Chapter 88: Self-Destruction, Let Them Lock Themselves In

**Chapter 88: Let Them Ruin Themselves**

"I encountered an attacker on the road," Qin Yizhou said.

Qin Yizhou had a gun, but there were too many people around—he couldn’t risk firing it. He engaged the attacker in a struggle and got injured in the process. Fortunately, the attacker didn’t have a gun. Since guns weren’t banned yet, it could’ve been much worse if he had one.

If Qin Yizhou hadn’t stepped in, the man would have kept slashing people with his knife. He was acting crazy, probably set off by something. Later, the police took him away.

Qin Yizhou didn’t go to the station. First, he got his wound treated. Several others had also been slashed—his injury was relatively minor compared to theirs.

"Be careful," Song Fenglan said, looking at the wound on his arm. It made her heart ache.

"It's nothing, just a small injury. It’ll heal soon," Qin Yizhou replied. "Where’s Zi Hang?"

"He said he wanted to sleep with his older brother and isn’t coming back tonight—he’s staying at Mom’s place," Song Fenglan said. "I told him he could stay."

"That’s fine," Qin Yizhou nodded. "Just be careful when you go out these days."

"I only go to work, then straight home or to my mom’s. I don’t go anywhere else," Song Fenglan replied. The research institute had also told her not to wander around alone—it was okay to go to places like parks as long as someone was with her, to prevent anything from happening.

"Yeah, that’s good," Qin Yizhou said. "The situation’s still unstable right now."

The authorities were going hard after spies, and there were indeed many hiding among regular people, making them hard to detect.

"The attacker this time was caught," Qin Yizhou said. "But he seemed completely out of his mind, like a lunatic."

"After those chaotic years, a lot of people aren’t quite right mentally," Song Fenglan said. "It’s hard to tell whether someone’s really insane or just pretending."

"You're right," Qin Yizhou agreed. Some people faked insanity to get away with things. "We just need to stay alert."

That evening, Yu Xiaoyi’s family was pasting matchboxes. There were stacks of them on the table. Grandma Jiang was helping too. Though she was old and no longer worked, she still did what she could for the household.

Big Brother Jiang and Father Jiang didn’t help—they worked during the day and needed rest at night. Big Sister-in-law sat and helped, but Second Sister-in-law didn’t. She thought the work was messy and might hurt her hands. Plus, she believed the money went mostly to the eldest branch of the family, so she refused to help them.

Yu Xiaoyi didn’t ask her to join. If she had, she would have had to share the pay.

"At least we have some work here at home. Other families have more mouths to feed but no income, which leads to more fighting," Yu Xiaoyi said. "We landed this gig through connections."

"We should do what we can. Earn whatever we can," Grandma Jiang said. "We can manage sitting at home."

"Mom, if you get tired, go rest first," Yu Xiaoyi said.

"I’ll keep going for now," Grandma Jiang replied. "Not too tiring yet."

"Alright," Yu Xiaoyi nodded.

Grandma Jiang, wearing her reading glasses, carefully pasted each box.

"We got another wedding invitation—we’ll need to prepare a red envelope," Yu Xiaoyi said. "So many people getting married lately."

"Check how much others are giving and how much they gave us before," Grandma Jiang said. "For long-standing relationships, kick in a little extra."

"I’ll check," Yu Xiaoyi said, flipping through her little ledger.

Meanwhile, Tian Kexian was bawling her eyes out at her parents’ house. Her husband had blown all the money she saved for childbirth on gambling. She was pregnant, and that money was meant for the birth. He stole it, and by the time she found out, it was already gone.

She thought he was just lazy and maybe not the best husband, but never imagined he’d blow the delivery money like that.

"Mom, I can’t take this anymore," Tian Kexian sobbed, her eyes swollen and red. "I scrimped and saved that money, hid it away, and he just took it all to gamble. I told him over and over—don’t gamble, don’t gamble—but he wouldn’t listen. He thinks gambling is the fast way to make money. When he loses, he chalks it up to bad luck. He says next time, his luck’s bound to change."

