R70 Chapter 16

False Reconciliation

Cheng Yaoyao’s face turned alternately green and white. She bit her lip and tried to defend herself. “Yunzhu, you’ve misunderstood!”

“We really did this for Jianhua’s sake. How could we possibly be faking the donation drive?”

Wu Yunzhu let out a cold laugh, her gaze sharp as a knife. “Cheng Yaoyao, you don’t need to keep up the act.”

“I bet half of the money you raised was going to end up in your pocket, wasn’t it?”

Cheng Yaoyao’s face instantly turned deathly pale. She opened her mouth but couldn’t utter a single word.

Seeing this, Xie Yun immediately panicked, his voice carrying a pleading tone. “Yunzhu, let me explain!”

“We… we had no choice! Even though Jianhua doesn’t need surgery, his illness still requires money for treatment!”

Wu Yunzhu looked at him coldly, her tone devoid of any emotion. “Xie Yun, you don’t need to make excuses anymore. You’re both birds of a feather. I’ve already called the brigade about this matter. You’d better hurry back and face the brigade’s judgment.”

Xie Yun’s face instantly turned deathly pale. He suddenly rushed forward, trying to grab Wu Yunzhu’s hand. “Yunzhu, you can’t do this! We’re family, after all!”

Wu Yunzhu took a step back, avoiding his hand, her gaze icy. “Xie Yun, from the moment you adopted that child, we were no longer family. I’m giving you a chance to divorce me. I hope you’ll be sensible about it.”

With that, she turned and walked out of the hospital room, leaving Xie Yun and Cheng Yaoyao standing there stunned, their faces pale as paper.

“Xie Yun, she really seems determined to divorce you.”

Cheng Yaoyao turned to look at him, a flash of panic visible in her eyes. If Wu Yunzhu really divorced Xie Yun, their plan to return to the city would fall through.

The vote-counting assembly was coming up soon. They couldn’t afford to lose this opportunity.

The air in the hospital room seemed to freeze.

Wu Yunzhu’s footsteps gradually faded down the corridor, while Xie Yun remained rooted to the spot as if nailed there, fine beads of sweat forming on his forehead.

“It’s over… it’s all over…”

Xie Yun muttered to himself, his fingers unconsciously clutching at the worn, faded hem of his clothes.

Cheng Yaoyao’s voice came from behind him, carrying a sharp edge. “Xie Yun! Think of something! If she really reports us, forget returning to the city—we might end up in prison!”

Xie Yun spun around abruptly, a flash of viciousness in his eyes. “This was all your lousy idea! Saying Jianhua needed money for surgery—now look what’s happened! Wu Yunzhu knows everything!”

His voice was extremely low, yet every word cut like a knife.

Cheng Yaoyao’s face paled, but then she forced herself to maintain her composure. “You’re blaming me now? When we were dividing up the money, why didn’t you say this then?”

Her lips, painted with cheap lipstick, trembled. “Xie Yun, I’m warning you—if we can’t return to the city, I’ll never forgive you!”

Xie Yun’s fists clenched and unclenched. He took a deep breath and rushed out of the hospital room.

At the end of the corridor, Wu Yunzhu’s figure had just disappeared around the stairwell corner.

“Yunzhu! Wait!”

Xie Yun rushed after her in great strides, catching up with her at the hospital entrance.

Sunlight fell on Wu Yunzhu’s face, but it couldn’t melt the ice in her eyes.

“Move aside.” Wu Yunzhu’s voice was terrifyingly calm.

With a thud, Xie Yun dropped to his knees in the dirt, drawing sideways glances from several passersby.

Disregarding his dignity, he grabbed hold of Wu Yunzhu’s clothing. “Yunzhu, I was wrong, I really know I was wrong! Give me one chance, just one!”

Wu Yunzhu looked down at him. This man who had once made her heart flutter was now utterly wretched, his bangs stuck to his face with sweat, his eyes bloodshot.

She suddenly remembered how in her previous life, Xie Yun had also knelt on the rice paddy ridge to propose to her. Back then, his eyes had shone bright as stars.

“Xie Yun,” she slowly began, “do you know what I hate most? What I hate most is deception.”

Tears suddenly streamed from Xie Yun’s eyes, whether genuine or fake was unclear. “Yunzhu, I swear I didn’t know Cheng Yaoyao would do this!”

