Infidelity in marriage

Jiansheng was exceptionally happy today.

The installation and commissioning of the new equipment at the power station was completed two days ahead of schedule, and he could go home tomorrow.

Even more exciting was the phone call his wife made today, telling him she was pregnant.

Jiansheng could hardly believe it, because they had been using contraception since their marriage; it seemed contraception wasn't 100% effective.

For Jiansheng, who hadn't been prepared at all, this unexpected event was still a huge surprise.

"Are you sure?" "I went to the hospital for a test today, and I'm pregnant,"

his wife said on the other end of the phone, though she didn't seem as happy as Jiansheng.

Jiansheng understood his wife's worry; without him by her side, she must be at a loss.

"It's not someone else's, is it? We've always used condoms,"

Jiansheng joked casually.

His wife seemed angry and couldn't speak for a long time.

"If you don't think it's yours, I'll get rid of the baby tomorrow."

"No way, I was just kidding. You don't know how happy I was just now, I almost jumped for joy.

I'm going back tomorrow; the work here is finished ahead of schedule."

Jiansheng has been married for two years. After their marriage, his wife discussed with him that they shouldn't have children for the time being. Firstly, their finances weren't very good, and secondly, they wanted to enjoy their youth for a couple more years.

Jiansheng is 28 years old this year. After graduating from university, he entered a factory that produces power generation equipment. With the rapid development of small hydropower in rural areas, the factory is doing well. In the past two years, the couple has not only paid off their mortgage but also has some savings. Jiansheng has started to think about having children.

The power station they bought this time isn't very large, and the equipment installation isn't too complicated.

From installation to commissioning, it only took a little over half a month, unlike large and medium-sized power stations, which sometimes take one or two months.

Dinner was quite lavish. Jiansheng joked that this was their last supper.

The chairman of the power station criticized him for saying something unlucky; he meant to welcome Jiansheng and his team to come often for technical guidance. He was punished for saying the wrong thing by drinking three cups of wine.

Jiansheng wasn't a heavy drinker, and after three cups, he was barely able to speak.

After dinner, the power station arranged for them to stay at a hotel in the county, with entertainment planned for the evening.

Since the chairman had to go to the city on business, and his home was also in the city, he drove back that night.

Jiansheng couldn't wait to go home, so he hitched a ride.

"You're such a young man, haven't you been cooped up for over half a month?" the chairman, a man in his forties, said with a smile.

Jiansheng smiled but didn't reply.

In his heart, however, he was thinking about the warm atmosphere at home, the feeling of his wife in his arms, and felt a sweet warmth in his heart.

His wife, Xiaomin, was a year younger than him, a very virtuous and gentle woman who worked as a sales clerk at the telecommunications company.

Two years ago, when they were dating, she had an abortion; at that time, they couldn't afford to get married, and they didn't have a house.

Afterward, they always used contraception.

During her unsafe period, Jiansheng was always required to use a condom, and even after marriage, they continued to use contraception for their sex life.

His wife wasn't particularly beautiful, but she had small, Wu Qianlian-style eyes, which were quite pleasing to the eye.

After marriage, his wife, nourished by love, became more voluptuous, possessing large breasts and hips, and her skin was fair and translucent, which greatly satisfied Jiansheng.

Even sitting in the car, recalling the feeling of holding his wife's warm and soft body, he would become aroused.

The car drove through the night with its headlights on.

It would take two hours to get from the county to the city.

Jiansheng wanted to call his wife to tell her he was coming home, but the car's vibrations were too loud, and he couldn't hear clearly, so he gave up the idea of calling, thinking he would just sneak back and surprise his wife.

The subsequent events were too similar to the story, a similar trajectory that I cannot rewrite.

Just like getting from one place to another, there are many ways, but the starting point is the same.

When he arrived home, Jiansheng checked the time on his phone: 11 pm.

Jiansheng still couldn't resist calling his wife. He looked up at his fourth-floor window; the living room light was on, the bedroom light was on, and he thought his wife was probably watching some good TV series and hadn't gone to bed yet.

The bedroom had been redecorated before the New Year. The walls were painted a vibrant orange-yellow, and the bedding was replaced with rose-red bedding and pillows. Stepping into the bedroom, one could feel a romantic, warm, and intensely sensual atmosphere, which Xiao Min loved.

Once, Xiao Min hugged Jian Sheng, who was naked, and said, "If you ever betray me, I will never allow that woman to sleep in this bed with me, or I will kill you."

Jian Sheng kissed Xiao Min and said, "How could I betray you? You're so good; you're my everything."

Xiao Min cried, saying that this bed was the witness to their union, and she would defend its purity with her life. "

Xiao Min, my dear wife, you are so adorable. Are you nestled alone in our red bed right now, waiting for your husband's return?" "I'm back, wife."

Jian Sheng put away his phone; he wanted to surprise her, waiting to see her gaping in astonishment, then throwing herself into his arms and acting all cute.

Jian Sheng quietly unlocked the door. His wife wasn't asleep yet; she always locked the door before going to bed, so Jian Sheng had to knock.

Jiansheng had just taken off his shoes to change into slippers when he was surprised to find a pair of men's leather shoes on the shoe cabinet.

Jiansheng's heart skipped a beat. It was so late, why was there a man in the house?! He moved quietly, leaning against the wall and peeking into the living room.

The house's layout was advantageous for Jiansheng's concealment. Entering, there was a short corridor; to the left were the dining room, kitchen, and bathroom; to the right was his study; further in was the living room, and to the right of the living room was the bedroom.

The bedroom was next to the study and shared a spacious balcony.

The living room was empty.

But on the floor beside the sofa were his wife's bra, pajamas, and a man's clothes.

Jiansheng was stunned! Adultery! Adultery or rape? The bedroom door was ajar, and he could hear his wife and a man's voices coming from inside.

Jiansheng was about to rush in and catch them in the act, but he found he didn't have the courage.

What good would catching them in the act do? If this got out, could he hold his head high at work and in front of his acquaintances? Jiansheng silently passed through the study and came to the balcony. The curtains weren't fully drawn, leaving a gap at the foot of the window.

