.”

After saying that, she pulled Lu Xiaoqing and left.

Lu Yu: …

Those two legs left quite decisively.

As they left the hospital, the biting wind blew on their faces, making their faces stiff with cold. Jiang Nian rubbed her face with irritation and glanced at Lu Xiaoqing with displeasure. Although she was angry, she knew it wasn’t Lu Xiaoqing’s fault. If anyone was to blame, it was herself.

Song Bai walked beside her, keeping a distance of two steps.

The roads in the city were somewhat dark, but fortunately, with Song Bai around, Jiang Nian and Lu Xiaoqing returned to the dormitory safely. Lu Xiaoqing pushed Jiang Nian, who wasn’t prepared, causing her to stumble a few steps sideways. Song Bai quickly reached out and held Jiang Nian’s arm. Even through the thick coat, he could feel the delicate fragility of her arm.

Jiang Nian: …

After she steadied herself, she glared at Lu Xiaoqing. Unexpectedly, Lu Xiaoqing smiled and said, “You guys talk. I’ll go back to the dormitory first.”

Then she turned and ran off.

Jiang Nian: …

Jiang Nian awkwardly smiled, tugged at her arm, and Song Bai realized and let go of her, saying, “Sister-in-law, go in.”

Jiang Nian nodded and ran up to the second floor of the dormitory. When she saw Song Bai still standing at the dormitory door, she asked, “Are you staying at Lu Yu’s place tonight?”

Song Bai said, “I’m staying at the guesthouse. I’ll leave early tomorrow morning.”

Jiang Nian replied, “Oh,” closed the dormitory door, and Lu Xiaoqing, seeing her return so quickly, was surprised. “Why didn’t you stay a bit longer?”

Jiang Nian sat on the edge of the bed, suppressing her anger, and patiently said, “sister Lu, I want to discuss something with you.”

Zhai Peipei and Zhang Xiao also sat up, curious about what Jiang Nian wanted to say, especially Zhang Xiao, leaning against the wall and rubbing her pregnant belly, looking at Jiang Nian with a smile.

Lu Xiaoqing was also curious, “What’s the matter?”

Jiang Nian said seriously, “Sister Lu, please don’t create misunderstandings between us anymore. Song Bai only takes special care of me because of my late husband and Lu Yu. Between him and me, it’s the purest camaraderie, not what you think.”

Zhai Peipei saw Jiang Nian’s seriousness and said to Lu Xiaoqing, “Remember, don’t speak out of turn next time.”

Zhang Xiao also said, “Yes, Deputy Commander Song even said last time that if he doesn’t take good care of Sister Jiang, Deputy Commander Lu will beat him again. Sister Lu, you can’t create misunderstandings.”

Lu Xiaoqing: …

Jiang Nian continued, “Also, I have someone I like now.”