You finally decided to come back.

As the car vibrated, the scenery along the roadside softened. Qingcheng pondered Luo Xiong's confession earlier. Did he really not reveal any information to the spies?

The answer is of course no. Spies aren't really stupid. If they could get every bit of useful information, they wouldn't keep asking Luo Xiong for intelligence. You can only believe three-tenths of what a traitor says, because that three-tenths doesn't involve his own interests.

People are naturally inclined to seek advantage and avoid harm. Qingcheng crossed out her initial assumption. Luo Xiong wasn't trying to protect Lao Sun; he was just afraid. He was afraid that if Lao Sun was exposed, Lao Sun would be fine, but he would be charged with false accusation. It was better not to say anything.

As for Yingqi, that kid is really tight-lipped. Even after the traitors spilled the beans, he refused to utter a single word and continued to play dumb and resist. This trait is very suitable for intelligence work. It's a pity that we don't know who he's working for. If he continues to stubbornly resist, the pitiful amount of information that Luo Xiong has revealed is beyond our ability to handle.

Regardless of whether Old Man Sun ran away or not, even if he didn't and chose to continue lying low, they couldn't notify the organization to take precautions, so they had no way to deal with the old man, and the clues seemed to have gone cold again.

While they were thinking, Li Sheng, who was driving, suddenly spoke up, telling Qingcheng to go back and have a good talk with Gao Junxiao, because things were definitely not as Qingcheng had heard.

Looking at the rolling sycamore trunks outside the window, Qingcheng gave a few perfunctory "hmms." Seeing that Qingcheng was unmoved, he brought up his wife, Sister Chen. Sister Chen said that if she were a mother-in-law, she would never make things difficult for her daughter-in-law before the wedding. The person hadn't even officially entered the family yet. Wasn't she afraid that her future daughter-in-law would run away? The old lady ruined her son's marriage. What did she gain?

"How would I know? Maybe they want to give us a warning first, or maybe they have a more suitable candidate," Kiyosumi replied casually, his train of thought interrupted.

Haha, where do you get so many choices? Li Sheng laughed and admitted that what parent doesn't want their children to be good? If his son were to choose a wife, he would have to wait until he was thirty to find one he liked. As long as his son liked her, he would accept even an old sow.

"Hmph, who's the old sow!" Qingcheng suddenly straightened up and moved towards the car door. She tried to ignore it and reviewed the interrogation of Luo Xiong.

"Don't be angry, I was just using an example. What I meant was that your mother-in-law can't do anything about her son," Li Sheng advised earnestly. "When problems arise between husband and wife, you can't just rely on brute force to solve them. You have to learn how to resolve the issues. Otherwise, you'll fall into Team Leader Dai's trap of sowing discord."

"Who's going to marry him? I'm not getting married! I'm busy catching the traitor, I don't have time to play their melodramatic games." Qingcheng angrily scratched her hair, as if only the pain in her body could make her forget the humiliation of that day.

"Hey, it's precisely because we're in decline that we need to unite all forces that can be united. Don't forget, Dai Yunong is also our enemy." Li Sheng stared straight ahead at the road ahead, his simple words resonating deeply.

"So not only can I not be angry, but I also have to put aside past grievances and cheer for him." Qingcheng's tone suddenly rose, causing Li Shengzhen to shrink back and the car to slow down a few beats.

"No, no, it's understandable to be angry, he was wrong first, but you can't punish yourself for it. He sleeps on a Simmons mattress at home, what kind of behavior is it for you to sleep on the floor outside?" Li Sheng quickly changed his tune.

With her hand supporting her head, Qingcheng almost blurted out, "There's no Simmons mattress in his room, and the bed is as hard as the floor."

Cough, cough, Li Sheng coughed suddenly, then cleared his throat, his eyes wide open as if trying to hide his embarrassment: "Well, their relationship is quite close, so we should give him a chance."

Kiyosumi found that her train of thought was completely disrupted. She couldn't think about it; just thinking about that person would make her angry. Ugh, even if it's a hard bed, she wasn't allowed to sleep on it. He had to be just as uncomfortable as she was.

