Chapter 394: Marital Crisis

Chapter 394: Marriage in Crisis

"What is your relationship with Liu Yi?" Su He asked Mu Beicheng, smiling faintly.

But her smile didn't reach her eyes.

Mu Beicheng hadn’t expected Su He to ask further. Given her personality, she shouldn’t have been one to meddle in others’ affairs.

"Well, we’re friends. At the time, when he came to the city for work, he was a small supervisor in one of my family’s workshops," Mu Beicheng replied with a smile.

Su He gave him a knowing look, sighed, and then said, "That’s unfortunate. I’m afraid I can't deliver your letter."

Mu Beicheng was shocked. He didn't expect Su He to reject such a simple request.

It was just about delivering a letter. After meeting and talking with her twice, he thought he had a basic understanding of this woman.

She seemed like someone smooth and tactful in business, never making her partners feel awkward. So why would she refuse now?

Seeing Mu Beicheng’s shocked expression, Su He quickly explained, "It’s not that I don’t want to help you, but—this letter of yours probably can’t be delivered anymore."

"Why?" Mu Beicheng instinctively asked.

Su He sighed and said, "Liu Yi—passed away last month."

"What!" Mu Beicheng stood up abruptly, his voice rising sharply.

Nearby patrons turned to look.

"I’m sorry, I... I lost my composure," Mu Beicheng said, his face pale, he forced himself to sit down.

"Miss Su, could you be mistaken? Maybe the Liu Yi I know isn’t the same person?" he asked, as if making one last desperate attempt.

Su He lifted her gaze to meet his, then shook her head. "There’s only one Liu Yi in our village. He was about twenty-six or twenty-seven, about the same age as my husband."

Hearing this, Mu Beicheng’s last shred of hope vanished.

His lips parted slightly, as if all strength had left him.

"Then—how did he die?" Mu Beicheng’s voice sounded foreign even to himself.

"He drowned in the river near our village. The police came that day and initially ruled it as—suicide."

The moment Su He finished speaking, Mu Beicheng violently knocked over the bottle of mineral water she had prepared for him.

Water gushed across the table, and Su He quickly grabbed a cloth to wipe it up.

When she looked up again, she found Mu Beicheng in tears.

Seeing him like this, Su He was at a loss for words.

Why was a married man involved with Liu Yi?

She didn't know all the details, so she couldn’t judge the situation.

But no matter what, Mu Beicheng was clearly the one to blame. He'd hurt Liu Yi, his wife, and his children.

When she had met his wife, Qi Jiaojiao, Mu Beicheng would just nod along with whatever she said, never contradicting her.

Back then, Su He had thought he must truly love Qi Jiaojiao, Qi Yunyang’s sister. But now, it seemed more like guilt—or perhaps fear of the Qi family’s influence, given how domineering Qi Jiaojiao was.

But either way, Mu Beicheng was absolutely not innocent.

He had indirectly caused the death of a handsome, cheerful young man.

Though Su He hadn’t interacted much with Liu Yi, she recalled how he'd intervened when his mother, Old Lady Liu, was fighting with her. After understanding the situation, Liu Yi didn’t blindly side with his family—instead, he even apologized to her on Old Lady Liu’s behalf.

Just for that, he was already miles better than those who couldn’t distinguish right from wrong.

As for Qi Jiaojiao, it was clear she was a daughter raised in luxury by the Qi family, oozing privileged entitlement.

Yet Mu Beicheng had turned this girl, once doted on in the palms of her parents, into a beard.

Before Su He could even say anything to Mu Beicheng, he excused himself first.

"Miss Su, I have something urgent to attend to. I’ll... I’ll come back another time to discuss this with you." After speaking, Mu Beicheng stumbled to his feet in a daze and stumbled toward his car.

Seeing this, Su He sighed, thinking she couldn't let anything happen to him here.

So she hurried after him and said, "Mr. Mu, you’re in no state to drive right now. Call a cab instead. You can have someone come later to pick up your car."

Mu Beicheng was already in a daze, barely comprehending her words. Only when Su He helped him into a rickshaw did he come to his senses.

"Thank you," Mu Beicheng suddenly said as Su He was about to leave.

"You’re welcome," she replied before walking away without looking back.

"Sir, where to?" the driver asked from the front.

"To Osmanthus Road," Mu Beicheng answered without hesitation.

"You got it."

Osmanthus Road was famous in Wencheng.

Because in September and October, one section of the street would be filled with blooming osmanthus flowers, hence the name.

Liu Yi had once told Mu Beicheng that his favorite months were September and October—because that was when he could see the osmanthus blossoms on this street, so beautiful.

Yet he had lost his life forever in October.

......

Qi Jiaojiao waited at home until past eleven, but Mu Beicheng still hadn’t returned.

In a rage, she started smashing many things in the house. The staff all ducked for cover, too afraid to intervene.

Mu Beicheng’s mother even retreated to her room, not daring to speak up.

Mu Beicheng wasn't always well-off. The Mu family had once been prominent, but they'd long since fallen on hard times.

It was only after meeting Qi Jiaojiao and receiving the Qi family’s support that Mu Beicheng’s business took off.

And Qi Jiaojiao was a force to be reckoned with—she didn't fear her mother-in-law one bit.

Because her son’s career depended on Qi Jiaojiao, Mu Beicheng’s mother steered clear of her completely.

She disliked this daughter-in-law but was powerless against her, so she simply kept her distance.

She was spoiled rotten—Qi Jiaojiao’s daily food expenses alone could cover half a month’s meals for the Qi family.

Mu Beicheng’s mother, accustomed to frugality, naturally couldn’t stomach it.

Mu Beicheng came back late this time, and Qi Jiaojiao was smashing things at home again, which broke Mu Beicheng's mother's heart.

Sigh, marrying this high-maintenance woman was a total disaster in every way—except for the family’s newfound wealth.

When Mu Beicheng returned, he was completely drunk, staggering drunkenly.

Seeing him back, Qi Jiaojiao hurried out to the yard to check on him.

The sight of Mu Beicheng sprawled on the ground, utterly disheveled and nothing like the refined and dignified husband she knew, only made Qi Jiaojiao’s anger boil over.