He always had some excuse, and Tian Kexian naturally didn’t believe him—it did no good. The next time, he would still steal her money. No matter where she hid it, her husband would always find it and take it away.

"Stop crying. You’re carrying a baby," Tian’s mother said. "You already have a child together. How can you just talk about leaving? Your sister divorced once and remarried—look who she married. If you divorce and remarry, can you really do better than now? People will say the Tian women can’t stay married."

"But—"

"If you marry a rooster, follow him; if you marry a dog, follow him," Tian’s mother said. "If your husband gambles, don’t hide the money at home."

"I can’t just give it to you, Mom. If I hand over the money, I probably won’t get it back." Tian Kexian thought about how Tian Keshu had given so much money to the Tian family over the years, but when Tian Keshu needed money, they never returned any. They’d just say it was all spent, that they had nothing left.

She wasn’t dumb enough to repeat her sister’s mistake. She wouldn’t give large sums to the family like her sister had. That money was hers, not anyone else’s.

"You—" Tian’s mother paused. "I wasn’t telling you to hide it with me."

Her mother wouldn’t have refused the money, but given Tian Keshu’s precedent, Tian Kexian clearly wouldn’t hand it over.

"You’re my own daughter. Would I ever cheat you?" Tian’s mother said.

"You wouldn’t, but your daughter-in-law would," Tian Kexian replied. "Your precious grandsons and granddaughters still need school fees. Money’s always needed for something. Once the money is moved, it won’t come back."

"Do you have any money on you?" Tian’s mother asked.

"No…" She hesitated.

"If you don’t have money, why bring this up?" Tian’s mother said. "You’re making it sound like you’re loaded."

"I don’t have much now, but I will later," Tian Kexian said. "It’s just my husband… How could he gamble it all away?"

Just thinking about it made her sick. So much money, lost in an instant. Her throat tightened, and she could barely breathe. She’d lost track of how often her husband insisted his luck would turn—yet she had never seen it happen. Even when he won a little, he’d lose it all again, along with the family’s savings.

"I don’t even know if he’s borrowed money from others. If he’s in debt, how will we repay it?" Tian Kexian said. "The child is still so young…"

She wanted nothing more than to run, but she couldn’t bear to leave her child—especially with another on the way. She had to think of their future. Without their mother, they’d suffer. As her mother said, her sister hadn’t remarried well, and Tian Kexian likely wouldn’t either—she might land someone worse.

"You know the child is young. Just tough it out a little longer," Tian’s mother said. "If nothing else, go to wherever he’s gambling and sit right at the table."

"They’ll just change locations," Tian Kexian said. "They refuse to quit—nothing could stop them."

She had said it countless times, to no avail. When she did confront him, her husband would blame her for his losses, saying women shouldn’t interfere in men’s affairs. Tian Kexian found it laughable—he had no qualms stealing money that had passed through a woman’s hands, yet he resented her being there.

"Mom, if I’d married Song Fenglan’s second brother back then, I’d be so much better off now," Tian Kexian said.

Tian Keshu wasn’t here—if she were, the two sisters would be arguing again.

"Focus on your life as it is now," Tian’s mother sighed. "You and the Songs just weren’t fated."

"We were, until my sister ruined it," Tian Kexian said. "Why did I get stuck with a sister like her?"

"…" Tian’s mother didn’t know how to respond. Before the fallout, she had thought highly of her eldest daughter. But after everything, she couldn’t blame the Tian family—only Tian Keshu for her own mistakes.

Tian Kexian was four months pregnant—she had conceived before the New Year.

In another room, Song Fenglan looked at the white bandage on Qin Yizhou’s arm. Even though it wasn’t her wound, seeing it hurt.

