This was practically a public confession. Xu Qiqi couldn’t help but swallow hard.
Knowing Chang Yan’an’s personality, it was already an enormous feat for him to say something like this in front of so many people.
“Qiqi…” Xie Xunian hadn’t expected that even after all this, Chang Yan’an would remain completely unmoved. His fists clenched tightly in frustration.
“Shut up,” Xu Qiqi cut him off before he could say another word.
Then, she suddenly wrapped her arms around Chang Yan’an’s neck and kissed him on the lips.
No one had anticipated this.
Xie Xunian’s eyes burned with rage.
Father and Mother Xu turned away, unable to bear watching.
And Chang Yan’an—stood there, completely stunned.
“Do you all believe me now? The person I like is Chang Yan’an, not Xie Xunian!”
Xu Qiqi felt incredibly embarrassed, but if she didn’t do this, it was as if everyone had been bewitched—they just wouldn’t listen to her explanations.
“I married him of my own free will. No one forced me.”
“Xie Xunian, we are all adults. Can you think about the consequences before you act? You want to take me away? On what grounds? Have you ever considered my reputation? My family’s reputation?”
Xu Qiqi’s chest heaved violently with anger as she spoke.
Xie Xunian froze, then said in a deep voice, “I’m sorry, I didn’t think this through. But Qiqi, please believe me, I never intended to hurt you or your family.”
Everything had happened too quickly. He had barely had time to process it all, let alone consider other aspects.
“If I had known about this earlier, I would never have let the Chang family intervene, and I would never have let you marry him.”
Hearing this, Xu Qiqi’s expression shifted. After a moment’s hesitation, she asked, “Xie Xunian, do you know why your parents kept our family’s situation a secret from you?”
Xie Xunian instinctively shook his head, but he quickly sensed that something was off. Could it be…
“It’s because when my dad had his accident, your family didn’t exactly turn their backs on us, but they stood by and did nothing. That’s human nature, so my parents and I never blamed them, and we never held it against you either.
“I never wanted to bring this up because I didn’t want it to affect our friendship. But now, you’re so out of your mind that you came here publicly trying to ruin my marriage.”
Xie Xunian’s breath caught in his throat. The confirmation of his worst suspicions drained all the color from his face.
He had never known. He had always thought his family had tried to help but failed, leaving an opening for Chang Yan’an to step in. He never imagined that the truth was something else entirely.
All his self-righteous words now felt like slaps across his own face.
“Even if none of this had happened, I still wouldn’t have married you, because I simply don’t like you anymore.”
“Today is the Mid-Autumn Festival, a day for family reunions. You finally came back—go home and spend time with your parents.”
That was an unmistakable dismissal.
After speaking, Xu Qiqi grabbed Chang Yan’an’s wrist and dragged him toward her room. “You, come with me.”
“Qiqi!” Xie Xunian tried to step forward, but Mother Xu blocked his path. “Xunian, Qiqi has already made herself very clear.”
Father Xu forced out a smile, but it looked worse than crying.
Just moments ago, he had been persuading his daughter to divorce her husband and leave with another man. Thinking about it now, he felt his face burning with shame. How could he have been so foolish?
“Uncle, Auntie…” Xie Xunian’s voice held a trace of bitterness. He had grown up under their watchful eyes, and now, he had no face left to stay any longer.
He cast one last glance at the firmly shut bedroom door before turning and striding away.
He had to go back and figure out everything properly. If he didn’t, how could he ever face Qiqi again?
As the front door closed behind him, the room fell into a brief silence.
“What do we do now?” Father Xu paced anxiously, wanting to go check on them but knowing that it was best to let the couple resolve this on their own.
Mother Xu shot him a glare. “This is all your fault for running your mouth! I know you were thinking about what’s best for Qiqi, but this time you really said the wrong thing and did the wrong thing. They helped us through a crisis, and yet you still said such hurtful things. When Yan’an comes out later, you better apologize properly!”
Father Xu nodded, his gaze involuntarily drifting back to the closed door.
Inside the room, Xu Qiqi shoved Chang Yan’an onto the bed and stood over him, pointing a finger at him.
“Chang Yan’an, what exactly do you think about all day? Didn’t I tell you long ago not to bottle everything up? If you have something to say, just say it!”
Chang Yan’an, caught off guard, was pushed down by her. He barely managed to steady himself with his hands on the bed, but his glasses had fallen off somewhere.
His prescription isn’t strong, but his astigmatism is high. When he looked at her, he could only make out a vague outline.
“I…”
“You what? Smell yourself, you reek of cigarette smoke. It’s disgusting.”
Xu Qiqi didn’t give him a chance to speak, waving her hand in front of her nose in disgust.
“The doctor said it’s best not to smoke or drink when trying to conceive. But here you are, smoking again. Do you not want to have a child with me? If you don’t want to, then forget it. I’m scared of the pain anyway.”
The more she spoke, the more aggrieved she felt. Xu Qiqi bit her lower lip, looked up at the ceiling, and held back the tears welling up in her eyes. “You never want to talk to me about anything. Maybe we should just get a divorce.”
This was the first time she had mentioned the word “divorce” to him. Chang Yan’an’s expression froze instantly. Without caring about anything else, he reached out and pulled her into his arms.
“Let me go!”
