Chapter 30 Orphan

Shen Qingqing left the Lin Family, and Jiang Zhixun didn't follow.

It was Chen Shaojie who chased after her.

"Mister Shen, I'm really sorry for putting you in an awkward position earlier because of my matter."

The man in front of her looked uneasy, his eyes full of sincerity. He genuinely felt apologetic.

Shen Qingqing replied, "No need to apologize. I can distinguish right from wrong and won't vent my anger on others arbitrarily."

Chen Shaojie scratched the back of his head, not knowing how to respond.

"I'm just glad you're not upset."

Noticing his discomfort, Shen Qingqing smiled lightly. "I didn't take those words seriously. You'd better go back and finish your meal."

How could Chen Shaojie feel right about going back?

Firstly, Shen Qingqing had left, while the others were still eating and drinking merrily. It wouldn't be appropriate.

Secondly, he didn't want to deal with Lin Fengmian.

If it had been when he first met Lin Fengmian, he might have considered the possibility of dating her.

But after understanding her temper, he no longer entertained the thought.

Two people living their lives together are bound to have conflicts now and then.

It's better to find a woman with stable emotions, someone who reasons things through.

It's fine to have occasional outbursts of temper, but picking fights for no reason is unacceptable.

The difference between these two is huge.

He's willing to coax the former.

With the latter, he only wants to run away.

"Mister Shen, don't go make a phone call just yet. Let me treat you to a meal in the cafeteria. Tell me about that person's situation, so I can see if she's my type. Otherwise, you'd be wasting your efforts again."

Shen Qingqing understood his meaning. "I'm really full already."

Chen Shaojie grinned, flashing a set of big, white teeth, looking inexplicably silly.

"I'm not full yet! Let's go eat some more together. We can chat while we eat. I went to Beijing for an exchange program before, but sadly, I didn't have the time to explore the city properly due to the tight schedule and heavy workload. Now that you're here, you can tell me about the fresh and interesting things in Beijing. I don't want to be too outdated, or else I might get rejected by women at future matchmaking events."

Shen Qingqing couldn't help it and burst out laughing.

She was beautiful, with watery eyes that curved into crescents when she smiled.

She was stunning.

Finally managing to get a genuine laugh out of her, Chen Shaojie subtly breathed a sigh of relief.

"Mister Shen, help me out?"

"Alright, I'll head back to the guesthouse to fetch my lunchbox. Let's meet at the cafeteria entrance afterward."

Chen Shaojie nodded. "Okay, I'll wait for you there."

Shen Qingqing and Chen Shaojie walked off in the distance. Meanwhile, Jiang Zhixun stood in the kitchen, pretending to mix dipping sauce for himself, and calmly withdrew his gaze.

He didn't know what they talked about that made Shen Qingqing laugh so joyfully.

Ever since she appeared in the compound, she was either crying or coldly ignoring him.

Only in front of outsiders would she show a polite smile.

But this time it was different.

Her laughter was genuine—not for courtesy, nor to brush people off.

Jiang Zhixun had sharp vision and excellent hearing.

The crisp sound of her laughter had accurately reached his ears, echoing in his heart, triggering ripple after ripple.

He returned to the living room, picked up Shen Qingqing's used bowl, and began eating.

Under the table, Cheng Jingliang nudged his foot.

Your wife is gone, and you're still able to eat!

Jiang Zhixun shot him a nonchalant glance. "No point wasting food."

Cheng Jingliang was truly exasperated with him.

No wonder Shen Qingqing hadn't visited the compound in three years. Similar situations must've occurred when she was in Beijing.

As a man, he didn't deal with the issues properly, so how could Shen Qingqing not be upset with him?

Lin Zhidong, holding his son in his arms to soothe him, instructed Zhou Xiaomei to chase after Shen Qingqing.

"This situation could've been handled better. I wanted to apologize to Shen Qingqing earlier for Xiao Mian's offense at the cafeteria, but I didn't get the chance. Instead, she suffered a grievance again."

