“Weidong explained, “This is my fault. I should have discussed it with you beforehand. But Yier was hospitalized—it was money to save his life. I was planning to tell you yesterday.”
“How much did you lend them?” Song Xuezhi asked, her calm tone barely concealing her emotions.
“All of it… Yier’s condition is serious. He has to go to the provincial capital’s major hospital for surgery.” Zhou Weidong lowered his head, unable to meet her eyes.
He knew he was in the wrong.
He should not have taken the money they had saved for their wedding and used it for his sister’s son’s operation without consulting her.
Now Song Xuezhi finally understood why the wedding banquet in her dream had been so shabby and humiliating.
She had heard that heart disease was a bottomless pit when it came to medical expenses. If the situation worsened and required a heart transplant or bypass surgery, no amount of money would ever be enough.
Forget their savings.
Knowing Zhou Weidong’s personality, he might even have borrowed heavily from others for his sister’s sake.
Taking a deep breath, Song Xuezhi said coldly, “I don’t care whether you steal it or rob a bank. By the end of today, you will return my two hundred yuan dowry money.”
Zhou Weidong couldn’t understand why she was so fixated on the money.
“Xuezhi, this is a matter of life and death. Yier is my nephew. I know you’ve always been kind-hearted.”
“Don’t put a halo over my head. I’m not kind at all. Haven’t you always said I target your sister? Fine. I’m an evil woman.” Song Xuezhi rolled her eyes. “Besides, I haven’t even married into your family yet. What does your nephew have to do with me? Return the money.”
Zhou Weidong’s face darkened.
“We’re getting married soon. Do you really have to be this petty?”
Song Xuezhi nodded.
“That’s right. I’m exactly this petty. If you don’t return the money today, I’ll take this straight to your military unit. If there’s not a single cent left, let’s see whether this marriage is still worth having.”
“You—!”
Before Zhou Weidong could continue, Zhou Yuwei suddenly dropped to her knees with a thud and knocked her forehead heavily against the floor.
“Sister-in-law, I’m sorry. It’s all my fault. Yesterday I accidentally pushed you into the river. You can make me do anything, but please save my Yier…” When she lifted her head, tears were streaming down her face.
Zhou Yuwei was actually rather pretty. With her long black hair and bangs, if she hadn’t spent years being tanned by the sun while living in the countryside, she would have looked like a delicate young lady from a respectable family.
When she cried, she looked especially pitiful.
Watching her, Zhou Weidong felt as though a giant hand had seized his heart.
Turning to Song Xuezhi, he spoke reproachfully.
“Are you really this cold-hearted? Are you going to stand by and watch your nephew die?”
Song Xuezhi spread her hands.
“Yep. That’s exactly the kind of person I am. So hurry up and return my dowry money. Then we can go our separate ways.”
“Stop talking nonsense!” A strange irritation surged inside Zhou Weidong.
He couldn’t understand why she had suddenly changed.
The old Song Xuezhi would have understood immediately if she learned the money was being used for Yier’s medical treatment. She loved children and had always cared for Yier…
“Fine. If you won’t give me the money, I’ll go collect it from your military unit myself.” Song Xuezhi no longer wanted to waste time arguing and turned to leave.
As a regiment commander, Zhou Weidong earned eighty yuan a month before various allowances. If she went directly to his superiors and requested an advance on his salary, three months would be enough to repay the debt.
“Have you lost your mind?” Zhou Weidong started after her but was stopped when Zhou Yuwei tugged on his sleeve.
“Brother, Sister-in-law is probably just angry. She’s always been reasonable and considerate. She’s probably only trying to scare you. There’s no way she’d really go to your unit and make a scene.”
Hearing this, Zhou Weidong visibly relaxed.
Deep down, he felt the same way.
Family scandals should never be aired in public.
If Song Xuezhi really did something like that, how could their relationship end with any dignity? She cared too much about appearances.
Zhou Yuwei added,
“But just to be safe, maybe you should give your leaders a heads-up.”
“No need.” Zhou Weidong shook his head. “We haven’t officially registered our marriage yet. No matter how much she makes a fuss, she can’t withdraw money in my name.”
“Brother, I’m sorry. I’ve dragged you both down.”
“Don’t say that. We’re family.”
He patted her head, then suddenly remembered her admission about accidentally pushing Song Xuezhi into the river.
For a moment, he froze.