The naked woman in the bedroom was his wife. He didn't recognize her, but she looked to be about his age, though taller.

His wife nestled shyly in his arms, saying, "No matter what, we can't do it in my husband's bed.

" The man held her close. "I just want you to be more comfortable,"

he said. Her voice was soft. "I already feel so guilty towards my husband. If you go to his bed, it will only make me feel worse."

"Alright, let's go back to the living room."

The man picked up his wife and carried her out of the bedroom.

At that moment, Jiansheng's heart shattered, accompanied by intense heartache.

He wished his wife had been raped, but the truth was different; she was having an affair, she had betrayed him! At this moment, his wife belonged to someone else, but perhaps she didn't realize that she had lost him forever.

This beautiful and warm family was gone forever.

The study was dark, but Jiansheng opened the door a crack, clearly seeing the situation in the living room.

The man sat on the sofa, sucking on his wife's breast.

The wife sat on the man, holding his face, and said, "Zhilin, promise me, okay? This is the last time. Don't ever come looking for me again."

The man released his wife's nipple. "Weren't we having a great time? I don't want it to end."

The wife said, "You have to think about me too. I'm a married woman. I love my husband, I love this family. You can't ruin me."

The man shamelessly said, "Call me 'husband,' and I'll say yes."

The wife snuggled in the man's arms, tapping his nose, and said, "No, I'll only ever have one husband in my life, and it's not you."

The man was somewhat annoyed. "Don't mention your husband, it's a downer.

Let me do it a few more times tonight, and then we'll go our separate ways."

The wife, in a truly lewd way, said, "How many more times can you do it? Tonight I'll give you a sumptuous dinner. I'll do whatever you want."

The wife moaned, writhing on the man's body.

Adulterous couple! Is this lewd and shameless woman the wife I once deeply loved and cherished? This shameless man even wants to spend the night here! Get out of here right now! Jiansheng took out his cell phone and dialed the landline.

The pleasant ringtone interrupted the couple's sexual escapade.

The wife tried to get up to answer the phone, but the man told her to ignore it. The wife

insisted, "No, it must be my husband calling."

The man picked her up and carried her to the phone.

The wife said, "Don't move while I'm on the phone. "

She picked up the phone with an arm that was draped around his neck.

Jiansheng closed the door tightly; the house was well-insulated, so he wasn't worried about his wife hearing him.

"Wife, are you asleep?" Jiansheng lowered his voice, trying to hide his anger.

"Ah, I'm about to sleep. Honey, are you missing me?" Hearing his wife's affectionate words, Jiansheng would normally feel a sense of warmth, but now he felt nauseous, almost vomiting.

"What are you doing? Aren't you going to sleep?" Jiansheng said.

"I just finished watching TV and was about to take a shower and go to bed."

"Okay, get clean, I'll be home soon."

After a pause, Jiansheng guessed his wife might be stunned. His wife said, "Okay, I'll wait for you. I'm going to take a shower now."

Jiansheng hung up the phone, opened the door a crack, and saw the man hurriedly putting on his pants. Before he was even finished, he rushed out the door.

His wife quickly grabbed her underwear and pajamas, took a few steps, then turned back, took a large pack of toilet paper from the trash can, and went into the bathroom.

Jiansheng walked out of the study, feeling the lewd atmosphere of the adulterous couple filling the room, making him feel suffocated.

He took a bottle of strong liquor from the cupboard, uncapped it, and drank half of it in one gulp.

Jiansheng didn't usually drink; he kept this bottle at home for entertaining guests.

The strong liquor burned his throat and raged in his stomach.

After taking only two steps, Jiansheng vomited. He leaned against the sofa where his wife had just made love, vomiting all over the sofa.

Jiansheng stumbled into the bedroom, perhaps the only slightly clean place. He remembered his wife's words: "If you ever betray me, you must never let that woman into this bed, or I will kill you." At

that moment, he truly wanted to kill, but he couldn't.

The rose-colored sheets on the bed still exuded a warm, alluring charm, but to Jiansheng, they were nothing short of blood—the tainted blood of his wife's menstrual flow, now utterly repulsive.

He ripped off the blood-red blankets, pillows, and sheets, throwing them all out of the bedroom. Seeing the wedding photo hanging above the bed, a photo that once captured their sweet moments, now seemed like a scene from a prostitute's encounter with her client.

Was it the prostitute's mockery of the sanctity of marriage? Was it the mockery of a cheating woman towards her husband, destined to be a cuckold? "You bastard!" Jiansheng punched Xiaomin's head hard in the photo.

There was no glass in the photo, yet the punch still splattered blood all over his hand.

Jiansheng cried! After taking a shower, Xiao Min smelled the strong odor of alcohol in the room. She saw the sofa was covered in vomit, with blankets and pillows thrown out. A sense of dread washed over her; she wondered who had come to the house.

Xiao Min went into the bedroom and saw her husband lying on the bed, painfully drunk, one hand covered in still-wet blood.

"Honey, what happened? Why are you like this?" Seeing the blood, Xiao Min felt a pang of pain. "Why did you drink so much today, honey?" Jian Sheng groaned in pain.

Xiao Min fetched a basin of water and washed the blood from Jian Sheng's hand, then applied alcohol to the wound. Since

there was no gauze at home, Xiao Min cut off a piece of her own underwear and bandaged Jian Sheng's wound.

She then fetched water to wash Jian Sheng's face and feet, took off his clothes, and covered him with a blanket.

She even made a cup of strong tea with honey and placed it on his bedside table, doing everything very efficiently.

Xiao Min was a capable woman; even Jian Sheng's friends praised her for her competence.

Jiansheng, quite pleased with himself, said, "Without Xiaomin, my home isn't a home; without Xiaomin, I'm not a person."

His friend got goosebumps listening to this.

After Xiaomin cleaned up the mess Jiansheng had made on the sofa, it was already past midnight.

She looked at her husband again; he was asleep, his expression calm and no longer in pain. Only then did Xiaomin feel relieved; otherwise, she would have called an ambulance.

Just before dawn, Xiaomin woke up once because Jiansheng was still drunk and the light was still on.