Until the car slowly came to a stop at the entrance of Fuxing Park, Li Sheng didn't say another word, but there was a hint of helplessness in his eyes when he looked at her.

After politely thanking her, Qingcheng returned to the familiar apartment building. The hallway was dark; she wondered which scoundrel had turned off the lights. What if someone came home late from work?

She walked slowly inside, glancing at her watch. Gao Junxiao should be asleep by now. When she passed his door later, she would definitely have to... step on it louder.

Snap! The hallway was suddenly illuminated. Gao Junxiao, dressed in a thin nightgown, stood at the top of the stairs. The light shone on his stubble, making him look more angular. He looked down at Qingcheng with a sullen face, and without saying a word, the two remained locked in a stalemate on the stairs.

Tch, what are you pretending for? He was so excited to see her that he ran out to greet her without even changing his slippers, and he still wouldn't lower his noble head to apologize. Qingcheng was secretly delighted and deliberately used her shoulder to bump the man aside to clear a way for herself. Say what you will.

Upon the collision, the man wisely stepped aside. As Qingcheng brushed past him, Gao Junxiao raised his voice a few decibels higher than usual, as if to create momentum for himself: "Oh, what wind blew you back? The dust in the house isn't thick enough yet, I'm afraid you won't sleep comfortably tonight."

She had expected a gentle apology, but reality poured cold water on her. Qingcheng wanted to retort, but her throat tightened. She tossed her sleeve, turned, and went upstairs nonchalantly. Ha, what was she even expecting!

"He Qingcheng, where have you been?" Gao Junxiao, receiving no answer, followed behind her and continued his sarcastic remarks, "Do you still think you're unique, disappearing at the drop of a hat? Are you addicted to running away from home?"

The man's tone was extremely sarcastic, and he even called her by her full name. Qingcheng's nose became increasingly sore, and even though her chest felt so tight and painful that she could hardly breathe, she refused to lose her composure in front of that man. She had done nothing wrong, so why should she cry?

"Why aren't you saying anything? Do you know your whole family is looking for you? Thank goodness nothing happened, or I'd never forgive you." Gao Junxiao grabbed her arm, his voice trembling.

"Home? What home? Is it that feudal family, or the home of you, you big liar?" Qingcheng forcefully broke free from the restraints, her disappointment turning into anger.

"What do you mean? You're disowning both your families?" Gao Junxiao's lips drooped, his eyes filled with barely concealed panic.

"Yes, I call the world my home." Kiyosumi's teeth ground together, tears welling in her eyes. A sense of gloom rose higher and higher, like a small hill piled up in her chest, and Kiyosumi hid behind the hill, her hands and feet feeling piercingly cold.

"I'm still wandering the world, can you calm down and listen to my explanation?" Gao Junxiao forcefully turned Qingcheng around, perhaps wanting his deep gaze to sink into Qingcheng's autumn eyes.

But Qingcheng closed her heart first. The man in front of her not only did not reflect on his mistakes and take responsibility for them, but also thought she was being unreasonable.

A glistening tear rolled down her cheek and was immediately wiped away by her rough fingertips. Seeing that Qingcheng was no longer speaking, Gao Junxiao explained to himself that his mother originally wanted to invite Qingcheng to the gold shop to buy the wedding hardware, but since she was unfamiliar with the place, she entrusted the servants in the inner quarters to deliver the message to the Fang mansion.

As a result, the servant was bribed by his political enemy and added a lot of unpleasant things on his own. The mother-in-law was traditional and afraid that the marriage would be canceled again. In desperation, she was persuaded by the servant to submit her resignation to Qingcheng Company.

Gao Junxiao carefully held Qingcheng's hand, his tone softening. The old lady was just like that, bound by feudal ideas for decades. It wasn't something that could be changed overnight. If he had gone along with her back then and given his mother enough face, he could have reasoned with her properly when they got back. It didn't have to come to this point.

