The tense atmosphere between the two wasn’t noticed by the others, but it didn’t escape Aunt Liu’s eyes.
After everyone finished eating and left, she and Qin Yu’e silently cleaned up the mess in the kitchen. Unable to hold back, Aunt Liu finally asked,
“Xiao Qin, do you know that Team Leader He from the performance troupe?”
“Don’t know her,” Qin Yu’e replied casually.
But Aunt Liu leaned closer, frowning with displeasure written all over her face.
“That woman met you for the first time today? Then why do I feel like she’s acting strangely toward you?”
Aunt Liu was a straightforward rural woman. She didn’t understand complicated schemes and hidden meanings, but at her age, she could still tell at a glance when something was going on between women.
When it came to jealousy and rivalry, the women in the village were no worse than the city girls—only they showed it openly.
Aunt Liu’s expression darkened.
“And they said this Team Leader He is the star performer of the troupe! How can such a young girl be so shameless? She’s only been here one day and already calling him ‘Brother Huo’! Is Captain Huo someone she can call that so casually?”
Qin Yu’e paused briefly, though a different thought rose in her mind.
As the saying goes, matters between a man and a woman can’t happen with only one side involved. If Huo Guangji hadn’t encouraged her somehow, would that girl have shown such hostility toward her?
In the end, it was always men who couldn’t control themselves, while women suffered the consequences.
Qin Yu’e had no intention of treating He Jiaojiao as a rival, nor did she plan to fight with her.
There was no need.
He Jiaojiao might treasure Huo Guangji like precious gold, but Qin Yu’e certainly didn’t.
“Aunt Liu, men have legs of their own. If he wants to run off, how could I stop him? If I really had that ability, I wouldn’t have been abandoned in the countryside for over three years, nearly starving to death.”
Qin Yu’e’s voice wasn’t loud, but every word struck directly at the heart.
Just as she spoke, Huo Guangji happened to walk in through the doorway and heard her sentence clearly.
He frowned instinctively.
What now?
Fortunately, he had finished work early and slipped away ahead of time. Qin Yu’e had been acting strangely toward him these past few days, so he’d decided to come to the kitchen to pick up the children.
Otherwise, he never would’ve heard what she really thought of him behind his back.
From the sound of it, she was still resentful about him abandoning her and the children before.
But back then, hadn’t he had no choice?
Unable to stop himself, Huo Guangji sighed and strode into the kitchen.
Seeing him, Aunt Liu immediately picked up a basin and went outside to wash dishes. Before leaving, she even shot him a meaningful look.
“She’s angry right now! Hurry up and coax her!”
“Thanks, Aunt Liu,” Huo Guangji replied quietly.
Then he moved closer.
Qin Yu’e’s face darkened. Without a word, she subtly put more distance between them.
Huo Guangji also stayed silent, simply helping her clean up the leftover food in the kitchen.
He gathered all the pots and dishes into a large basket nearby, preparing to wash them later.
Little Zhuyue and Little Qingfeng were still playing with toy ducks nearby. Huo Guangji walked over and patted each child on the head before pulling two candies from his pocket and placing one into each tiny hand.
After flirting with He Jiaojiao over there, now he comes here to play the loving father.
The more Qin Yu’e thought about it, the angrier she became.
“There’s no salary here for you,” she said coldly. “Helping me work is just unpaid labor.”
“I don’t need your salary,” Huo Guangji replied immediately.
Then he pulled out a thick stack of money and handed it to her.
“Didn’t you ask before for child support for Xiao Feng and Xiao Yue? This is the money for the past three years—all of it’s here. There are also some grain coupons inside. It’ll make things easier for you when you go out in the future.”
Looking at the thick envelope in his hand, Qin Yu’e froze.
Was he trying to drive them away?
But if he wanted them gone, why was he only paying child support for the past three years?
What about the future?
Or was it…
Did he plan to keep the children and only drive her away?
Sure enough, He Jiaojiao had only arrived for two days, and this so-called male lead already wanted to sever ties with his original wife.
Qin Yu’e held back a surge of anger, nearly wanting to slap him across the face right then and there.
Although she technically wasn’t really his wife, the ducklings in the backyard had only just started molting. In another month or two, they’d begin laying eggs. Their life was finally starting to improve.
So why did he insist on driving her away at exactly this moment?
Meanwhile, Huo Guangji still had no idea what was going on. He only saw Qin Yu’e’s expression suddenly turn ugly.
He assumed she thought the money was too little, so he explained quietly,
“It’s not that I won’t give you more later. This is just all I have right now. Take it for emergencies first—I’ll figure out the rest later.”
The money had been advanced from the company commander—half a year’s salary in total. Any more than that couldn’t be approved.
Even this had only been possible because the commander personally guaranteed it; otherwise, it completely violated regulations.
As for the grain coupons, he’d scraped them together from various comrades.
He knew this woman cared about money, and perhaps this amount wouldn’t impress her, but it truly was everything he could provide.
“And then?” Qin Yu’e asked coldly. “After that, are you going to tell me to get lost?”
Huo Guangji frowned slightly. When had he ever said he wanted her gone?
Then Qin Yu’e continued, her emotions rising.
“Captain Huo, I know you think I’m in the way. But I’ll tell you honestly—I have nowhere to go if I leave! So I’m staying here in the unit for now. Don’t worry, though, I definitely won’t cling to you! Just let me stay here for another six months. Once I save enough money to rent a small place in the city for me and the children, I’ll leave on my own. If you’re worried, we can even divorce first!”
“Divorce what exactly?” Huo Guangji’s face darkened instantly.
He had finally scraped together enough money, hoping she’d let him sleep in the same room again for the sake of the money. How had this somehow turned into divorce?
The two stood facing each other in silence for a while.
In the end, Huo Guangji still held back his temper.
Instead, he focused on the important part of what she’d said.
“You said you’d have nowhere to go if you returned. What do you mean? Can’t you take the children back to your hometown?”
So he really does want me gone.
Qin Yu’e rolled her eyes.
“It means exactly what it sounds like. You can just assume I don’t want to go back. But don’t flatter yourself either—I’m not interested in you at all.”
This woman really was impossible to communicate with.
Huo Guangji felt a headache forming from anger. He suddenly stepped forward and grabbed Qin Yu’e’s wrist.
His broad body pressed her against the kitchen stove. The cramped corner instantly filled with an intense masculine presence.
Huo Guangji’s sharply chiseled face suddenly loomed close before her. Reaching out, he pinched her chin, his voice carrying a dangerous undertone.
“Not interested in me at all?”