Jiang Zhixun guessed that Shen Qingqing had come all the way to the Northwest to have a child with him.
After all, his mother had already brought up the matter before.
The moment she said “guesthouse,” his mind immediately jumped to what having a child required.
The look Jiang Zhixun gave Shen Qingqing turned subtle, tinged with a hint of inexplicable irritation.
“That urgent?”
“Yes, very urgent.”
Jiang Zhixun stared at Shen Qingqing for a few seconds, then worked his jaw.
Finally, he said flatly, “No time.”
Shen Qingqing grew anxious. “I really have something important!”
If it were something important, she should have called instead of traveling all the way from the capital to the Northwest.
Three years without seeing each other, and the first thing she does is come to have a child—what did she take him for?
Jiang Zhixun repeated himself. “After the meal, I’ll take you to the train station. This isn’t the place for you.”
Shen Qingqing’s eyes grew slightly moist.
She knew she wasn’t welcome, and she hadn’t planned to stay long.
She just wanted a divorce.
“Just half an hour.”
Her expression was so aggrieved, yet her eyes shimmered with a stubborn glint.
As if to say, if he didn’t agree, she would fight him to the bitter end.
Jiang Zhixun ground his molars.
He set down his chopsticks, and the look he cast at Shen Qingqing held no warmth whatsoever.
His long legs stretched out casually, exuding an air of nonchalance.
“Will half an hour be enough?”
Shen Qingqing didn’t think he was softening or showing mercy to have a proper talk with her.
She turned her head away and, under the pretense of adjusting her scarf, quietly let out a breath.
Only then did she suppress the surging emotions within her.
She didn’t say whether it was enough or not.
Mimicking Jiang Zhixun’s manner, she replied expressionlessly, “Depends on your choice.”
If he agreed to the divorce, maybe they could settle it in less than five minutes.
If he didn’t, then hashing it out would definitely take a while.
The moment this thought arose, Shen Qingqing cast it aside.
Jiang Zhixun should be the one who wanted the divorce most.
Back then, Grandpa Jiang had seen through her feelings and had subtly pushed her and Jiang Zhixun together.
Jiang Zhixun didn’t like her and hadn’t wanted to marry.
It was only because Grandpa Jiang suddenly fell gravely ill that he’d bowed his head, so the old man wouldn’t have any regrets.
Unexpectedly, once they’d gotten their marriage certificate, Grandpa Jiang’s condition improved.
To this day, Jiang Zhixun still believed that they’d conspired to trick him into getting married.
That was why, for these three years, he’d never once called her on his own initiative.
Nor had he written any letters.
He only sent his allowance to her on time every month.
Not more, not less—two hundred yuan a month, and he probably kept a little pocket change for himself.
Shen Qingqing didn’t think Jiang Zhixun did this because he truly regarded her as a revolutionary comrade-in-arms.
Regardless of whose name was on the marriage certificate, given his character, he would hand over his wages.
But that was all.
Winning his heart—that was impossible.
A wave of bitterness suddenly rose in Shen Qingqing’s chest. Jiang Zhixun had never wronged her.
Before the marriage, he’d already said he only saw her as a sister.
After the marriage, though he never came home, he still sent his allowance to her account.
Shen Qingqing lowered her head, half her face buried in her scarf.
So a peaceful divorce was the best choice for them.
She wouldn’t hold back Jiang Zhixun’s future, but she also wouldn’t wait foolishly for him to come home.
Shen Qingqing’s eyelashes were very long. With her eyelids lowered, the two rows of lashes looked like little fans, shielding the expression in her eyes.
Jiang Zhixun couldn’t read her gaze.
Seeing her as meek as a soft bun, he felt a nameless tightness in his chest.
“Did my mother send you?”
Shen Qingqing quickly shook her head. “No, I came on my own.”
Her mother-in-law had mentioned before that she should come find Jiang Zhixun.
But what she’d meant was for her to get pregnant as soon as possible and then return to the capital to rest.
