Ignoring everything else, Mianmian lunged forward and threw herself into Jiang Jun’s arms.
In a cloying, coquettish voice, she said to him, “Brother Jun, that old fossil isn’t here. Does this mean we can be together openly now?”
With me standing right there, Jiang Jun was visibly wary. He caught her, but he only held her tentatively, not daring to embrace her tightly in broad daylight.
He looked at me with a hint of guilt. “I’m sorry, Zhou Li,” he said awkwardly. “The thing is… Mianmian happens to be shooting on location here. You know, she’s a celebrity.”
Upon hearing this, Mianmian puffed out her chest and wrapped her arms around Jiang Jun’s neck. She looked increasingly triumphant. Leaning into Jiang Jun’s ear—yet using a voice loud enough for me to hear—she said, “Brother Jun, why are you saying sorry? You aren’t the one in the wrong. It’s certain people who have no shame and insist on marrying you anyway.”
Jiang Jun’s face immediately flushed red with embarrassment. He became even more flustered. Frowning at Mianmian, he muttered, “That’s enough, Mianmian. Don’t talk nonsense.”
Mianmian shot me a provocative smile. Then, burying her face in the crook of Jiang Jun’s neck, she looked up at him. “Brother Jun, my hotel is nearby. Why don’t I move in and stay with you?”
“No,” Jiang Jun said. Though it was a rejection, his tone was incredibly gentle. He was about to continue and explain his difficulties to her, but I stepped forward with an icy resolve.
I walked right up to them. Mianmian kept her arms around Jiang Jun’s neck, watching me with a look of extreme wariness.
I didn’t look at her, though. Or rather, I had never once bothered to take her seriously. These little tricks of hers—who hasn’t seen them before?
I looked at Jiang Jun and said with total sincerity, “Perhaps I should leave. I’ll leave you two here to live together like a pair of lovebirds.”
Anything more would be redundant. I turned to walk away.
This sent Jiang Jun into a panic. He quickly pushed Mianmian away and chased after me. “Zhou Li, don’t go! It’s my fault. Don’t worry, I know what’s important. I will… I will give you the dignity you want. The dignity you deserve.”
By the end of his sentence, his voice had dropped. He had regained his reason and clarity. He looked serious when he said it, and there was a flicker of genuine sincerity that I could perceive.
I took it as his promise. You could say it was a consensus we had reached on this one point. In a marriage built on family interests, it’s best for no one to truly tear the mask off. And so, I knew when to stop.
Behind Jiang Jun, I saw Mianmian stomping her feet in a tantrum. She shouted in exasperation:
“Brother Jun! You won’t let me move in, but are you still going to stay with her?” “Are you going to sleep with her??” “You Zhou woman, you’re nothing but a bitch!!!”
Unable to sway Jiang Jun, Mianmian pointed her finger at me and began hurling abuse. I walked back toward her with calm composure, facing her verbal assault head-on.
Slap!
I suddenly swung my hand and delivered a sharp blow to her face. I stared into her eyes and said with cold ruthlessness, “Remember this: my name is Zhou Li, and I am Jiang Jun’s wife. I will not allow you to insult a daughter-in-law of the Jiang family.”
Mianmian was stunned; she had clearly been slapped into a daze. She likely never expected that beneath my calm demeanor lay such a lethal edge.
Once she realized she had been hit, she lunged at me like a madwoman. I took a step to the side, dodging her and moving toward Jiang Jun so he would intercept her.
I saw the situation clearly. We were surrounded by Jiang family staff; I held the absolute advantage. Even if Jiang Jun didn’t help me, the Jiang employees would step in to mediate. Furthermore, by emphasizing my status just now, I ensured they wouldn’t stand by and watch the legitimate Young Mistress of the Jiang family be bullied in public.
It was obvious that Mianmian had provoked the confrontation, and Jiang Jun knew he was in the wrong. He blocked her from attacking me and tried to soothe her with gentle words.
In the end, with the help of the Jiang family’s overseas staff, I checked into the hotel’s presidential suite.
Once inside, I stayed in the room alone. I didn’t go out, nor did I have the heart to look at the scenery. I didn’t eat all day.
It wasn’t until evening that Jiang Jun returned. Upon entering, he asked quite cheerfully, “I’ve finished eating. Zhou Li, have you eaten yet?”
I was sitting on the bed, leaning against the headboard and staring out the window. I had no desire to acknowledge him. I was still on an empty stomach, but who would have known?
Jiang Jun finally sensed the atmosphere was off. He slowed his movements and asked cautiously, “Zhou Li… you haven’t eaten?” There was a note of disbelief in his voice.
I shot him a cold, annoyed look. I knew that continuing like this would only be self-destructive. Without a word, I got out of bed and began packing my bags.
Actually, there wasn’t much to pack. I hadn’t even unpacked my things yet; they were still in their original state. I grabbed my phone and started pulling my luggage toward the door.
When Jiang Jun realized what was happening, he rushed over to block my path. “Zhou Li, where are you going?”
“Move,” I said coldly.
Instead of moving, Jiang Jun took a step closer. He said relentlessly, “Zhou Li, you can’t leave. If you leave like this and word gets out, what will people say about us?”
I wasn’t afraid of him. I looked him straight in the eye and asked, “Do you actually care what people say?”
Faced with my gaze, Jiang Jun lowered his head. He guiltily avoided my eyes.
I took a deep breath and used my most neutral tone, as if I were stating the most mundane fact. “When you left today,” I said calmly, “did you think about what people would say? Did you consider the dignity of our two families?”
Jiang Jun’s head dropped even lower, his eyes fixed on his toes. He explained apologetically, “Zhou Li, I’m sorry. I stayed with Mianmian because I wanted to comfort her. She was unhappy. She only eats when I’m watching her, so… so, in the end, I ate with her. I didn’t wait for you.”
I didn’t respond. I just kept watching him. But Jiang Jun didn’t dare look back. Seeing him like this, I let out a light, mocking laugh and continued to pull my luggage toward the door.
To my surprise, just as I turned around, Jiang Jun grabbed my luggage from behind!
He was likely truly panicked, and in his loss of composure, he used too much strength. The result of his sudden pull was that he yanked me right off my feet.
I felt myself falling backward, headfirst!