She glanced at her husband; his back was to her, his shoulders were shaking as if he were crying. She leaned down to look at Jiansheng's face and was surprised to find it covered in tears.

"Honey, why are you crying?" Xiaomin shook Jiansheng's shoulders, but he ignored her. Xiaomin thought it was probably because of the alcohol; he'd be fine once he sobered up.

So she went back to sleep.

In the morning, Xiaomin bought soy milk and steamed buns, and fried an egg, placing them on the table.

As usual, Xiao Min kissed her still-sleeping husband and called out, "Lazybones, time to get up and go to work! Food's on the table, I'm off!"

Xiao Min, now in her work uniform, looked young and energetic. Her job was collecting phone bills and handling other telecommunications services at the business hall. The work environment was excellent, which naturally kept her in a good mood, and a happy woman is very charming.

After work, Xiao Min bought a pound of shrimp, preparing to cook her husband's favorite spicy crayfish.

Returning home, she immediately noticed the sofa wasn't the same one. Her husband was sitting in the study, lost in thought, the ashtray overflowing with yellow cigarette butts.

Xiao Min kissed her husband's hair and asked, "Honey, are you feeling better? You drank so much yesterday, I was so worried!"

Jiansheng was still lost in thought. Xiaomin asked again, "Honey, you changed the sofa? The old one was fine."

Jiansheng spoke, his voice cold.

"That sofa smelled too bad, so I changed it."

"You've got too much money, haven't you? He just threw up on it while drunk, a wash will fix it."

"It'll never be clean, that sofa will never be clean."

Jiansheng's voice sounded like a ghost from a TV show.

Xiaomin thought to herself, "My husband's acting strange today. Never mind, I'll cook first, and then ask him properly after we eat."

Her husband must have experienced something traumatic.

Walking into the kitchen, she immediately saw a new washing machine by the bathroom door.

This time, Xiaomin couldn't hold back anymore, and a surge of anger welled up inside her.

"Honey, what's gotten into you today? Buying a new washing machine!" "Yes, I bought a new one."

Seeing Xiao Min's anger, Jian Sheng couldn't help but join in: "Let me tell you, from now on, our clothes will be washed separately, and the washing machine will be separate too."

"Why?" A sense of foreboding suddenly rose in Xiao Min's heart. "Do you... do you have an STD?" "STD? Yes, I have an STD!" "You..." Xiao Min almost burst into tears: "Did you go to a prostitute?" Jian Sheng ignored his wife and returned to his previous dazed state.

"Tell me, did you go to a prostitute? Are you trying to destroy our family?" Jian Sheng turned his head and looked at Xiao Min with a strange look: "Do prostitutes have to have STDs? How can you be so sure this STD didn't come from you?" "You're talking nonsense! I don't have any STDs!" After shouting this, Xiao Min felt a chill. Could Zhi Lin have an STD? Xiao Min's mind was in turmoil, she was at a loss.

Her husband didn't deny going to a prostitute, which was something she couldn't accept no matter what.

And—could it be that I'm sick and have infected my husband? —Oh God! If that's the case, I'll never be able to clear my name! There were also some inexplicable things gnawing at Xiao Min's chaotic nerves.

After her husband came back, he was like a different person, doing things that were simply unbelievable and incomprehensible, to the point that she couldn't even communicate with him… Xiao Min didn't know how she managed to cook the dish; she not only forgot to add chili peppers, but she also forgot to add salt.

After putting it on the table, she took it back to reheat it.

Seeing Xiao Min's distraught state, Jian Sheng looked at her with a strange gaze—a gaze that made Xiao Min feel uneasy—and asked, "Are you feeling very confused?" Xiao Min glanced at Jian Sheng and said irritably, "Yes, I'm angry, I hate you!" Perhaps at this moment, using anger to mask the chaos in her heart was the most natural way.

Xiao Min ate the meal without tasting it.

After finishing his meal, her husband went back to his study to space out.

After tidying up the table, Xiao Min sat on the sofa, lost in thought. A football match was playing on TV; she never watched football and didn't understand it.

Before going to work in the afternoon, Xiao Min called Zhilin.

Zhilin answered the phone and whispered, "Wait a minute."

Having probably reached a safe place, Zhilin began to speak more freely.

"Honey, you missed me, didn't you?"

"Don't talk nonsense.

I need to ask you something."

"What is it?" "Did you run into my husband when you left yesterday?" "No, I didn't see him when I left. What happened?" "My husband came back acting strangely. I'm not sure what happened, so I wanted to ask."

"How was he acting strangely?" "He came home drunk last night and cried.

Today he replaced the sofa and bought a new washing machine. I'm so angry."

"Didn't you ask him why?" "I did, and he said he has an STD, and he acted so self-righteous. I wanted to kill him."

"Your husband is quite frank. Did he get it from outside?" "I suspect he's been to a prostitute.

I have to go to work now."

There was another thing weighing heavily on Xiao Min's mind: whether she had contracted an STD—this not only concerned the safety of her child but also the potential exposure of her relationship with Zhilin.

Zhilin didn't seem like a pure person, and she wasn't entirely at ease with him.

The first time she and he made love was two months ago.

An old classmate who worked out of town had made a fortune and returned home for a family reunion.

Xiao Min didn't keep in touch with her high school classmates, but she received a call.

At that reunion, she met Zhilin.

Zhilin was Xiao Min's high school classmate, handsome and tall. The young Xiao Min, experiencing her first crush, had a secret crush on Zhilin, but at that time, Zhilin was surrounded by many girls, and Xiao Min was just an ordinary girl; she hadn't even caught his eye.

After graduation, she hadn't seen Zhilin again.

Seeing him again, Xiao Min, now married and deeply in love with her husband, was still somewhat excited. When Zhilin saw her, she could feel a flash of surprise in his eyes.

During dinner, Xiao Min, who never drank, couldn't resist Zhilin's repeated urging and had a drink with him.

Later, the old classmates booked a karaoke bar and took turns singing. Xiao Min wasn't a good singer and didn't request any songs.

Zhilin then invited Xiao Min to dance.

Xiao Min had danced before, but with Zhilin, she felt something different. Even before any physical contact, she could feel his warm aura radiating outwards.

