The way the military wives looked at her had changed. Just as Tu Xiuxiu was about to find an excuse to explain that she hadn’t taken the money, Zhou Jingran spoke up, giving her a timely way out.
But her heart ached even more.
Zhou Jingran’s words proved that the money had been given to Tang Rubao by him.
He’s rich, yet he won’t buy her a TV; instead, he gives it to Tang Rubao, who is inferior to her in every way…
Tang Rubao raised an eyebrow, her mind momentarily blank.
What?
Did Zhou Jingran take the money?
She looked at him with a hint of amusement. “That money… did you really take it?”
Her eyes held a subtle mockery, a teasing ridicule that made Zhou Jingran feel extremely uncomfortable.
He handed the food in his hands to Tu Xiuxiu. “Take this back and eat it with Xinxin. There are spare ribs in the lunchbox that Xinxin likes.”
When Tu Xiuxiu looked up at him, her eyes were filled with guilt and grievance.
Zhou Jingran glanced at her, his expression darkening slightly. “I’ll take Rubao back first.”
Tu Xiuxiu took the lunchbox, lowered her head, and said in a choked voice, “It’s my fault. I’ll never come into your house without permission again…”
Tang Rubao sneered. “You talk as if I’m the one bullying you. You trespassed into my house, and even touched my packed luggage. If I don’t see the money, who else would I suspect?”
“Enough!” Zhou Jingran forcefully tugged at Tang Rubao’s arm, his displeased voice low and cold. “Come back with me!”
Tang Rubao rolled her eyes. “Fine, I’ll go back then. Let’s see how you manage to give me two hundred yuan when we return!”
Zhou Jingran left, and Tang Rubao followed casually, waving goodbye to the military wives who were watching.
You can’t stay mad at a smiling face. Although Tang Rubao had dark skin, her teeth were bright white, and her smile was genuinely friendly.
Having dark skin isn’t a bad thing. Most of these military wives have dark skin anyway, they just want to show off their pale complexions.
Previously, Tu Xiuxiu had disliked Tang Rubao for being timid, but now her opinion of her had shifted significantly.
Seeing Tang Rubao, Tu Xiuxiu was so furious she felt like she might vomit blood.
She carried the lunchbox into the house and slammed the door in anger.
Ke Xin, doing her homework, looked up and saw tears on her mother’s face. She put down her pencil and stood up. “Mom…”
Tu Xiuxiu set down the lunchbox. “Your Uncle Zhou is back with your food. Eat up.”
Ke Xin looked at her with concern. “Mom, are you crying?”
Tu Xiuxiu shook her head.
Ke Xin pouted. “Mom, I don’t like Aunt Rubao. She’s the one who bullies you.”
“Mom, Uncle Zhou doesn’t want Aunt Rubao, right?”
Tu Xiuxiu came over, patted Ke Xin’s little head, and said softly, “Xinxin, don’t talk nonsense.”
Ke Xin pouted sadly, her voice aggrieved. “But I really want Uncle Zhou to be my dad. All the kids at school have dads, but I don’t.”
Hearing this, Tu Xiuxiu felt a pang of pain in her heart.
She squatted down, hugged Ke Xin, and kissed her forehead. “Uncle Zhou is a married man, so he can’t be your father.”
Ke Xin blinked. “But he can divorce Aunt Rubao, then he won’t have a wife.”
Tu Xiuxiu stared at her in surprise. “Xinxin, who told you this?”
Does a five-year-old really understand divorce?
Ke Xin blinked and answered softly, “Aunt Yunmei said Uncle Zhou will soon stop wanting Aunt Rubao, and he will soon become Xinxin’s father.”
Looking at her daughter’s innocent face, so much like her own, Tu Xiuxiu asked, “Do you really want Uncle Zhou to be your father?”
Ke Xin looked at her seriously and nodded. “Yes, Xinxin really likes Uncle Zhou.”
After saying that, Xinxin looked at Tu Xiuxiu expectantly. “Mom, do you like Uncle Zhou? Do you want Uncle Zhou to be Xinxin’s dad?”
Looking into her daughter’s clear black eyes, Tu Xiuxiu didn’t want to dampen her mood, so she forced a smile. “This isn’t something that can happen just because Mom wants it.”
Her father had died when she was three years old.
When she was eight, her mother remarried. At first, her stepfather treated her very well.
But as she grew older, his gaze toward her became greedy and intense.
Fearing that he might harm her, her mother arranged an early marriage for her. Her future in-laws treated her kindly and allowed her to continue her studies.
Knowing she had a talent for dancing, they even sent her to study at a local arts center.
Later, her husband, whom she had never met, returned and took her to the military camp.
Through her own efforts in the military camp, she successfully passed the entrance exam for the cultural troupe.
She had a daughter soon after marrying Ke Mao and thought life would keep getting better, but Ke Mao died on a mission.
The period after Ke Mao’s death was filled with grief and pain.
Until Zhou Jingran appeared.
Both she and Ke Mao had been transferred from the Nanning Military Camp. She had even saved Zhou Jingran while there.
After meeting her, Zhou Jingran took good care of her and her daughter.
If Tang Rubao were willing to divorce Zhou Jingran, and Zhou Jingran were willing to marry her, everything could seem perfect.
But…
She truly looked down on Zhou Jingran’s family background.
If his sister could marry well, she might consider him; but if his sister couldn’t, she didn’t want to suffer alongside Zhou Jingran.
Bang!
As soon as he got home, Zhou Jingran slammed the living room door.
The house seemed to shake.
Tang Rubao turned, frowning. “Tu Xiuxiu took my money, and you don’t blame her? Instead, you’re throwing a tantrum in front of me? Battalion Commander Zhou, you’re not one of those cowardly bullies, are you?”
Zhou Jingran took a deep breath, letting it travel through his chest before exhaling. He felt much calmer.
He looked at Tang Rubao coldly. “If you didn’t want the money, why didn’t you wait until I got back? Didn’t you think about the consequences of bringing so many people to look for Xiuxiu like this?”
Tang Rubao retorted, “She didn’t even think about the consequences of stealing money, but I have to worry about the consequences for getting my own money back?”
Pointing a finger at his chest, she said, “Is your heart too biased? Did it grow in your right chest?”
Zhou Jingran interrupted her impatiently. “You didn’t see with your own eyes that Xiuxiu took the money.”
“My bag was filled with the smell of the face cream she put on. She went through my bag, and that’s where she took the money.”
Tang Rubao put her hands on her hips, looked him up and down, and said sarcastically: “However, since you say you took the money, I’ll assume you did. If you did, you should return the money to me right now.”
Zhou Jingran turned his face away, impatient. “Give me a few days.”
Tang Rubao looked at him oddly. “Zhou Jingran, why are you protecting Tu Xiuxiu like this? She clearly took the money. If you go to her now, you can definitely get it back.”
Zhou Jingran said in a deep voice, “Xiuxiu is a woman, and she’s easily embarrassed. If they find out she took the money, how will she ever stay in the family compound afterward?”