Xu Qiqi frantically beat Chang Yan’an, trying to break free from his embrace. In her struggle, her palm accidentally landed hard on his face.
The crisp sound of a slap echoed, leaving both of them stunned.
Seeing the red mark slowly forming on Chang Yan’an’s handsome face, Xu Qiqi guiltily shrank back and muttered, “You shouldn’t have held on so tight…”
Before she could finish, he fiercely silenced her.
He grabbed her chin and possessively claimed her with his scorching breath, not letting go until she was breathless and limp in his arms.
“You can hit me, scold me, but don’t ever mention divorce again.”
Xu Qiqi, furious, slapped him again, this time with full force. She shouted recklessly, “Chang Yan’an! Who do you think you are? You men are all so self-absorbed. Do you really think I can’t live without you?”
“Qiqi, it’s me who can’t live without you,” Chang Yan’an said humbly, pressing her hand to his face. “I’m sorry, it’s all my fault. I shouldn’t have doubted you.”
She had long told him how much she liked him, but he had always assumed it was just sweet talk to make him happy.
After all, he had personally witnessed how passionately she had once liked Xie Xunian.
And with their age gap and his previous marriage, how could he expect her to love him wholeheartedly?
So he had never dared to mention Xie Xunian’s name in front of her, afraid that bringing it up would make her remember Xie Xunian’s goodness and cast him aside.
But only today did he realize that her feelings for him might not be as little as he had imagined.
Call him selfish, call him domineering, but from now on, he was determined to claim her heart entirely.
Xu Qiqi hadn’t expected Chang Yan’an to respond like this. She pursed her lips, red from his kisses, her ears burning with embarrassment. For a moment, she didn’t know how to reply. She glanced at his reddened face, which she had slapped, and couldn’t help but gently touch it with her fingertips.
It must have hurt. Why was he so foolish? Why didn’t he dodge? Why did he just stand there and let her hit him?
Sensing her emotions, Chang Yan’an’s eyes darkened. Seizing the opportunity, he pressed his forehead against hers and softly pleaded, “Forgive me this time, okay? And don’t mention divorce again, okay?”
Xu Qiqi uncomfortably turned her head, avoiding his intense gaze. After a few seconds, she finally asked, “Then tell me, what did you do wrong?”
“I was wrong for not speaking my mind, wrong for doubting you, wrong for smoking, wrong for hitting you…”
After listing a long series of his wrongdoings, Chang Yan’an paused and added, “Qiqi, I love you.”
Xu Qiqi almost couldn’t hold back, nearly laughing at his uncharacteristically obedient attitude. She coughed lightly, her heart softening. She wrapped her arms around Chang Yan’an’s neck.
“If there’s a next time, kneel on the washboard yourself.”
“Okay.”
Chang Yan’an tightly hugged Xu Qiqi. People only grow after experiencing things.
From then on, he understood that some things cannot be achieved by just talking without acting, or by acting without talking. Words and actions must go hand in hand.
—
After the Mid-Autumn Festival, the school term began.
Rongzhou No. 1 High School is one of the top high schools in the province. On the first day of school, the campus was packed with people, especially around the bulletin board, which was completely surrounded. Parents and students strained on tiptoe to see the class assignment information posted there.
Cheng Fangqiu, still recovering from a cold, didn’t squeeze into the crowd. She stood on the periphery, waiting for Cheng Xuejun and the others to return.
“Class 3, I’m in Class 3.”
Cheng Xuejun, with sharp eyes, returned not long after he left.
“Let’s go, let’s get the enrollment procedures done.”
Cheng Fangqiu noticed the excitement and nervousness he couldn’t hide, her lips curling slightly upwards. She led him to the teaching building to complete the enrollment procedures, then accompanied Cheng Xuejun to his dormitory. After everything was settled, the family found a state-run restaurant nearby to have a meal.
Registration was in the morning, and there was a class meeting and classroom cleaning in the afternoon. Cheng Xuejun had limited time to stay out, so their meal was hurried. Soon after, they sent him back to school.
Both Cheng Fangqiu and Ding Ximei gave him money and ration coupons. With these, they didn’t have to worry about him going hungry. But this was Cheng Xuejun’s first time living in a dormitory, and as elders, they couldn’t help but worry.
“Xuejun can take care of himself, don’t worry too much,” Zhou Yinghuai comforted. “Besides, we can ask him about it over the weekend and address any issues then.”
“Okay.”
Cheng Fangqiu and Zhou Yinghuai took Ding Ximei and Cheng Baokuan away from the school, bought some things for them to take back to the village the next day, and then returned home.
The next day, at dawn, Ding Ximei and Cheng Baokuan took the bus back to the village. The once lively home was quiet again, leaving only Cheng Fangqiu and Zhou Yinghuai.
The only slightly happy thing was that her cold had finally gotten better, and she could go back to work on Monday.
Before that, she and Xu Qiqi went to see Du Fangping together. At her home, they met several generous aunties, one of whom ordered six pieces of clothing at once—three autumn outfits and three winter outfits.
This was their biggest client so far.
Cheng Fangqiu and Xu Qiqi specially treated Du Fangping to a meal and bought some gifts as thanks. If it weren’t for her, they wouldn’t have been able to do so much business.
After finishing their work outside, both were overjoyed.
But as they approached the entrance of the machinery factory, they saw a crowd gathered in front.
What’s going on?