Haha, that's how they shift the blame to temporary workers. Their newspaper has been doing that for ages. He's pushing all the blame onto the handyman and his mother. He and his mother are like invisible people, the good guys who were framed by bad guys.

That scoundrel pretends to be filial, but his mother's face is one thing, but hers isn't? What a reasonable "good man"!

"I'm done talking, I need to rest now." Qingcheng withdrew her hand, the lingering warmth in her palm quickly dissipating.

After turning around, she felt a surge of heat again. Qingcheng gritted her teeth and pretended to smooth her hair and wipe away her tears. When she lowered her hand, her face was as calm as a still pond, without a trace of tears.

Her silhouette looked somewhat forlorn under the lamplight. Even the most obtuse person could tell something was wrong, let alone Gao Junxiao, who was not stupid. He immediately realized that silence was Qingcheng's greatest anger.

Gao Junxiao rushed in front of Qingcheng and blocked her way, apologizing earnestly: "Huahua, I'm sorry, I was wrong. I shouldn't have said anything that day. I should have stood by your side."

He paused for less than a second before Qingcheng calmly walked past him, pretending not to hear a word. His lover's indifference was like sharp pebbles, tearing a hole in his heart. He didn't know what to do next; only one thought flashed through his mind: Don't ignore me.

Following his heart, he silently followed behind Qingcheng, like a child who had made a mistake, tugging at her sleeve to beg for attention, but without exception, Qingcheng avoided him.

Qingcheng took out her key to open the door, but couldn't resist his harassment, so she swung her arm and scolded, "Don't follow me, you big liar."

"What did I lie to you about that made you say that? Haven't I been good enough to you?" Gao Junxiao could no longer hold back the grievances he had accumulated over the past few days, and they poured out from the hole in his heart. He really didn't know how to be good enough to her.

"Don't yell at me." Kiyosumi finally looked up at him, but her expression turned even colder. "It's good, but if you could replace your kindness to me with any cat or dog and it wouldn't feel out of place, then that's the biggest problem."

The unwarranted accusations only fueled Gao Junxiao's anger, and his retort cracked as he said, "I don't treat you like a pet!"

"You do! You think that as long as you apologize, I should obediently accept it, otherwise I'm ungrateful?" Crimson flames shot from Qingcheng's eyes, and her hot breath was like surging lava, making people afraid to approach.

"Of course not, take it out on me if you want, hit me or yell at me, just don't let me not find you." For the first time, Gao Junxiao felt his mind go blank. He felt like he was walking on thin ice every day. He was worried about falling, but he was even more afraid that Qingcheng would fall because he had broken the ice.

Last time Qingcheng was kidnapped, he wished he was the one who was kidnapped. Why doesn't she understand?

However, his worries seemed to become a burden to Kiyosumi.

Qingcheng said disdainfully, "Look at you, you're still putting up a fence around me. You've already assumed I'll be unreasonable, and you're a monarch standing on a moral high ground. You look down on me from above, and all reasonable resistance is seen as the capriciousness of a little thing. This is a kind of structural discrimination. Don't you understand? You don't need to, and you don't want to understand."

A flood of new vocabulary overwhelmed Gao Junxiao, leaving him somewhat bewildered: "Wait, don't jump around too fast. Let me sort this out. Aren't you angry that I didn't help you? I was wrong to do this, and I'm sorry. Besides, I've already dealt with that servant, and this kind of thing won't happen again."

Qingcheng sneered: "I couldn't be bothered to expose that servant's excuse. My mother is feudal, not stupid. She has been managing the inner quarters of hundreds of people since she was fifteen. She can tell whether the servants and maids have stolen anything just by frowning. The fact that she is so anxious is not something that can be swayed by the sarcasm of a lowly servant. If you have nothing better to do, go and investigate the old family background you brought from Beiping, especially the first-class maids who served your mother."

"They're all elderly people in the family, really?" Gao Junxiao rolled his eyes at him and immediately changed his tune, "I'll check, I'll check, calm down first."