Zhou Xiaomei grabbed a lunchbox. "Shen Qingqing didn't eat even a piece of chicken. I'll bring her some food."

Jiang Zhixun intervened. "No need."

"But that won't do. In cold weather, people get hungry easily. Shen Qingqing is staying at the guesthouse, which isn't the same as staying with us here. If she gets hungry, she won't have a place to cook a meal."

Jiang Zhixun stepped in again. "Really, it's not necessary. She's not a child; she won't let herself starve."

After saying that, he took the lunchbox from Zhou Xiaomei's hands.

"I know her temper. At times like these, she prefers to be alone. Let her cool off for a while."

"But…"

Zhou Xiaomei was uncertain and instinctively looked over at Lin Zhidong.

Lin Zhidong naturally wanted his wife to bring the food to Shen Qingqing. After all, the responsibility for today's trouble fell on them.

Lin Fengmian whispered, "Shouldn't we bring a share for Brother Chen as well? He didn't eat much either."

Cheng Jingliang mulled it over and said, "Let's listen to Old Jiang. In a bit, he'll definitely go find Shen Qingqing. He can stop by the cafeteria and bring her some food then."

Zhou Xiaomei sighed. "I don't even know how to get along with Shen Qingqing. She came all this way, and we should be treating her warmly, but instead…"

As she spoke, she sighed again.

She glanced at Jiang Zhixun. "Captain Jiang, I have to say, at a time like this, if you don't go comfort Shen Qingqing, do you think she really wouldn't divorce you?"

Jiang Zhixun's hand, holding chopsticks, froze.

"She wouldn't."

Zhou Xiaomei was puzzled. "How do you know she wouldn't?"

"She grew up in my family. She doesn't have any other family."

Lin Fengmian immediately perked up. "Shen Qingqing is an orphan!"

Her eyes sparkled, as if she'd just heard incredible news.

Jiang Zhixun's gaze cooled, and Lin Fengmian quickly dialed back her expression, saying awkwardly, "She acts so proud that I assumed she had a good family background."

Who would've thought she was just an orphan reliant on others?

Shen Qingqing's circumstances were worse than Lin Fengmian's.

"Her parents were professors, each making outstanding contributions in their respective fields. They are people worthy of respect. As their descendant, Shen Qingqing shouldn't be subjected to ridicule."

Lin Fengmian almost couldn't maintain her expression, her lips trembling slightly, unable to find a suitable comeback.

Another awkward silence enveloped the dining table, broken only by Xiao Bao's sniffling and whining.

After a few seconds, Zhou Xiaomei said earnestly, "That's even more reason for you to treat Shen Qingqing well. She doesn't have a family to rely on. If you're good to her, she'll surely repay you wholeheartedly."

Jiang Zhixun's tone turned mocking. "How she's repaid me, I'd rather not say."

His words were brimming with resentment, infused with a bitter note of lingering anger.

It was evident that there had been serious friction between them.

Zhou Xiaomei suddenly had an epiphany.

Shen Qingqing hadn't mentioned divorce yet, likely because she was driven by the desire to repay the Jiang Family for raising her.

Or perhaps, her trip to the Northwest might indeed have been primarily to divorce Jiang Zhixun.

Only something caused her to put that plan aside temporarily.

As a fellow woman, Zhou Xiaomei felt that her deductions were probably on the mark!

"Captain Jiang, there's no grudge between husband and wife that can't be resolved overnight. While Shen Qingqing is still here, you should clear up any misunderstandings between you two. If she really divorces you someday, you'll regret it when it's too late."

Lin Fengmian couldn't hold back anymore. "She's an orphan, and she still wants to divorce?"

Left and right, people kept talking about divorce.

Jiang Zhixun never realized that those two words could be so unpleasant to hear.

"Stop speculating."

Three years had already passed—how could Shen Qingqing possibly divorce him?