"It’s fine, don’t look," Qin Yizhou said. "Once I put my clothes on, you won’t see it."

"Be careful," Song Fenglan said. "It doesn’t matter if I see it, but don’t let Zi Hang notice. I don’t want to scare him."

"Mm-hmm," Qin Yizhou nodded.

The next day, when Qin Zihang returned home, he told his dad—unaware of his injury—how much fun he'd had at the Song family's house.

"Elder cousin has so many books to read," Qin Zihang said. "I need to read more too. He said his grades aren’t good enough and needs to study harder. I felt too shy to tell him my grades are pretty good—I didn’t want to discourage him."

"Discourage him?" Qin Yizhou raised an eyebrow.

"Yeah," Qin Zihang nodded emphatically. "Mom says we shouldn’t brag about our grades in front of others because not everyone does well. Elder cousin’s grades aren’t as high, but he works really hard. I’m not in his grade yet, so I don’t know if I’ll do better then."

Qin Zihang had a serious talk with his cousin about studying. He didn’t worry whether this topic might upset other kids—he only knew that studying was the most important thing and must be taken seriously. Only with good grades could they become pillars of the nation in the future.

"Elder cousin said he’s pulling his hair out from studying," Qin Zihang added. "He’s really, really trying hard, but... everyone’s different."

"Did your cousin praise you?" Qin Yizhou asked.

"A bit, but it made me shy," Qin Zihang said. "Elder cousin studies hard, and Uncle is a teacher, so his grades will definitely improve."

"Who told you that?" Qin Yizhou asked.

"Mom did. She said teachers’ kids often do better in school," Qin Zihang explained. "They love learning more, and their parents teach them. Oh yeah, Mom teaches now—she teaches people, so I really love studying."

"..." Qin Yizhou understood—his son was low-key bragging about himself and his mother.

"Dad, aren’t you happy?" Qin Zihang asked.

"Sure, sure," Qin Yizhou replied.

Qin Zihang sat beside his father and reached out to touch his arm, and his hand bumped right into the injury. Qin Yizhou had a high pain tolerance and didn’t show any discomfort, but Qin Zihang still noticed.

"Dad, what’s wrong with your arm? Why does it feel hard here?" Qin Zihang asked.

"Just a little hurt," Qin Yizhou said, not intending to show it but answering since his son asked.

"Does it really hurt?" Qin Zihang asked urgently. "When did it happen? Does Mom know? She’ll get sad."

"Not too much," Qin Yizhou replied.

"Then don’t let Mom find out," Qin Zihang said. "Mom, she—"

"She already knows," Qin Yizhou said, expecting more concern from his son but realizing he was more worried about his mother.

"Dad, this isn’t how a man acts," Qin Zihang scolded. "We men shouldn’t always make women worry when we’re hurt. Mom’s already busy and tired—if she sees this, she’ll freak out."

"Your mom slept fine last night," Qin Yizhou said.

"She just pretended to sleep! She didn’t want you to worry," Qin Zihang insisted. "Dad, you’re such a kid!"

"..." Qin Yizhou’s lips twitched.

"If Mom knows, she’ll be super anxious," Qin Zihang said. "Dad, let me see—how bad is it? Did they wrap it right?"

It wasn’t that Qin Zihang didn’t care about his father—he just cared more about his mother.

"I wish I’d come home last night," Qin Zihang muttered. "Dad, next time, tell *me* first—don’t go straight to Mom!"

"Alright, next time I’ll tell you first," Qin Yizhou agreed.

Since the weather wasn’t particularly cold, Qin Yizhou wasn’t wearing thick clothing—that’s why Qin Zihang could spot it.

Qin Yizhou rolled up his sleeve to let Qin Zihang take a look. He figured since Qin Zihang was a boy, and the child had asked, he should let him see. As for his wife saying not to show the child, Qin Yizhou thought it wasn’t his idea—it was Qin Zihang who wanted to know.

