Deep down, she wasn't someone who was content with the status quo and was willing to work hard, but when it came to love, she was so closed off and inherently insecure and sensitive...
Why did you reject her yesterday?
Xu Yuehuai went straight to the point.
Zhou Wan was speechless, her hand gently gripping her sleeve, her expression a complex mix of emotions. Seeing Xu Yuehuai's question, the Third Sister beside her was completely bewildered, "What's going on? What does this mean?"
Xu Yuehuai simply laid it all out: "I heard everything. This must be the first time he's confessed to you. You should accept him."
Third Sister suddenly realized, "Are you talking about him?"
In fact, Third Sister had already seen through him long ago, and slowly commented, "I've always thought he was a good man. He's good to you, responsible and dependable. Why would I refuse him? Such a good man is extremely rare in the capital."
Zhou Wan was extremely embarrassed; the more they talked, the more awkward she became.
“I am a widow, and he is a pillar of the army. Such a good man deserves a girl who is more suitable for him. What kind of face do I have?”
Zhou Wan said timidly, closing her eyes as tears streamed down her face.
Seeing Zhou Wan burst into tears, Xu Yuehuai disagreed. She moved closer to Zhou Wan and gently comforted her, "Liking someone doesn't discriminate based on age or social status. Liking someone is pure. What does it matter if you're a widow or not? Just because you're a widow doesn't mean I'm not. Those are labels society gives us, and we should tear them off."
At this point, Xu Yuehuai made a gesture of tearing off a label.
Zhou Wan took a deep breath, as if she had just been rescued from the abyss.
"Someone like me..."
She lamented, "I guess I'm destined to never have love, let alone him..."
"Alright, alright," Xu Yuehua stared intently at Zhou Wan and said, enunciating each word clearly, "Remember this: as long as you want to be in a relationship, no one in the world can stop you. Besides, even you know that Tie Xiong is a truly upright and good man, someone you can entrust your life to. So what are you afraid of?"
"In the future..." Zhou Wan was full of worries, and what she went on to say was just one of the concerns she had, "What if he meets someone younger and more beautiful? What if he falls for her? Wouldn't I be at a loss?"
Upon hearing this, Xu Yuehuai burst into laughter and immediately released Zhou Wan's hand.
“You’re just living one day at a time, look at you,” Xu Yuehuai chuckled. “Who knows what the future holds? Who knows what might happen? You’re not the kind of person who plans ahead.”
"That……"
Zhou Wan looked at Xu Yuehuai.
He looked at her questioningly, asking, "What should I do?"
"If it's a good match, then we'll be together," Xu Yuehuai's principle here is that she has no principles. "Rose has no principles, as long as you're moved."
Zhou Wan lowered her head again, too shy to say anything.
Third Sister offered advice: "Actually, it's good to reject men a few times. It will help you see if they truly care about you. Don't you think so? If they really like you and are willing to spend the rest of their lives with you, they naturally won't be afraid of rejection."
Xu Yuehua nodded in agreement, "We'll just leave everything to time."
“I,” Zhou Wan looked at the two of them, “understand.”
For some reason, Xu Yuehuai keeps thinking about everything that happened last night.
Or perhaps nothing earth-shattering happened last night. She was drunk, and in that hazy state, she might have said something, but what exactly she said? Xu Yuehuai couldn't remember at all.
He claimed to be comforting Zhou Wan, but wasn't he just talking to himself?
She also felt that there was a big difference in their status and position compared to Qi Guze.
Forget it, there's no need to be so calculating.
The hotel next door.
After Zhou Qionghua learned that Jiang Mingfu was having an affair, she was extremely upset. After returning home, she became depressed and stopped helping Jiang Mingfu with anything.
Now that he's in the capital, he's completely changed; he no longer cares about himself.
She thought Jiang Shixu would stand by her side, which would be like having a winning hand, but what was the reality? Jiang Shixu completely sided with her father, even willing to accept a stranger as her stepmother.
And her?
What will become of her in the future?
What should we do next?
Just as Zhou Qionghua was lost in thought, Jiang Mingfu knocked on the door.
"Is it convenient for me to talk to you?"
"Oh, that's convenient."
Zhou Qionghua stood up and forcefully wiped away the tears on her cheeks.
It seems this heartless and ungrateful man is finally willing to have a proper chat with her. Zhou Qionghua looked at Jiang Mingfu, who licked his lips and said, "Then I'll get straight to the point. I want to take a concubine."
"Taking a concubine?" Zhou Qionghua burst into tears.
The day had finally come. Thinking back to their time in Qingshui Village, they were both lonely and helpless, but their relationship was very good. She was naturally strong-willed, while he was submissive and resigned to his fate.
But now that he's in the capital and has obtained that ill-gotten wealth, Jiang Mingfu has turned his back on everyone.
"Have you forgotten the hard times we went through, Ah Lang?"
Jiang Mingfu sneered and shook his head. "It's precisely because I remember the hard times I endured back then that I'm unwilling to continue living like this now that I'm in the capital. Don't reminisce with me about the romance of those days; after all, it's all in the past, isn't it?"
Zhou Qionghua didn't know how to respond.
Just staring blankly at the other person, Jiang Mingfu said again, "I came to inform you. Okay, if there's nothing else, I'll go out first."
"Ah Lang, you...you have such a cruel heart."
But Jiang Mingfu ignored him completely. After coming down from the second floor, he went straight to the front desk and said to the old man doing the accounting, "From now on, your wife doesn't need to worry about a single penny of the money here. She can't withdraw it at will. You see."
"I understand."
In fact, everyone could see that their relationship was changing.
Both of them fell silent.
The next day, amidst the deafening sound of firecrackers, Madam Hu entered the house, where she prepared gifts for everyone, from the youngest to the oldest.
They also prepared some for his wife, Zhou Qionghua.
Zhou Qionghua looked at the gift and felt extremely heartbroken, but what made her even more heartbroken was what was to come: a beautiful, delicate girl approached her in a sweet, coquettish manner.
In a voice only the two of them could hear, she said, "I'll get rid of you sooner or later, sister. Just you wait and see. I'm old and faded; I can't keep anyone."
Zhou Qionghua was furious and wanted to explode immediately. However, the other person was smiling perfectly, and if she were to lose her temper now, onlookers might say she was petty.
Fine, I'll just have to bear with it.
But soon the concubine began to escalate her behavior.
This woman, Hu, had a knack for it. First, she stirred up trouble between her and Jiang Shixu, and then she started crying and complaining about how bad she was.
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