Chapter 389 - 141: You Want to Control My Marriage (Part 3)
Jie Jianjun stared at the insignia on the military uniform, dumbfounded.
Jie Anlin was also stunned. He never would have dreamed that this guy’s military rank... was so high.
’Can’t mess with him, can’t mess with him, we absolutely can’t mess with him.’
Jie Jingchen looked at Qin Xiang in his military uniform, and for a moment, his heart was filled with a complex mix of feelings.
Jie Jingchen stood up, straightened his back, and gave Qin Xiang a military salute. A flicker of surprise crossed Qin Xiang’s face. He froze for a second before returning the salute.
"Jing Si," Qin Xiang said with difficulty, his eyes filled with complicated emotions.
’Jie Jingchen had been injured and forced to retire.’ Thinking of their shared dreams and grand ambitions, Qin Xiang’s heart ached with a sense of regret and helplessness.
"You’ve been promoted. Congratulations," Jie Jingchen said sincerely, giving Qin Xiang’s chest a light thump with his fist.
"This position should have been yours," Qin Xiang said with a bitter smile. He had specifically changed out of his uniform on the train to avoid upsetting Jing Si.
’These three people are Jing Si’s family. I can’t just beat them up.’ But after hearing what Granny said to Jing Si, he couldn’t take it anymore. ’If I can’t use violence, I’ll just have to intimidate them.’
"Don’t be ridiculous." A flicker of shock crossed Jie Jingchen’s eyes before he calmed, like a man who had survived a disaster and, with the passage of time, had already made his peace with it.
Completely ignoring the tense atmosphere, Granny squeezed between the two men. She reached out to feel the fabric of Qin Xiang’s uniform and exclaimed with a smile, "Oh, Xiao Xiangzi! It’s true what they say: clothes make the man. You’re handsome, so handsome! No wonder my An Qi is head over heels for you."
Granny’s words shattered the tense atmosphere between the two men. Now that Qin Xiang had stepped forward, Jie Jingchen decided to step back and let him handle it.
’With me here, Qin Xiang will hold back. If I’m not here, he can go all out.’
"Don’t go easy on them for my sake." These were Jie Jingchen’s parting words to Qin Xiang, but they also served as a stark warning to the other three.
Jie Jianjun and Jie Anlin got the message, but Granny did not. While they were intimidated by the insignia on Qin Xiang’s uniform, she didn’t understand its significance. The ignorant are fearless.
Qin Mei watched Jie Jingchen walk into the house. He looked dejected. Qin Mei paused for a moment, then asked teasingly, "Got put in your place?"
Jie Jingchen didn’t say a word. He walked over to Qin Mei, took her by the wrist, and pulled her out of the chair. He then sat down himself, settling her onto his lap. He wrapped his arms tightly around her waist and buried his face in the crook of her neck.
Feeling his negative emotions, Qin Mei wanted to comfort him but didn’t know how.
’Granny’s threats using his father hadn’t seemed to affect him. And he didn’t show any reaction when Qin Xiang appeared in uniform. But Qin Mei knew he was emotionally unstable.’
"Do you regret it?" Qin Mei asked. Feeling his body suddenly tense up, Qin Mei regretted asking.
’Being discharged because of an injury was so cruel for him. But looking at it from another angle, Qin Mei felt a sense of relief. Fate had still been kind to him. He wasn’t missing an arm or a leg. Even though his right hand was partially disabled, at least the hand and arm were still there.’
"No regrets," Jie Jingchen said, his voice hoarse as he firmly uttered the two words.
"You being like this... it’s a good thing," Qin Mei said, her voice tinged with bitterness.
Jie Jingchen was a little moved but didn’t speak.
"Being present is important," Qin Mei said after a pause. "For your wife, for your parents, and even for your future children."
Suddenly, Jie Jingchen looked up and stared at her. "My wife, isn’t that you?"
"I’m your wife now, but who knows if I always will be," Qin Mei said, gazing at his striking features as she raised a hand to caress his face.
’No one could predict the future. Marriage, relationships... neither was as reliable as the bond of family.’
’A marriage can be dissolved, and love can be abandoned, but the bonds of blood can never be broken.’
The moment he heard her words, his puzzled expression was instantly replaced by a dark, chilling look. His thick brows furrowed, and his cold eyes filled with a frost that seemed to want to freeze Qin Mei solid.
Qin Mei flinched, knowing she had angered him. But she was only speaking the truth. She hadn’t been raised with the traditional mindset of this era—the idea that you marry a man for food and clothing, that your husband is your sole provider, and that your entire life should revolve around him.
Jie Jingchen stared at her intently for a full minute before his lips curved into an inscrutable smile. Seeing that the smile didn’t reach his eyes, Qin Mei felt a pang of unease, an indescribable bitterness welling up inside her.
"It’s you now, and it will always be you. There will never be anyone else," Jie Jingchen said, his voice firm and resolute.