When Song Fenglan returned home, Qin Zihang was staring at Qin Yizhou’s arm.

“That’s gauze, sanitized—don’t keep touching it with your hands,” Song Fenglan glared at Qin Yizhou. Why was he still letting the child see?

“Zihang’s older now. He’s a man,” Qin Yizhou said.

“Right, I’m a man!” Qin Zihang hurriedly tugged Qin Yizhou’s sleeve down to keep his mother from seeing.

Qin Yizhou noticed his son’s movements and frowned slightly. “Stop moving. I’ll do it myself.”

His son’s rough handling pressed on his wound several times.

“Oh,” Qin Zihang pouted.

“Let me,” Song Fenglan said, reaching for Qin Yizhou’s arm.

“Mom, aren’t you scared?” Qin Zihang asked.

“Of course I’m scared,” Song Fenglan replied. “That’s why I’m telling your dad not to do this again.”

“I’ll definitely avoid getting hurt next time,” Qin Yizhou said. But if he encountered such a situation again, he would still step forward—he couldn’t ignore civilians in trouble.

“Mom,” Qin Zihang wanted to cover his mother’s eyes, but she had already seen his father’s injury and was helping pull his sleeve back down. He wished he’d made his father move to a corner where his mother wouldn’t have seen. “Dad, next time, be careful. Stay safe.”

“Okay, stay safe,” Qin Yizhou replied.

By the end of April, before Tian Kexian could give birth, she got into a fight with her husband. He pushed her, and she lost the baby. While recuperating from the miscarriage, her husband went out gambling.

Tian Kexian wanted to return home to recover, but her family refused, saying a woman recovering from childbirth shouldn’t come back—it would bring bad luck into the house. This pushed Tian Kexian to the brink. During her recovery, she argued with her husband, who left the door open when he went out, the wind roaring through.

The child she had lost was a boy, and she grieved for him deeply, but there was nothing she could do. The loss left her devastated and inconsolable.

Tian Keshu brought dumplings to visit Tian Kexian, but Tian Kexian slapped them from her hands, sending them scattering to the floor.

“What’s wrong with you?” Tian Keshu snapped.

“This is all your fault! Because of you, my life is such a mess!” Tian Kexian shot back.

“Did I force you to marry your husband?” Tian Keshu retorted. “You chose to marry him. Getting knocked up before marriage—do you even have the right to complain?”

“It’s because I couldn’t marry the man I loved that I…”

“Loved? Are you sure you actually loved Second Brother Song? You were just after his money!” Tian Keshu gritted her teeth. “He didn’t want you, and that’s that.”

“I—”

“Look at Second Brother Song’s wife. She used to be a soldier—a female soldier,” Tian Keshu said. “Her family’s record is spotless, unlike ours—born into a family of traitors. Quit fixating on them. If you want to blame someone, blame our uncle. Don’t pin it on me. Starve, then.”

Tian Keshu was furious. She had come to visit, and this was how Tian Kexian treated her.

“If it weren’t for you before—”

“Shut up,” Tian Keshu cut her off. “I shouldn’t have come to see you!”

She turned and left. No matter what she said to her sister, it was useless. Tian Kexian only cared about the Song family’s money. But that money belonged to others—it would never be theirs. If it could, the Tian family would have taken it long ago.

Tian Kexian stared at the dumplings on the floor, her rage still simmering. When she saw how happy Second Brother Song’s wife was, she felt her own happiness had been ruined by her sister.

Their so-called uncle wasn’t around, and no matter how much Tian Kexian resented him, it was useless.

That day, just as Song Fenglan got out of the car and was about to enter her home, Jiang Yufei arrived.

“Fenglan,” Jiang Yufei called out. She held a basket of fruit—she’d been waiting just for Song Fenglan. Jiang Yufei wanted to have a serious talk with her because she had been feeling more and more uneasy at home. There never seemed to be a good time to bring up certain things.