In the older generation’s view, once you married, it was for life.
Though they weren’t optimistic about their marriage, no one had ever suggested she divorce Jiang Zhixun.
Once she had a child, Jiang Zhixun would have no choice but to come home.
Those were her mother-in-law’s exact words.
Setting aside whether Jiang Zhixun would agree, using a child as leverage was something Shen Qingqing couldn’t bring herself to do.
Jiang Zhixun didn’t believe a single word Shen Qingqing said.
Three years—over a thousand days and nights.
If she’d really wanted to come, why wait this long?
For no discernible reason, Jiang Zhixun’s irritation grew. Before Shen Qingqing showed up, he’d been perfectly fine.
Unwilling to let her affect him, his urge to send Shen Qingqing away grew stronger.
He stopped eating altogether and snapped the lunchbox shut.
He stood up to leave.
“I’ll call my mother and tell her my sperm quality is poor, so she can drop the idea of having a grandchild. You go back today—no need to worry about failing your mission.”
Shen Qingqing choked on his words and coughed violently.
Her eyes were wide with shock.
For a moment, she couldn’t tell whether it was because he’d said his sperm quality was poor.
Or because he’d misunderstood why she’d come.
Whether the former was true or not, Shen Qingqing had no idea, but that kind of talk was truly blunt.
And besides, she really hadn’t come to have a child!
Shen Qingqing wanted to speak, but her throat was too irritated to get a single word out.
She was already sick to begin with, and with this fit of coughing, tears welled up in her eyes from sheer physical reflex.
It was miserable.
Jiang Zhixun’s fingers rubbed against the lunchbox a few times, but in the end, he remained rooted to the spot.
He watched Shen Qingqing cough until her face flushed red, crystalline tears sliding down her cheeks to her chin, then dripping into her scarf and disappearing from sight.
Jiang Zhixun had excellent eyesight—even without drawing closer, he could see the redness at the corners of Shen Qingqing’s eyes.
She was beautiful, but her temperament was too gentle. When her eyes turned red, there was something utterly innocent about her.
Jiang Zhixun’s jaw tightened instantly.
His hand gripping the lunchbox also clenched unconsciously.
“Brother Jiang, why are you bullying a female comrade?”
A woman with short hair cut to her ears appeared in his line of sight, wearing a thick padded jacket.
Judging by her attire, she was likely a relative of someone in the compound.
Shen Qingqing, still recovering from her coughing fit, immediately turned sideways, facing away from them.
The redness at the corners of her eyes became even more pronounced.
It was also because of this turn that Jiang Zhixun noticed—compared to three years ago, Shen Qingqing had lost a great deal of weight.
Even bundled in a heavy coat, she looked thin and frail.
Jiang Zhixun recalled what his mother had said.
She had moved out of the compound, saying it was for convenience’s sake for work…
“Brother Jiang, do you know this female comrade?”
“Mm.”
The newcomer was Lin Zhidong’s younger sister.
Seeing that Jiang Zhixun’s gaze remained fixed on the female comrade, Lin Fengmian’s internal alarm bells began ringing loudly.
Her sister-in-law had just given birth, and she had come to the family compound to help with the baby.
That was how she had met Jiang Zhixun.
And she had fallen for him at first sight.
She had seen plenty of female comrades deliberately try to get close to Jiang Zhixun, but he had never paid any of them any mind.
Even when the most beautiful lead performer from the cultural troupe came around, he maintained that same cold, indifferent attitude.
But now, he was actually talking to a female comrade.
And by the looks of it, they shared a considerable history!
Lin Fengmian deliberately blocked Jiang Zhixun’s path, preventing him from approaching the woman who had suddenly appeared.
Her gaze at Shen Qingqing carried curiosity, along with a trace of barely concealed hostility.
Shen Qingqing turned around and caught it directly.
Naturally, she understood—this was yet another admirer of Jiang Zhixun.
Suppressing the bitterness in her heart, Shen Qingqing looked at Jiang Zhixun. “Can we talk alone?”