Song Xuezhi looked at Zhou Yuwei’s pitiful, innocent-looking face and felt a wave of disgust.
Zhou Weidong always claimed she was picking on Zhou Yuwei, that she was bullying a young girl. What he never realized was that it had always been Zhou Yuwei targeting her.
And Zhou Weidong never stopped to think—back then, she was about to marry into the Zhou family and become his wife. Why would she deliberately make life difficult for her future sister-in-law?
She wasn’t the type to get jealous over a brother and sister being close.
In fact, at the beginning, Song Xuezhi had treated Zhou Yuwei extremely well, believing they would soon be family and wanting to build a good relationship with her.
When Zhou Yuwei came to live with her brother, it was Song Xuezhi who took her shopping for clothes, bought books and snacks for her child, treated them to meals at state-run restaurants, and worried that the mother and son might have trouble adjusting to city life. She paid attention to every little detail. Seeing how Zhou Yuwei’s hands were covered in calluses from being mistreated by her rural in-laws, Song Xuezhi even spent her own money to buy her a jar of Snow Cream moisturizer.
She didn’t claim to have poured her heart and soul into her future sister-in-law, but she had certainly done more than enough.
And how had Zhou Yuwei repaid her?
With one false accusation after another. Twisting the truth, playing innocent, using the excuse of being Zhou Weidong’s beloved little sister to drive a wedge between them. She took over Song Xuezhi’s marital home, seized her dowry, and eventually even stole her man.
Did she think Song Xuezhi was some kind of Japanese occupation victim to be toyed with?
The moment she recalled that nightmare, Song Xuezhi lost control of her emotions. Trembling with rage, she raised her hand and swung at Zhou Yuwei.
Before the slap could land, Zhou Weidong grabbed her wrist tightly.
“What the hell is wrong with you?” Zhou Weidong glared at her, his face dark as thunder. “Who gave you the nerve to hit Yuwei? This is a society governed by law. Do you want to go to jail?”
Song Xuezhi immediately raised her free hand and slapped him across the face. Then, before he could react, she turned and smacked Zhou Yuwei as well.
Smack!
The crisp sound echoed through the room.
One slap for the green-tea schemer, two for the man. Neither of them was any good.
“So what if I hit her?” Song Xuezhi sneered. “If you’ve got the guts, Captain Zhou, go ahead and arrest me.”
“You—!”
Zhou Weidong covered his face, stunned and furious.
“You’re absolutely unreasonable!” he barked.
Zhou Yuwei immediately started sobbing. He hurried over to comfort her, fumbling for tissues.
“Yuwei, are you okay? Does it hurt?”
Zhou Yuwei gently shook her head, tears shimmering in her eyes.
“It’s alright. I’m not hurt. As long as Sister-in-law can vent her anger, I don’t mind… Sister-in-law, you can hit me if you want. I can take it.”
As she spoke, she instinctively shrank into Zhou Weidong’s embrace, like a drifting leaf seeking shelter.
But Song Xuezhi knew perfectly well that Zhou Yuwei was simply afraid she would actually hit her again.
After all, Song Xuezhi had put real force into that slap. Even her own hand still hurt.
“How dare she!” Zhou Weidong shot Song Xuezhi a furious glare before shielding Zhou Yuwei behind him like a protective parent.
“If you bully Yuwei again, I won’t let you off!”
“Don’t think you can do whatever you want just because we’re about to get married. If it comes to it, I won’t marry you at all!”
Zhou Yuwei looked at him with worshipful admiration, as though he were some kind of hero. Then her expression turned sorrowful.
“Don’t say that. Brother, you and Sister-in-law should be happy together.”
The more understanding she appeared, the more protective Zhou Weidong became, and the angrier he grew toward Song Xuezhi.
“Look at Yuwei. She’s so considerate. Why can’t you be more tolerant? Learn something from her. Why do you always have to stir up trouble and turn the whole family upside down?”
He sounded exhausted.
After pulling his sister from the water and confirming she was unharmed, Zhou Weidong had spent the entire night by Song Xuezhi’s hospital bed taking care of her. Yet he had only just finished an intense week-long field training exercise and hadn’t properly slept in nearly seven days.