“Is something wrong?” Song Fenglan asked.

“No, nothing’s wrong. I don’t need your help,” Jiang Yufei said. “I just wanted to talk to you.”

“What could we possibly have to talk about?” Song Fenglan asked. “Just because I say something, does that mean you have to listen?”

“No, that’s not what I meant. I just wanted to chat,” Jiang Yufei said. “I… I want to apologize. It was my fault before—I’ve deeply realized my mistakes. Do you know Tian Keshu’s sister? The younger sister of your eldest brother’s ex-wife.”

“What about her?” Song Fenglan asked, puzzled. The affairs of Tian Keshu’s sister had nothing to do with her.

“Tian Kexian had a miscarriage—a fully developed male fetus,” Jiang Yufei said. “That’s what she gets.”

“She never wronged me,” Song Fenglan clarified. The one who had wronged her was Tian Keshu. Whether or not Tian Keshu’s sister had a miscarriage had nothing to do with her.

Song Fenglan went inside, leaving Jiang Yufei at the door. Jiang Yufei had figured everyone loves gossip and thought sharing some might get her invited in, but Song Fenglan still shut her out.

Jiang Yufei wasn’t upset. After all the ways she’d wronged Song Fenglan before, it was no surprise she wasn’t allowed in now.

When Jiang Yufei’s husband, Lu Ping, saw her return with the fruit, he asked, “Were those for someone?”

“They were for my cousin Song Fenglan, but she didn’t want them,” Jiang Yufei replied. “I went to see her, but she still wouldn’t let me in.”

“Why did you go again?” Lu Ping was confused. “Didn’t you say she wouldn’t help you?”

“I wasn’t after her help—at least not now,” Jiang Yufei said. “I just thought since she’s back in the capital, we can’t stay on bad terms forever. Someone has to take the first step, and since she won’t, it has to be me.”

“Did it work?” Lu Ping asked.

“This time didn’t work, maybe next time will,” Jiang Yufei said.

“You shouldn’t have offended her in the first place,” Lu Ping said. “Now that you think about your first love, do you regret it?”

“…” Jiang Yufei frowned. Why was he bringing up her first love? “I had poor judgment back then. I was young. We all make dumb choices when we’re young.”

Back then, Jiang Yufei had loved her first love deeply and pinned all her troubles on Song Fenglan—if only Song Fenglan hadn’t lived with them, she would have married her first love.

That night, Song Fenglan and Qin Yizhou were in their room. Song Fenglan had gone to check on Qin Zihang next door to make sure he was asleep before returning.

“Jiang Yufei came today and talked about the Tian family,” Song Fenglan said. “The family of your eldest brother’s ex-wife.”

“The Tian family?” Qin Yizhou asked, puzzled. “Why should we care about that?”

“Jiang Yufei thought I hated the Tians, so she told me,” Song Fenglan explained. “Tian Keshu’s sister had a miscarriage—a male fetus. What’s there to say? It’s wrong to take pleasure in others’ suffering. That was a life.”

“She wanted to reconcile with you,” Qin Yizhou said.

“Right, but I’m not interested,” Song Fenglan said. “I was never fond of her to start with. She never liked me either—the way she looked at me said everything. She screwed me over so many times. Just because she apologizes, am I supposed to forgive her? Not happening!”

Even if she wasn’t holding a grudge, she wasn’t about to accept Jiang Yufei’s apology.

“If you don’t want to forgive her, then don’t,” Qin Yizhou said. “Wasn’t she at Mom and Dad’s place on New Year’s Day too?”

"Mom and Dad were doing it for Auntie’s sake, didn’t you notice? They didn’t give Jiang Yufei’s child a red envelope—everyone else’s kids got one. Hers was the only one excluded," Song Fenglan said. "Such a young child had to watch everyone else get red envelopes. If it were me, I wouldn’t have brought the kid at all. But Jiang Yufei acted unfazed—she still took her child over to Mom and Dad."

