Chapter 69
Chapter 69
Huang Yuanrui said, “No. He doesn’t know I came to see you. But that doesn’t matter.”
He Qian said, “We’ve been married for almost ten years. Did you know that?”
“I know. But you don’t have children, so I don’t see why you can’t get divorced.”
He Qian looked a little angry. “We’re living perfectly well. Why would we divorce? As the other woman, don’t you think you’re being a little too brazen?”
Huang Yuanrui said, “Think whatever you want. But Qin Song doesn’t love you anymore. Right now, the two of you are just roommates sharing a life. If what you want is money, I’ll have him give it to you. Isn’t that something we can discuss?”
“Whether we’re just sharing a life is our business. Right now, you’re in my home, talking to me about my husband. Do you have any idea what your place is?”
“Don’t get so worked up. My place isn’t important. I’m here to discuss this with you.”
“There is nothing to discuss. I will not get divorced unless Qin Song tells me himself.”
Huang Yuanrui said, “So you don’t mind living with him while he cheats on you?”
He Qian said, “I’ll ask him to explain what happened between you two, and he owes me an answer. But that and divorce are two separate things.”
“Oh, I forgot to tell you. Your husband hasn’t just cheated on you once.”
He Qian frowned. “What do you mean?”
“I’m not talking about the hostesses he orders when he goes to nightclubs for business entertaining. I’m saying he also had an affair with a female subordinate at his company!”
He Qian stared blankly at Huang Yuanrui.
Huang Yuanrui smiled. “But you should thank me. I already found a way to make them break up. Originally, I was going to drive that bitch out of City A too. Too bad I didn’t succeed. Still, I did eliminate one affair for you.”
He Qian lowered her head and thought for a while before looking up. “You need to give me time to consider it. I definitely have to talk to Qin Song and ask him what’s going on. But I can tell you for certain that I won’t divorce him.”
Huang Yuanrui shrugged. “You should think it over carefully. Men are like sand. If you can’t hold on to it, you might as well scatter it to the wind, don’t you think? He has disrespected you so brazenly. Why insist on hanging yourself from this one tree?”
He Qian said, “Stop pretending to care and giving me advice like a cat crying over a mouse. I’ve already been polite enough to you. If you don’t want to be trending on Weibo tomorrow, then get the hell out of my house.”
Huang Yuanrui said, “Fine. Very good. Since you’ve put it that way, there’s no need for the two of us to have any conflict. Find a time to talk to him.”
He Qian said, “Mm.”
Less than five minutes had passed since Huang Yuanrui sat down, and the conversation ended just like that.
Huang Yuanrui rose to her feet. “Then I’ll leave you to it. I’ll be going.”
He Qian said nothing and pointed toward the front door.
As Huang Yuanrui walked out, she glanced back. She thought she saw He Qian secretly smile.
Huang Yuanrui figured she must have seen wrong. At a time like this, no one should have been able to smile.
When Qin Song came home that evening, He Qian was making soup.
Qin Song changed into his pajamas, walked into the kitchen, and hugged He Qian from behind. “Honey, that smells amazing. I’m starving.”
He Qian turned off the stove and ladled Qin Song a bowl of soup.
“Drink the soup first. After you finish, I want to talk to you about something.”
Qin Song tilted his head. “You want to talk to me? About something? You sound so serious. Now I’m nervous. What is it?”
He Qian said, “Finish drinking first.”
Qin Song said with a smile, “You’re not planning to poison me with the soup, are you?”
He Qian forced a small smile. “Yes. I’m going to poison you unconscious and run off with your family fortune. Drink up, Dalang.”
Qin Song chuckled and patted He Qian on the shoulder, then took the soup to the dining table and drank it.
He Qian sat on the sofa in the living room, waiting for him.
Qin Song washed his hands and sat down beside He Qian.
He Qian rubbed her hands together and said quietly, “This afternoon, a girl came to our house to see me.”
Qin Song said, “What girl?”
He Qian said, “She said she’s your lover, that the two of you have been together for almost three years…”
He Qian’s eyes quickly reddened. She sniffled, somewhat unable to go on.
Qin Song abruptly sat up straight. He opened his mouth, then had no idea what to say.
With tears in her eyes, He Qian looked at Qin Song. “Is everything she said true?”
Qin Song grabbed He Qian’s arm. “Honey, what else did she say?”
He Qian covered her mouth with her hand and broke down completely. “So what she said really is true? You’ve really been with her for that long, and you hid it from me…”
Qin Song shoved his hands into his hair and rubbed at his head fiercely.
He Qian said, “She said she wants us to divorce. She wants to marry you.”
Qin Song said angrily, “She’s insane. She’s completely fucking insane!”
He Qian cried, “Let’s get divorced.”
Qin Song gripped He Qian’s shoulders and turned her toward him. “Honey, what are you talking about? I don’t want a divorce! We were living just fine! Yes, I lied to you before, and that was my fault. I thought about breaking up with her too, but she was too annoying, too clingy. This past year, she was the one desperately clinging to me. I just wanted to get rid of her!”
