By the time Shao Wenye returned home, it was already late at night. The house was silent, and it seemed everyone had gone to sleep.
Just as he was about to head upstairs, he noticed Xu Wan sitting in the living room. If not for the moonlight shining in through the window—and the vigilance he had developed over the years—he might not have seen her at all.
His brows furrowed slightly, irritation hidden in his eyes.
“Sister Xu Wan, why aren’t you resting yet?”
“I was waiting for you.”
“What is it?”
Perhaps because too many things had happened today, Shao Wenye’s tone was several degrees colder than usual.
Xu Wan felt uneasy.
“Today’s incident happened because of me. I wanted to apologize to Comrade Wen, but I also know that what’s done is done. No matter how much I say now, it won’t change anything. She’s insisting on returning to Shanghai, but I don’t think things have reached that point yet.”
At the mention of Wen Yu, the darkness in Shao Wenye’s eyes deepened.
Everyone knew they had already held a wedding ceremony, yet now she insisted on leaving, and her attitude was firm. It filled Shao Wenye with indescribable frustration.
“This is between her and me. You don’t need to worry about it.”
As someone who had grown up with him, Xu Wan could tell that Shao Wenye had begun to care about Wen Yu.
No matter the reason, she had already taken root in his heart.
Perhaps her place there was still light for now, but in a few years, given Shao Wenye’s deeply loyal nature, Wen Yu would surely become someone extremely important to him.
A sour feeling rose uncontrollably in Xu Wan’s chest.
If she had not chosen Wenqing back then…
The thought surfaced briefly before she forcefully suppressed it.
Xu Wan tugged at the corner of her lips.
“Women are usually soft-hearted. If you go upstairs now and talk to Comrade Wen properly, coax her a little, maybe she won’t return to Shanghai after all.”
“You don’t need to feel guilty either. Go rest. Nursing work is exhausting. If you don’t rest well and faint again next time, that won’t be good.”
Shao Wenye clearly did not want to continue the conversation and turned to head upstairs.
As he passed the bridal room, his steps paused slightly.
He saw the discarded decoration in the basket.
Originally, he had wanted to talk to Wen Yu again. The wedding ceremony being interrupted during the day was nothing compared to matters of life and death. He thought that once things were explained clearly, it would be fine.
But now it seemed her determination to return to Shanghai was stronger than he had imagined.
If that was the case, then so be it.
The borderlands were harsh to begin with. A delicate young woman like her was never meant for a place like this.
Wen Yu had not fallen asleep.
She heard the sound of Shao Wenye’s footsteps passing by her door. Before today, even hearing his footsteps alone would make her heart race.
But now, she felt not the slightest excitement anymore.
People in this era generally married young. Back in Shanghai, Wen Yu had attended several classmates’ weddings. At the time, she often imagined what her own wedding to Shao Wenye would look like.
In her twenty years of life, Shao Wenye was the first man she had ever loved.
And they had already stood together on the oath-taking stage.
Yet in the end, it all came to nothing.
What a pity.
Separated by only a wall, both of them lay awake in their own thoughts.
Neither could sleep.
It was not until the latter half of the night that they finally drifted into a hazy slumber.
The next morning, when Wen Yu woke up, her head felt dizzy.
She had never adapted well to the high altitude of the southwestern border region, and coupled with her poor rest, she now felt both dizzy and nauseated.
But her return home could not be delayed.
Suppressing her discomfort, Wen Yu packed her luggage.
She did not have many belongings. One travel bag was enough to hold everything.
The moment she opened the door, she saw Shao Wenye.
The man leaned casually against the wall beside the doorway. No one knew how long he had been waiting there. Seeing her come out, he took the luggage from her hands without a word.
“I’ll take you to the county.”
“There’s no need to trouble yourself. The orderly can escort me.”
“The orderly isn’t available.”
Wen Yu pressed her lips together lightly.
“Then I’ll trouble you.”
Shao Wenye responded with a low grunt.
His gaze swept over her leg, wanting to see how the wound was healing.
Unfortunately, Wen Yu was wearing a shirt and black trousers today. Every inch of skin was covered tightly, revealing nothing.
His gaze finally settled on her face.
She looked far too pale, lacking even more color than before.
“Feeling unwell?”
“No, I just didn’t sleep well last night.”
Shao Wenye was silent for several seconds.
“Let’s go.”
The man strode ahead with long steps while Wen Yu followed closely behind.
Wang Xuemei and Shao Kai were already waiting downstairs. Wang Xuemei stuffed a bag of food into Wen Yu’s hands.
“Take this for the journey.”
“Auntie, I can just buy boxed meals on the train.”
“How can train food compare to homemade food?”
Wang Xuemei insisted on making her take it.
“I heard you love soup dumplings the most. Auntie woke up early this morning to make them. I just don’t know if they suit your taste.”
“Anything Auntie makes will definitely taste good.”
Wang Xuemei tugged gently at Wen Yu’s hand.
“Wenwen, our family wronged you. If you find a good young man in Shanghai someday, Auntie will definitely attend your wedding.”
For Wen Yu, whether she married or not no longer felt so important.
Still, she would not reject the idea entirely. If she truly met a good man, she would still get married.
“Someone as wonderful as Wenwen will definitely marry a good man in the future.”
“Auntie, then I’ll borrow your good wishes.”
Standing nearby, Shao Wenye’s emotions were complicated.
Even now, he still felt that Wen Yu was his wife.
Yet everyone else was already talking about her marrying another man someday.
At this point, there was no use trying to keep her anymore.
Wang Xuemei instructed Shao Wenye, “Protect Wenwen properly, or I’ll skin you alive.”
“Mm.”
After loading the luggage into the car, Shao Wenye glanced at Wen Yu.
“Get in.”
“Uncle, Auntie, I’ll be leaving now.”
“Have a safe trip.”
Wen Yu nodded politely toward Xu Wan before getting into the back seat of the car.
Her graceful and composed attitude only made the Shao family feel even guiltier.
Just before the car started moving, Xu Wan stepped forward.
“Comrade Wen, yesterday’s matter was my fault. I know nothing I say now can change anything, but I still want to sincerely apologize to you.”
Wen Yu tugged lightly at the corner of her lips.
“Let the past stay in the past.”
Once she returned to Shanghai, she would never have anything to do with the people here again.
She would treat all of this as a dream.
She waved her hand.
“Goodbye.”
With that farewell, the car slowly drove away from the military compound.
Although communication was not very advanced in those days, word of mouth spread quickly.
Not long after Wen Yu left, news of her departure had already spread throughout the compound.
“City people really do have big tempers. Over such a small matter, she’s already making a fuss about returning to Shanghai.”
“I wonder if she’ll ever come back. Even though the ceremony wasn’t completed, I still feel like she and Shao Wenye are already husband and wife.”
“I think so too.”
“Sigh, anyone in her shoes would feel terrible. I think Comrade Wen is a really good person. If Shao Wenye loses her, he’ll definitely regret it someday.”