When Zhilin held her tighter, she suddenly felt a dreamlike intoxication.

She felt shy, but powerless to refuse.

After the dance, Zhilin hailed a taxi to take Xiao Min home. In the car, Zhilin held Xiao Min's hand, and she tacitly consented to this ambiguous gesture. Zhilin then told the driver another destination, and the taxi took Xiao Min to his home.

Zhilin's wife was at her parents' house during her postpartum period, so Zhilin indulged in Xiao Min's body in his own home.

On the verge of infidelity, Xiao Min struggled internally, her love for her husband ultimately succumbing to the novelty and excitement of the affair.

Back home, she cried bitterly about her own descent into adultery, for herself and for her husband.

That time, they hadn't used a condom; if Zhilin had a disease, it could have infected her.

At work, Xiao Min claimed to have an upset stomach and needed to go to the hospital.

The manager was a very easy-going woman. Knowing Xiao Min was pregnant, she told her, "Go to the hospital and then go home. Don't come back this afternoon."

Xiao Min went to the maternal and child health center for a sexually transmitted disease test. The results came back normal, and Xiao Min finally breathed a sigh of relief.

But she wasn't entirely at ease. Although she could rightfully demand that Jian Sheng explain and repent for his prostitution, she hadn't figured out how to deal with him.

She had even considered divorce.

On her way home, Zhi Lin called.

Zhi Lin said, "Xiao Min, you should go to the hospital for a checkup."

Xiao Min asked, "What kind of checkup?" Zhi Lin said, "For STDs. I just got tested at the hospital. I have it. I haven't been messing around outside. You're the one who gave it to me."

"I'm not sick,"

Xiao Min said, somewhat angrily.

Zhilin said, "I don't mean to blame you, I'm doing this for your own good.

Go get checked out.

" Xiaomin impatiently told Zhilin, "I just got my check-up at the maternal and child health center, I'm fine.

Who knows where you got your sexually transmitted disease!" Xiaomin hung up without saying goodbye. Zhilin called several more times, but Xiaomin didn't answer. He

thought, "Fine, it's over now."

Wu Jiansheng was also overwhelmed with thoughts and had to use a pen to sort them out.

He made a thought outline on the paper: 1. Divorce; 2. Property division; 3. Children... He drew a big question mark next to "children."

Divorce was a certainty. Having made this decision, in his heart, she was no longer his wife. What she did was her own business.

—This could at least numb him a little and make him less painful.

But the thought of divorce still hurt him, making him feel like he had lost the whole world.

If it weren't for her betrayal, if fate had given him a choice: either beg with Xiao Min or leave her and become a god, he would have chosen to stay with her without hesitation.

Making the decision to divorce meant he saw the end of his marriage, a place etched with despair.

He was almost certain the child wasn't his. He and his wife had used contraception for two years without incident; why did she conceive right when she was having an affair? Even if there was only a one in ten thousand chance it was his child, the thought of another man's semen entering her mother's womb during pregnancy always gave it a bastard feel, which he found hard to accept.

He would leave the child's fate to his mother.

He decided to part amicably with Xiao Min; after all, she had given him the best years of his life. He was willing to give her three more days. If she confessed, he wouldn't pursue the matter further, and they would split the assets equally.

If she remained stubborn and unrepentant, he wouldn't hold back; he would deal with it as it came.

She was at fault. Even if she dared to be shameless enough to deny what he had witnessed, the innocent child was still irrefutable evidence.

Six. Today, his wife came home early.

Jiansheng asked, "Didn't you go to work today?" His wife, changing into slippers, said, "I took the day off."

"Taking the day off and not staying home, who did you meet up with?" "Meet you my foot!" His wife pulled out the hospital test results and threw them at her husband. "Take a good look, your wife doesn't have any STDs."

Jiansheng glanced at the hospital report and handed it back to his wife.

"You seem very nervous."

His wife plopped down next to her husband and said, "I'm a little worried because I'm pregnant."

She then complained to her husband, "You don't care about the child in my belly at all. Don't you want to ask?" "Okay," Jiansheng said, "Then I'll ask.

This child, is it mine?" Xiaomin didn't expect her husband to ask such a question and became somewhat annoyed! "What do you mean? If this child isn't yours, whose is it?" Jiansheng didn't want to be direct; he let his wife think about it slowly.

He then stopped talking and watched the TV.

Xiao Min turned Jian Sheng's face towards her, making him look at her.

"Honey, did you really go to a prostitute?" Jian Sheng turned to Xiao Min, looking at her seriously.

He wanted to talk to his wife about issues like betrayal.

"If I went to a prostitute, or if I had another woman, how would you feel?" "I would be heartbroken, very hurt."

"If a woman betrays her husband, that man will also be heartbroken, very hurt."

"I know..." Xiao Min leaned against her husband obediently, tears welling up in her eyes.

She almost said "I'm sorry" to her husband, but she couldn't say it; once she did, there would be no turning back.

"Honey, I'm so scared. I'm afraid you'll leave me. I really can't live without you."

"Hypocrite!" Jian Sheng wailed inwardly.

He couldn't understand how women could pretend so well; yesterday she was having an affair, and today she could say such things to her husband.

Xiao Min couldn't stand this atmosphere. She thought that if she stayed any longer, she would definitely break down and reveal a shocking secret.

She finally stopped crying and said to her husband with concern, "Let's go to the hospital tomorrow."

Jiansheng looked at his wife in confusion, "Go see what?" His wife pointed to his crotch, "Go see a doctor."

Jiansheng said, "I don't have erectile dysfunction or premature ejaculation, what kind of doctor would I need?" "An STD."

Jiansheng almost laughed; he had casually said something yesterday, and his wife had taken it seriously.

However, Jiansheng felt there was no need to explain himself to his wife.

"Honey, as long as you still have me in your heart, I'll still be your good wife, you know? I'll go cook."

Xiaomin said tenderly, kissing her husband's forehead.

His wife's forgiving look made Jiansheng feel quite ridiculous.

Finally, Jiansheng said something that night that stirred up a storm in Xiaomin's heart.

