"Don't overthink it. Besides, it's already happened. It's better for him to find out sooner rather than later than to be kept in the dark. Chen Shan is a soldier you trained. You have to believe in him. He'll be alright." Even though she knew the power of comfort was insignificant, she couldn't help but say it.
Huo Qingfeng hugged her even tighter. "It's not that I don't trust Chen Shan, I just feel sorry for my soldiers, I feel sad for my soldiers!"
"I know, I really know!" Ling Ruoke slightly raised her upper body and pressed his head against her chest.
Huo Qingfeng pressed his face against her soft chest, remaining silent for a while until his mood calmed down considerably. Afraid his wife would get cold, he quickly pulled her down and wrapped her tightly in the blanket. "Wife, thank you!"
Ling Ruoke tilted her head back and kissed his chin. "There are still more happy couples in this world, so we shouldn't be too disappointed. Besides, Chen Shan is still young, and going through this might not be a bad thing. Alright, you haven't slept all night, get some sleep. Or do you want to go to training now?"
"I'm going to training!" Huo Qingfeng kissed her and got out of bed. "You didn't sleep well either. Before the brat wakes up, hurry up and get some sleep."
Ling Ruoke smiled slightly and lay back down. "Okay."
After Huo Qingfeng went to training, Ling Ruoke lay in bed, her eyes closed but unable to sleep. She tossed and turned, her mind filled with thoughts of Chen Shan and Mei Yanting. Soon after, the baby woke up, and she couldn't fall back asleep.
For several days in a row, Huo Qingfeng was in a bad mood, and even stopped his battle with his son for milk. Little Ping'an was not used to this; when his father didn't fight with him for milk, he felt that the milk didn't taste so good anymore.
Mei Yanting tried calling, but Ling Ruoke didn't answer. She wasn't Chen Shan and had no right to question Mei Yanting, so she simply ignored her; otherwise, she would only make things more difficult for herself.
That day, Ling Ruoke received a call from Pei Shi. She said, "Mei Yanting is next to me and says she has something to tell you."
Ling Ruoke was taken aback, wondering why Mei Yanting had approached Pei Shi. She absolutely didn't want to hear Mei Yanting's voice right now. But since she was going to explain, she might as well listen, hoping to put Pei Shi's mind at ease.
"Sister Ximeng!" Mei Yanting's voice was hoarse; she had been crying her heart out for the past few days. Chen Shan hadn't contacted her since he left that day, and she didn't know what he was thinking. Sometimes, the most painful thing isn't the bad outcome, but the agonizing process of waiting for it.
Mei Yanting waited for several days, but couldn't bear it any longer, and finally thought of finding Ling Ruoke. She was convinced that Ling Ruoke must have told Chen Shan about this! She came partly to ask for help, and partly to confront him.
Ling Ruoke frowned deeply upon hearing Mei Yanting's voice. Someone who had done something wrong was acting like a victim. "I'm listening. Go ahead and speak."
"Sister Ximeng, is Chen Shan... is he in the army?"
"He's not here. He had something to do a few days ago and took leave." Ling Ruoke didn't know if Chen Shan could come to his senses, but this marriage was definitely doomed. A soldier cannot tolerate betrayal!
"Th-th-that..." Mei Yanting stammered, her mind in turmoil and filled with fear. "Sister Ximeng, did you...did you tell him?"
Ling Ruoke sneered, but remained silent. Her disgust for Mei Yanting had reached its peak. "I didn't, whether you believe it or not. If it were me, he would have known long ago, and wouldn't have waited until now."
"Sister Ximeng, I...I know, I'm just checking!" she explained anxiously, then pleaded pitifully, "Sister Ximeng, Chen Shan listens to his brother-in-law the most, could you ask him to help persuade him? I was just confused and got scammed, I didn't want this to happen!"
Ling Ruoke took a breath and slowly closed her eyes. "I can't tell my husband about this. You have to understand, what soldiers hate most is betrayal! I think Chen Shan will definitely talk to you properly, and then you can see if you can persuade him."
Just then, Xiao Ping'an came running over, tugging at his mother's trouser leg and babbling.
Ling Ruoke looked down at her son, her gaze softening. "My son is making noise, I'll hang up now."
