He Xiaofeng waited for a long while but got no answer.
"Fine, I won't ask." He Xiaofeng flopped onto his own bed. "I'm serious though—are you just going to keep dragging things out with that woman? If you ask me, you should toughen up."
Zhou Yunji didn't respond.
Outside the window, the night was still.
He lay in this dormitory he'd lived in for years, the air clean and cold.
This was his originally peaceful life.
But now, that peace seemed to have been shattered.
The scene from earlier flashed through his mind—
Her sitting on his bed, moonlight falling on her face, those eyes so clean it was almost unreal.
And that line: "You must have thought I was blind back then."
Blind.
She said he wasn't worth it.
Zhou Yunji rubbed his face in irritation.
"Not a lifetime," he said. "We're getting divorced."
"What?"
"She filed for divorce."
He Xiaofeng shot upright, eyes wide as saucers: "Who? Song Yunqing? She filed for divorce?"
Zhou Yunji said nothing.
He Xiaofeng was stunned for a few seconds, then suddenly burst out laughing: "Well, that's a clever move. Playing hard to get? Retreating to advance? Knowing force won't work, so she's switched to psychological warfare?"
Zhou Yunji didn't respond.
Even now, he still couldn't quite believe she actually wanted a divorce.
A woman who would sacrifice even her reputation to marry him—how could she change overnight?
But those eyes…
When Xu Anhao woke the next day, most of the discomfort had faded.
Zhou Yunji hadn't come back.
She heated up leftover rice and made do with a simple meal, then began packing.
It was now August 1977.
In two more months, the news that would change countless people's fates would roll across the land like spring thunder, spreading to every corner of the country.
That was an opportunity she absolutely could not miss.
The original host only had a junior high diploma, which by regulation disqualified her from taking the exam. But as long as she could prove to the brigade that she'd reached high school level and obtain a stamped certificate, she could open that door.
Going back to her adoptive parents' place was the best option—the brigade there had no jurisdiction over her as a "married-out woman," so she wouldn't have to earn work points and would have plenty of time to study.
By the time the divorce certificate was approved, she should have passed the exam.
She believed she could carve out a path for herself in the eighties, that golden era of opportunity.
The luggage was packed quickly.
She left a note, tucked under the thermos:
"Zhou Yunji: I've left. You file the divorce report. When it's approved, I'll come back to sign. Sorry about what happened before. —Xu Anhao"
She picked up her luggage and stood at the door for a moment.
She looked back at the room one last time.
Cramped, cold, without a trace of warmth.
The original host had lived here for a few months and probably hadn't had many comfortable days either.
She gently closed the door.
The latch clicked shut.
That afternoon after training, Zhou Yunji found himself walking toward the family quarters as if possessed.
Just as he reached the entrance, several sisters-in-law carrying vegetable baskets spotted him.
Sister Li came up to him, face wreathed in smiles: "Commander Zhou, did you have a spat with your wife?"
Zhou Yunji's heart tightened: "No."
"That's good then," Aunt Liu chimed in, blunt as ever. "This morning we saw Xiao Song leaving here with big bundles, looking pretty upset… She went back to her parents' place?"
Zhou Yunji's mind went blank with a deafening roar.
She left with big and small bags?
He suppressed the churning emotions and kept his expression neutral: "Oh, she's staying at her parents' for a few days."
"Going back to her parents' home?" Sister-in-law Li was taken aback. "But I saw her… she was heading toward the long-distance bus station."
Zhou Yunji's mind went blank again.
Not to the Song family's place?
Then where was she going?
He suddenly recalled what she'd said last night—"I'm going back to my home."
By "my home," did she mean her adoptive parents' house?
Zhou Yunji hurried upstairs.
He pushed open the door.
The apartment was dead silent.
On the table, a piece of paper was pressed under the thermos.
He picked it up.
Just a few lines:
"Zhou Yunji: I've left. You file the divorce papers. Once it's approved, I'll come back to sign. Sorry about everything before. —Xu Anhao"
Zhou Yunji clutched the paper, not moving for a long while.
They weren't even divorced yet!
Was she that eager to get away from him? Afraid he'd cling to her?
But last night, if she hadn't… he would have…
The more Zhou Yunji thought about it, the angrier he got.
Whether she was playing hard to get or genuinely wanted a divorce, he'd wait for the divorce papers to come through and shove them right in her face for her to sign. By then, no amount of begging would help.
But angry as he was, his reason remained.
He and Xu Anhao were still legally married. If anything happened to her, he wouldn't be able to escape involvement.
What's more, she wasn't going to the Song family's place—she was going to Xu Family Village. That place took over ten hours to reach even by car. Taking a bus, with all the stops along the way, it would take at least twenty hours. She wouldn't arrive until tomorrow morning.
If something happened to her on the way…