Jiang Zhixun heard every word of the phone call clearly.
Applying to be transferred back to the capital—that was his mother’s idea alone.
Three years in the northwest, and he felt it was just fine.
From now on, he would return home every year to visit family.
As for Shen Qingqing, the choice was in her hands.
She could file for divorce at any time, and he would never stand in her way.
On the other end of the line, his mother rambled on at length, her words repeatedly reminding Shen Qingqing to support his career.
Don’t cause trouble, don’t make problems for him…
She also brought up the past, mentioning the friendship between the Jiang and Shen families, and how the family had looked after Shen Qingqing since she came to the Jiang household.
Finally, she told Shen Qingqing that this marriage had started off poorly, and if she wanted a good outcome, she would have to put in the effort.
She urged her not to be stubborn—the difficulties before her were temporary, and everything would be fine once they returned to the capital.
Shen Qingqing barely had a chance to speak.
Jiang Zhixun saw her standing there looking dazed, the receiver in her hand nearly slipping from her grip.
As if she had suffered a tremendous blow, or as if she still hadn’t recovered from her illness, she seemed to barely have the strength to stand.
Without hesitation, he reached out and took the receiver.
“She can do whatever she wants. Don’t fill her head with all this.”
Mother Jiang had talked herself hoarse, only to have Shen Qingqing say nothing at all and her son show no appreciation.
“Isn’t this all for your own good? If people in the northwest found out what happened when you two got married, wouldn’t they laugh you to death?”
Jiang Zhixun’s tone was flat. “We didn’t steal or rob. What’s there to laugh about?”
Mother Jiang was left speechless.
“Anyway, you two get along well and have a child as soon as possible. Once there’s a child, carrying on like before would be unthinkable.”
Jiang Zhixun glanced at Shen Qingqing.
Whether it was his imagination or not, he caught a fleeting glimmer of tears.
Without another word, he hung up the phone directly.
“Rest at the guesthouse for a couple of days first.”
Shen Qingqing looked up at him—no grievance, no deliberate distance, no emotion at all.
Meeting her hollow gaze, Jiang Zhixun felt his heart suddenly tighten.
His thin lips pressed together, and the words about sending her back to the capital inexplicably died in his throat.
It was at this moment that Jiang Zhixun suddenly began to understand why Shen Qingqing had chosen to move out of the compound and live alone.
When he wasn’t home, all that pressure fell on her alone.
The more he thought about it, the deeper his brow furrowed.
The restless irritation was nearly impossible to contain.
Shen Qingqing asked expressionlessly, “When are you applying to return to the capital? How long do I need to go along with this?”
Jiang Zhixun knew she had taken his mother’s words to heart.
The hand hanging at his side clenched and unclenched, but he didn’t state his plans outright.
Nor did he bring up taking Shen Qingqing to the train station again.
His expression was calm, reverting to the cold, distant demeanor he’d had when they first met.
“I’ll return to the capital with you for the New Year. I’ll handle the elders.”
“Fine, then we’ll wait until the New Year.”
A month was all—she could wait that long!
With that, Shen Qingqing left the hospital first.
Jiang Zhixun followed behind, the distance between them too great. Though they were husband and wife, they looked more like strangers.
Back at the guesthouse, Jiang Zhixun placed the medicine in a visible spot.
He also fetched a pot of hot water, warmed up the steamed buns in the lunchbox, and set them out in plain sight.
Given their relationship, sharing a room felt awkward.
Without waiting for Shen Qingqing to say anything, Jiang Zhixun left the things and headed out.
The door closed with a soft click.
Then the sound of footsteps faded into the distance, never pausing, soon inaudible.
Shen Qingqing sat alone on the edge of the bed, staring blankly at the steam rising from the cup.
After who knows how long, she took a small notebook from her coat pocket.
She jotted down Mother Jiang’s demands.
Then she wrote two more words at the end.
Divorce!
Jiang Zhixun left the guesthouse but didn’t head straight back to the dormitory.
Instead, he made a phone call to look into what had happened to Shen Qingqing on the train.
Learning that she’d been followed by a hooligan into the restroom and had been in a physical struggle, the cold fury radiating from Jiang Zhixun was impossible to suppress.
