"...So you’re saying that if I have nothing to do with Zheng Zhizhi, you won’t divorce me?" Instead of getting angry, Lu Zhengchuan simply asked a different question.
Su Wan had been trying to have a serious discussion about divorce, but his attitude made a sudden thought pop into her head.
"You’re not... planning to break things off with Zheng Zhizhi for good and just settle down with me, are you?" Su Wan had never even considered this possibility.
As far as she was concerned, Lu Zhengchuan and Zheng Zhizhi’s feelings for each other ran deep. ’He’d abandon anyone before he’d abandon Zhi Zhi.’
It was just that her goal from the start had never been to let those two get together. After how much Zheng Zhizhi had hurt her, she’d have to be an idiot to let the woman marry Lu Zhengchuan and live happily ever after.
Lu Zhengchuan rubbed his temples as if fighting a headache. "Why are you so sure I have feelings for Zheng Zhizhi?"
"It’s what the whole village says. And Zheng Zhizhi herself," Su Wan said, giving him an elegant eye-roll.
Lu Zhengchuan couldn’t help but stare for a moment. Far from finding it distasteful, he thought it was lively and charming.
"I understand now. Zheng Zhizhi is the one making things up." Lu Zhengchuan cleared his throat, averting his gaze just before Su Wan looked up at him. He put on a stern expression and explained.
Su Wan gave him a skeptical look, her mind racing. ’What’s his angle here?’
Lu Zhengchuan’s brow furrowed. "You don’t believe me? I’m a soldier."
"...I believe you. But you have to prove it to me." Su Wan lifted her chin, feigning arrogance as she seized the chance to make her demand.
"Of course. I need to resolve this issue of Zheng Zhizhi spreading rumors and causing trouble anyway."
Lu Zhengchuan nodded and asked her, "I need to make a trip back to the village to resolve this. Do you want to come with me or stay here?"
"Back to the village?" Su Wan asked in surprise. "You’re going back now? How do you plan to handle it?"
Lu Zhengchuan didn’t understand her surprise. "I’ll go talk to the Zheng Family elders and have them rein in their daughter. If she keeps spreading these rumors, my only option will be to call the police. The Zheng Family can’t afford the consequences of slandering a military officer."
’Is he going back to secretly placate Zheng Zhizhi and cut some sort of deal with her family?’ Su Wan wondered.
Honestly, the very thought of Lu Zhengchuan meeting with Zheng Zhizhi behind her back made her sick to her stomach.
However, if he actually did what he said he would, she was afraid it would be even harder to find any proof against them in the future. If she were to complain about being wronged later, nobody in the military compound would believe her.
"Did your superiors tell you to handle this?" Su Wan asked, testing a theory.
"That’s right," Lu Zhengchuan confirmed with a nod.
Su Wan’s anger flared instantly. Her expression darkened, and she shot him a cold glare. "So, because your superiors ordered you to, and for the sake of your career, you’re *finally* willing to deal with this?"
"Why are you angry?" Lu Zhengchuan asked, genuinely confused.
"You don’t have to hide it from me anymore," Su Wan said. "You have feelings for Zheng Zhizhi, and I’m not the one forcing you two apart."
Lu Zhengchuan’s brows furrowed so deeply they almost formed a single line. "Don’t listen to that village gossip. I’m your husband. Are you going to believe them instead of me?"
"I don’t want to believe them," Su Wan said, seeing her opportunity. She lowered her head, her voice tinged with a deliberate sadness. "If you handle this thing with Zheng Zhizhi the way I ask, then I’ll believe you."
"Go on," Lu Zhengchuan said, his expression serious. "As long as it’s a reasonable request, I’ll give it due consideration."
Su Wan was momentarily speechless. Even though she was trying her best to treat Lu Zhengchuan as a soon-to-be stranger, his cautious wording still irritated her.
’Who knows what his definition of ’reasonable’ is, anyway.’
Suppressing her anger, Su Wan lifted her chin. "I want you to personally declare, in front of the entire village, that you will never, ever have anything to do with Zheng Zhizhi. And if you break that vow, may you be struck by lightning."
"That’s it?" Lu Zhengchuan raised an eyebrow, a smile actually forming in his eyes.
It was as if her demand was a reward, not a punishment.
Su Wan was no fool.
Seeing his completely unexpected reaction, she couldn’t help but wonder.
’What is he plotting now?’
Su Wan showed no trace of her suspicion. She casually picked up a piece of peanut brittle from the nearby desk and began to eat it, affecting a conversational tone.
"I’m not finished."
"Go on." Lu Zhengchuan was clearly ready to hear her out.
"Since Zheng Zhizhi is the one spreading rumors, I want you to make sure she’s held accountable." This demand was aimed squarely at Zheng Zhizhi, and it was also a test for Lu Zhengchuan.
Lu Zhengchuan replied, "To hold her accountable, we need evidence. The letter she sent me counts. As for the rumors in the village, we just need to find the people who spread them and get them to testify. If the village leaders get involved, it can be resolved."
Hearing the word "evidence," Su Wan couldn’t help but remind him, "What rumors in the village? The only story back home is that you two were childhood sweethearts who had a falling out over the bride price before the wedding."
"The rumors here at the base also started because of the letter Zheng Zhizhi sent you," Su Wan stressed.
She didn’t mention that she’d known about the letter all along. In truth, she was surprised Zheng Zhizhi had actually dared to send it. ’Isn’t she worried that if the army investigates, this will be used as proof against her?’
’Although, if Lu Zhengchuan were helping her, she probably wouldn’t have anything to worry about.’
"Can I see the letter?"
Lu Zhengchuan casually pulled it from his pocket and handed it to her.
Su Wan took it and read through it. It really was from Zheng Zhizhi, and its contents were ironclad proof!
"Your superiors have seen this?" Su Wan asked eagerly, unable to hide the delight on her face.
Seeing how happy she was, the corners of Lu Zhengchuan’s mouth curved up slightly. He had a pretty good idea of what she wanted to hear.
"Of course. Not only have my superiors seen it, but I also made a copy before I came back."
The moment he finished speaking, he saw Su Wan’s features relax. She was beaming with joy, the corners of her pretty eyes tilting up into alluring little crescents.
"And since there aren’t any of those other rumors in the village, this matter will be even simpler to resolve. Because I never, at any point, proposed marriage to the Zheng Family. As for this village talk about a five-hundred-yuan bride price and a sewing machine, I’m also quite curious where that came from."
"What?!" Su Wan’s head snapped up, her eyes scrutinizing him. She never expected him to deny even the very first rumor that had started in the village.
’Where did he get the confidence to say something like that?’
"I know you don’t believe me, but you can’t pin something on me that I never did." Lu Zhengchuan’s expression was grim, showing a hint of displeasure. "You’re my wife. Once I’ve proven my innocence, you have to believe me."
Su Wan found it novel to hear a grown man like him say something that sounded so vulnerable, and she couldn’t help but study him for a moment longer.
"Once you prove your innocence, of course I’ll believe you. After all, I married you because I trusted your character. We’re still newlyweds, and it’s only natural for me to have doubts about a past I don’t know. Just don’t hold a grudge against me for it later," Su Wan said, sweet-talking him while still urging him to deal with Zheng Zhizhi first.