Even though Shen Qingli still felt some grievance in her heart, she truly didn’t want to argue any further.
It was almost time for work, and though she was still a distance from the hospital gate, inevitably, medical staff would be coming and going. If she lingered, people would gossip.
She turned and left, heading toward the bus stop.
Su Jingshen didn’t get the answer he wanted, and his mood soured. He called out:
“I came driving to find you—why are you taking the bus?”
Shen Qingli ignored him and boarded the bus.
Su Jingshen’s jaw tensed. Normally even-tempered, she had angered him so thoroughly that he was fuming.
He didn’t bother arguing further. He boarded the bus, picked her up, and despite her protests, shoved her into the jeep. With a press of the accelerator, they drove off.
Shen Qingli had no choice but to stay, though she turned her head, looking out the window, refusing to speak.
Meanwhile, Zhao Wenbo watched the jeep raise a cloud of dust. Only then did he fully process the fact that she was married.
He clutched the chicken soup tightly, slumping his head. Like a discarded puppy, he felt utterly dejected. Finally encountering someone he liked, and yet… she was already someone else’s wife.
He trudged into the hospital, carrying the chicken soup wontons, and placed them by Wang Xiangmei’s bed, too weary to say a word.
Wang Xiangmei looked at the soup and grimaced:
“Your brother-in-law already brought me some. I just finished that, and now you bring chicken soup wontons? Just looking at it makes me feel sick.”
Zhao Wenbo lowered his head, silent.
Wang Xiangmei, however, came up with an idea. She nudged him with her elbow and whispered:
“Give it to Dr. Shen. She’s at this hospital now; she’ll probably be coming to work soon.”
Zhao Wenbo suddenly felt as if she had struck a painful nerve. He was frustrated and upset:
“You always have rotten ideas. Do you want me to get scolded by her husband? Fine, you drink it yourself.”
Wang Xiangmei paused, slightly surprised by Shen Qingli’s marital status, then quietly drank the soup wontons, suppressing her nausea.
Who would have thought?
Inside the jeep:
Shen Qingli didn’t speak the entire way, keeping her head turned toward the window, deliberately avoiding him.
Su Jingshen didn’t get any explanation from her. His face remained cold, though he didn’t argue further. When they arrived at the residential compound, they got out and walked to their respective rooms in silence.
Lin Meiyun, seeing the tense atmosphere, pretended to be concerned:
“Qingli, you’re back! I thought something happened to you.”
Shen Qingli felt a wave of disgust. She didn’t bother pretending, and simply walked into the house.
Lin Meiyun wasn’t ready to give up. She had finally caught her in a moment of weakness and couldn’t resist gloating. She said:
“Qingli, I was worried about you. A woman alone, out all night without ID… you couldn’t even stay at a guesthouse. No relatives nearby. I was just asking to make sure you were safe.”
Shen Qingli paused, sneering:
“If nobody else knew I was out all night, why are you so eager for everyone to know?”
Exactly the effect Lin Meiyun wanted. But she maintained a pretended hurt expression and spoke to Su Jingshen:
“Jingshen, I didn’t mean anything. I was just worried about Qingli. Of course, next time, this shouldn’t happen again—it could affect your reputation.”
She raised her voice, trying to let everyone nearby hear about Shen Qingli’s night out, subtly stabbing at her.
But suddenly, Su Jingshen’s low voice scolded:
“Keep it down. People will gossip if they hear.”
Lin Meiyun was immediately silenced. Her heart sank, shocked to see Su Jingshen defending Shen Qingli.
Previously, any man in his position would have reacted harshly if a woman had stayed out all night. Yet he tolerated it, seemingly intent on keeping it from others. She realized she had no leverage; she had become the one being scolded.
Forcing a smile, she said:
“You’re right. I just got flustered out of concern.”
Su Jingshen added: “Whatever happens, don’t talk about it outside.”
Lin Meiyun clenched her hands, suppressing her resentment, and nodded:
“Understood. It’s my fault for not paying attention.”
Su Jingshen let it go and left, picking up his military hat.
Lin Meiyun didn’t linger either; she left soon after. She had planned to spend the night finding ways to use Su Jingshen’s words against Shen Qingli, but instead ended up on the receiving end of his reprimand—something she couldn’t accept.
Shen Qingli sat at the table eating her breakfast. Su Jingshen’s earlier defense of her left her completely unmoved.
If she had to find a single merit of Su Jingshen, it was that he disliked their family’s scandals being known to outsiders. Even when angry, he controlled his temper, whether it involved Lin Meiyun or her. She couldn’t decide whether to admire or scold him—but it didn’t matter.
After breakfast, she showered and washed her clothes, hanging them on the drying line downstairs.
Many people were already there, some drying clothes, some chatting.
Since moving with the military, Shen Qingli had few allies among them. Most either mocked or gossiped about her. Three women together could create endless drama—especially in such a large group.
She quietly hung her clothes. Just then, Zhang Zhixiang appeared with a basin of laundry:
“Qingli, your sheets are so thin, they dry quickly. Let me hang mine too. You can shift your clothes to the side.”
Shen Qingli’s gaze hardened.
Compared to the gossipers, Zhang Zhixiang was sneakily malicious—often taking small advantages, even bullying her openly. Previously, Shen Qingli had held back to avoid angering Su Jingshen, but now she no longer cared.
“I’ll hang my stuff myself. Next time do it earlier,” she said firmly.
Zhang Zhixiang laughed, unconcerned. She knew Shen Qingli’s temperament well and dared not push too far. She shifted her own sheets and jokingly said:
“Qingli, my family has a lot of laundry. If I don’t hang it today, it’ll pile up and smell. You should be considerate.”
But Shen Qingli grabbed Zhang Zhixiang’s sheet and tossed it to the ground. Her voice was cool and firm:
“Hang it on the ground. Once it dries, shake it out. Your whole family isn’t exactly clean; this is good enough.”