In 1978, at Shanghai Central Hospital.
The north wind slipped in through the window, making the sharp, pungent smell of disinfectant even more distinct.
“Comrade, wake up. Your husband has come to take you home! He says the two of you never got divorced, and he absolutely refuses to let you have an abortion!”
“You’re already four months pregnant, and the baby’s heartbeat is steady.
Your husband looks like he really cares about the child, so I truly don’t understand why you insist on getting rid of it. We were already halfway through administering the anesthesia, and now you’ve thrown the entire clinic into chaos!”
“What else could it be? She must have someone else outside! The man who brought her here earlier wasn’t her husband. I’d say she wants to get rid of the baby and run away with some wild man…”
In truth, Ruan Yingying had woken up long ago. She simply did not dare open her eyes.
At this moment, she only wished she could remain unconscious on this operating table forever and never have to face this absurd reality again.
She had never dreamed that a single woman who had barely even been in a proper relationship would one day be pointed at and cursed as a shameless woman who had slept around.
Even more absurdly, just moments ago, she had still been working overtime in the operating room at her own hospital, exhausted to the point of dying from overwork. When she opened her eyes again, she had somehow transmigrated into a period novel titled The Seventies: After Marrying a Second-Time Military Officer, the Green Tea Beauty Wins It All!
Unfortunately, she was not the glamorous female protagonist. Instead, she had become the cannon-fodder ex-wife of the male protagonist, Huo Qing, who happened to share the same name as her.
The original Ruan Yingying had been born into a highly educated family in Shanghai. Her ancestors had left the family with considerable wealth and influence, and she herself was exceptionally accomplished. After graduating from university, she became a dancer in an art troupe, making her one of the rare wealthy and beautiful young women of that era.
Later, when the political climate changed, the Ruan family had wealth but no connections or protection to rely on, so they had no choice but to marry their daughter into the Huo family in search of a shield.
The Huo family was a genuine military family, with three generations of men serving as officers. The male protagonist, Huo Qing, was an outstanding figure who seemed destined for greatness. Before he had even turned thirty, he had already distinguished himself repeatedly in dangerous missions and risen to the rank of regiment commander.
Back then, despite the original Ruan Yingying’s questionable family background, the Huo family had still agreed to marry her into their household. There was only one reason.
During a dangerous mission, Huo Qing had sustained injuries to his leg and lower body. Although his life had been saved, rumors quickly spread that his injuries had left him incapable of having children.
As it turned out, the original Ruan Yingying was quite lucky. Not long after marrying into the Huo family, she became pregnant, completely disproving the rumors that Huo Qing would be unable to have children. From then on, the entire Huo family treated her like a precious treasure.
But for all her education, the original Ruan Yingying was remarkably foolish. Accustomed to a pampered life, she had been sweet-talked by a pretty-faced young man from her art troupe into getting rid of her child and divorcing Huo Qing so she could pursue some so-called artistic ideal.
The Huo elders valued the continuation of the family line, so naturally they refused to agree. But in an attempt to force them back down, the original Ruan Yingying had angered Huo Qing’s father so badly that he ended up in the hospital. She then secretly followed that pretty-faced man to the hospital to have an abortion.
However, halfway through the anesthesia, the procedure had been stopped because she could not produce proof of marriage. The incident had also alerted the military district and the Huo family.
After such a huge commotion, the divorce eventually went through. But the pretty-faced man turned out to be nothing more than a wolf in sheep’s clothing. After swindling the original Ruan Yingying out of all her money, he hooked up with her biological younger sister. Once Ruan Yingying discovered the truth, he simply decided to eliminate the problem altogether and ran her over with a car, killing her.
And the moment when Ruan Yingying had transmigrated was precisely when the original owner was lying on the operating table after her abortion attempt had failed, her affair had been exposed, and she was waiting for her “husband” to come and take her away.
In an era when a person could be drowned by the weight of public condemnation, what she had done was nothing short of being branded a shameless woman.
It was practically more humiliating than being stripped naked in public.
Only after the voices in the operating room gradually faded did Ruan Yingying finally dare to open her eyes.
The anesthesia had not completely worn off, and its side effects had left her mouth and throat unbearably dry, as though a fire were burning inside her.
At this moment, she could not care about anything else. Her gaze locked desperately onto the old-fashioned thermos on the bedside table. All she wanted was a drink of water.