Song Fenglan didn’t quite understand Jiang Yufei’s mindset. If Jiang Yufei wasn’t bothered by her child’s embarrassment, no one else would care either.

"She was head over heels for her first love back then," Song Fenglan remarked. "For him, she almost moved out. But it didn’t work out because he dumped her."

So much for true love—the moment things got rough, he bailed and quickly found another woman to marry.

"First loves stick with you," Song Fenglan mused.

"You’re my first love!" Qin Yizhou declared.

"Do you think you aren’t mine?" Song Fenglan shot him a glance. Their relationship hadn’t followed the usual path—they hadn’t dated before marriage. Instead, things happened fast, and they ended up married, making theirs a case of love after marriage. "Not everyone has that sense of responsibility. Marriage involves two families, people think about a lot of things—it’s not just about whether they like each other or not."

Back then, Song Fenglan knew Jiang Yufei was deeply in love with her first love, but she had no intention of leaving the Jiang family. Given the circumstances, Song Fenglan had to hold onto the Jiang family for dear life—she had to stay. She figured if Jiang Yufei’s first love truly loved her, they could still marry. But they didn’t. The man didn’t even put up a fight.

"I admit I was selfish back then—I didn’t dare leave the Jiang family," Song Fenglan said. "I did end up messing up her relationship. So… Mom and Dad let her in, but gave her nothing else."

Regardless of whether Jiang Yufei’s first love was any good, Song Fenglan had indeed come between them. Jiang Yufei kept giving Song Fenglan grief repeatedly, and Song Fenglan had endured it—partly because of her own reasons, partly because Jiang Yufei never married her first love.

Some things need to be acknowledged—no point hiding them.

"I did take advantage of their family back then. That environment wasn’t something money could measure," Song Fenglan admitted. "Our family never kept saying we paid them. Even if we did give them money, they were taking risks too."

"Your heart is too soft," Qin Yizhou said. Song Fenglan might not forgive Jiang Yufei, but she didn’t resent her either. Qin Yizhou’s heart ached for his wife—she always saw things so clearly. When someone sees things too clearly, it often means they’ve been through a lot.

"Put yourself in their shoes," Song Fenglan replied. "Your parents didn’t want you to marry me, but you did anyway. I never considered myself the reason Jiang Yufei lost her first love. You stepped up—he bailed. He could’ve married her and just had her visit less. But he didn’t."

Song Fenglan refused to blame herself—that kind of self-doubt would only make her miserable.

"So you can still show her some tolerance, share the same roof with her," Qin Yizhou observed.

"Mhm," Song Fenglan nodded. "Not forgiving her is one thing. Whether we’re under the same roof is another. It’s not like she lives here—it’s usually just a meal. No point stirring the pot. You’ve seen it yourself—when we eat together, Jiang Yufei steers clear of me."

"True," Qin Yizhou recalled. Jiang Yufei rarely approached Song Fenglan.

"That’s because she knows our family’s on the rise," Song Fenglan said. "If we were still struggling, she wouldn’t act this way. You’ve got to have clout for people to respect you. Speaking of which, we need to prepare for Zihang’s birthday party. He wants his little friends over."

Song Fenglan hadn’t forgotten her son’s birthday celebration. She had ordered a big cake and some smaller ones. She originally planned to bake them herself, but worried she might be too busy, so she ordered everything from a bakery instead. Besides the cake, there were plenty of dishes to prepare. Sun Mei alone might struggle, so Song Fenglan asked her second brother to help find two skilled cooks.

Even though the guests were mostly children, Song Fenglan wanted them to eat well—no cutting corners. She didn’t want the kids going home thinking the food was bad and telling their parents, who’d then think they’re cheap.

Song Fenglan wasn’t cheap at all. She made sure everything was ready, even decorating the house a bit.