That night, after taking a shower, Xiaomin climbed into bed and said to her husband, "Honey, do you think my belly is a little bigger?" His wife lifted her milky-white cotton nightgown, revealing her smooth body to Jiansheng.

His wife wasn't wearing anything underneath; her full breasts looked like two sleeping little white rabbits, as if the slightest sound would wake her.

Jiansheng knew his wife's body intimately, but today, the pubic hair covering her private parts seemed to hold some secret she didn't want him to know, making her feel somewhat unfamiliar.

He made a gesture as if to take his wife's nipple into his mouth, but suddenly stopped.

Like a dog, he sniffed at his wife's nipple. His wife said, "What are you sniffing?" Jiansheng said, "I smell bad breath."

"How could that be? You haven't even kissed her yet."

"It must be residue from yesterday, the day before, or the days before," Jiansheng pushed his wife away and said, "Go wash up, it makes me nauseous."

Xiaomin's face turned pale, and she froze like a puppet.

That night, Xiaomin barely slept, wondering if her husband was suspicious because she was pregnant despite using contraception. She wondered if her husband knew something, and how much he knew. Or was it just some rumors? A moment later, thinking about her husband wanting a divorce, should she commit suicide as an act of repentance? ... When she woke up in the morning, her pillow was soaked with tears.

At work today, Xiao Min couldn't concentrate. A customer took out 50 yuan and gave 40 yuan to someone else.

Later, when she called to inquire, the other party denied it.

Xiao Min felt like she was about to collapse; it seemed like everything around her was determined to torment her.

Near the end of the workday, Xiao Min received a call from Zhilin.

If Xiao Min hadn't been so distracted, she wouldn't have answered Zhilin's call.

Zhilin, however, was completely unaware of Xiao Min's chaotic state of mind.

He excitedly told Xiao Min some good news:

"I went to the hospital for a checkup today, and guess what? Nothing's wrong!"

"Damn it, that dermatology hospital is heartless and unethical! Anyone who goes there for a checkup will get diagnosed with an STD, and you have no one to complain to. Who dares to speak up? ... Xiao Min, are you listening? Xiao Min..." Xiao Min snapped out of her daze: "Hey, I'm asking you, did you say anything inappropriate outside?" "What inappropriate? No, no, how could I say such things outside? I'm a married man, what would happen if my wife found out? What happened to you?" "My husband seems to know something, I don't know what to do, I'm so confused..." "Don't worry, you must calm down, everything will be alright. Is it

convenient for you now?" "I'm going home."

"Then let's arrange a time tonight, let's analyze the situation."

"Let's not contact each other anymore, and don't call me again."

"I'm worried about you. If it's inconvenient for you, we can find a convenient place, we can talk on the phone. " "

Xiao Min ended her call with Zhi Lin.

Zhi Lin didn't call back either.

When she got home, she found a note Jian Sheng had written to her.

"Xiao Min: There's a problem with the equipment at the power station, and the factory wants me to go there immediately. It'll probably be a few days before I'm back.

"There are some things I still need to make clear to you. I wanted to give you some time to explain, but it seems you're having some trouble.

I'll explain it to you.

"I already know about you and that man.

Do you know why I changed that sofa? Because you two had sex on it.

Do you know why I bought a washing machine? It's not because I have an STD, but because I think your clothes with the man's semen on them are dirty.

As for why you betrayed me, I don't want to know anymore. Knowing will only hurt me more."

"While I'm gone, think about our divorce. Before we divorce, I hope you won't have any contact with that man.

I believe you're not someone without principles.

Jiansheng." Xiaomin held her husband's letter, sat there for over two hours, and then sent him a text message: "Honey, I'm sorry.

I agree to the divorce."

A few days later, her husband returned. Both seemed very calm, as if nothing had happened between them.

Xiaomin said, "I'll cook you one last meal tonight. "

Jiansheng didn't come home for dinner.

A few of his single friends often got together, taking turns treating each other to beer at a small tavern near the factory gate. Jiansheng said, "Today it's my treat, guys, have a good drink."

An older single man, a year older than Jiansheng, patted him on the shoulder and said, "Ha, reminiscing about the past, huh?" Jiansheng said, "I really miss the days when I was single.

Come on, grab a beer and a bowl."

After drinking, the single friends didn't have much entertainment, so they played cards and gambled.

Gambling wasn't Jiansheng's hobby, and he lost his 200 yuan in half an hour.

"You guys keep playing, I'm heading home first."

The guys were having a blast, and one even offered to lend him money to win back his losses. The old bachelor said, "Alright, alright, don't encourage drinking and gambling, Jiansheng's going to be kneeling on a washboard when he gets home."

"Hahahaha!" Jiansheng hadn't been this happy in a long time. On the way home, he thought, being a happy single isn't so bad after all.

I'm going back to being single! It was already 10 o'clock when he got home.

His wife greeted him, helped him take off his coat, and asked, "Looks like you had a good time."

"Yeah, drinking with my single buddies, it felt like I was back in the old days.

I'll be joining the ranks of the singles soon!" "Let's celebrate today.

Come on!" Xiao Min invited her husband to sit down at the table.

There were three dishes on the table: a bowl of chicken, a plate of steamed fish, and a plate of Jiansheng's favorite spicy crayfish.

"You haven't eaten yet?" Jiansheng asked.

"I've been waiting for you."

Xiao Min poured her husband a glass of baijiu (Chinese liquor).

Only then did Jiansheng notice that his wife had dressed up carefully.

Her hair was washed and tied up with a hairband. Jiansheng had said before that he loved seeing his wife like this, just out of the shower; it was very sexy.

His wife was also wearing makeup, but this time it was heavier, somewhat like the makeup she wore for her wedding, making her look both energetic and charming.

Furthermore, Jiansheng hadn't seen Xiaomin's clothes before; they must be new.

Jiansheng couldn't help but tease her.

"Looking so beautiful, are you going on a date?" "Yes, a date with you."

His wife smiled, smoothing her bangs. "Isn't your wife beautiful? I had my makeup done at a bridal shop. The makeup artist asked if I was getting married, and I said, 'I'm getting a divorce. ' The

makeup artist laughed."

