But Ma i had made a huge mistake. The turn of events she hoped for didn’t materialize, and what happened next caught her completely off guard.
Ma i walked out of the commander’s front door at a snail’s pace and had barely gone far when she ran into Hen Zhiyuan face to face.
He looked much more haggard than she rembered him, his stubble now clearly sprouting from his chin.
The two walked towards each other and faced one another, their eyes eting but neither speaking a word for a long ti.
Finally, it was Ma i who broke the silence.
"Zhiyuan, co back ho with . I have sothing to say to you!"
Hen Zhiyuan stared at his wife’s face, no longer young, and thought about the road ahead. Slowly, he shook his head, "Ma i, I’m not going back. I now have nothing left! I no longer have a future!"
Ma i grabbed Hen Zhiyuan’s arm, tears instantly flooding her eyes, "Zhiyuan, if there’s no future, then let it be. We can find new jobs and start over!"
Hen Zhiyuan lowered his gaze to his wife’s tear-streaked face, the tears falling drop by drop, yet they failed to stir any ripples in his heart.
He reached out to gently wipe her tears away and said softly, "I’m sorry. I’ve made you suffer following all these years. What I’ve done has been unfair to you, too. These days in solitary confinent have given ti to reflect thoroughly on where we stand. I’m here to give you an answer now."
"And what about ? Do you owe an explanation too?" Guan Qing appeared at the doorway, her intense gaze fixed on Hen Zhiyuan.
"I ca to deal with this matter," Hen Zhiyuan said.
"If that’s the case, then co in. Don’t stand at the doorway making a spectacle, it’s not a good look if outsiders see this," Guan Qing said before turning and sashaying towards the living room.
"The disgraceful ones are you two, not ," Ma i hissed through clenched teeth, following inside.
Inside the living room, Commander Guan, seeing Hen Zhiyuan arrive, was about to talk to him when his daughter Guan Qing spoke, "Dad, could you give us a mont? The three of us need to have a talk."
"What? I can’t listen now?"
"Dad! We need to sort out the issue between the three of us! Once it’s resolved, we’ll give you an outco. Don’t worry, we won’t make a fuss," Guan Qing said.
Commander Guan stood up, frowning as he glanced at the three of them, then turned and left.
The three were left alone in the living room, and the air grew silent.
"Zhiyuan, go ahead. Didn’t you say you’d give us both an explanation? Let’s hear what you have to say," Guan Qing spoke up first.
Hen Zhiyuan nodded, looked at Guan Qing and then Ma i, and began to speak slowly, "I am in the wrong for what happened, and I have wronged both won. Now, the military has already punished . I’ve been discharged and must transition to civilian life. However, I can’t leave just yet as I have to wait for the security departnt’s investigation to conclude before I can go. From now on, I’ll no longer be a soldier. I’ll have no source of inco..."
"Stop. I understand what you an," Ma i interjected, reaching out to firmly grasp her husband Hen Zhiyuan’s hand, "I don’t care whether you are a commander or not, and it doesn’t matter to whether you are rich or poor, I just want you now. I’ve already lost once, I can’t lose you again."
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