“I’m sorry. I was too rash just now.”
Second floor, Shen Ran’s room.
The moment they entered, Qin Lie took the initiative to apologize.
That was simply his personality—straightforward and responsible. If he made a mistake, he admitted it. Even if Shen Ran was someone he deeply disliked, he wouldn’t avoid owning up to it.
“Sit,” Shen Ran said calmly, without saying whether she forgave him or not.
All the mess had been left by the original owner of this body. Since she had taken over the body, she naturally had to bear some of the consequences.
Qin Lie didn’t sit. He stood there boldly like a door guardian.
Shen Ran could tell he had something to say. She closed the door and turned to face him.
“Go ahead. What is it?”
If there was nothing important, he would have left earlier after clearing up the misunderstanding instead of following her to her room.
Qin Lie looked at her quiet demeanor with a hint of surprise.
Previously, whenever the two of them were together for more than five minutes, Shen Ran would jump up and start pointing at his nose, scolding him endlessly.
Her unruly, hysterical behavior had been like that of a madwoman.
Her calmness today was completely abnormal.
Could it be that she had guessed what he wanted to say and was deliberately softening her attitude?
Thinking this, Qin Lie’s gaze became complicated.
He never expected she would one day take the initiative to lower herself.
Unfortunately, he had already made up his mind. No one could change it.
Taking a deep breath, Qin Lie spoke clearly:
“Shen Ran, I want a divorce.”
After two years of marriage, his patience had been completely exhausted by this woman.
He simply couldn’t endure it any longer.
Although he had never hit her, he feared that one day he might lose control and do something he would regret.
That wasn’t something he wanted.
Since they had once been husband and wife, it was better to end things with dignity.
“I’ve already submitted a divorce request to the army and received approval from my superiors. As long as you go to the political department with me and sign the paperwork, we can finalize the divorce certificate.”
In this era, soldiers didn’t need to go through the civil affairs bureau for divorce. The entire process could be handled within the army.
In fact, Qin Lie’s application had been approved a month ago.
He just hadn’t told Shen Ran because he feared she would run to the military unit and cause a scene.
After struggling with the decision for a month, he finally chose to speak.
A marriage without love would never last. Instead of becoming resentful enemies, it was better to free each other.
So that was why he came today—to ask for a divorce.
Shen Ran felt completely numb.
Just earlier she had been trying to seduce him. In Qin Lie’s eyes, she probably looked like a flirtatious monkey in heat.
The more she thought about it, the more embarrassing it felt.
Seeing her stunned expression, Qin Lie quickly added,
“If you agree to the divorce, I’ll give you half of my savings and help you find a job so your future life won’t be too difficult.”
Qin Lie was a regimental commander. His base salary was 80 yuan per month, and with mission bonuses and allowances, he could earn about 110 yuan monthly.
During their two years of marriage, he gave the original Shen Ran 20 yuan every month for living expenses and saved the rest himself.
This had been one of her major complaints.
Even though she never did housework or took care of him, she still wanted to control the money.
After all, the fake heiress Shen Yunrou’s husband, Fu Ziming, handed over his entire salary to her.
For that reason, the original Shen Ran had argued with Qin Lie countless times.
Yet now, just to divorce her, he was willing to give her half of his savings.
Qin Lie was an orphan with no parents to support, so all his money belonged to him.
He joined the army at fifteen and had served for twelve years, earning many military achievements. His savings probably amounted to around ten thousand yuan.
Half of that would be five thousand yuan—a huge fortune.
Shen Ran suddenly remembered that this scene existed in the novel.
Back then, the original Shen Ran had been falsely accused of stealing the jade bracelet. Qin Lie also believed the accusation and was disappointed enough to propose divorce.
In anger, she agreed.
But she was extremely proud and looked down on Qin Lie, refusing every bit of compensation he offered.
Then she ran off in a fit of anger to find her adoptive parents in the mountain village.
On the train journey, she was drugged by a seemingly kind trafficker and sold deep into the mountains, where she was abused to death.
Thinking about that ending made Shen Ran sigh.
What a foolish girl. She had such a good hand but played it terribly.
After finishing his long speech about divorce, Qin Lie turned his head aside.
He believed Shen Ran wouldn’t agree.
After all, she had schemed to marry him in the first place.
Even though she hated him deeply, she would never willingly let him go.
But the next second—
He heard her voice.
“Fine. If you want a divorce, let’s divorce.”
Qin Lie froze.
He turned back with shock on his face.
“You’re agreeing to the divorce?”
“Yes,” Shen Ran replied decisively.
Qin Lie already despised her. There was no reason to cling to him and embarrass herself.
Besides, she had a space filled with supplies and the beast-language ability. She could succeed anywhere.
Of course, she would still take what belonged to her—like the money.
“I’ll take half of the savings,” Shen Ran continued. “But I don’t need the job. I don’t plan to work for now.”
It was July 1977.
The national college entrance exam would take place in December.
She planned to take the exam, which meant she needed time to study.
Later she could enroll in a university and study veterinary medicine, giving her a legitimate path to work with animals.
“Also,” she added, “after the divorce, I hope we don’t announce it right away. I don’t want people gossiping about me.”
As a modern woman, she didn’t fear gossip.
But this was the 1970s, a far more conservative era.
She still planned to stay with the Shen family for a while—at least until after the college entrance exam.
And she didn’t want them constantly nagging her about the divorce.
Besides, moving out as a single beautiful woman would bring endless trouble.
More importantly—
She still wanted to stay and annoy the fake heiress.
Didn’t Shen Yunrou want to isolate her?
Then Shen Ran would let her experience the same feeling.
After a military divorce, the woman’s household registration would be returned to her original place.
Fortunately, when Shen Ran returned to the Shen family, she had already been given her own separate household registration booklet.
So there was no need to inform the Shen family.
She had no worries at all.
Watching the woman’s red lips calmly explain her conditions, Qin Lie suddenly felt she was a stranger.
Was this really the Shen Ran who used to scream and cry at the slightest disagreement?
She had actually agreed to divorce.
That was completely beyond his expectations.
Could it be a trick?
Maybe she would agree now but cause a huge scene when signing the papers at the army office.
With her unpredictable personality, that wasn’t impossible.
“I agree to all your conditions,” Qin Lie said slowly. “But I hope you won’t change your mind.”
He stared at her carefully, trying to detect any hint of deceit on her face.
But he found nothing.
Shen Ran could tell what he was thinking.
She lifted her clear eyes and said firmly:
“I won’t go back on my word.”
A three-legged toad might be hard to find—
but two-legged men were everywhere.
Men weren’t necessities in her life.
If she had one, she might use him.
If she didn’t, she could still live freely and happily.