Nan Jin slowly opened her eyes at the sound of footsteps. Seeing who it was, her eyes flickered slightly, and she softly called out, “Uncle.”
From the original host’s memories, she learned that Yuan Zheng was the youngest son of the Yuan family, only four years older than Gu Shaoxuan.
When she was a child, she had seen him during visits to her maternal grandmother’s house with Yuan Limei. Back then, he used to play with them.
Yuan Zheng walked to the bedside and looked down at her, his tone unconsciously softening.
“It’s only been a little over a year since we last met. How did you end up in such a sorry state?”
The last time they had met was at her wedding to Gu Shaoxuan.
Nan Jin lowered her gaze, avoiding his eyes, her face filled with bitterness, her voice hoarse. “With your capabilities, Uncle, I assume you’ve already looked into the whole story?”
“It’s just as you know—Shaoxuan wants me to make way for his childhood sweetheart. I refused, so he had me locked up in the detention center.”
Mentioning the detention center, her expression turned sorrowful. At this moment, she truly embodied the original host’s identity and emotions.
“Those two kept bullying and humiliating me, always hitting my stomach. They were plotting to harm my child.”
Although it was the original host who had suffered those injustices, having inherited her memories, Nan Jin could vividly empathize with her pain.
Yuan Zheng pulled a chair over and sat by the bed. Even seated, his tall frame exuded a strong sense of pressure.
His voice was cool and deep, his tone harsh as he looked at her pale face. “So, Shaoxuan really has a mistress, and he wants you to step aside for her?”
Nan Jin turned her head away without responding. She wasn’t the original host—stepping aside for a mistress was fine by her. What use was a scumbag like that?
But she had to seek justice for the original host and her child, for the suffering they had endured.
Seeing the once innocent and lively girl reduced to this state, a flicker of heartache passed through Yuan Zheng’s eyes.
“I’ll thoroughly investigate what happened in the detention center and clear your name.”
“As for Shaoxuan, I’ll reprimand him properly. I won’t let him do something so foolish.”
Nan Jin quickly turned her head back, about to say she was willing to divorce him, but she fell silent when she saw a nurse entering with an IV drip.
Yuan Zheng also moved his chair aside to make space, allowing the nurse to administer the IV.
After the IV was set, the nurse gave some instructions, reminding Yuan Zheng to keep an eye on the drip and report any discomfort immediately.
Once the nurse left, Yuan Zheng asked her, “What are your plans?”
“I agree to divorce him, but I’m demanding 1,000 yuan in compensation. Your sister doesn’t agree.”
She didn’t even call her “Mom” anymore—such a person wasn’t worth it.
Yuan Zheng’s face darkened, his tone stiff and cold. “Do you know what divorce means?”
Although it was the era of reform and opening up, with marriage freedom and divorce permitted, divorce still invited gossip and could lead to a lifetime of judgment.
Nan Jin’s pale face was devoid of color, her once bright, dark eyes now dull but filled with stubborn determination.
“I know, but what good does knowing do? He doesn’t care at all.”
“Besides, he didn’t hesitate to send me to the detention center despite my pregnancy, costing our child’s life. Is a man like that worth holding onto?”
In her heart, she silently added: along with the original host’s life.
Yuan Zheng’s breath hitched, a surge of anger burning fiercely in his chest.
For a long moment, he suppressed his emotions and asked again, “What do you plan to do after the divorce? Go back to the factory and continue working?”
Although Nan Jin didn’t know exactly what kind of space she had obtained, as long as she had a space and the thousand yuan in compensation, she could leave this place, find some unfamiliar town, and live a peaceful, comfortable life.
The year 1979—this period was neither too early nor too late. In just two years, the spring breeze of reform would sweep across the land, a time when opportunities were everywhere.
If she could gather more money and buy a few more plots of land, she could simply lie back at home in the future and live off the rent.
In her previous life, she had worked herself to the bone, finally building her own shopping mall, only to have it all vanish overnight.
So, in this life, if possible, she didn’t want to strive anymore. She would just lie flat and take it easy.
“Uncle, can you arrange for me to go to the countryside? Take me to Lingnan.”
Yuan Zheng was stationed in the military district of G City in Lingnan. If he was willing to help, she could definitely leave this place.
He frowned, his voice soft, “Xiao Zhu, the conditions in Lingnan aren’t as good as people imagine. The weather is scorching hot, floods are frequent, and they grow two crops of rice a year, sometimes even planting in winter. With your health…”
Besides, everyone was trying their best to return to the city—why would she want to go to the countryside?
Nan Jin interrupted him, “Uncle, can you arrange for me to go? G City, Dongguan, or the rural areas near Shenzhen will do.”
The cities hadn’t expanded like they would in the future; the countryside there was truly rural now.
But in a few years, as development took off, that countryside would become incredibly valuable.
Yuan Zheng looked at her silently without saying a word.
Nan Jin slowly closed her eyes, her tone turning cold and somewhat self-deprecating.
“It’s alright. After I divorce Shao Xuan, you won’t be my uncle anymore. My request is indeed a bit excessive.”
“Although I’m an orphan, I’m an adult now and can take responsibility for my actions.”
“Just pretend I never said what I just said, and there’s no need to mention it to Shao Xuan or the others.”
Yuan Zheng gazed at her deeply, and after a long pause, he spoke softly, “Since you’ve made up your mind, I’ll help you.”
Footsteps echoed from the corridor outside, heavy and slow.
Soon, Gu Shao Xuan’s voice rang out, “Uncle, you wanted to see me?”
As he entered the ward and saw Nan Jin hooked up to an IV drip, his expression shifted again.
“Xiao Zhu, what happened to you?”
Yuan Zheng stood up and threw a punch at his face, his voice trembling with suppressed anger.
“You brat, is this how you treat her after marrying her?”
“Ah!” Gu Shao Xuan had just entered when his uncle unexpectedly punched him. The pain made him stagger, nearly falling.
“Uncle, why did you hit me?” He gasped in pain, raising a hand to his face, tears welling in his eyes.
Hearing the commotion, Nan Jin opened her eyes and looked over. Her gaze flickered as she slowly turned to Yuan Zheng.
“Look at what you’ve done to such a fine girl!”
Yuan Zheng grabbed him by the collar, pulling him closer and pointing at Nan Jin’s deathly pale face.
“She’s severely anemic after a miscarriage, and you left her alone in the hospital to be bullied by Qing Ya? Qing Ya pushed her, and she nearly broke her spine and ended up disabled. Do you have any idea how serious that would have been?”
“You brat, if you weren’t going to treat her well, you shouldn’t have gotten involved with her in the first place.”
Gu Shaoxuan’s face turned pale. He hadn’t known that Gu Qingya had also come to the hospital, let alone that he had hit her.
He had originally felt heartbroken about her miscarriage and intended to stay by her side to comfort her.
But she insisted on demanding a thousand yuan before agreeing to the divorce and even threatened him by bringing up Liang Yourou’s pregnancy.
Overwhelmed by anger, he had no choice but to leave.