Xiao Xingjie was genuinely angry.
Qin Mengxue immediately reined herself in. Though unwilling, she shot Qin Mingzhi a resentful look from the corner of her eye before turning around and leaving.
At last, only the two of them remained in the courtyard.
Xiao Xingjie let out a long breath, trying his best to calm himself down.
“Mingzhi, actually, Qin Mengxue and I—”
Qin Mingzhi immediately took a step back and raised a hand, signaling that he did not need to say anything more.
“I know what you’re trying to explain, but I don’t want to hear it.”
“I only have one question for you. You don’t actually love me, do you? There’s someone else you like, isn’t there?”
Xiao Xingjie froze. He stared at Qin Mingzhi in disbelief, rendered speechless.
Her gaze seemed to see straight through everything, making it impossible for him to come up with even a lie.
Qin Mingzhi curled her lips into a mocking smile.
“Some things happened, and that’s a fact. There’s no point in trying to argue your way out of it with me.”
Although she said this aloud, memories of how she had been cruelly betrayed in her previous life surfaced before her eyes.
“Besides, this morning, I saw exactly what your mother was like when she shouted at me for not getting up to make breakfast and for not standing at the door waiting to serve her tea.”
“Speaking of which, I should actually thank Qin Mengxue. If it weren’t for her, I never would have known what kind of man I married—or what kind of parents-in-law I married into.”
“If the person I marry doesn’t have me as the most important person in his heart, if he doesn’t love me, then I don’t want him even if he’s worth a mountain of gold.”
Having been given a second chance at life, she would never compromise herself again.
This time, she would keep her eyes wide open and stay far away from rotten men!
Xiao Xingjie pinched the bridge of his nose, his mind a complete mess. For a moment, he had no idea how to deal with the situation.
He had never expected Qin Mingzhi to figure out that he had feelings for someone else.
Had she really become this perceptive?
She seemed… much smarter and sharper than he had imagined.
Unable to think of a solution, he instinctively wanted to stall, hoping to buy himself more time to figure out what to do.
He turned away evasively, walked to the table, and poured Qin Mingzhi a cup of tea.
“Have some tea. We can talk about this slowly.”
Qin Mingzhi rolled her eyes.
He was still the same. Whenever something happened, all he knew how to do was drag things out.
He had done the exact same thing in her previous life, dragging their marriage out for three whole years before eventually bringing his mistress and her child home.
Qin Mingzhi could take it no longer and directly exposed his intentions.
“Even if you drag this out forever, my answer will remain the same. I have to divorce you, and I have to get the divorce certificate this afternoon.”
“Otherwise, don’t blame me for making this matter public.”
“If you don’t care about your future in the military, then go ahead and keep dragging it out.”
“I can guarantee that for every additional day you drag this out, more people will find out about what happened.”
“If you drag this out until you return to your unit, I’ll write a letter to your commanding officers and explain exactly what happened.”
Xiao Xingjie’s brows suddenly furrowed. He stared at Qin Mingzhi in disbelief.
“You… Are you trying to ruin me?”
“Ruin you?”
A bone-chilling coldness crept into the corners of Qin Mingzhi’s eyes and brows. Her gaze was so deep and cold that it was frightening.
“You were already planning to ruin my life with this marriage. Compared to what you’ve done, what I’m doing is nothing.”
Xiao Xingjie closed his eyes, a trace of guilt flashing through him.
Seeing that he had nothing left to say, Qin Mingzhi turned her head away and began discussing the terms.
“After we divorce, you and I will have nothing to do with each other ever again. But I won’t return the betrothal gifts. After all, I’m the one who suffered a loss last night. The fact that I’m not asking you to compensate me for emotional damages is already generous enough.”
Thinking about how she had worked herself to the bone for his family in her previous life, only to be betrayed in the end and die such a miserable death, Qin Mingzhi felt a deep ache in her heart.
