novelraw Chapter 401
Chapter 401
Although Qin Yi had tried to explain things, Ji Fei couldn’t help but let her thoughts wander. “So, is this Lu Yunqing married? How convenient is it to come along with someone else’s family like this?”
For some reason, she couldn’t shake the odd feeling.
Qin Yi paused for a moment. “She wasn’t wearing a ring, so it doesn’t look like she’s married. And while she’s a close friend of Fifth Aunt, she’s about seven or eight years younger than her.”
Ji Fei exchanged a glance with Qin Yi. Both felt a little guilty for overthinking and dismissed the thoughts as impolite.
But then Qin Xian casually added, “If she’s a close friend of Fifth Aunt, why would she be advising against the divorce?”
This comment instantly sent a shiver down Ji Fei and Qin Yi’s spines.
Right! They hadn’t thought of that earlier.
Ji Fei reasoned to herself that if she were in Fifth Aunt’s shoes, and her best friend’s husband had cheated, she’d definitely advise leaving him—unless there were some other complications. It would depend on the friend’s character, but advising reconciliation? That seemed strange.
Then again, if someone did have ulterior motives, wouldn’t they avoid advising reconciliation? It didn’t make sense either way.
Ji Fei decided to stop speculating until she saw the person herself.
Qin Yi stepped in to defend Lu Yunqing, saying, “Let’s not overthink it. When the fight broke out earlier, she jumped in to try and stop it and got hurt in the process. She seems kind-hearted. And I saw Zhao Chengle being very attentive to her, like he really respects her. He even helped her to the guest room to rest. She’s probably really just like a godmother to him.”
Hearing this, the three of them headed to the main hall together. As soon as they arrived, the sound of a teacup smashing to the ground greeted them.
Looking in from the edge of the crowd, they saw that it was the Old Master, furious enough to throw the teacup. It had hit Zhao Jianghe on the forehead, leaving a red and swollen mark.
Zhao Jianghe was kneeling on the ground. He seemed fully aware of his guilt and made no move to avoid the blow.
Ji Fei took a closer look. Zhao Jianghe was a rugged, handsome middle-aged man, while a pale-faced, expressionless beautiful woman sat on the sofa nearby.
The woman’s extreme indifference showed that she had completely given up and didn’t care at all about the difficulties her husband was facing.
[Wow, Fifth Aunt is so gorgeous. What kind of woman could Zhao Jianghe possibly have fallen for to betray someone like her?]
Hearing Ji Fei’s inner thoughts, the second branch of the Qin family turned their attention toward her.
Soon enough, Ji Fei delivered her judgment.
[Fifth Aunt and her ex-husband seem fine. As for that cousin Zhao Chengle, he’s too young to consider. Nothing suspicious here.]
The second branch collectively sighed in relief but grew tense again. If it wasn’t them, did that leave Sixth Uncle and his stepsister?
The hall’s tense interrogation pulled everyone’s attention back to the scene.
“When you knelt here and served me tea at your wedding, what did you promise? Have you forgotten? And now you’re telling me you’ve fallen in love with someone else? Do you think that’s fair to your wife, who has stood by you for decades, managing your household and raising your children?” the Old Master demanded angrily.
“It’s my fault. I’ve wronged Ayu. I’ll accept any punishment you give me,” Zhao Jianghe replied stiffly, without making excuses. “I didn’t want this to happen, but after meeting her, I felt a kind of fiery love I’d never experienced before. I’m getting older, and I want to live for myself for once. I don’t want to be bound by rules anymore.”
“Ha! You were so determined to spend your life with me back then, and now you’re telling me you’ve never felt true love before meeting her? Screw your so-called true love!” Fifth Aunt cursed. “Don’t think dressing up betrayal and infidelity with fancy words will make it seem any less immoral, base, and disgusting! Before we got married, you knew what my family’s values were. You said you could live up to them, and now you want to claim ignorance?”
Zhao Jianghe’s face paled, but he didn’t argue back.
Looking at her husband, Fifth Aunt finally lost all interest in continuing. “There’s nothing more to say. Let’s divorce.”
A flicker of pain flashed across Zhao Jianghe’s face, but in the end, he nodded.
“You’re the one at fault. You leave with nothing,” Fifth Aunt said coldly.
Zhao Jianghe looked up at her in shock, unable to believe she’d be so ruthless.
“You had the guts to cheat but not the guts to face the consequences?”
Zhao Jianghe’s expression turned sour. “Leaving with nothing isn’t possible. I’ll compensate you generously, but you can’t take everything from my career. I built that with my own hard work.”
“What do you mean? Are you saying my contributions don’t count?” Fifth Aunt snapped, while the other Qin brothers glared at Zhao Jianghe.
“It’s true that you kept things stable at home so I could focus on my work without distractions. You played a part, but that doesn’t mean you can take everything. Forcing me to leave with nothing would ruin my career!” Zhao Jianghe retorted.
“You ruined my marriage. Why can’t I ruin your career? I treated our marriage as my life’s work, and I gave it my all!” Fifth Aunt said icily.
Zhao Jianghe’s anger flared. “Ayu, I’ve admitted my fault and stayed quiet, but have you been the wife you should’ve been? Do you even know how dangerous my work is? Have you ever cared? All you care about is your high-society social life and being a wealthy wife. When I was in danger, where were you? At home, in the safest place possible. But she—she risked her life to be by my side, through life and death. If it weren’t for her, you wouldn’t be divorcing me—you’d be widowed. Actually, maybe you’d prefer that!”
His words were deeply cutting, as if accusing Fifth Aunt of only caring about her reputation and not about him as a person.
The others, now understanding the full story, realized it was likely during this life-threatening crisis that Zhao Jianghe’s affair had been exposed. And Zhao Jianghe, valuing his life-saving companion over everything else, was determined to sever ties with the Qin family.
Fifth Aunt laughed coldly. “So, the two of you got out of that situation all on your own? Wasn’t it the rescue team I sent that saved you?”
Zhao Jianghe retorted, “There were plenty of people who could’ve called for a rescue team, but only she was willing to risk her life for me. She’s the one who truly loves me. I don’t deny that you care, but it doesn’t compare to her. How can it be wrong for me to choose the one who loves me most?”
At this, Fifth Aunt was too exhausted to argue further.
[What the hell! Argue, Fifth Aunt! Tell him what you did! Your social efforts weren’t for yourself—they were to help him integrate into those power circles. Without you smoothing things over with all those forces, his business would’ve been even more dangerous! And who was the one calming the family, managing the company, recovering the goods, frantically contacting the embassy, coordinating with the rescue team, and preparing medical supplies so he could get timely treatment? If it weren’t for your sleepless efforts, he’d have died with his mistress abroad! And now he has the nerve to accuse you of not loving him enough? Does he think love alone can make the heavens descend to save him? Unbelievable!]