Chapter 158 Jealousy Fills the Air

Suddenly, all the odd things started to pile up in Qu He's head.

Yesterday, the cryptic remarks from the supermarket owner, and the comments from the grandparents at the intelligence center about how well-matched and blessed they were...

In recent years, she has returned to Yujia Ferry only a handful of times. In addition, most of the young people have gone out to work, and those who remain here are mostly the elderly who don't use the internet much.

Director Lian wasn't the type to gossip or publicize her marriage to Zhuang Bieyan.

Therefore, there is only one culprit.

Qu He turned to look at Zhuang Bieyan beside her, her eyes narrowing into slits.

"What did you do while I was gone for the past two days? Did you spread the news of our marriage?"

She was furious and took two deep breaths to barely suppress her anger at being tricked.

Seeing that she was angry, Zhuang Bieyan wanted to step forward and pat her back, but she dodged away warily as soon as he raised his hand.

He had no choice but to withdraw his hand. "Now that I've moved to Yujiadu, it's inevitable that I'll visit and greet my neighbors. They care about me and ask about my situation, so I can't hide anything from them."

He paused, his eyes filled with tenderness as he looked at Qu He. "Ahe, they are all very happy to know that I am your husband. They say we are a perfect match."

"Stop!" Qu He waved her hand to interrupt.

"It's okay, this is a free and harmonious society," she comforted herself. "There are plenty of people who get married today and divorced tomorrow. It's alright, it's just a divorce."

"I will not agree to a divorce." His voice was louder, and it could be faintly heard echoing in the alley.

Qu He was startled by him and quickly slapped his hand, warning him in a low voice, "Why are you shouting so loudly? This is a village, those old ladies have ears that are sharper than radar, they might as well put a megaphone in your mouth."

Zhuang Bieyan covered her hand with his other hand.

This time he leaned closer, his breathy voice carrying a hint of resentment and possessiveness, "I won't get a divorce, don't even think about it, and don't even think about being with another man."

"Why are you pretending to be so affectionate?"

Qu He withdrew her hand, glanced left and right, and put a distance of three or five meters between herself and him. "Actually, you don't need to do this. Although I don't know why you broke up with Yan Shu in the first place, since she has come back to you, why bother with me, her substitute? Wouldn't it be better to go back to your white moonlight?"

"You're not a substitute! I don't have a white moonlight, and I've never been with Yan Shu." He hurriedly clarified, raising his voice a little.

Qu He really didn't want to have this pointless argument with him.

She waved her hand dismissively, "Okay, okay, you're right, yes, yes, you're all pure and innocent, it's my mind that's filthy, alright?"

The atmosphere was somewhat tense.

Only the sound of the wind could be heard in the alley.

"Hey, Xiao Zhuang, you're here! I've been looking for you for ages!" An old voice broke the suffocating silence.

Not far behind them, at the entrance of an alley, an elderly man with white hair walked over with a smile, leaning on a wooden cane.

"Oh, Ah He's here too. Are you two on a date?"

Qu He smiled politely, but saw Zhuang Bieyan quickly step forward and take the old man's arm naturally.

"Grandpa Niu, slow down. Is there something you need?"

Qu He looked on, surprised.

He's only been here a few days, how come he knows even Grandpa Niu, who lives a secluded life?

You'd think he was a local from Yujia Ferry if you didn't know better.

Grandpa Niu patted Zhuang Bieyan's hand with a smile.

"The washing machine at home is out of service again. His grandma has a pile of clothes waiting to be washed and she's really anxious. She insisted that I ask you to help her take a look."

Isn't it strange? We had it repaired several times before, but they couldn't fix it properly. Only after you came to see it last time did it settle down for a while!

Zhuang Bieyan responded gently, "Then I'll go with you to your home."

Grandpa Niu's gaze swept over Qu He. "Isn't it inappropriate for you two to be on a date?"

Qu He gave an awkward but polite smile.

Zhuang Bieyan suddenly turned to look at her, "Ahe, shall we go together? Last time I chatted with Grandma Niu, she said she hadn't seen you in a long time."

Grandpa Niu looked on with anticipation.

Qu He looked at the old man's expectant gaze, then glanced at the man beside her, and gritted her teeth, "Okay, fine."

It was almost noon when we left Grandpa Niu's house.

They politely declined Grandma Niu's offer to stay for dinner, but before leaving, each of them was given a bunch of grapes grown by her own family.

Zhuang Bieyan naturally took the grapes from her hand, "I'll take them."