"Then go and investigate." Kiyosumi slipped into the house.

Bang! The door slammed shut. The smell of gunpowder was gone, leaving only a man's slightly desolate sigh echoing in the hallway.

The next day, Gao Junxiao slumped in his office chair, staring blankly at the white ceiling. He spent the whole night trying to figure out what he had lied to her about. He hadn't cheated her out of money, sex, or even her feelings.

Dodo—

Upon hearing the knock, Gao Junxiao instinctively straightened up and invited the person outside in. However, when he saw that it was Li Sheng, he deflated.

Li Sheng casually closed the door, then took a can of tea and skillfully pushed it in front of Gao Junxiao, smiling as he explained that it was a high-quality white tea that he had asked someone to bring back from Liyang, and invited Gao Junxiao to taste it.

However, Gao Junxiao was in no mood for tea. Just as he was about to politely refuse, the guard shouted "Report!" at the door. Then, the guard respectfully placed a heavy envelope on the table and left.

Just by looking at the handwriting on the envelope, Gao Junxiao could guess what was in the letter. Sure enough, when he poured it out, the clinking noise was painful to the ears. He slumped his wrist down, and even though a few silver dollars rolled around on the table and fell to the ground, he was too lazy to pick them up.

Li Sheng, standing beside him, unconsciously frowned slightly as he helped him pick up the money, saying with a sigh, "Wow, how did you get beaten back to square one overnight? Didn't I teach you yesterday? Apologize sincerely, don't talk back, don't make excuses, and get beaten. Getting beaten is the best solution."

“I apologized, but she won’t let me touch her at all. I just said a few words to her, is that a big deal? She even said I discriminated against her.” Gao Junxiao looked at Li Sheng in bewilderment. “Besides, she did nothing wrong? She disappeared at this moment, and I can’t tell if she was kidnapped or killed. I’m so worried that I can’t sleep at night.”

"Don't complain to me about how you're worried and can't sleep. Go confess to Miss He. How will she know how you feel if you don't tell her? Brother, be honest. It's okay to worry, but admit your mistakes openly. Sometimes, women judge you by your attitude." Li Sheng incisively analyzed the reason for their argument.

Unable to find anyone, he was indeed extremely anxious. Although he didn't mean to blame anyone last night, his tone was still a bit harsh. Gao Junxiao felt quite guilty about losing control of his emotions. Hua Hua must have thought his attitude was terrible.

Ring ring—

The phone on the table started ringing urgently. Li Sheng lifted the thermos, indicating that he wanted to get him some hot water. Gao Junxiao knew that Li Sheng wanted to avoid suspicion and avoid overhearing any secrets, so he naturally thanked him politely.

After Li Sheng left, Gao Junxiao picked up the phone to respond. On the other end came Chen Yao's furious curses. After listening for a while, he finally understood what had happened. Dai Yunong had seen through their fake news and, in turn, used the pretext of investigating the Communist Party to cause trouble in Chen Yao's division.

Now, officers in their subordinate regiments and brigades complain that even the most basic training rosters have to be approved by someone surnamed Dai. Only if he approves them can the officers and soldiers go to drills smoothly; otherwise, they will be suspected of harboring CCP members.

The bad news burned his stomach more than fake alcohol. Gao Junxiao felt like his internal organs were about to fall out of place. He tried hard to think of ways to fight back, but the exhaustion of the past few days had depleted too much of his energy. No matter how hard he tried, his mind was completely blank.

It's his fault. It was a complex scheme, and he didn't follow up with the subsequent moves, so of course they found a flaw. After listening to Chen Yao vent his frustrations, Gao Junxiao solemnly promised that he would find a way to counterattack within a week and that they should not impulsively go and fight Dai Yunong.

It's easy to persuade others, but difficult to persuade oneself. Gao Junxiao subconsciously grabbed the silver coin on the table. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath. The cold touch in his palm seemed to mock his selfishness and arrogance.

