Chapter 20 One is the ex-husband, the other is the current husband

If time could rewind ten minutes, Song Yiyi definitely wouldn’t have run her mouth.

How could she have forgotten—Gu Chengze had always been a gentleman. The fact that he hadn’t invited Cen Yue to sit and eat together this time obviously had its reasons.

Thinking of this, Song Yiyi shot Cen Yue a sideways glance.
Cen Yue met her gaze with perfect composure, even raising his brows slightly.

So, he knew.
Wasn’t he supposed to be Gu Chengze’s longtime partner?
What kind of teammate stabbed his brother in the back like this?

Song Yiyi was just about to clutch her stomach and fake a stomachache to escape the awkward scene when she saw her usually stern-faced father actually smiling warmly as he extended his hand.
“Pleasure to meet you. I’ve heard Mengjun mention you many times. I’m Song Minghui.”

Song Yiyi was completely baffled.
This… didn’t seem like the right plot at all.

One was an ex-husband, the other a current partner—shouldn’t this be the classic “love rivals meet and sparks fly” scene?
But instead, the two men shook hands amicably and began chatting naturally.

Cai Mengjun’s expression was perfectly normal too, with that same gentle smile still on her lips.

The dishes Cen Yue had ordered soon arrived.
Only after Gu Heng and Song Minghui finished exchanging pleasantries did everyone finally start eating again.

At the square table, Gu Chengze sat on a bench on Song Yiyi’s left, across from her.

The adults’ conversation was all about topics she had no interest in.
She picked up a golden piece of chicken and placed it into Gu Chengze’s bowl.

Gu Chengze glanced sideways at her and curved his lips into a smile.
Seeing that he could still smile, Song Yiyi finally felt reassured.

Then she reached out for some beef—only for the piece she had her eye on to be snatched away by the chopsticks of Cen Yue, who was sitting to her right.

Song Yiyi: “…”

Fine, maybe he just happened to be going for the same piece as her. Nothing strange about that.

But when it happened again and again—every dish she tried to take got intercepted by Cen Yue—Song Yiyi couldn’t stay calm.

She held her empty bowl, glaring at him through the small gap between people.

Cen Yue seemed utterly oblivious, leisurely eating the spoils he had stolen.

Song Yiyi took a deep breath, set down her bowl and chopsticks, and suddenly stood up.
“Dad, Mom, Uncle, let me pour you some tea!”

Smiling sweetly, she picked up the kettle.

She’d thought she could catch Cen Yue off guard, maybe even make him fall off the bench. But when she looked back after pouring the tea, she realized—oh, good grief—this man was eating while doing a horse stance!

Song Yiyi was speechless.

Near the end of the meal, Song Yiyi suddenly felt something was wrong.

She’d only planned to fake a stomachache earlier.
She hadn’t expected the pain to actually hit now—wave after wave.

It didn’t take long before she recognized the sensation.
This… this familiar warmth…

With a start, Song Yiyi shot to her feet, drawing everyone’s attention.
Even Song Minghui and Gu Heng stopped talking.

Forcing a smile, she said, “You all go ahead and eat, I’m just stepping out for a moment.”

Cai Mengjun wanted to go with her, but Gu Chengze stood first.
“Mom, I’ll go.”

Sure enough, when Song Yiyi reached the public restroom, she confirmed it—her period had come.

She felt a little panicked.
In this era, there were no convenience stores on every corner to buy pads from. Even toilet paper was a precious commodity. And right now, she didn’t even have that.

Her stomach kept cramping, the pain dragging downward.
The ice pops she’d enjoyed so much earlier now felt like a death sentence.

Before long, a fine layer of sweat formed on her forehead.

Footsteps sounded outside, followed by Cai Mengjun’s voice:
“Yiyi, are you in there? It’s Mom.”

Song Yiyi felt like she’d just grabbed a lifeline.
“I’m here!” she called quickly.

Cai Mengjun came in, opened a brand-new box in her hands, took something out, then pulled a small roll of toilet paper from her pocket. She carefully folded and wrapped it before handing it to Song Yiyi.

“Use this. I’ll wait outside.”

Song Yiyi glanced at the words on the box—menstrual cloth.

When she came out, Cai Mengjun supported her back toward the restaurant.

By then, everyone had finished eating and stepped outside.
Song Minghui was still standing with Gu Heng, the two looking more like old friends than anything else.

Seeing her pale face, Gu Chengze quickly walked over to Cai Mengjun.
“Mom, I’ll borrow a car and take Yiyi home first.”

Clearly, he had known this would happen.
Only now did Song Yiyi realize—the original owner always had terrible cramps during her period.

No wonder Gu Chengze had reminded her to eat less cold food.
Curse her greedy mouth.

Cai Mengjun nodded. “Alright, go ahead. Your dad and I will walk back after dinner.”

Gu Chengze was about to leave when Cen Yue suddenly spoke up from the side.
“Old Gu, I drove here. I’m also heading back to the compound with Uncle Gu.”

Gu Chengze frowned, but after only a second’s hesitation, he agreed.

The car couldn’t fit six people, so Cai Mengjun and Song Minghui declined to ride, saying they’d take a walk to aid digestion.

Gu Heng sat in the front passenger seat, Cen Yue driving.
Gu Chengze helped Song Yiyi into the back.

The ride was quiet—only the hum of the engine and Song Yiyi’s occasional soft groans.

There was nothing anyone could do to replace a girl’s pain, so Gu Chengze tried to make her as comfortable as possible, placing his jacket behind her lower back.

From the driver’s seat, Cen Yue glanced at the back through the rearview mirror.
“Uncle Gu,” he said, “could you pass me the purple clay thermos over there?”

Gu Heng looked down and picked it up. “This one?”

“Mm. Thanks.”

Cen Yue took it, then immediately reached his hand back toward the rear seat.
“Old Gu, there’s hot water inside.”

Gu Chengze didn’t stand on ceremony. He carefully opened the cup and held it out to Song Yiyi.
“Yiyi, drink some hot water. Be careful, it’s hot.”

Half-asleep, Song Yiyi took it and obediently drank. Once she finished, she drifted off again.
Through the haze, she vaguely caught the sound of Gu Heng and Cen Yue talking. She didn’t know if it was her discomfort causing auditory hallucinations, but she kept feeling like Cen Yue’s voice carried a smile—warm and pleasant in a way she wasn’t used to. The usual coldness in his tone was gone.
She must have been hurting so badly she was imagining things.

When they arrived, Gu Chengze carried her off the car on his back. She was still sleeping, and he didn’t wake her.

By the time she woke again, it was already dark. Gu Chengze had returned to the army.
Cai Mengjun and Song Minghui were sitting in the main room chatting.
When he saw her get up, Song Minghui poured her a cup of hot water, then added brown sugar to it.

“Come sit.”

Song Yiyi, feeling much better now, walked over and took the enamel mug, sipping the sweetened water in small mouthfuls.
“Thanks, Dad.”

It was rare for Song Minghui to be so warm toward her. A flicker of discomfort crossed his face, but in the dim light of the room, it was hard to see clearly.

“Are you hungry?”

Cai Mengjun set down the shoe sole she was working on and spoke gently,
“Mom made wontons. Want some?”

Song Yiyi nodded.
“Yes, I’m just getting hungry.”

Cai Mengjun went to the kitchen, and Song Minghui followed. The couple chatted as they prepared dinner.
While Cai Mengjun chopped cilantro and green onions, Song Minghui opened the coal stove lid and added water to the pot.

Watching that scene, Song Yiyi actually felt a sense of warmth and happiness.

But soon enough, someone who made her feel anything but warm and comfortable came knocking at the door.