Xiaomin poured herself a glass of red wine, just enough to fill a stemmed glass.

She showed the bottle, saying, "You haven't been home these past few days, so I've been drinking a little whenever I have free time. It's almost finished.

I like the taste of red wine. Here, for your single status."

Jiansheng also raised his glass, "For your freedom."

He then tilted his head back, emptying the glass completely.

Xiao Min picked up her wine glass and took a small sip.

"Come on, eat some shrimp.

This is the one I've put the most effort into making. How does it taste?" "Delicious,"

her husband said sincerely after taking a bite.

"Then eat more. You won't be able to eat this again."

Xiao Min picked up a few large shrimp and put them in Jian Sheng's bowl.

Jian Sheng saw tears glistening in Xiao Min's eyes and felt a pang of sadness, so he buried his head in his food.

Xiao Min kept watching her husband, and seeing him eating with relish, a smile appeared on her face.

Tears filled her eyes, but Xiao Min still smiled faintly.

"I'm full,"

Jian Sheng said, not daring to look at Xiao Min's tearful smile. He grabbed a napkin to wipe his mouth, and Xiao Min picked up her wine glass: "Will you drink this with me?" "Cheers!" Jian Sheng drank another glass.

Xiao Min took several large gulps before finishing the red wine in her glass.

Xiao Min stood up, slightly unsteady on her feet.

Xiao Min said to her husband, who rushed over to help her, "Honey, I'm a little drunk. I want to sleep for a while. Could you hug me one last time and carry me to bed?" Jian Sheng picked up his wife and carried her to the bed.

Xiao Min clung tightly to her husband's neck, carefully examining every part of his face, then smiled, pulled him closer, and kissed him on the lips.

"Honey, I love you.

Go watch TV. There should be your favorite Argentina vs. Germany match on today. Don't worry about me."

"Okay, go to sleep early."

Jian Sheng tucked his wife in, noticing Xiao Min's tears had soaked her hair, and his own eyes welled up with tears.

The Argentina vs. Germany match was playing on TV.

Xiao Min never cared about the game, but Jian Sheng was surprised by her attentiveness today. He had to admit that his wife was very loving; if it weren't for her infidelity, he would be such a happy man! However, watching the game today, Jian Sheng felt uneasy and couldn't concentrate.

He thought it was probably because of the alcohol.

During the halftime break, Jian Sheng drank some water.

Remembering that Xiao Min had drunk quite a bit, he made her a strong cup of tea and brought it in.

Xiao Min was sleeping peacefully, the tear tracks from her eyes to her ears dried, but her hair was still wet.

Jian Sheng suddenly felt a pang of pity for Xiao Min. She never drank alcohol, yet today she had drunk a large glass; it was no wonder she was drunk.

Jian Sheng gently placed the tea on the bedside table and noticed a note on it. He took it out and read it.

The note was from Xiao Min: "

My dear husband, this is the last time I'll call you that. You'll never hear it again."

This separation of life and death, though filled with sorrow, brings me a relative peace. Compared to my inner pain, death may be a way out.

I'm sorry.

But for the sake of my love expressed through death, please believe me: I love you more than my own life.

Please bury me in your husband's name, and burn our bed as well; I want to take it to heaven.

In your desk drawer, there's a letter I wrote to my parents; please deliver it.

There's also a letter to you, containing everything I want to say.

If you still feel I should retain a shred of dignity, please keep this a secret and don't reveal it.

Farewell, my husband.

I was content with your embrace today; thank you.

... When Xiao Min was rushed to the emergency room, she was already in a deep coma.

Xiao Min's parents rushed over; her mother grabbed Jian Sheng, crying and making a scene.

"What have you done to wrong Xiao Min that you're driving her to her death?! You heartless bastard, what has Xiao Min ever done to you?!" Seeing the situation escalating, Xiao Min's father pulled his wife away and dragged Jian Sheng to the other end of the corridor to talk.

"What happened between you two? Why did you have to make such a big fuss?"

Jian Sheng felt wronged and told his father-in-law what had happened.

"Xiao Min... she's having an affair..." "Sigh," his father-in-law sighed and shook his head, "This child, how can he be so insensible? We need to save Xiao Min first, and then we can deal with your problems later, okay? I know this is a bit difficult for you, but it's a life-saving matter."

"Dad, don't worry, Xiao Min will be alright."

His father-in-law patted Jian Sheng's shoulder and went back to Xiao Min's mother, saying, "The young couple has run into some problems, and it's Xiao Min's fault. Don't add fuel to the fire. The most important thing now is to save our daughter."

Xiao Min's mother nodded, leaning against her husband, her jaw trembling slightly from the stress.

The emergency room door opened, and Xiao Min was wheeled into the observation room.

The doctor called Jiansheng and his father-in-law to the on-call room.

"The patient overdosed on sleeping pills. She's temporarily out of danger, but the critical period hasn't passed yet. She needs to be observed and treated for a few days.

You two go and complete the admission procedures."

Jiansheng returned to the ward after completing the admission procedures.

Xiao Min was wearing an oxygen mask and had an IV drip in her hand.

The medicine dripped into the IV tube, one drop at a time, as if recording the passage of time.

His father-in-law called Jiansheng out.

"Go back and rest. We can watch over her here."

"I'd better stay here. I'm worried."

"I'm afraid Xiao Min might wake up and become agitated, which could be bad for her.

You should go back."

"Okay, I'll go back then."

It was already late at night when he returned.

Jiansheng blamed himself for being too careless. Actually, he had noticed that Xiao Min's behavior that day wasn't normal, but he hadn't thought of anything serious.

He thought Xiao Min just wanted to leave a deep impression on him during the divorce proceedings.

Xiao Min's note was still on the bedside table.

Jiansheng read it again, feeling a pang of sorrow.

He had no doubt that Xiaomin loved him, but he couldn't understand why her love was so fickle.

Without any warning that something was wrong between them, she had fallen for someone else, and then, like a circuit switching, she had switched her love back to her husband.

Some say women are an unreadable book, and now he understood.

