After Divorce: Why My Aloof Ex Starts Chasing Me?-Chapter 36 Live Well

Shen Qingqing was drunk, and Jiang Zhixun couldn’t leave her alone at the guesthouse.

He helped her take off her shoes and then her heavy coat, tucking her under the blanket.

With nothing else to do, he just sat by the bed, lost in thought.

Unconsciously, his gaze fell on Shen Qingqing’s face.

Her face was flushed, likely from the alcohol, and Jiang Zhixun inexplicably thought of the finest apple.

A fragrant one, just like her.

When Shen Qingqing furrowed her brow slightly, Jiang Zhixun quickly asked, "Is your head spinning? Do you feel like throwing up?"

She murmured a barely coherent response, and Jiang Zhixun hurried to get a basin.

Carefully pulling her into his arms.

After waiting for a while, she showed no sign of vomiting; instead, she drifted off to sleep again.

But her brows didn’t relax. It was clear she was uncomfortable, so Jiang Zhixun resigningly massaged her scalp.

Only then did he notice that she still had her hairband on.

He removed the hairband, leaned over to grab a small comb from the table, and began to comb her long hair.

His movements were clumsy, but his touch was gentle.

Shen Qingqing’s hair was well-maintained, black and silky, feeling like satin in his hands.

Jiang Zhixun couldn’t help but think, no wonder Xiao Bao often clutches her hair and refuses to let go— it’s truly pleasant to the touch.

Even though his movements were light, they still disturbed Shen Qingqing.

Groggily, she opened her eyes.

"Brother Zhixun..."

"Mm."

Her gaze was dazed, her mind still fuzzy.

Jiang Zhixun didn’t bother reasoning with a drunk person.

He patted her back. "Go back to sleep."

The person in his arms stared at him fixedly, tears sliding down from the corners of her eyes, one after another.

"Jiang Zhixun, let’s get a divorce."

Jiang Zhixun’s heartbeat faltered for a moment.

Seeing Shen Qingqing’s reddened eyes, her aggrieved expression, and the mistiness in her gaze, he concluded she was speaking nonsense in her drunken state.

After all, she had definitely been wronged today.

And he hadn’t consoled her either.

Using the pad of his thumb, he brushed away the tears at the corner of her eye, feeling the wetness against his skin.

Jiang Zhixun’s cold, hardened heart was suddenly pricked.

When Shen Qingqing first arrived at the Jiang Family, he had genuinely doted on her like a sister.

Whatever was good to eat or drink, he would save it for her.

Worried she didn’t have money to spend and was too shy to ask the elders, every time he came home on leave, he would hide a few large-denomination bills in the books she often read.

After spoiling her for so many years, it wasn’t easy for Jiang Zhixun to truly ignore Shen Qingqing.

Unless she disappeared from his sight entirely.

He wiped her tears away and said softly, "Drunken words are only allowed once. Next time, I won’t let it slide so easily."

It was unclear if Shen Qingqing understood him, as her tears continued to flow unchecked.

As if she wanted to cry out all the grievances of the past three years.

Jiang Zhixun sighed. "You don’t want to live apart? Then stay here. Tomorrow, I’ll apply for a house."

"You want children? Fine, I’ll agree. We can have as many as you want, as long as it makes you happy."

He spoke with sincerity, but all he received in return was one word from Shen Qingqing: "Annoying."

Jiang Zhixun laughed out of sheer frustration.

"I shouldn’t have cared about you!"

He tossed her back onto the pillow.

Shen Qingqing rolled over, her long hair messily splayed across her face.

She looked even more pitiful.

Jiang Zhixun stood by the bed, looking down at her. "Say another drunken word, and I really won’t care about you anymore."

It was unclear if his warning took effect or if it was the alcohol’s doing, but she closed her eyes again and fell back to sleep.

The corners of her eyes were still red, and so was the tip of her nose.

Innocent to the extreme.

It felt like punching cotton, leaving Jiang Zhixun visibly frustrated.