At that moment, looking at the man before her, Song Xuezhi’s heart finally went cold.
The nightmare had shown her a future in which Zhou Weidong betrayed her.
But it had only been a dream.
In reality, they had known each other for years and been in a relationship for over three years. To say she had no feelings for him would be a lie.
Looking at him, she pressed her lips together and asked,
“Zhou Weidong, I’ll ask you one last time. Are you still choosing your sister over me?”
“What do you mean, choosing sides?” Zhou Weidong replied impatiently. “You’re the one in the wrong here. Apologize to Yuwei right now. And buy her that coat she wanted from the department store as compensation.”
“Fine. Then let’s call off the wedding.”
Song Xuezhi’s voice turned icy.
“Return my two hundred yuan dowry, and reimburse me for all the furniture and appliances my family contributed to the marital home.”
“Sister-in-law, don’t say things like that in anger,” Zhou Yuwei said softly.
Zhou Weidong froze before frowning.
“Stop throwing a tantrum. My patience has limits too.”
How could Song Xuezhi possibly refuse to marry him?
Their military marriage application had already been submitted. All that remained was to pick an auspicious day and hold the wedding banquet.
Thinking this, Zhou Weidong softened his tone slightly, though his face remained stern.
“Enough. Yuwei is willing to let this go. Consider the matter settled and go home to reflect on your behavior.”
Reflect?
Song Xuezhi nearly laughed from sheer anger.
How had she never realized Zhou Weidong was this kind of person?
She had been deceived by him and Zhou Yuwei for far too long, played like a fool.
Now that she knew the truth, she would never let them off so easily.
“Give me back my dowry money first,” she said, holding out her hand without hesitation.
Their wedding arrangements had been clear from the beginning. Her family would provide a two-hundred-yuan dowry, furnish the marital home with appliances, and supply a full set of new furniture—the famous “thirty-six legs.” Zhou Weidong, in turn, would provide a five-hundred-yuan bride price, a bicycle, and a wristwatch.
Since she was marrying far from home, her parents had allowed her to keep the bride price money herself.
After a burglary at her rented room some time ago, Song Xuezhi had entrusted both the bride price and her dowry savings book to Zhou Weidong, thinking the military compound would be safer.
Now she realized that idea was ridiculous.
What if Zhou Weidong had already spent all the money on his precious little sister?
The nightmare had mentioned that their future wedding in the military compound was shockingly shabby. Compared to the luxurious wedding Zhou Weidong later held with Zhou Yuwei in his old age, the contrast had been striking.
The banquet had not contained a single meat dish. Most of the food was made from rotten vegetable leaves, and the wine was moldy liquor diluted with water. Many guests suffered food poisoning and spent the night with stomach problems.
Her parents and relatives had traveled a great distance to attend, only to be humiliated.
Everyone mocked her for marrying a miserly military man who seemed poorer than a peasant farmer. They said she would spend the rest of her life struggling to make ends meet.
Yet with the money from their bride price and dowry, there was more than enough to host a respectable wedding banquet.
Song Xuezhi had long suspected that Zhou Weidong had touched the money.
Sure enough, the moment she brought it up, his expression changed dramatically.
“What do you need it for?” he demanded. “That money is being saved for the wedding banquet.”
“I changed my mind. Is that a problem?” Song Xuezhi snapped. “Why should my dowry be used to pay for the wedding? Do you know how embarrassing that sounds? Go ask around—what family uses the bride’s dowry to fund the wedding feast? If my mother knew, she’d never agree to let me marry you.”
Zhou Weidong replied, “Of course we won’t use your money. Once I get next month’s paycheck—”
“Next month?”
Song Xuezhi instantly caught the flaw in his explanation.
Her face darkened.
“Then where is all our savings?”
Zhou Weidong’s eyes flickered. He hesitated, unsure whether to tell the truth.
He knew Song Xuezhi would be furious if she found out.
In the end, Zhou Yuwei wiped away her tears and spoke up.
“Sister-in-law, I know we’ve wronged you in this matter. But Yier has heart disease. Brother Weidong only borrowed the money to save his life…”