Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios
“But I think that’s between the two of you. It’s better for you not to mention this to an outsider like me.”
Qiu Chenxi, who had gone astray in her marriage, had managed to describe her affair so eloquently. Qiao Nan thought that the reason Qiu Chenxi had not remarried did not lie in Zhai Sheng. It was because Qiu Chenxi thought that there was no need for it. After getting married, Qiu Chenxi would get into relationships with other men. How awful that sounded. As long as she remained unmarried, she could sleep with whomever she wanted. Of course, that would be her private business and outsiders could not control her.
“I’m sorry. It’s just that I feel like we’ve met somewhere before. You’re really kind, and it makes me feel like I’m meeting a long-lost best friend. That’s why I subconsciously said so much. I hope you won’t mind.” Qiu Chenxi had yet to reach her goal. There was no way she would let Qiao Nan go just like that.
She had indeed come to find a friend in Qiao Nan today. If she did not befriend Qiao Nan, how would she be able to take advantage of Qiao Nan and enter the Zhai family’s house? “There are some things that I haven’t even told my family. I feel aggrieved and I’ve been holding it in. It’s quite ridiculous how we got divorced over such a small misunderstanding. I calmed down very quickly and apologized. But Zhai Sheng… You also know about their family’s situation. His temper is quite strong, and he’s a man who pays a lot of attention to his dignity. I admitted my mistake, but he refused to forgive me. At that time, I thought that Zhai Sheng had had a change of heart and had found someone else because of his attitude. That was why I stubbornly left. But ten years have gone by and he’s still as single as I am. I realized that he feels the same way that I do. I still wonder why he was so resolute at that time. His decision caused both of us to suffer for so many years and be without a partner for so many years.”
Qiao Nan’s lips twitched. It seemed like Qiu Chenxi now regretted it and wanted to reconcile with Zhai Sheng. That was nothing. But Qiu Chenxi was even telling her all about her own private matters in front of her house? Was Qiu Chenxi crazy?
Thinking about this, Qiao Nan sighed and told Qiu Chenxi in the friendliest tone she could muster. “I’ll forget all this very quickly. My memory isn’t very good. Of course, if the situation is really as you described, I suggest you have a good chat with Chief Zhai.
“…” Qiu Chenxi’s expression stiffened. “Do you think that I don’t want to have a chat with Zhai Sheng? The Zhai family is too overbearing! I guess they think that they’re too brilliant because they’ve had three generations of chiefs. Given Zhai Sheng’s status and capabilities, he can marry any woman he pleases. Would they allow Zhai Sheng to suffer by marrying an old woman like me? But they’re not considering Zhai Sheng’s happiness at all. Do you think Zhai Sheng would have waited until now if he wanted to marry any other woman? They would rather Zhai Sheng remain single for the rest of his life than give me a chance to get together with Zhai Sheng!”
Qiu Chenxi rubbed her eyes. As she said so, Qiu Chenxi could feel her emotions bubbling up. “You’re younger than me, so I’ll just address you as my younger sister. Sister, you don’t know how hard it’s been on me. I’m my family’s only daughter and I have my own pride and dignity too. If not because I think that we can’t delay it anymore because of our age, I wouldn’t have put down my pride and taken the initiative to approach the Zhai family. But who would have known that the Zhai family would take it so far and stop me right at the door? They even hid it from Zhai Sheng that I visited. Sister, how could there be such an evil family in this world? Do they really think that their reputation is more important than their relative’s happiness?”
Qiao Nan blinked helplessly. If she did not understand the Zhai family’s situation and know what kind of woman Qiu Chenxi was, as well as the true reason why Qiu Chenxi had divorced Zhai Sheng, Qiao Nan would never have been able to see through Qiu Chenxi’s brilliant acting. “Is your surname Qiu?”
“Yes, I addressed you as my younger sister. You can address me as Sister Qiu.” She had only had a few encounters with this caretaker. She did not even regard Shi Qing as her sister, so how could she really think of this caretaker as a sister?
Qiao Nan’s gaze was cold. “You might think that this is a little late, or you might misunderstand me for wanting to watch a good show. I spent a short period of time in the Zhai family’s house, and through my interactions with them, I feel that the Zhai family is rather down-to-earth. As for Chief Zhai’s divorce, the Zhai family did mention it to me before I met you. I think that there’s no need for the Zhai family to lie to me about such a matter. It doesn’t reflect well on them either. I don’t know what you’ll regard as a big problem if the reason for your divorce was only a small matter. No man will be able to accept such a thing. I’m not sure. I think you should talk to Chief Zhai instead.”
Qiao Nan had not explicitly mentioned how Zhai Sheng had gotten a divorce from Qiu Chenxi due to her affair, but she had expressed that through her vague words.
Qiu Chenxi’s lies could deceive anyone else, but there was no point in flaunting them off in front of Qiao Nan. She would never be deceived.
Qiu Chenxi’s face was distorted due to her anger. “The Zhai family told you about it?!” They told her that she had found another man behind Zhai Sheng’s back and had even been caught red-handed in bed by Zhai Sheng? Was the Zhai family retarded? Why would they tell a caretaker such private matters? Was the Zhai family not afraid of being embarrassed, or did they want the caretaker to stand on their side and fight against her with them? Did they know that dirty linen should not be aired in public? They were out of their minds!
More importantly, even though Qiu Chenxi addressed Qiu Chenxi as her younger sister, she had never truly thought highly of Qiao Nan. Qiao Nan was nothing more than a stepping stone. She would simply throw her aside once she was done using her. Qiu Chenxi felt utterly embarrassed that the greatest scandal in her life had been exposed to an outsider. The Zhai family had gone overboard!
Men made mistakes, so why were women not allowed to make mistakes? When men corrected their mistakes, they were praised for repenting. So, why was the Zhai family unwilling to give her another chance now that she had decided to live an honest life and not make such a mistake ever again? Why had they even embarrassed her in front of a mere caretaker?
All that talk of gender equality was garbage!
Qiu Chenxi took a deep breath. Qiao Nan was the breakthrough she had thought long and hard about.