What was the point of saying so much to someone drunk?

Expressionless, he fetched a basin of warm water and wiped Shen Qingqing’s face.

Noticing her occasionally pulling at the neckline of her cashmere sweater, struggling to breathe comfortably, Jiang Zhixun found himself caught between choices.

By all accounts, he should change Shen Qingqing into something loose-fitting.

But they hadn’t completely reconciled yet.

Such an intimate act as changing her clothes—he wasn’t ready to do that yet.

He paced the room twice and found the dress she had worn the other evening.

Made of pure cotton, it felt soft to the touch.

He hadn’t seen this type of dress in stores. Since the house had a sewing machine, it was likely Shen Qingqing had made it herself.

Standing by the bed, Jiang Zhixun hesitated.

Should he change Shen Qingqing himself, or should he go downstairs and ask one of the women to help?

But everyone knew he and Shen Qingqing were husband and wife.

If he asked for help, it wouldn’t take a day before rumors of their marital discord spread all over the compound.

By then, their superiors would summon him and Shen Qingqing for a discussion.

Just imagining that scene was enough to give Jiang Zhixun a headache.

In the end, he reminded himself they were legally married.

And they were planning to have kids. Changing her clothes shouldn’t be a big deal.

Taking a deep breath, he finally pulled her out from under the blanket.

Shen Qingqing’s cashmere sweater was tightly fitted, not easy to take off.

Coupled with Jiang Zhixun’s nervousness and his deliberate effort to look away, it got stuck halfway at her neck.

Hearing her discomforted moan, Jiang Zhixun couldn’t afford to stay awkward and finally glanced at Shen Qingqing.

The cashmere sweater was successfully removed.

Large expanses of alabaster skin were exposed to the air.

Jiang Zhixun didn’t dare take a closer look, hurriedly pulling the dress over her body.

His heart pounded like a drum, the sound clear in his ears.

Stiffly, he tucked her back under the blanket.

Sitting by the bed, he brushed away the strands of hair stuck to her face.

Staring at her flawless face, he zoned out.

After an indeterminate amount of time, Jiang Zhixun cupped Shen Qingqing’s face, pressing a light kiss on her lips.

"Don’t ever mention those two words again."

About what happened around the time of their marriage, it didn’t matter whose fault it was—he wouldn’t hold onto it anymore.

Not coming back to Beijing for three years, leaving her alone to face pressure from the elders—that was his mistake.

From now on, he’d make it up to her.

Starting a family wasn’t easy. He was twenty-eight, Shen Qingqing twenty-three. Neither of them was young anymore.

Some things had to be let go.

Now that he had figured it out, Jiang Zhixun felt much more at ease.

He gently stroked Shen Qingqing’s temple, using his fingers to neatly comb her long hair.

Looking at her peaceful sleeping face, an inexplicable sense of contentment rose within him.

Jiang Zhixun’s lips curved into a slight smile.

Having his wife by his side didn’t feel so bad after all.

No wonder Lin Zhidong was always flaunting his wife, children, and warm home.

Once Shen Qingqing had a baby, it would be his turn to show off.

As he held Shen Qingqing in his arms, Jiang Zhixun let go of everything from three years ago.

Life wasn’t that long. They had already wasted three years. If they kept dragging it out, there wouldn’t be much time left.

The bed was supposed to be a double, but it wasn’t much wider than a single.

Jiang Zhixun was a big man, so the bed became cramped with the two of them lying together. He had no choice but to hold Shen Qingqing in his arms.

Shen Qingqing felt uncomfortable and shifted her position within his embrace.

She rested her head on his shoulder, her delicate, slender arm draped over his chest.

Jiang Zhixun froze, not daring to move at all.

Their breaths tangled, and her girlish fragrance became increasingly prominent.

Jiang Zhixun once again tilted her chin.

He didn’t force his way past her teeth, only lingering and savoring her soft lips.

"Qingqing, let’s live our lives well."