He Qian said, “Why did you lie to me? Why did you keep it from me for so long…”
Qin Song’s eyes reddened too. “I’m sorry… Honey, I was wrong. I’ll break up with her, okay? I’ll break up with her tomorrow. I’ll make her get lost!”
He Qian said, “When we lost our baby, do you remember what you said? You said you’d make it up to me, that you’d love me properly. Is this how you make it up to me…?”
Tears spilled down Qin Song’s face. “Honey, men make mistakes. All men do, more or less. I’m admitting I was wrong now. From now on, I won’t hide anything from you, okay? I won’t have anything to do with those trashy women out there ever again. Please don’t divorce me, all right?”
He Qian closed her eyes and shook her head. “It’s already too late.”
Qin Song said, “Listen to me, Qianqian. We’ve been married for so many years. You gave me a warm, stable home to come back to. You helped me take care of my parents, helped me hold this family together. I can’t live without you… Without you, I don’t have a home!”
He Qian asked, “Qin Song, is this the only time you’ve lied to me?”
Qin Song froze for a moment. “Yes.”
He Qian said, “That girl said you once had a relationship with one of your subordinates too.”
Qin Song suddenly flew into a rage. He snatched up a glass from the table and hurled it hard onto the floor.
He started cursing at the top of his lungs. “That fucking bitch! Why doesn’t she just die?!”
He Qian covered her face with both hands, bowed her head, and sobbed.
Qin Song rubbed his forehead, then sat down and wrapped his arms around her.
“Honey, all of that is in the past. That subordinate and I ended things a long time ago. Don’t listen to her trying to drive a wedge between us…”
He Qian wiped away her tears and said softly, “Actually, so many times… I washed foundation and lipstick stains off your white shirts. I knew you might have contact with women outside. I endured it. I told myself it was just part of your socializing for work. I just never expected you to be so serious about her. You were even together for two or three years…”
Qin Song held her tighter. “I was confused. I was too young and impulsive back then. I was wrong. Please forgive me this once, okay?”
He Qian lifted her head and looked at him earnestly. “After all these years, you have your own career and status out there, while I have no job, no income, no social standing. But being a housewife was my own choice, and I’ve accepted all of that… But I can’t live without dignity. Today, that girl came to my door, arrogant and overbearing, to interrogate me. The last bit of dignity I had as a wife was torn to shreds.”
Qin Song looked at He Qian in anguish.
He Qian said, “I really do love you. I was willing to give you all my youth and energy. But you can’t trample my dignity like this.”
Qin Song opened his mouth, and useless tears fell again.
He Qian said, “Don’t be afraid. If I leave and she treats you well, you’ll have a new home. You’ll still be as happy as you are now.”
Like a child, Qin Song broke down into hopeless, wracking sobs. “I don’t want her! I only want you! I still want to spend the rest of my life with you…”
He Qian shook her head through her tears. “Our fate together ends here, Qin Song. In life, everyone eventually becomes a passerby, just like our child only stayed with us for five months.”
Qin Song was crying so hard he could barely catch his breath. “Then what do I have to do for you not to divorce me…?”
He Qian shook her head.
Qin Song wiped his nose. “All these years, I always thought we were just two people getting by together. I thought I didn’t love you that deeply. But today, I finally realized that I’ve loved you all along. It wasn’t that I married you and brought you into my home. It’s that wherever you are, that’s where my home is…”
He Qian gave a bitter smile. “It’s a shame we both understood it too late.”
Qin Song grabbed He Qian’s hand. “Tell me. What can I do to make it up to you?”
He Qian looked up at the crystal chandelier on the ceiling. “I don’t need you to do anything for me. After the divorce, I’ll move to another city and live on my own. I might find a job, or I might start a small business. After staying at home for so many years, I actually want to go out into society and have another look.”
Qin Song said, “You’re a fragile woman. How are you going to live alone…? Who could protect you the way I do?”
He Qian said, “Whoever protects you is the one who can hurt you.”
Qin Song fell silent.
He Qian said, “We were husband and wife once. I won’t make things hard for you. I don’t want anything. Just give me the cheapest car. That old Buick we bought when we first got married will do… I’ll need a car to haul my things when I move.”
Qin Song’s heart clenched with a fierce ache. He said firmly, “You don’t have to move. I’ll leave with nothing.”
He Qian looked at him in surprise.
Qin Song said, “I’ll give you all the money, all the houses, the cars-everything.”
He Qian said, “You know I’ve never cared about those things.”
Qin Song said, “If you don’t want to drive so many cars, I’ll sell them all and give you the cash. I’ll only keep the company and the hotel.”
He Qian still shook her head. “I don’t want them.”
Qin Song said, “The hurt I’ve caused you couldn’t be made up for even if I were cut to pieces a thousand times. Money doesn’t mean shit now! But I’m useless! I’m a fucking waste! Right now, this shit is the only thing I can use to compensate you!”
He Qian said nothing. She only cried.
Over the course of a single night, Qin Song felt as if the sky had collapsed.