"Meizi, let’s go home to cry. You’re going to be a laughingstock like this," Mrs. Zhou whispered, kneeling in front of her daughter to console her.

"SOB... Are you just afraid I’ll embarrass the Zhou family?" Zhou Mei screamed, her sobs becoming even more heartbroken.

When Su Shuochi had left earlier, he hadn’t closed the courtyard gate. Some elementary school students on their way home from school were passing by, occasionally poking their heads in to have a look.

"What are you looking at? Scram!" Mrs. Zhou snapped, full of pent-up anger with no one to vent it on.

"Let’s run! Grandma Zhou is angry!" one of the older kids shouted as he ran off.

But Zhou Mei had a vicious thought. ’Since Su Shuochi can’t stand me, then Dong Yuanyuan from the song and dance troupe will surely make him sit up and take notice!’

’Dong Yuanyuan, unlike me, hadn’t ended up in such a sorry state after getting married. He Aiguo doted on her, and she had only grown more radiant and glamorous.’

’I’m two years younger than Dong Yuanyuan, but I wasn’t as lucky as her. He Aiguo fell in love with her back when she was in her prime.’

’Back then, she was young and beautiful, and He Aiguo was just a teenage boy.’

’He was fairly handsome, not just another face in the crowd, and he really stood out as a teenager. It’s just that for some reason, he stopped growing taller afterward.’

’Back then, Dong Yuanyuan quite liked He Aiguo, too. But after they graduated high school, she joined the song and dance troupe.’

’When she met Su Shuochi, who hadn’t seen much of the world, she found him unique and different. So, her affections shifted, and she fell for him instead.’

’She even started shamelessly declaring to everyone that she was going to marry him. Dong Yuanyuan said it so much that people in the military compound almost believed her.’

’But the good times didn’t last. Su Shuochi was injured and crippled. For the first year, Dong Yuanyuan was still patient enough to visit the Su family.’

’She even begged her old man to find famous doctors for Su Shuochi. But as time went on, the hope for his legs to recover dwindled.’

’In the end, Dong Yuanyuan used an out-of-town performance as an excuse to be away for more than half a year. By the time she came back, Su Shuochi was already married.’

’Spurred on by Dong Yuanyuan, He Aiguo became even more driven. A few years back, he’d even followed the trend and managed to get into university.’

’After graduating, he began working in a government department and was promoted two years after that. His status was only a tiny bit shy of Dong Yuanyuan’s two brothers.’

’Among the younger generation, He Aiguo was undoubtedly one of the most brilliant young talents. Most importantly, he was still hopelessly devoted to Dong Yuanyuan.’

’He treated Dong Yuanyuan like the goddess of his dreams, his face filled with deep affection every time he saw her.’

’After Dong Yuanyuan found out Su Shuochi was married, she threw a few tantrums, but Su Shuochi completely ignored her.’

’Heartbroken, Dong Yuanyuan naturally ended up marrying He Aiguo, and their relationship only grew sweeter after the wedding.’

’Dong Yuanyuan lived a happy life after getting married, growing increasingly dependent on her husband because He Aiguo doted on her and complied with her every wish.’

’Their relationship after marriage was excellent, but... eventually he still failed to resist temptation.’

’An incident like that not only brought shame upon the Dong Family, but more importantly, it made Dong Yuanyuan’s two brothers treat him with utter contempt.’

’They believed He Aiguo had given in to lust and betrayed their sister, so they did everything in their power to hold him back in his career.’

’He Aiguo had loved Dong Yuanyuan for many years; he was just after a fleeting thrill. It wasn’t that he’d stopped loving his wife.’

’That’s why he immediately knelt and begged for forgiveness. He hadn’t completely shattered Dong Yuanyuan’s faith in him, and they hadn’t reached the point where divorce was the only option.’

’If Dong Yuanyuan knew that her beloved Shuoci’s legs had recovered and that he was back in the compound...’

’Wouldn’t she go back to boldly pursuing him, just like she did before?’

’And if she fails, will she end up filled with lifelong regret, just like me?!’

’At least one thing was for sure: her actions would definitely disappoint He Aiguo.’

’If Dong Yuanyuan’s husband became completely disillusioned with her, wouldn’t her life become even more miserable than mine!’

Zhou Mei was filled with curiosity and anticipation. Either outcome would be incredibly exciting to her.

She sprang up from the floor, rushed back into the house to wash up, then changed her clothes and headed out.

As she left the military compound, she noticed the sun had already set. ’Shuoci must be heading home for dinner soon,’ she thought.

Zhou Mei thought she should ride her bike to the hospital to see Dong Yuanyuan; it would be faster.

At the hospital, He Aiguo came to see his wife right after getting off work, carrying a thermos of chicken soup his mother had made.

"Much better. Go take care of the discharge paperwork. Let’s go home," Dong Yuanyuan said, her voice flat.

"I’ll feed you the soup first, and then I’ll take care of the discharge papers. Come on, Yuanyuan, open up. I’ll feed you."

Dong Yuanyuan took small sips of the chicken soup her husband fed her. Gazing at her increasingly handsome husband sitting by her bed, her mind was a whirlwind of thoughts.

’Other than being a bit short, he was practically flawless.’

’The reason he was drawn to Sheng Yueyue this time was that I’m usually too cold to him!’

’Being the one who is loved is a sweet and happy feeling, but it can also make you spoiled and complacent if you don’t consider your partner’s feelings.’

’Then, at certain times, that happiness becomes fleeting and might not even last forever.’

’When happiness leaves your life, it’s like an invisible hand dragging you from heaven down to hell.’

’This pain and torment was something she couldn’t escape, leaving her utterly helpless. It felt as if someone had plunged a knife into her heart.’

’The pain made her wish for death. Having grown so accustomed to being doted on, losing it so suddenly left her panicked and in agony.’

"Yuanyuan, please don’t cry. It was my fault this time. I’ll dote on you twice as much from now on, I promise. Be good now, drink your soup."

"Guo, this wasn’t just your fault," she sobbed. "It was my fault for not being good enough, which made you go looking for a thrill."

"Yuanyuan... please stop crying. You’re breaking my heart. If you’re upset, just hit me. Here, hit my face."

Seeing his beloved wife crying silently, he felt a heart-wrenching pain. He grabbed her small hand and slapped it against his own face.

"Guo, I know I was wrong, I really do. From now on, just avoid Sheng Yueyue whenever you see her, okay?"

"Okay. I really don’t like her. Yuanyuan, you have to believe me."

Dong Yuanyuan saw the sincerity in her husband’s words, and she believed him. At least, for now.

’He was young and successful, having climbed the ladder entirely on his own. His background was no better than Su Shuochi’s.’

’Although the He Family had lived in the compound from the beginning, they were in one of the corridor-style apartment buildings.’

’They were in a worse position than Su Shuochi, who was from the countryside, because he had been given a small courtyard home the moment he arrived.’

’The He Family still lived in that apartment building, but her husband’s rank kept getting higher.’ 𝚏𝗿𝗲𝐞𝐰𝚎𝕓𝐧𝚘𝘃𝗲𝐥.𝐜𝚘𝕞

"Guo, I believe that you’ll be good to me from now on. We have a child now, and... before, I was too focused on my work and didn’t pay enough attention to you..."

Unable to bear seeing his beloved wife in distress, the man quickly cut her off, coaxing her in a gentle voice.

"Yuanyuan, you marrying me was the best thing that ever happened to me. I was the ungrateful bastard who didn’t know how to appreciate you. I must have been a fool. It won’t happen again."

The couple had reconciled completely. When Zhou Mei entered the room, she saw them laughing and talking sweetly together.