Before Mei Yanting could react, Ling Ruoke hung up the phone.
"Mom..." Xiao Ping'an seemed to know that his mother was in a bad mood, so he tugged at his mother's trouser leg and opened his little arms for a hug.
Ling Ruoke bent down, picked him up, and kissed his rosy cheeks.
Little Ping An returned the favor, kissing his mother on the cheek and giggling happily.
Looking at the child's innocent smile, Ling Ruoke felt much better.
A week passed in the blink of an eye, and Chen Shan returned to the army as scheduled. Donning his training uniform, he was back with his brothers, enduring the hardships of military life. Although he had lost a lot of weight, he had finally made it through.
Huo Qingfeng returned home that night in a good mood. Although he didn't say it, he was terribly worried, fearing that Chen Shan wouldn't make it. Now, he could finally breathe a sigh of relief.
Ling Ruoke didn't tell him about Mei Yanting's call, because she didn't want to upset him.
After dinner, since there was no training, Huo Qingfeng played with his son in the living room. He hadn't played with his son these past few days because he was in a bad mood, and now he had to make up for it.
Xiao Ping'an likes to go against his dad, but he also likes to play with him because his dad is a bit wild and they get along well! Even fighting with his dad over his mom is one of his favorite games!
Ling Ruoke came out after washing the dishes and saw the father and son playing around on the thick carpet. She even brought out a blanket from the guest room to cover them. The son was sitting on his father's stomach, making babbling sounds, probably imagining he was riding a horse. Children's songs were playing in the room, and she could occasionally hear her son babbling along. She leaned against the door frame, watching with a smile.
"Wife, come here quickly!"
"Come on!" The son waved his little hand and shouted, imitating his father.
Huo Qingfeng laughed heartily, lifted his son high up by his armpits, and the boy kicked his chubby little legs happily, babbling away.
Huo Qingfeng pulled his wife to lie down on the blanket, letting their son crawl all over them, pinching and patting them here and there, keeping them very busy.
Ling Ruoke lay on her side, her face resting on her husband's shoulder. Although life has many misfortunes, happiness outweighs happiness, so there's nothing to fear!
"So? Don't you think your husband is incredibly handsome?" Huo Qingfeng asked with a smile, his eyes gleaming as he looked at her.
Ling Ruoke chuckled and reached out to touch his chin. "Yes, in my eyes, you're the most handsome and the best!"
In my eyes, you are the most beautiful and the best!
Ling Ruoke burst out laughing. "Isn't this a bit too cheesy?" It's so cheesy and embarrassing.
Huo Qingfeng hugged her and kissed her several times forcefully. "Who cares if others are jealous or not, we're sweet together." The longer they're together, the more he'll appreciate her goodness.
Ling Ruoke laughed even harder.
Little Ping'an crawled over with his bottom sticking up and, imitating his mother, gave her a kiss on the cheek. After the kiss, he looked at his father smugly. If he weren't too young to understand, he probably would have given his father a defiant look.
Huo Qingfeng, intending to tease him, hugged Ruoke and kissed her a few more times. Sure enough, his son copied him, kissing her a few times as if he were determined to be the same. He picked the little guy up and placed him between him and his wife, lightly slapping his bottom and scolding, "You little brat!"
"Hehe..." The little brat chuckled, squeezing the rubber duck in his hand until it made a quacking sound, and bouncing his chubby body up and down to express his emotions.
Ling Ruoke and Huo Qingfeng looked at each other and smiled, both feeling a deep sense of happiness at that moment.
Meanwhile, Mei Yanting's days were much harder. Chen Shan, without a sound, and that man, suddenly vanished from her life; all contact information was gone. Even the job he had arranged for her was lost just days after the incident.
If it weren't for the memories in her mind, Mei Yanting would have thought it was all just a dream. When she woke up, the man was gone, and she and Chen Shan were still living their lives, peaceful and quiet without wealth or luxury.
However, reality is reality, and self-deception is useless. She's terrified that Chen Shan will divorce her, that the man will disappear, and that Chen Shan will abandon her. She doesn't know what to do. Besides, she's lost her job, and even making a living is a problem! Therefore, she secretly hopes Chen Shan can give her an answer soon, yet she also hopes he won't contact her at all; perhaps in time, he'll forgive her.
