Mu Xiaocao raised an eyebrow.
“Unless it’s about divorce or money, there’s nothing to talk about.”
Liu Guoqiang didn’t say a word, dragging her toward the house.
To her surprise, as soon as they stepped through the door, Liu Guoqiang picked her up and pinned her down onto the sofa.
“Liu Guoqiang, what are you trying to do?”
Startled, Mu Xiaocao quickly reached out to push against his chest.
The sofa was made of wood and wasn’t soft like those in later generations; it dug painfully into the bones of Mu Xiaocao’s back.
“You’re asking me what I’m doing!”
He hadn’t eaten last night, and during the night, he had been pushed to the point of exhaustion by Qin Muyang during an emergency assembly. Qin Muyang had used the excuse of training to land several heavy punches on him.
It was nearly midnight by the time he returned home, only to find the kitchen cold and the stove empty, without even a drop of hot water.
He was a man with a wife—why was his life more pitiful than those of his unmarried comrades?
No one to care for him, no one to ask after him—why was this woman so heartless?
If he weren’t afraid of people gossiping, he would have gone to find Hu Lili long ago.
Liu Guoqiang pinned Mu Xiaocao’s hands above her head, a fierce look in his eyes.
“Didn’t you go around telling everyone that I haven’t consummated our marriage in three years? Today, I’ll satisfy you!”
Mu Xiaocao struggled desperately.
With her hands restrained and her legs pinned down by Liu Guoqiang’s heavy thighs, two buttons on the front of her chest popped off during the struggle.
Mu Xiaocao hadn’t dressed herself up; she was just wearing a floral padded jacket. She didn’t have a sweater underneath, only a cotton undergarment against her skin.
She wasn’t good at dressing up, but her figure was actually quite excellent.
Her skin, which had rarely seen the sun, was as fair and lustrous as jade.
Especially with the two pale, full mounds on her chest no longer restrained by the buttons, they trembled on the verge of spilling out. This sight caused Liu Guoqiang to suddenly feel a parched dryness in his throat, and a surge of wicked heat involuntarily rushed through his body.
His eyes darkened, and he lowered his head, intending to kiss her.
Mu Xiaocao felt only intense revulsion. She deliberately shouted loudly, “Liu Guoqiang, let me go! If you dare touch me even once, you can forget about ever wearing that military uniform again. If you don’t believe me, just try it!”
The man’s mind was muddled at the moment, but he still possessed the necessary awareness of his position.
Sure enough, Liu Guoqiang froze. After a long moment, he slowly straightened up, released Mu Xiaocao, and breathed heavily.
However, the sight of Mu Xiaocao’s jade-like skin kept flickering before his eyes, making his throat dry. He didn’t dare look at her again.
Mu Xiaocao grabbed the man’s military greatcoat from the clothes rack and wrapped it around herself.
“Liu Guoqiang, you’re shameless!”
Liu Guoqiang suppressed the impulse in his heart and sneered, “Why act so innocent? Isn’t this exactly what you wanted?”
He regained his composure and looked at Mu Xiaocao with feigned nonchalance.
“I didn’t realize your figure wasn’t bad at all.”
Mu Xiaocao glared at him coldly.
“Yes, I wanted it before, but now, I don’t.”
Before coming here, perhaps she still held a glimmer of hope. But now, she only wanted a divorce.
Liu Guoqiang didn’t believe her.
“On one hand, you talk about divorce, and on the other, you turn around and find Qin Muyang to suppress me. Mu Xiaocao, do you have any shame at all? You actually had the nerve to go and complain to another man about this kind of thing.”
Mu Xiaocao: “…”
Qin Muyang?
Qin Su’s uncle?
What did this have to do with him!
“You’re the one who did wrong and refuses to repent. Liu Guoqiang, the shameless one is you.”
Liu Guoqiang snorted coldly.
“Mu Xiaocao, what did I do wrong? Living a life together is a process. We became a family without any emotional foundation; you can’t force me to accept you immediately. Certain things only happen naturally when there’s mutual affection—only then would I do that kind of thing with you. Besides, I’m a soldier. I often have to participate in intensive training and go on missions. I don’t have time to go back and see you often.”
“Liu Guoqiang, don’t use your lack of affection as an excuse. You don’t have time to come home to see me, yet how do you have the time to keep Hu Lili company? The two of you are neighbors; have you seen her any less than me? I’ve finally realized—in the end, you just don’t like me. You only married me to fulfill your parents’ wishes. But congratulations, maybe by tomorrow you’ll be free. In the future, you can be with whoever you like. I will disappear from your world.”
Mu Xiaocao turned away, her eyes stinging slightly, but more than anything, she felt a sense of relief.
Liu Guoqiang straightened his clothes, gave the stubborn Mu Xiaocao a long look, and then slammed the door as he left the Family Compound.
He could refrain from touching her, but he would never believe for a second that Mu Xiaocao would actually divorce him. He thought it was just a tactic of retreating to advance, a way to force him to submit.
“Brother Qiang, did you… argue again?”
Outside the courtyard, Hu Lili met the grim-faced Liu Guoqiang.
“Xiao Cao is really something else. How can she stay at someone else’s house and ignore her own husband? I’ll go try to talk some sense into her.”
“Don’t worry about it. The more we care, the more she takes a mile when given an inch.”
Back at the Regiment Headquarters, Lu Gang walked over and asked with a strange expression, “Battalion Commander Liu, is your wife really going to divorce you? Tell me honestly, you and Hu Lili…”
Irritated, Liu Guoqiang shoved him aside.
“Lu Gang, don’t talk nonsense. We are revolutionary soldiers; try to say less of those things that slander people’s reputations.”
“Battalion Commander Liu, I don’t want to meddle in your business. But you’ve caused such a scene involving my mother; as your colleague, it’s hard for me to deal with people pointing fingers. Right now, you’re the most promising candidate for the promotion to Deputy Regimental Commander. I don’t want anything bad to happen to you at this critical juncture.”
Lu Gang actually admired Liu Guoqiang. But competition in the military was fierce; a bit of groundless rumor could ruin one’s future. Not to mention, this was a conduct issue for Liu Guoqiang. If this continued, it would surely reach the ears of the leadership.
After leaving Liu Guoqiang’s place in the Family Compound, Mu Xiaocao went back to change her clothes and then went to Commissar Wang’s office.
But he still wasn’t there.
Upon inquiring, she learned that Commissar Wang had gone to the Military District for a meeting and wouldn’t be back until the day after tomorrow.
Mu Xiaocao was a bit anxious. Military marriages were difficult to dissolve, but no matter how hard it was, she didn’t want to live with Liu Guoqiang anymore. She didn’t want to experience those pains all over again—otherwise, what would be the point of living this life a second time?
Unable to find Commissar Wang, Mu Xiaocao decided to head back.
With nothing to do once she returned, she sat by the window to read. If she could get into university in her past life, she could do it in this one too.
Moreover, she wasn’t sure if it was just her imagination, but she felt that having a second chance at life had significantly improved both her intelligence and physical condition.
Also, she discovered that she had grown even more beautiful than in her previous life.
How should she put it? Her features were the same as before, but her skin was much fairer, and her figure was curvy in all the right places and slender where it should be—it was essentially what later generations would call a “devilish figure.”
If she were to put on those expensive clothes Hu Lili wore, she would look much better than that woman.
It was just that she didn’t care to compete.
Although many people said that comparison leads to progress, Mu Xiaocao felt there was no need to compare herself with others, and even less need to stand in the shadow of her own troubles while looking up at someone else’s happiness.