Qu He squinted at him.

His expensive shirt had obvious black stains on the shoulders from the washing machine repair, making him look quite different from his usual aristocratic CEO appearance.

Then I thought about what Grandpa Niu and the other grandpas and grandmas had said earlier.

She then learned that during the two days she returned home, Zhuang Bieyan had been helping several elders in Yujia Ferry by repairing televisions and changing light bulbs.

They even donated funds to rebuild the lotus pond walkway in the name of building their hometown, and even renovated the sightseeing train.

He humbled himself like that, contributing both money and effort; even a passing dog would wag its tail and bark in praise of him.

Qu He was lost in thought, not expecting him to suddenly turn around.

Their eyes met unexpectedly.

"What are you looking at?"

Qu He quickly averted her gaze and coldly retorted, "What exactly are you trying to achieve by doing this? To soften my heart? To move me? Or to make me pretend that I know nothing as before? To continue being Yan Shu's substitute?"

Zhuang Bieyan stopped in his tracks, his eyes sincere. "Ahe, I'm not doing this to win your favor. Yujia Ferry is your home. If you want to come back, I'll stay with you. That's all."

“There’s no need for this.” She avoided his burning gaze.

“It’s necessary,” Zhuang Bieyan said with unwavering determination. “In my heart, you are the most important person.”

He held the two bunches of grapes together in one hand, his gaze deep. "Ahe, I was wrong in the past; there were many things I didn't tell you in time. Can you give me ten minutes to explain? After I hear your explanation, if you still decide... then I..."

He didn't even have the courage to say those two words.

He was a little agitated, and his hands trembled slightly.

The grapes swayed with his movements, and the bottom few fell to the ground, one of which rolled smoothly to Qu He's feet.

He stepped forward. "Ahe, you can't sentence me to death without letting me explain anything. That's not fair."

fair?

It would have been better if he hadn't mentioned it, because bringing up those two things was like adding fuel to the fire in Qu He's heart.

You've kept so many things from her, hidden so many secrets, and you still have the nerve to talk about fairness?

Is this fair, treating people differently based on their status, or is it a system of passing down knowledge only to sons and not daughters?

"I'm busy today," she said curtly, turning her face away.

"When are you free?" he pressed on relentlessly.

Qu He rolled her eyes, pretended to think seriously for a moment, and finally slowly blurted out, "The day after tomorrow."

The day after tomorrow is the day they go to the Civil Affairs Bureau to get a divorce.

The implication was that she didn't want to hear his explanation.

The two remained locked in a stalemate.

Suddenly, Zhou Shi'an's voice came from afar. He was wearing a black jumpsuit and a straw hat, and he walked towards Qu He with a smile.

Zhou Shi'an stepped forward, nodded to Zhuang Bieyan, and his gaze quickly fell on Qu He.

“Ahe, I sent you a WeChat message this morning but you didn’t reply. I had to ask a few old ladies to find out that you came to Grandpa Niu’s house.”

Qu He pursed her lips shyly and shook her phone. "My phone is out of credit, so I didn't receive any messages. What's wrong, Brother Shi'an?"

"Didn't we agree to go to the lotus pond to dig lotus roots today?"

Qu He seems to remember that there was such a thing.

Yujia Ferry has a 300-mu lotus pond, which was originally planned by the Culture and Tourism Bureau for tourism development, but it has been abandoned over time because there has been no professional team to manage it.

Zhou Shi'an has returned to take over the cultural tourism sector and is preparing to redevelop the project.

Most of the lotus flowers had already faded by September, and he planned to try out the feasibility of digging for lotus roots. He had mentioned this to her a few days ago.

"Sure, I'm free today." Qu He readily agreed, after all, he had mentioned it a long time ago.

Hearing her words, Zhuang Bieyan, who was standing next to her, was filled with jealousy, his teeth itching with rage.

I just told him I was too busy, not even ten minutes, but now I have time to dig lotus roots with Zhou Shi'an?

He stepped forward, naturally blocking the two of them. "Digging for lotus roots? That sounds interesting. I'll go too. I can also check out the newly built walkways and train tracks at the lotus pond."

Zhuang Bieyan brought up his identity as an investor, and even though Zhou Shi'an understood his intentions, he couldn't find a reason to refuse.

"Okay, then Mr. Zhuang, please come with us. You can give us your feedback."

us?

Oh.

Zhuang Bieyan smiled insincerely and reached out his hand, "Then you lead the way, and Ahe and I will follow behind."