"Has your hand healed completely?" Song Fenglan asked.

"Look, it’s fine. There’s just a scar now, but it’ll fade over time," Qin Yizhou replied.

While Song Fenglan and Qin Yizhou happily prepared for their son’s birthday party, Li Hui and Guo Peng were at each other’s throats again.

The reason was simple: Guo Peng was supposed to work overtime but came home instead. Of all times, the door was unlocked, and when he walked in, he caught Li Hui kissing the flute player.

Guo Peng saw red. Holding himself back from lunging at the pair was impressive enough.

Li Hui had always accused Guo Peng of cheating, but in reality, she was the one with another man. Scared shitless by Guo Peng’s rage, she OD’d on sleeping pills, trying to kill herself. Fortunately, she was found in time and rushed to the hospital for her stomach to be pumped—saving her life.

Slumped on a hospital chair, Guo Peng was at a loss how they’d gotten here. He gave most of his earnings to Li Hui. She was barren, yet he hadn’t divorced her. And now she had some guy in their bed.

"How is she?" Guo Peng's mother rushed to the hospital.

"She's fine, still alive," he replied, his voice thick with emotion.

Guo Peng couldn't decide whether Li Hui’s survival was a relief or a burden. They had argued, he mentioned divorce, and she vowed to kill herself—and then went through with it.

That was a human life!

He couldn’t let others think he didn’t respect life. He never truly wanted Li Hui to die.

"What are you going to do next?" his mother asked.

She thought Li Hui was reckless—how could she bring another man into their home? Just because she knew Guo Peng was on duty, she brought that man home for a thrill? It was clearly Li Hui’s fault, yet she had the nerve to cause such drama.

"We can’t go through with the divorce," Guo Peng muttered. He couldn’t just stand by and watch her die.

"Have you told her family?" his mother asked. "After such a big incident, you should at least inform her family."

"Yeah, I’ll go call them." His voice was subdued.

A grown man witnessing his wife with another man—Guo Peng couldn’t ignore it. But Li Hui had pulled this trick, and now he feared that if he brought up divorce again, she might go through with it next time. That would be disastrous.

Maybe he shouldn’t have married Li Hui in the first place. If he hadn’t, none of this would have happened.

Then he could have had his own children, and his life wouldn’t be such a mess.

The neighbors in the residential compound all knew about Li Hui’s scandal, and they were whispering about it.

"I told you she was involved with that man, but no one believed me."

"All that talk about dancing and singing together, with so many people around—yet they still dared to get so close. Imagine what they did in private."

"She’s the one who messed up, yet she had the nerve to stage a suicide attempt."

...

Everyone in the compound thought Li Hui was unstable. She couldn’t have children—if it were any other man, he would’ve divorced her long ago. Yet Guo Peng still gave her most of his salary, and she still dared to seek out other men.

Guo Peng contacted Li Hui’s family, but when they heard she was fine, they showed no intention of coming to Nan City.

"If you still want her, then don’t divorce her—just keep living together," Li Hui’s mother said. "You’ve been married for years, and she lost pregnancies because of you. She just slipped up this one time—she won’t do it again."

"Mom, aren’t you coming?" Guo Peng asked.

"No, we’re not," her mother replied. "With you there, your mother, your brothers and sisters—there are enough of you to look after her. We have things to handle here and can’t make it."

Li Hui’s mother had no intention of going to Nan City. What would she do there? If the Guo family forced her to take Li Hui back, that would be a disaster. There was no place for Li Hui in their home anymore, and what about the child she was raising?

There were too many complications, and Li Hui’s mother believed staying away was the best choice. As long as they didn’t go, the Guo family couldn’t force them to persuade Li Hui to agree to a divorce.

"My daughter married you, and now this has happened—you have to take responsibility too," Li Hui’s mother said. "Stop neglecting your family for work; you need to care for her more. If you satisfy her, she won’t seek other men. You two are husband and wife—work it out and don’t let this happen again."

