Lu Qingshen had his suspicions, so he brought Qin Jian back to the family housing compound.
Qin Jian was just about to pack her things and did not think much of it.
She had finally stuffed all her belongings into a large woven sack when Lu Qingshen patted the spot beside him on the sofa, motioning for her to come over.
“You still have something to say?” Qin Jian was feeling tired, so she sat down unceremoniously. Spotting biscuits on the table, she helped herself to a handful. Now that she was pregnant, her appetite was far bigger than usual.
“Let us go back to what we were talking about earlier. You said you agreed to this marriage only because Aunt Qin kept things from you and made you think I intended to marry you?”
“That is right. Here is the marriage certificate from the proposal.”
Qin Jian pulled the paper casually from her handbag and handed it to him.
Lu Qingshen’s brows drew together sharply. He unfolded it, read through the contents, and then let out a short laugh.
“This is a fake,” he stated with certainty. “When I came to propose, no written marriage certificate was ever drawn up.”
Qin Jian looked up sharply, crumbs still clinging to the corner of her mouth. He found himself reaching out instinctively to brush them away, but she wiped them off first. For a split second his fingertips tingled. A flicker of regret brushed at his heart like a feather and then vanished as quickly as it had come, barely noticeable.
“No written certificate? It was just a verbal proposal?” Qin Jian frowned. “But this was a military marriage. When you filed the application, did you not notice they had substituted one person for another?”
“I did notice. I knew it was you, Qin Jian, and not your sister Qin Yun, that I was marrying,” Lu Qingshen admitted.
Qin Jian stared at him in disbelief. “You knew they had swapped me for her and you still went ahead and submitted the marriage report?”
So after everything, Lu Qingshen had been part of the deception all along.
He met her angry gaze and pressed his lips together in explanation. “Your mother called me at the time. She said Qin Yun had turned me down but that you had feelings for me and asked if I would marry you instead.”
“And you just agreed?” Qin Jian laughed bitterly. “Were you so infatuated with Qin Yun that you would say yes just because she or someone speaking for her suggested it?”
So she alone had been kept in the dark. At least now she knew the truth. She could start over and live this life right.
“I would not have married Qin Yun because I was fond of her.” Lu Qingshen rubbed between his brows. “I am sorry. I should have explained this from the start and so much has happened since then that I never found the chance to speak with you properly.”
Qin Jian waved him off impatiently. “Spare me the excuses. I do not care why you would have married her. We are divorced now anyway. Marry whoever you want next.”
“I am leaving.”
“I do not want the property in Southern Province. Give me a house in Qing Province,” she said, standing up.
“What do you need a place in Qing Province for?”
“I am not going back south.”
“Why not?” Lu Qingshen hesitated.
She tilted her head, arms folded, her smile cold and hollow. “Do not worry. I have no intention of clinging to you. If you know I was tricked into this, you will understand just how little I have ever mattered in my own family.”
“I am not ashamed to say it. My parents only ever had eyes for Qin Yun. As the second daughter, I might as well have been adopted. If they could deceive me into taking her place in marriage, they would soon be demanding I hand over every penny of my wages so Qin Yun can spend it however she likes,” she said, her voice sharp with scorn.
That was exactly what her mother had done in her past life. For years she had obeyed and turned over every paycheck until she realized even her little boy, Xingxing, was being neglected and mistreated. That was when she finally saw the truth. Her parents’ favoritism and Qin Yun’s selfishness. Only a fool would go back now.
Besides, in her past life when she had built a successful business, Qin Yun had turned on her when money was refused and hounded her until the very end. Her breast cancer had not been caused solely by the heartache Lu Qingshen had given her. Qin Yun’s constant harassment had taken its toll too.
If she was to return, she would do so only after establishing her own livelihood and independence in Qing Province and then go back and show Qin Yun exactly what she was made of. To return now and cause a scene would accomplish nothing even if she burned the Qin family home to the ground. Qin Yun had the Gu family behind her and their influence would only grow stronger.
At the thought of the Gu family’s rising power, Qin Jian’s jaw set. She would lie low for now, build her strength, and bring Xingxing into the world safely.
Lu Qingshen saw the revulsion in her eyes and fell silent, unsure how to respond.
“Very well. I do own a property in Qing Province. I will have Xiao Liu drive you there. He will handle the paperwork and transfer of funds and you can contact him if you need anything at all.”
It was a generous offer, but Qin Jian wanted nothing more than to cut ties completely. “Do not worry. I will not come running to you for help. When a marriage ends, people go their separate ways.”
He fell silent, stung, but his gaze softened and something like admiration shone through his confusion.
Qin Jian did not linger to wonder what he was thinking. As soon as Xiao Liu arrived and loaded her luggage into the military vehicle, she climbed in without a backward glance and closed her eyes, feigning sleep.
Xiao Liu, having received Lu Qingshen’s instructions, sensed the unspoken tension between them and kept quiet as he drove out of the base.
The car pulled up before a walled courtyard house tucked down an alley in Baixiang Street. Seeing her new home, Qin Jian nodded in satisfaction.
“Xiao Liu, would you give me a hand getting the place sorted? Let me treat you to lunch afterwards.” She was mindful of her pregnancy and would not overexert herself. Besides, she had known Xiao Liu well in her past life, so asking for help came naturally.
Xiao Liu looked puzzled. “The neighbor, Granny Wang, keeps the house clean for you,” he said. “Her son serves under the Battalion Commander.”
Lu Qingshen certainly lived well with no shortage of comfort and property besides. Born into a military family too, his father a corps commander and his grandfather a retired senior officer. How could Qin Yun have turned him down? Was she truly blind or was she chasing some grand passion?
But Qin Yun had never lacked for wealthy and powerful suitors. Better to feel sorry for herself than waste pity on someone like that.
“Fine then please ask Granny Wang to come over. I will pay her for her trouble.”
Xiao Liu fetched the old woman, introductions were made, and soon they were busy cleaning. Within two hours the house was spotless and her room in particular was neat and welcoming.
Qin Jian offered to pay them both, but they refused.
“Keep your money, my dear,” Granny Wang said. “Mr. Lu takes care of it all and he pays me monthly.” Worried she might insist, the old woman hurried home.
“Madam,” Xiao Liu said, “even though you and the Battalion Commander have parted, he has asked me to look out for you. He says you were the one wronged in all this. That he should never have agreed to marry Qin Yun just to honor an old promise to the Senior and that he should never have gone along with things and married you instead.”