The waiting period was the hardest. Mei Yanting had something on her mind, so she couldn't sleep well or eat well, and she quickly lost weight.
In the end, instead of receiving a call from Chen Shan, she received divorce papers from him. Chen Shan was a kind man; despite being betrayed, he still gave Mei Yanting all his savings.
When Mei Yanting received the divorce papers, she nearly went crazy. She cried uncontrollably for a long time, then childishly tore up the papers; she refused to sign them!
The next day, Chen Shan called her. After Mei Yanting confessed, Chen Shan only said one sentence: "Sign the divorce agreement. Let's part amicably. Don't force me to use other methods."
Chen Shan didn't utter another word. In his heart, he didn't want to have any further connection with this woman. From then on, Mei Yanting had nothing to do with his life.
In the end, Mei Yanting signed the divorce papers. She had betrayed him first; she had no right not to sign. Even if she didn't want to sign, someone would naturally find a way to make her.
For a fleeting, ill-intentioned affair, Mei Yanting lost her marriage, her job, and her stable life. She regretted it, but time cannot undo the past. Besides regret, perhaps there was also resentment in her heart. And in the future, life's hardships would likely fuel this resentment, inevitably driving her to do something even more reckless.
Mei Yanting considered calling Ruo Ke again, but Ruo Ke had simply changed her number. She went to Tan Peishi, but Tan Peishi refused to help.
Chen Shan pays rent for the house year by year, so the lease still has six months left. The few thousand yuan in savings Chen Shan has won't last long. Therefore, Mei Yanting wants to go back to work at the company.
Xia Mo called Ling Ruoke, who didn't offer any opinion, only saying that Xia Mo should handle it. After Mei Yanting left, Xia Mo came up with another way to solve the invoice problem because of her resignation, so that position was no longer necessary.
Besides, when Mei Yanting first arrived, she was quite eager to learn more useful knowledge. It was only after she got together with Chen Shan and the financial pressure lessened that she became complacent. So if she were assigned to another position, she would be starting all over again as a blank slate.
In the end, Xia Mo arranged for her to be his assistant, considering how long they had worked together.
Mei Yanting was less panicked then. As long as she had work, she could eat, and she wasn't so afraid anymore.
However, people didn't really like her to begin with. Z City is such a small place, and some of her colleagues had even seen her having an affair. Naturally, people who valued their integrity couldn't stand her, so they despised her from the bottom of their hearts. Plus, Mei Yanting was a complete novice, unable to do anything right, so she inevitably got scolded and bullied.
That day, Mei Yanting was squatting in the restroom when she suddenly heard Pei Huo's colleagues outside discussing her. They were talking about her. She instinctively held her breath and listened intently.
"She thinks no one knows about the shameful things she's done? She's shameless!"
"Everyone has different moral bottom lines, and there's nothing we can do about that. It's their business, and we can't control it, right?"
"That's true. If Sister Ruo doesn't care, then we certainly can't shut it down."
"How do you know Sister Ruo won't interfere? Aren't they best friends? She's someone who doesn't know anything and still came back. I thought it was Sister Ruo's way of showing her sisterly affection!"
"No way! President Xia reported this to Sister Ruo, and Sister Ruo said that President Xia is now in charge of the company, and he can make the decisions himself. Isn't that just a clear indication that he doesn't want to get involved?"
"..."
In the restroom, Mei Yanting was grinding her teeth to powder. Her nails dug into her palms until they bled. A terrifying emotion flickered in her eyes.
Gradually, things began to develop in an unknown but definitely bad direction. But no one is a fortune teller; we can't see into people's hearts, nor can we predict the future.
Mei Yanting stayed in the toilet for a long time, and when she came out, she asked for leave on the grounds that she was not feeling well.
It was already past three in the afternoon. She wandered around the streets for a long time, like a child who couldn't find her way home, lost and confused, and full of resentment.
A jumble of thoughts raced through her mind, and the more she thought, the more extreme her views became. Eventually, she lost control of her emotions. As it grew dark, she went into a bar as she passed by.
To be fair, Mei Yanting wasn't a particularly bad woman. At least, she rarely went to bars, places many people considered disreputable. But she was in a bad mood tonight, and she needed to drown her sorrows in alcohol.
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