“She told me Jianhua really needed surgery… I was deceived too!”

Trembling, he pulled out a stack of crumpled bills from his pocket. “Look, the money’s all here. I haven’t touched a cent! I’ll go return it to the villagers right now!”

Wu Yunzhu’s gaze fell on the stack of money, her eyes flickering slightly.

She knew Xie Yun too well—this clumsy performance couldn’t fool her.

But a thought suddenly flashed through her mind—the vote-counting assembly was only half a month away. If she made a big scene now, it would indeed affect the selection for the return-to-city quota.

“Get up,” she finally said, her voice carrying exhaustion. “Don’t make a spectacle of yourself here.”

Xie Yun felt as if he’d received a great pardon, stumbling to his feet. “Yunzhu, you’ve forgiven me?”

“We’ll talk about it at home.”

Wu Yunzhu turned and walked away, not letting him see the flash of deeper meaning that quickly passed through her eyes.

Xie Yun hurried after her, chattering apologies the entire way.

Wu Yunzhu just listened in silence until they returned to their house at the east end of the village.

Inside, everything remained as it had been when Xie Yun had hurriedly left that morning—the porridge bowls on the stove hadn’t even been washed.

Xie Yun busied himself attentively, fetching water to wipe the table, then starting a fire to cook.

Wu Yunzhu sat on the edge of the bed, her gaze sweeping over their wedding photo on the wall—in the picture, both of them smiled so sweetly. Who could have imagined that all of this was an elaborate scam carefully orchestrated by Xie Yun and Cheng Yaoyao?

“Yunzhu, have some hot water.” Xie Yun brought over an enamel cup, watching her cautiously.

Wu Yunzhu took the water and suddenly asked, “Xie Yun, if I don’t report you both, can you guarantee you’ll never associate with Cheng Yaoyao again?”

Xie Yun’s eyes lit up, and he immediately raised his hand to swear. “I guarantee it! I cut ties with her long ago. This time I was really deceived by her…”

“That’s enough,” Wu Yunzhu interrupted him. “Remember what you said.”

She took a sip of water and asked casually, “How are the preparations for the vote-counting assembly going?”

Xie Yun’s expression visibly relaxed. “Everything’s arranged. The brigade secretary says my chances are very good.”

He leaned in closer, lowering his voice. “Yunzhu, once we return to the city, everything will get better.”

“I’ll have my dad arrange a job for you at the textile factory, and find a good doctor for Jianhua…”

Wu Yunzhu lowered her eyes, concealing the mockery in them.

Xie Yun’s father was merely a workshop director at the factory—where would he get such power?

He was quite practiced at writing these empty promises.

“Mm.”

She responded faintly and got up to organize her clothes.

Seeing this, Xie Yun tactfully went to busy himself in the kitchen.

As evening fell, someone knocked on the door.

Wu Yunzhu opened it to find their neighbor, Aunt Wang.

“Yunzhu, I heard Jianhua is ill?” Aunt Wang handed over a basket of eggs. “From my own chickens—give them to the child to build up his strength.”

Wu Yunzhu accepted the eggs, unable to suppress the sadness in her heart. These kind people were the very targets of Xie Yun and Cheng Yaoyao’s deception.

“Thank you, Aunt Wang. Jianhua is much better.” She forced a smile.

Aunt Wang lowered her voice, “I heard… you and Xie Yun had a quarrel? Young couples should talk things out properly—don’t give people something to gossip about.”

She glanced meaningfully toward the kitchen. “Especially that Educated Youth Cheng—she’s had her eye on your Xie Yun all along.”

Wu Yunzhu’s heart tightened. It seemed word had already begun spreading through the village.

She said with feigned ease. “It’s nothing, just a small misunderstanding.”

After seeing Aunt Wang off, Wu Yunzhu stood in the courtyard, gazing at the darkening sky.

She had to stabilize the situation—at least until the vote-counting assembly, she couldn’t alert them to her plans.

As for the divorce… it wouldn’t be too late to deal with that after the return-to-city quota was confirmed.

During dinner, Xie Yun was especially attentive, constantly serving Wu Yunzhu food.

Wu Yunzhu forced herself to eat a few bites, then suddenly asked, “Do you still have the donation list?”