“Comrade Shen reacted quickly and stayed calm. She helped the conductor catch the molester, got off the train midway, and handed him over to the police station.”
On his way back to the dormitory, Jiang Zhixun thought—no wonder she kept crying this time.
She was so different from the gently smiling woman she used to be.
So she really had been wronged.
The more he thought, the angrier he grew.
If he hadn’t noticed the injury on Shen Qingqing’s arm, would she have kept it hidden forever, never telling him about the trouble she’d faced?
She’d even been running a fever, yet she hadn’t mentioned a word when they met at the cafeteria.
The more he thought, the angrier Jiang Zhixun became, and he turned back to the guesthouse.
But he calmed down as he climbed the stairs.
What could he say to Shen Qingqing?
Scold her a little?
But she was the victim. She was already so wronged—being scolded would definitely make her cry.
He stood at the stairwell for a few minutes, then turned and went to the front desk.
“My… wife isn’t feeling well. Please keep an eye on her condition for me.”
He glanced at his watch. “Knock on her door every two hours. If her fever doesn’t go down, take her to the hospital for me first.”
…
Shen Qingqing hadn’t been there long, but the news that she was Jiang Zhixun’s wife had already spread throughout the compound.
Several of his comrades had witnessed what happened not long ago.
At first, they’d assumed the couple’s relationship wasn’t good.
But then Jiang Zhixun had taken her to the hospital, fussing over her every step of the way—worried she might go hungry, he’d even made a special trip to the cafeteria to buy her food.
The nervousness didn’t look fake.
They’d thought the couple had already made up, but then Jiang Zhixun left her at the guesthouse and went back to his own quarters.
Everyone felt a sense of frustration, like iron that refused to become steel.
“Old Jiang, your wife came all the way from the capital to see you—why don’t you spend more time with her?”
“She doesn’t know anyone here. Staying alone at the guesthouse, Comrade Shen might get scared.”
“I heard Comrade Shen is sick. Someone ran into you two at the hospital—how is she doing? If you’re not there watching over her, won’t there be problems?”
Jiang Zhixun sat at the table, picking up a book, refusing to answer these questions. Someone timidly reminded him, “Old Jiang… your book’s upside down…”
Jiang Zhixun’s mind was in a mess. He truly hadn’t expected Shen Qingqing to show up here.
He put the book down in a huff, sitting there in silence, cold air radiating off him.
“Old Jiang, did you two have a fight?”
Before Jiang Zhixun could respond, someone jumped in, “Comrade Shen seems pretty even-tempered—she probably wouldn’t start a fight. It’s Old Jiang who hasn’t given her a kind look since they met. I bet Comrade Shen didn’t want to deal with his cold face and sent him packing.”
Teased by the others, Jiang Zhixun didn’t bother to explain.
He felt restless inside, unsure whether keeping Shen Qingqing here had been the right call or a mistake.
If she recovered and brought up the matter of having a child again…
Just thinking about it gave Jiang Zhixun a headache.
If he changed his mind now and sent her back to the capital, would Shen Qingqing make a scene?
Seeing Jiang Zhixun’s grim, troubled expression, like he was facing some enormous dilemma, his comrades started offering suggestions.
“Comrade Shen is sick—she definitely wants someone by her side. If you go take care of her now, that’s points in your favor. Once she gets better, she’ll naturally forgive you.”
Jiang Zhixun snorted. “I haven’t done anything wrong by her. Why would I need forgiveness?”
His comrade’s expression turned complicated. “How long has it been since you went home? If Comrade Shen hadn’t come looking for you herself, we wouldn’t even have known you were married. That alone is pretty hurtful—you tell me, is that fair to her?”
“And at the cafeteria, when Comrade Lin was talking to her like that, you didn’t even step in. Your wife must have felt so wronged inside.”
Jiang Zhixun didn’t want to discuss his business with Shen Qingqing with anyone.
Lin Fengmian had nothing to do with him either.
If she’d done something wrong, the Lin family would deal with her.
He silently counted the time in his head.
Just one month.
Once he sent Shen Qingqing back to the capital, everything would be fine.