Jiansheng opened his desk drawer; sure enough, there were two letters inside, one to her parents and one to himself. The envelopes were stained with tears, some words blurred by the stains.

He was about to open the letter from his wife, but then hesitated.

He desperately wanted to know what it said, the reason for his wife's infidelity, the depth of their love, but he feared he wouldn't be able to remain calm after reading it. Right now, Xiaomin's safety was paramount.

Jiansheng wanted to rest for a while; he had to go to the hospital at dawn and might have to stay by her side all day.

Just then, his father-in-law called: "Come quickly! Xiaomin is dying!" Jiansheng jumped up and ran towards the hospital.

There were no cars or pedestrians on the street.

When Jiansheng arrived, the doctor and nurses were coming out of the ward. The doctor told Jiansheng that her blood pressure had suddenly dropped, but it had stabilized now, though the situation wasn't very optimistic; they needed to see if her physical condition could help her pull through.

Xiaomin's mother sat to the side, wiping away tears, afraid to cry out loud.

Jiansheng sat by the bed, holding Xiaomin's hands tightly, as if trying to pull her up.

He thought to himself: Xiaomin, you have to pull through! How could you do something so foolish? Are you going to ruin my life? Jiansheng seemed to feel Xiaomin's fingers twitch slightly, and he softly called out, "Xiaomin, can you hear me? If you can, twitch your finger again."

Hearing Jiansheng's words, Xiaomin's mother suddenly perked up: "Did she move? Did she move?" Jiansheng said, "It might be my imagination, I felt her move."

Xiaomin's mother then called out, "Xiaomin, Xiaomin..." Dawn broke, but Xiaomin still hadn't woken up.

Jiansheng told his parents-in-law to go home and rest. His father-in-law said, "If Xiaomin wakes up, call me immediately.

" Jiansheng sat down next to Xiaomin, took her hand, and said in his heart, "Xiaomin, it's Jiansheng, wake up!"

He'd seen many dramas on TV where people, even in a coma, could feel the calls of their loved ones and eventually wake up. He called out, and indeed, he woke her! He first saw tears slowly streaming from the corners of Xiaomin's closed eyes.

Jiansheng was overjoyed. He leaned close to her ear and whispered, "Xiaomin, it's Jiansheng, you can hear me, right?" "Jiansheng, Jiansheng..." Xiaomin called out, her voice strained, as if she were in a dream, trying to shout but unable to.

Jiansheng pressed Xiaomin's hand to his face, "It's me, open your eyes and look."

Xiao Min opened her eyes.

"Xiao Min, you're finally awake! How could you be so silly?" "I'm sorry, husband, I'm so sorry..." "Don't say that. You need to get better quickly, then come home with me and be a good wife to me, and even better than before."

"Okay,"

Xiao Min agreed.

Jian Sheng called the doctor.

After examining her, the doctor told Jian Sheng, "She should be fine. If nothing unexpected happens, she can be discharged tomorrow.

You need to comfort her and not upset her."

With Jian Sheng's comfort and encouragement, Xiao Min recovered quickly and was discharged the next day.

On the day of her discharge, Xiao Min's parents picked her and Jian Sheng up and took them home. Her mother-in-law cooked a delicious meal.

During the meal, Xiao Min's parents didn't say much, but seeing how loving they were, they felt gratified.

For the first time, her mother-in-law put some food in Jian Sheng's bowl.

After the meal, Xiao Min went home with Jian Sheng.

Xiao Min's mother said to her father, "Jian Sheng is such a good son-in-law. We should treat him better from now on."

"Sigh!" Xiao Min's father sighed worriedly as he watched their retreating figures. "Perhaps it's not so optimistic. After something like this happened, the pain in Jiansheng's heart can't be healed overnight."

Xiao Min's mother's face darkened immediately.

She knew her husband still hadn't been able to erase the shadow of his wife's infidelity ten years ago... The days that followed, after all, couldn't be as if nothing had happened.

Xiao Min became taciturn and did housework even more diligently.

Although Jiansheng told himself that he had forgiven Xiao Min, there was one question he still needed to clarify:

the child.

One day, after Xiao Min finished dealing with household matters, Jiansheng said to her, "Let's talk."

Xiao Min sat nervously beside Jiansheng and said, "Go ahead."

"The child..." "Honey, the child is yours. I explained it in detail in the letter I gave you. Just trust me." "

I didn't read that letter.

I feel that since I've forgiven you, we still have to live together, so the less I know about your affairs, the better."

Jiansheng got up and retrieved the letter Xiao Min had written to him and his parents from his study.

“I haven’t given this letter to your parents either, you can handle it yourself.

I haven’t even opened the letter you gave me.”

Jiansheng showed the seal to Xiaomin, then lit the letter with a lighter and threw it into the ashtray to burn.

Xiaomin also put the letter for her parents in there.

“How can you be so sure this child is mine and not his?” “Okay, let me start from the beginning.”

“It was about two months ago, a classmate of mine from high school came back from out of town and organized a class reunion.

I went too, you know that, just that one time.

“At that reunion, I met him, he was also my classmate from high school…” Jiansheng waved his hand and said, “Don’t go into the details, is that when you two started dating?” “Not exactly…” “You had sex with him that day?” “Yes…

I don’t know how it happened… Although I was in my safe period that day, I still asked him not to ejaculate inside, he ejaculated outside.

A few days later, I got my period.”

“Go on.”

“After that day, I regretted it. He called me twice afterward, but I didn’t answer.”

"We didn't contact each other during that time.

Until a few days ago, four days before you came back from the power station, I got sick and had a fever. I went to the hospital for an IV drip, and I ran into him there.

He asked me why I was getting an IV drip all by myself. I told him my husband was away on a business trip, and he wanted to keep me company. I told him to leave because I was afraid of gossip.

When I was almost finished with the IV drip, he came back and said he would take me home.

I was very weak then, and I felt dizzy even when I stood up, so I let him take me home.

When I got home, I told him to leave, and he said he would make me a bowl of noodles and then leave. He made me a bowl of noodles, told me to eat it and go to bed early, and then left.