Gritting her teeth, Ruan Yingying used every ounce of strength she had to push herself upright, but her wrists were as limp as cooked noodles and refused to obey her.
The moment her hand touched the cold surface of the thermos, it slipped.
“Crash!”
The thermos shattered loudly across the floor, and amid the resulting mess, the ward door creaked open.
A tall, imposing figure stood blocking the doorway, instantly capturing all of her attention.
With just one glance, Ruan Yingying understood why the original owner had been willing to ruin her own reputation just to escape from this man.
He wore a faded military uniform that clung tightly to his powerful, muscular frame. His features were deep and resolute, with a hard, rugged handsomeness that looked as though it had been carved with a knife and axe. His wheat-colored skin made the scar above his right brow stand out even more, twisting across his brow like a centipede and giving him a frighteningly savage appearance.
Even though he was leaning on a cane, the oppressive aura that seemed to carry the scent of blood from deep within his very bones had not diminished in the slightest.
This man was too wild, too fierce. Forget someone like the delicate flower the original owner had been raised to become, even Ruan Yingying felt a shiver of apprehension deep in her heart.
After a long moment, Huo Qing’s gaze first swept over the shards scattered across the floor before settling heavily on her face. His voice was utterly devoid of emotion.
“If you’re determined not to keep the child, go with him. I’ll let you go. I’ve already submitted the divorce application, so there’s no need to throw things around and lose your temper.”
In his eyes, her behavior was nothing more than resentment toward him for arriving and ruining her plans with her lover.
Ruan Yingying knew he had misunderstood her. Even though her throat hurt from dryness, she hurried to explain.
“No… Could you please get me some water? I’m thirsty.”
She thought she had made her voice gentle and polite enough, afraid that she might anger him.
What she did not know was that her soft, pleading request sounded entirely different to Huo Qing. For the first time, there was a trace of weakness and vulnerability in her voice that made her seem almost pitiful.
Huo Qing raised his eyes, and for the first time, the expressionless face that had remained as still as an ancient well showed the faintest flicker of surprise.
Ever since she had gotten involved with that young man from the art troupe, everything about him had irritated her. She thought him crude, disliked the smell of gunpowder that clung to him, and even considered anything he had touched dirty.
And today… had she suddenly changed?
Although he could not figure out what she was planning, the man still answered almost instinctively.
“Wait here. I’ll go to the nurses’ station.”
Only after the tall, straight-backed figure leaning on his cane disappeared from the doorway did the tension in Ruan Yingying’s heart ease slightly.
It seemed that their relationship had not yet reached the point of complete hostility and no return.
After all, theirs was a military marriage. At best, what the original owner and that pretty-faced young man had done could be condemned as morally corrupt and shameless. At worst, it amounted to interfering with a military marriage, and if Huo Qing truly chose to pursue the matter, she could end up in prison.
She did not want to be arrested, much less meet the same fate as the original owner. For now, she could only find a way to improve her relationship with Huo Qing.
Not long afterward, Huo Qing returned with a brand-new glass in his hand and held it out to her.
The warm water slid down her throat, easing the burning sensation, and Ruan Yingying finally regained some color in her face.
She lifted her clear, almond-shaped eyes toward him and gave him a faint smile.
“Thank you.”
Seeing that she was fine, Huo Qing had originally intended to leave. Yet those light words of thanks were like a feather, unexpectedly brushing against his heart and making him stop in his tracks. He could not help turning back.
From this angle, Ruan Yingying truly was breathtakingly beautiful.
Her skin was porcelain-white, her face as small as a palm, and her almond-shaped eyes were clear and luminous. With a smile on her lips, she looked so delicate and alluring that her beauty was almost impossible to resist.
But… So what if she was beautiful?
Huo Qing’s gaze darkened.
This woman’s heart was more vicious than a snake or scorpion.
Her usual tantrums were one thing, but she had actually wanted to kill the child whose entire family treasured as dearly as their own lives, all so she could elope with another man.
All the pleas and tears from his family had earned them nothing but even more vicious curses from her. She had told him that a cripple like him did not deserve to have children.
Therefore, he had long since stopped daring to hope for anything from her, and he no longer wanted to.
“Once the divorce report is approved, you only need to sign it.”
“I know I was wrong… I don’t want…”
The two of them spoke almost at the same time, but before Ruan Yingying could finish her sentence, someone appeared outside the door.
The moment she saw who it was, her heart sank.