Guo Peng understood perfectly—Li Hui’s family was dodging responsibility, dumping her on him.

All he wanted was for them to come see Li Hui, but they refused.

Guo Peng went to Fan Yani’s house to find his mother and told her about the Li family’s attitude.

"They’re afraid you’ll insist on divorce," his mother said. "If they were here, they’d have to keep Li Hui in check. But since they’re not, if she harms herself later, it’ll be on you."

Guo Peng’s eyes were bloodshot as he punched the wall.

“Since you’ve decided not to divorce, have a civil conversation with Li Hui,” Guo’s mother said. After such an incident, she was terrified Li Hui would keep making scenes. “As long as she doesn’t make this mistake again, it’ll be fine.”

“I…” Guo Peng couldn’t swallow his anger—but what else could he do?

Li Hui was impossible; Guo Peng simply wasn’t her match.

“You haven’t eaten yet, have you? Have something first,” Guo’s mother insisted. “Eat, then go see Li Hui. When you get there, talk properly.”

Guo’s mother sighed. Her eldest son had married this kind of person, and now she’d latched onto their family—impossible to shake off.

“Mom,” Guo Peng choked out.

“Eat first,” Guo’s mother repeated.

After such a major incident between Li Hui and Guo Peng, Auntie Fatty made a point to call Song Fenglan in the evening. Luckily, Song Fenglan was home and listened.

“You wouldn’t believe it—Li Hui was caught red-handed, and that man bolted with his pants barely on,” Auntie Fatty said. “Li Hui overdosed on pills and is still lying in the hospital. She once tried to break up you and your husband—I see now she’s hardly the faithful type. Her husband treated her so well, yet she was running around with another man. When it came out, he was completely humiliated. Even after all this, Guo Peng won’t even divorce her. I heard her wife’s family can’t even be bothered to come.”

“So they won’t be getting divorced,” Song Fenglan mused.

“No, they won’t,” Auntie Fatty agreed. She rarely called Song Fenglan, but Li Hui’s situation was something she had to share. The things Li Hui and Shi Guilan had done back then were truly disgusting.

“Bless them,” Song Fenglan said. “May they rot together.”

If these two weren’t meant for each other, who was? Someone like Li Hui deserves to make Guo Peng miserable—and he’s willing to spoil her anyway.

“Exactly,” Auntie Fatty said. “I just wanted to tell you this. You go on with your business, and I should head back too.”

“Alright,” Song Fenglan nodded.

Auntie Fatty was using a payphone, not calling from home, so she couldn’t talk much. Song Fenglan understood—phone calls weren’t free, and that she even called to share this was already generous.

After returning to the capital, Song Fenglan rarely thought about the people and events in Nan City.

“Mom, you’re hanging up just like that? What about Xiao Hu?” Qin Zihang hadn’t forgotten Zhang Xiaohu. “Doesn’t he want to talk to me?”

“Xiao Hu’s mom was using a payphone, not calling from home like us. She didn’t bring Xiao Hu, so he couldn’t talk to you,” Song Fenglan explained.

“If Xiao Hu were here, he could’ve come to my birthday party,” Qin Zihang said regretfully. “Back in Nan City, we never made such a big deal.”

“Are you blaming us for not throwing you a birthday party before?” Song Fenglan asked.

“No, no,” Qin Zihang quickly shook his head. “I just miss Xiao Hu.”

Auntie Fatty returned home to find Zhang Xiaohu hitting the books. Ever since Qin Zihang went back to the capital, Xiao Hu had been driven—no one needed to push him. Clearly, he wanted to go to the capital to find Qin Zihang. Who knows how long this determination would last.

On the hospital rooftop, nurses and others were pleading with Li Hui. She had sneaked up there when no one was looking.

“My husband wants a divorce—I might as well die!” Li Hui shouted, but she didn’t actually jump.