He originally thought that he could smooth things over by playing it safe, but his wife was too smart. He had thought about the things that Qingcheng cared about. If she insisted on investigating the traitor in the family, she would definitely find out the truth!

If he sends away the old people around his mother, his mother will not only resent him for not remembering their past affection, but she will also hold a grudge against Shang Qingcheng for causing chaos in the family before even getting married. After she marries into the Gao family, his mother will hardly have a good attitude towards her.

The whole thing was a trap set by Dai Yunong. Dai Yunong knew that he couldn't bear to have family discord. He figured that if he found out the culprit in his family, his mother would be unhappy, but if he didn't find out, his wife would be unhappy.

Dai Yunong is forcing him to choose between his family and his wife; either his wife or his mother will hurt him. No matter which he chooses, the consequences will be dire.

However, if we don't find out the truth, not only will Qingcheng feel uncomfortable, but I will also have a knot in my heart. That person is only passing on a message now, but who knows what he might do in the future.

People say Dai Yunong is ruthless, but his greatest skill is manipulating people's hearts. That bastard has a firm grasp on everyone's temperament, and with the smallest things, he can amplify the selfishness and ugliness of human nature infinitely.

Suddenly hearing a noise, Gao Junxiao was startled, and the silver coin slipped from his hand. The small coin had been slightly deformed from his grip. Li Sheng had entered the room at some point and had kindly made him a cup of hot tea.

"No matter how angry you are, don't let money get in the way." Li Sheng naturally sat down opposite him, took out a cigarette and offered it to Gao Junxiao, but Gao Junxiao didn't smoke. He refused and then lit a match for him as a gesture of goodwill.

As Li Sheng lit a cigarette, he neatly arranged the silver dollars in stacks, except for that deformed coin, which he couldn't flatten no matter what he did.

Glancing sideways at the pile of silver dollars, Gao Junxiao sighed that this wasn't money; it was a boundary drawn between them by He Qingcheng. Anything he bought would be converted into cash and returned to him.

Exhaling a puff of smoke, Li Sheng pushed the two stacks of silver dollars toward Gao Junxiao: "You're young! You'll be living together in the future, so how can you be so particular about the money? You can use this money to open a joint account, and the two of you can deposit money into it every month. Household expenses will be deducted from it, and the rest can be used for your own enjoyment. No one should take advantage of the other."

Ah, why didn't I think of this trick? A glimmer of hope rose in his heart. Gao Junxiao happily put all the silver dollars into the drawer and praised Li Sheng for his resourcefulness. "Brother Li must have already put this clever trick into practice."

To everyone's surprise, Li Sheng on the other side burst into laughter without warning, making a money-counting gesture as if mocking himself. He didn't even know the password to his family's bankbook, and he scraped together his money for cigarettes and alcohol from his allowance.

"Too modest. Everyone in headquarters knows that Chief Li of the Propaganda Department is a 'big comprador,' with a very deep backing." Gao Junxiao smiled without saying a word, silently taking a sip of tea. It was rich and full-bodied with a sweet aftertaste; it was indeed a good white tea.

However, Gao Junxiao's joy was short-lived, and he sighed heavily, "Having a bankbook is no use, we haven't found the traitor yet."

"Huh, Commander Xiong asked you to investigate the traitor?" Li Sheng raised an eyebrow and exhaled a puff of smoke, seemingly incredulous.

Gao Junxiao raised his hand to support his forehead: "It's not work-related. There's a traitor in my family. Qingcheng suspects that someone close to my mother has been bribed. It's a bit difficult."

Li Sheng thoughtfully repeated the word "traitor," then suddenly tapped the table twice and said in a deep voice, "Stop. Don't investigate anymore. If you continue, you'll fall into their trap."

Gao Junxiao nodded repeatedly, frankly admitting that this was also his predicament. In this game of chess, he was checkmated; no matter what he moved, he would be defeated.

“I’m actually quite curious. Why did you support Miss He’s resignation? Her mother is a traditional woman, while you are a progressive young man. Didn’t you know that the first step to women’s liberation is economic independence?” Li Sheng’s probing gaze swept over.