For the three years Xiao Xingjie had left her behind, Jiang Yuying and Xiao Hengshan had tormented her relentlessly. Every day, she was forced out of bed before dawn to work like a beast.
She had to boil water, wash clothes, brew tea, prepare meals, carry the freshly brewed tea to Jiang Yuying’s door and wait there to serve her, clean Jiang Yuying’s room, and keep the entire courtyard spotless.
On top of that, Jiang Yuying always had some chore for her to do.
Today, she would order Qin Mingzhi to help a friend build a house. Tomorrow, another friend would need someone to clean their home.
She was nothing more than free labor, being ordered around from morning till night.
And even after all that, Jiang Yuying was often dissatisfied with her. Whenever something displeased her, she would glare at Qin Mingzhi and curse her.
Qin Mingzhi had once believed that all her efforts would at least earn her a little sincerity and win Xiao Xingjie’s appreciation.
Instead, she had been betrayed, abandoned, and deceived.
She had been nothing but a joke.
She had foolishly done so much for them in her previous life. Even if they had hired a housekeeper, they would have had to pay a huge amount of money.
The tiny amount of betrothal money she was keeping this time was already a bargain for their family.
The money she should have been paid just for washing their clothes and cooking every day was worth more than that.
Not to mention how she had constantly stayed up day and night caring for Jiang Yuying and Xiao Hengshan whenever they fell ill. She had worked herself so hard at such a young age that she had developed a head full of gray hair.
Her entire life had been bitterer than bitter melon.
All that exhaustion and suffering could never be made up for.
Qin Mingzhi clicked her tongue inwardly, suddenly regretting that she had only asked to keep the betrothal gifts.
She had really gotten the short end of the stick.
Xiao Xingjie held the cup in his hand and took a sip of water, but it did nothing to settle the chaos in his mind.
He didn’t know what choice to make anymore.
So many people had witnessed what happened between him and Qin Mengxue. He was afraid that within two days, everyone would know about it.
If he divorced Qin Mingzhi now and became single again, Qin Mengxue would undoubtedly find every possible way to get close to him and force him to marry her.
If he refused, there was no telling what underhanded methods a woman like Qin Mengxue might use to threaten him.
If the matter were reported, he could be charged with hooliganism, and his military career would still be ruined.
Xiao Xingjie felt truly trapped between a rock and a hard place.
If Qin Mingzhi were willing to testify that she had been the one with him last night, claiming that Qin Mengxue had only come in early that morning, then without evidence, Qin Mengxue would have no way to prove what had happened the previous night.
Even if the police investigated, he could shift all the blame onto Qin Mingzhi, claiming that they had quarreled and that Qin Mingzhi had deliberately arranged for her younger sister to come over, then summoned relatives and neighbors to humiliate him.
In the end, the matter would simply be classified as a family dispute.
That was the best possible solution.
Although it was morally reprehensible, if Qin Mingzhi were willing to cooperate, he would find a way to compensate her generously afterward and do his best to treat her well.
But… judging from the situation now, there was no way Qin Mingzhi would stand on his side.
Xiao Xingjie frowned deeply as he thought about what to do.
Qin Mingzhi watched him coldly.
“You can think of as many schemes as you want. It won’t make any difference. My position isn’t going to change.”
“If you insist on dragging this out, that’s fine too.”
Xiao Xingjie froze, a flicker of hope appearing in his eyes.
Qin Mingzhi looked at him with an almost mocking smile.
“Then I’ll go ask Grandpa Xiao to decide this matter.”
Xiao Xingjie’s heart sank again, and that tiny glimmer of hope in his eyes vanished completely. His expression turned ashen.
If his great-grandfather found out about this, how would that be any different from destroying his own future?
Without someone willing to support and advance his career, how could he possibly have a bright future in the military?
After weighing both sides, Xiao Xingjie realized he had no choice. He nodded weakly.
“Fine… I agree to the divorce.”