Even though he had been forced into the situation, he did not resent Qin Mingzhi.
If anyone was to blame, it was himself for being too careless and falling into Qin Mengxue’s trap.
It was only natural that she couldn’t tolerate it.
In fact, he even felt deeply sorry for Qin Mingzhi.
She had once liked him so much, yet because of this one incident, her feelings for him had vanished overnight without a trace.
She must have been terribly disappointed in him, hadn’t she?
Xiao Xingjie stared at Qin Mingzhi with a complicated look. The apology was already on the tip of his tongue, but somehow, he couldn’t bring himself to say it.
If he apologized now, Qin Mingzhi would probably think he was only trying to make one last attempt to save their marriage and would see him as hypocritical.
All his guilt and regret turned into a bitter smile.
Looking at the expression on his face—three parts apology, three parts bitter amusement, and two parts self-blame—Qin Mingzhi curled her lips in disgust.
What was he even trying to act out this time?
His expression looked like some kind of mixed platter.
Xiao Xingjie had never shown her such an expression before.
He had always acted superior, as though he looked down on her.
Compared to that, Qin Mingzhi found his current behavior even more nauseating.
Whether his feelings were genuine or he was merely putting on an act, it disgusted her all the same.
In her previous life, she had always believed that although the two of them had grown somewhat unfamiliar because they rarely saw each other, they could slowly develop feelings for one another after marriage.
But in the end, his coldness, indifference, and disgust had shattered every bit of hope she had until nothing remained but numbness.
She had done so much for him and his family, yet in his eyes, none of it had been worth a thing.
If he hadn’t been afraid of ruining his future by defying Old Master Xiao’s marriage arrangement and divorcing her, he probably would have abandoned her long ago, without even sparing her a second glance.
To him, his own interests and future mattered more than anything else.
Qin Mingzhi didn’t believe Xiao Xingjie truly loved his so-called first love, Luo Yueyin, either.
If he really loved Luo Yueyin, then why would he fulfill a marriage arrangement with a woman he didn’t love simply for the sake of his own interests?
He should have fought against the arrangement to the very end instead of claiming that he had been “forced” into marriage.
Loving one person while marrying another was, in itself, a form of emotional betrayal, no matter the reason.
If Xiao Xingjie had to choose between Luo Yueyin and his future in the military, Qin Mingzhi was certain that he would choose his future without the slightest hesitation.
Put simply, the person Xiao Xingjie loved most was himself.
That was why Luo Yueyin had been so eager to have a child with him in her previous life.
She wanted to tie Xiao Xingjie to her as tightly as possible, giving herself another bargaining chip to keep his heart on her side.
The more chips she had, the greater her chances of marrying Xiao Xingjie.
She simply hadn’t expected that in her previous life, Luo Yueyin would be the woman fighting her for the position of Xiao Xingjie’s wife, while in this life, another one had appeared—Qin Mengxue.
A pile of shit, and two women were fighting over the privilege of eating it.
Qin Mingzhi couldn’t help but smile.
Perhaps this was for the best.
She had Qin Mengxue to thank. Otherwise, she wouldn’t have known how to get rid of this pile of shit.
Qin Mengxue had better spend the rest of her life happily married to that scumbag Xiao Xingjie.
Preferably, the two of them could be locked together forever.
After all, Qin Mengxue’s life wouldn’t be boring for long.
Luo Yueyin would appear soon enough.
Qin Mengxue loved fighting for things, didn’t she?
Well, then she could fight to her heart’s content.
Qin Mingzhi wondered which of the two idiots would have the better tricks up her sleeve.
She was already looking forward to watching these two women tear each other apart.
With a satisfied smile on her face, Qin Mingzhi completely ignored Xiao Xingjie’s constipated-looking expression.
“One o’clock this afternoon. In front of the Civil Affairs Bureau. Don’t be late.”
Before leaving, Qin Mingzhi didn’t forget to deliver one final warning.
“If you don’t show up, I’ll just turn around and go straight to Grandpa Xiao’s house~”
With that, she smiled and walked away, her footsteps light and carefree.
She was like a bird that had been trapped for far too long and had suddenly regained its freedom, spreading its wings and soaring into the sky.
She seemed completely rejuvenated, brimming with vitality.
It was as if she were truly running toward a better life.
Without realizing it, Xiao Xingjie followed her for several steps. He then leaned against the doorframe and watched Qin Mingzhi’s retreating figure grow farther and farther away.
She really was… very different from the woman she used to be.
Not long after Qin Mingzhi left, Jiang Yuying hurried over. As she walked toward the courtyard, she was still grumbling and cursing under her breath.
“That dead girl Qin Mengxue acts as if she’s already guaranteed to marry into our family.”
“Nothing has even been settled yet, and she’s already walking around with her nose in the air whenever she sees us. If we really agree to this marriage, will your father and I ever have a peaceful life again?”
Xiao Hengshan was also red with anger.
“That girl isn’t wife material at all. Just look at how much makeup she wears. Once she’s married, she’ll definitely be a troublemaker!”
“If we really bring her into this family, we’ll never have a peaceful day again!”
The old couple went back and forth, each adding another complaint. The more they thought about it, the angrier they became, until they were practically ready to rush over and beat Qin Mengxue to death.
“She’s nothing but a disaster!”
As they continued talking, they reached Xiao Xingjie’s courtyard. The moment they looked up and saw their son leaning against the doorframe, lost in thought, Jiang Yuying quickly hurried over.
“Xingjie, how did your talk go? I saw Qin Mingzhi leave just now. Did you two come to any conclusion?”
Xiao Xingjie withdrew his gaze, his eyes somewhat unfocused.
“I’ve agreed to the divorce.”
“What?!”
“Why would you agree to that? Oh, what a foolish son! You could have just kept dragging it out. Once you joined the army, what could she possibly do?”
“Qin Mingzhi likes you so much. She’ll definitely listen to you. There’s no way she’ll be able to resist if you talk to her.”
“You obviously didn’t say the right things! I’ll go get Qin Mingzhi right now. You two can talk it over again!”
Jiang Yuying turned around and was about to leave, but when she looked back, she noticed Qin Mengxue standing at the doorway, secretly eavesdropping. The corners of her mouth were practically stretched to the back of her head with delight.
Xiao Xingjie wearily stopped Jiang Yuying.
“There’s no need. It won’t make any difference.”
“Mingzhi has made up her mind to divorce me. If I refuse, she’ll take this matter to Great-Grandpa. She even said she’d write a letter to my military unit…”
Jiang Yuying’s eyes widened in disbelief.
“This… This dead girl has become so assertive now?”
Then she turned around and glared fiercely at Qin Mengxue.
“What are you doing eavesdropping over there? Who told you to come here? Don’t you have any manners?”
“Get out of here!”
Qin Mengxue secretly curled her lips, then walked over and tried to put on another pitiful act in front of Xiao Xingjie.
Xiao Xingjie felt a headache just looking at her. He closed his eyes briefly.
“Enough. Things have already gotten this far. There’s no need to keep putting on an act, is there?”
Qin Mengxue wasn’t even worthy of being compared with Qin Mingzhi’s little finger. She was pretentious and disgusting.
At the mention of Qin Mingzhi, Xiao Xingjie suddenly remembered something.
Before the wedding, she had practically moved all of her belongings over to his house.
If they were getting divorced this afternoon, she couldn’t possibly drag all those things with her to the Civil Affairs Bureau and then take everything away immediately after the divorce, could she?
She would have to come back first.