It was drizzling outside, but the sewing machine inside was making a cheerful "clack-clack" sound.
Zhou Qiqi lowered her head, her fingers deftly pressing down on the fabric, her feet stomping incessantly.
Shen Huaichuan sat at the desk to the side, flipping through documents in his hand, glancing up every now and then.
"Is the dance costume not ready yet?"
Shen Huaichuan put down what he was holding and his gaze fell on Zhou Qiqi.
Zhou Qiqi's hands didn't stop moving, and the corners of her mouth curved up.
"It's almost done. The municipal cultural troupe has already finalized the draft. I just want to refine it to perfection and perfect some details."
As she spoke, she turned to Shen Huaichuan and asked, "And you, how's your year-end report coming along?"
Shen Huaichuan glanced at the manuscript spread out in front of him. "That's about it. Anyway, it's pretty much the same every year: summarize the achievements, analyze the shortcomings, and look to the future."
Upon hearing his words, Zhou Qiqi seemed to remember something, looked up and smiled:
"When Sister Cuixiang came over today, she asked me if I could show Brother Jiang the report you wrote so he could take a look and give it some advice. She said that Brother Jiang smoked almost half a pack of cigarettes in one night to write this, and he only managed to squeeze out two lines on the paper!"
Shen Huaichuan raised a thick eyebrow, a slight smile playing at the corners of his lips:
"Sure, I'll personally go and 'give him my advice' later. I'll explain to him in detail how I took him down during field training, and I guarantee he'll be bursting with inspiration and finish writing it in no time!"
"You! You!"
Zhou Qiqi glared at him reproachfully, but her eyes were full of sweet smiles.
Of course she remembered that training camp, when Shen Huaichuan fought desperately to get first place, just so he could make that precious phone call to her.
The warm yellow light enveloped the two of them. The rain outside was getting heavier, but the room was filled with a cozy atmosphere.
Thump thump thump—!
Just then, a heavy knocking sound broke the silence of the room.
"Who is it? Why are you coming over in this heavy rain?"
Zhou Qiqi was a little puzzled.
Shen Huaichuan stood up. "I'll go take a look."
Zhou Qiqi followed him to the door of the main room, and Shen Huaichuan turned around and said, "You've finally held it in. It's raining heavily outside."
"Who said I was going out?"
Zhou Qiqi gestured with her chin. "I was just reminding you to use your umbrella. Look, it's hanging by the door."
Shen Huaichuan had clearly intended to rush out in the rain, but he was caught red-handed. He had no choice but to obediently open the oil-paper umbrella and quickly walk through the rain-soaked courtyard to open the gate.
As soon as the door opened, under the dim streetlights, stood two somewhat disheveled figures holding an umbrella in the rain—it was Zhou Shuhua and Political Commissar Lei!
Shen Huaichuan was taken aback, somewhat surprised. "Master, Mistress, what brings you here? Come in quickly!"
The rain suddenly intensified, with large raindrops pounding against the umbrella, accompanied by distant rumbles of thunder.
Zhou Qiqi stood at the doorway and could see who it was even through the rain curtain.
Zhou Shuhua had lost her usual elegance, wearing a drab gray outfit, her face pale, and her lips almost bloodless.
Commissar Lei, standing beside him, was carrying a lot of things. In his net bag, one could vaguely see a tin of malted milk powder with foreign writing on it, an exquisitely packaged box of pastries, and a net bag full of red apples.
Zhou Shuhua's eyes darted around, revealing guilt, nervousness, and a hint of forced dignity, a reluctance to completely collapse.
Political Commissar Lei stood beside her, his back straight, but he exuded an indescribable sense of restraint.
Zhou Qiqi naturally knew what they were there for.
Her face remained expressionless as she calmly stepped aside to open the door to the main room. "Come in."
Shen Huaichuan ushered the person into the house and put away the dripping umbrella.
Zhou Qiqi told her to get some water, then turned and went to Zhouzhou's room, closing the door behind her and telling her to get some rest.
After giving her instructions, she turned around and took a few apples from the dining table, intending to take them to the kitchen to cut them up for the guests.
"No need to bother, Qiqi..."
Zhou Shuhua's voice was dry and tight, and she made it particularly difficult to say "Qiqi".
She didn't sit properly; instead, she propped herself up on her knees and stood up, then suddenly bent over and bowed deeply to Zhou Qiqi.
"I...Lao Lei and I came here today specifically...specifically to apologize to you!"
Political Commissar Lei also bowed slightly, his expression grave.
Zhou Qiqi handed the apple in her hand to Shen Huaichuan, who was carrying water, and gestured for him to cut it. She then sat down on the sofa and waved to Zhou Shuhua.
"Sit down and let's talk."
After she finished speaking, her gaze calmly fell on the table, no longer looking at her face.
Zhou Shuhua knew her temperament and sat down as instructed, but she felt like she was sitting on pins and needles. She shifted on the sofa for a long time before finally settling down.
She took a deep breath and spoke with difficulty:
"What happened before was my fault. I was senile, I was blind, I listened to one side and believed it, and I was deceived by Lin Yao and the others... I'm sorry to you, I'm sorry to Huaichuan, and I'm even more sorry to the organization's trust..."
She took a breath, her voice even lower, trembling with embarrassment.
"I... I always felt you weren't good enough for Huaichuan, that you were too... too flamboyant, not like a proper military spouse. Plus, Lei Ming's feelings for you... In short, I was blinded by love..."
She became increasingly hesitant as she spoke, and in the end, she almost rambled on and on:
"Qiqi, I'm so sorry, I hope... I hope... I hope you can forgive me."
After she finished speaking, she lowered her head and waited for Zhou Qiqi's response.
However, Zhou Qiqi remained silent, keeping her head down. The room was eerily quiet, with only the pattering rain outside the window.
Shen Huaichuan brought in a slice of apple, gently placed it on the table, and stood silently beside Zhou Qiqi.
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