Instantly, Gao Junxiao felt a flush rise on his face. It would be impossible for him to say that he had no selfish motives at all. It wasn't that he was against her working, but the wedding banquet process was more complicated than the engagement banquet, and he wanted Qingcheng to spend more time with him. Every time he saw other couples shopping together, his eyes would turn red with jealousy.

Besides, she promised him that she would quit her job and go to his post after the wedding. Would it make a difference if it was a few months earlier or later? Gao Junxiao was truly suffering in silence, unable to express his bitterness. Wouldn't it be better for her to find a new job in the city where she was stationed?

After hearing the explanation, Li Sheng immediately gave an "I understand" smile and then concluded that the two of them had a huge difference in their understanding of the work.

"What?!" Gao Junxiao's curiosity was piqued. "What could be the disagreement? Work is for making money. He Qingcheng's annual salary as an editor probably doesn't even match the commission she earns from writing scripts for Xu Xi. She doesn't need that little bit of money at all."

Miss He is not short of money, but what right does Gao Junxiao have to make decisions for her? Li Sheng smiled and said that Gao Junxiao must first abandon an old idea: He Qingcheng is not his wife.

“How can He Qingcheng not be my wife? We’ve already had our engagement party. Besides, marriage is a lifelong commitment, so she is my wife.” Gao Junxiao couldn’t sit still any longer and leaned forward to assert his ownership.

"Don't rush, don't rush. If you want to see her better, you need to remove the halo, or rather the shackles, that you've put on her." Li Sheng pulled Gao Junxiao into teaching mode, emphasizing each word.

The ways couples get along are ever-changing and cannot be replicated by outsiders. How far a couple can go depends not on how long they love each other, but on how long they can be comfortable together.

Therefore, it is also beneficial for the differences between the two to be exposed in advance. A highly educated woman is definitely different from an ordinary old-fashioned woman. If Gao Junxiao can accept the differences, he can learn to understand her.

First, is Gao Junxiao sure that He Qingcheng meant resignation?

After hearing this, Gao Junxiao became uncertain. Fragments of memories flashed through his mind, and he was surprised to find that Qingcheng had indeed never said she would resign; she had only agreed to go with him. Oh dear, he had misunderstood.

Seemingly sensing Gao Junxiao's self-blame, Li Sheng guessed that Miss He just wanted to change her work location for her lover's sake, not that she didn't want to work at all.

These days, even able-bodied, knowledgeable men can't find jobs, let alone women. It's so rare to find a mentor who appreciates your talents. She probably wants to discuss an external transfer with the boss who handles the application after marriage, since bosses still prefer experienced workers.

After listening to Gao Junxiao, he suddenly understood. He realized that he had been working in a government office for many years and was used to being paid by the government. He had forgotten how poor the economy was in small places outside of big cities. We were just a backward agricultural country.

He said sincerely, "I really don't mind her going out to work. I'm already very grateful that she gave up the glitz and glamour of Shanghai for me. But what does that job really mean to her, and how should I change things?"

“It’s good that you’re so aware of this. Marriage is a complicated matter that can’t be explained in just a few words. Why don’t you come to my house for dinner tonight, and we can talk about it over drinks?” Li Sheng had just finished a cigarette and extended an olive branch.

"If it's convenient for you at Brother Li's place, then I'll be bothering you." Gao Junxiao readily agreed, stroking the stubble on his chin and deciding to find a barbershop to take care of it later.

"Oh, right, don't shave your beard, keep it." Li Sheng saw through his thoughts and immediately stopped him.

"Wouldn't it be too impolite to come to your house when I'm not properly dressed?" Gao Junxiao was a little embarrassed, after all, his family upbringing was impeccable.

"It's nothing, we're just brothers having a couple of drinks, why worry about appearances? It's not like the Generalissimo is holding a military parade at my house." Li Sheng waved his hand hurriedly, quietly closing the office door and revealing a strange smile.