So… had he misunderstood Xuezhi?
Song Xuezhi wasn’t in a hurry to go to the military unit.
First, it was a rest day. The military was on leave, and she would likely make the trip for nothing.
Second, she had other matters to handle.
She decided to go the next day and, while she was at it, intercept the military marriage application she and Zhou Weidong had submitted.
Knowing full well that disaster lay ahead, she had no intention of walking into it.
No matter what happened in this lifetime, she would never marry Zhou Weidong.
While packing her belongings by her hospital bed, she glanced at the empty bedside table and thought of the apples Zhou Weidong had peeled for Zhou Yuwei and the oranges sitting in her basket.
She pressed her lips together.
He always claimed he had no money, yet when it came to spending on his sister, he never hesitated.
In those days, fruit was shockingly expensive.
Just as she finished packing and prepared to leave, Zhou Weidong walked in carrying an enamel mug full of sliced apples.
He had a touch of obsessive neatness. Every piece had been cut into perfect little cubes.
“Xuezhi, calm down. I was wrong about today. I shouldn’t have treated you like that this morning. I apologize.”
He set the enamel mug beside her and lowered his head in apology.
Song Xuezhi glanced at it.
For some reason, she felt as though those were leftovers from Zhou Yuwei.
“I told you from the beginning. She pushed me into the river on purpose, but you didn’t believe me.”
Zhou Weidong frowned.
“She already explained it wasn’t intentional. It was an accident.”
“Right, right. When it’s her, it’s an accident. When it’s me, it’s deliberate.” Song Xuezhi couldn’t even be bothered arguing anymore.
This man’s favoritism stretched all the way across the Pacific Ocean.
She used to wonder how any man could cherish his sister a hundred times more than his wife.
Now she realized there had been signs all along.
Zhou Weidong looked displeased.
“Can’t you talk normally for once? Why do you always have to be sarcastic?”
Song Xuezhi studied him, then sneered.
“Is Zhou Yuwei really your biological sister? Sometimes I wonder if she’s actually the woman you love.”
“What nonsense are you talking about?”
His face darkened instantly.
“You’re being ridiculous. I watched Yuwei being born with my own eyes. She’s my biological sister. Stop imagining things.”
Observing his reaction, Song Xuezhi suddenly felt certain that Zhou Weidong still didn’t know he and Zhou Yuwei weren’t related by blood.
And he truly didn’t know.
At this point, his feelings toward Zhou Yuwei were still purely those of an older brother.
Perhaps there was the faintest trace of something more, but even he hadn’t recognized it yet.
“Oh, right. Were you the one who pulled me out of the river yesterday?” Song Xuezhi asked.
Zhou Weidong looked puzzled.
“Didn’t you climb out by yourself?”
Song Xuezhi fell silent.
She had grown up in an inland city and couldn’t swim at all.
His answer confirmed what she had already suspected.
The person who had saved her wasn’t him.
“You should go take care of your sister instead of pretending to care about me here.”
Without realizing it, tears began filling her eyes.
Thinking about the three years she had wasted on him made her feel like she had thrown her youth away for nothing.
Seeing her cry, Zhou Weidong froze and immediately became flustered.
“Xuezhi, I’m sorry. My sister can’t swim well, so I had to save her first. If I could have, I would’ve saved you too…”
“Did it ever occur to you that I can’t swim either?”
Her voice was quiet, tinged with mockery.
They had been together for three years.
Yet Zhou Weidong hadn’t even known she couldn’t swim.
“What did you say?” He hadn’t heard her clearly.
Song Xuezhi shoved him away and ran out.
She was afraid that if she stayed any longer, she would completely break down.
Crying over a scumbag like him simply wasn’t worth it.
As she hurried down the staircase, she wasn’t paying attention and collided with someone in front of her, nearly losing her balance.
“Careful.”
A deep, clear voice sounded beside her. It sounded young.
A large hand wrapped around her waist and steadied her.
Song Xuezhi looked up.
The first thing she noticed was the insignia on the shoulder of the man’s green military uniform.
Two bars and four stars.
A senior colonel.
At the very least, someone holding a division-level position.
Because Zhou Weidong was in the military, she knew a little about military ranks.
At twenty-five years old, Zhou Weidong’s promotion to regiment commander already made him exceptionally accomplished.
Yet this man looked even younger.
Was he actually Zhou Weidong’s superior?