The next day, he called me and asked if I was feeling better. I said I was. That

evening, he bought a bouquet of flowers, and I was a little touched. Then he hugged me, and I struggled desperately, but then I felt weak all over and didn't have the strength to struggle anymore.

I was conflicted at that time, but then I thought, since we've already done it once, I just went along with it."

“He came to see me for the next two nights, and I didn’t refuse, but I still decided to end this relationship.

The day you came back, I told him that was the last time, and we should never contact each other again.

He agreed.

That’s how it is between us. Except for the first time when he didn’t use a condom, I asked him to use one the next few times. I didn’t want his thing inside me; that would make me feel even more guilty towards you.”

Jiansheng’s face was a little pale. He sneered, “Don’t you have any feelings for him at all?” “You wouldn’t believe me if I said I didn’t, but it’s not love. I know very well that it’s not love. I’ve never loved him.”

Jiansheng lit a cigarette, and Xiaomin saw his hand trembling as he held it.

“Honey, you’re the only one I love. I beg you, believe me.

The child is yours. Actually, if my ovulation had come earlier or later, we could have conceived, because you don’t use condoms during what we consider the safe period.”

Xiaomin lowered her head, tears streaming down her face.

“Alright, stop crying. Don’t look so pitiful.”

Jiansheng stood up and walked straight out the door.

Xiao Min felt hopeless. She knew that although her husband had forgiven her, it was almost impossible for him to truly forgive her from the heart.

Would the loving days they used to share ever return? After leaving, Jian Sheng sat down at a late-night food stall and drank alone.

Why

did thinking about his wife make him feel so miserable? Hadn't he forgiven her? Or had he never truly forgiven her? Jian Sheng unknowingly finished a whole pot of

wine. It was homemade sweet potato wine, not strong, and he wouldn't even know how he got drunk.

Towards the end, Jian Sheng felt the wine tasted as weak as water. He said, "Boss, why does this wine taste like water? Did you dilute it for me?" The boss said, "Of course not, you're drunk. Don't drink anymore."

Jian Sheng said, "If I'm drunk, how come I can speak so clearly?" The boss said, "You're almost stuttering." Jian

Sheng said, "Is that so? Then I'm drunk."

Jiansheng paid the bill and started walking home, swaying unsteadily. He muttered, "Damn it, I really can't walk straight anymore. I'm going to walk straight today!" He tried to walk along the squares on the sidewalk, but still couldn't find a straight path.

When he got home, he couldn't find the keyhole, so he knocked on the door.

Xiaomin opened the door and helped the swaying Jiansheng, complaining, "Honey, how did you get so drunk?" "I'm not drunk, I don't need you to help me!" he said, pushing Xiaomin away.

When people are drunk, they lose their sense of gentleness and force. Jiansheng might have only given a light push, but he didn't realize he'd used a lot of strength.

Xiaomin lost her balance and fell to the ground, her forehead hitting the glass coffee table hard, drawing blood.

Seeing the blood on Xiaomin's head, Jiansheng, still somewhat conscious, became anxious.

"Wife, you're bleeding! Don't move! I'll call 120!"

Xiaomin got up and pressed Jiansheng down: "Go back to bed and sleep. Don't cause me any trouble, okay? I'll go to the hospital first."

"I want to take you."

"You can't even walk properly, how can you take me? Listen to me, stay home and sleep."

Xiaomin took a taxi to the hospital, got two stitches, and returned home, but couldn't find Jiansheng. She was furious.

Men when they're drunk are so troublesome! Xiaomin went out to look for Jiansheng again, guessing he might be at the hospital. Luckily, she found him sleeping on the sidewalk not far from home.

Jiansheng had clearly fallen to the ground; his cheekbone and nose were scraped, and his lips were swollen. Xiaomin

was both annoyed and amused.

In the morning, as usual, Xiaomin prepared breakfast and woke her husband.

"Honey, you lazybones, time to get up and go to work!"

Jiansheng noticed the patch on Xiaomin's forehead and vaguely remembered what had happened the night before.

Jiansheng hugged Xiaomin.

"Wife, I'm sorry, I was drunk yesterday, it wasn't intentional."

Xiaomin nestled against Jiansheng and said, "I know you're in pain. If you're feeling down, take it out on me. Don't drink; it's worrying when you're drunk." "

From now on, we won't mention the past anymore. We need to forget it and start a new life, okay?" "Mmm."

His wife nodded obediently, clinging tightly to her husband.

Life seemed to return to normal.

Jiansheng continued to be as cheerful and talkative with his wife at home as before, and his wife often wore a happy expression on her face. When they went out together, she always held Jiansheng's arm, as intimate as a newlywed couple, which made the neighbors very envious.

However, his wife had also changed, which her sensitive husband noticed.

Her cautiousness, her submissiveness to her husband, and even the occasional moments of absentmindedness she would experience when alone, all made Jiansheng feel that his wife had become a different person. The happy, lovely, and affectionate wife he used to know had disappeared from his life.

Xiaomin could still sense that

her husband was still bothered by the past. Although he could usually hide his hidden pain, he was completely uninhibited in their sex life.

Jiansheng basically never touched Xiaomin's body and showed no interest in sex.

Even when he tried to comfort her, he would only touch her breasts and rarely grope her genitals.

Sometimes Xiaomin would try her best to get her husband to get an erection, but he would go limp in less than a minute.

Xiao Min could only swallow her tears silently.

It wasn't the disharmony in their sex life that bothered her, but rather her husband's disdain for her.

Finally, one day, Xiao Min couldn't help but say to her husband, "If you still care about that, why don't you go out and find another woman?

Then we'll be even, and neither of us will look down on the other."

Jian Sheng hadn't expected his wife to make such a suggestion.

He held back his laughter and said, "Would you bear to see me with another woman?" "No, I wouldn't, but you can't keep looking down on me like this!" "Don't be silly, don't overthink it, go to sleep."

Jian Sheng held his wife in his arms, coaxing her to sleep like a child.

Jian Sheng had tried to live like before, but during sex, images of his wife having sex with other men would flash before his eyes, making him feel no interest in sex.

He thought, it's easy to deceive others, but you can't deceive yourself. And because you can't deceive yourself, many efforts are ultimately in vain.

...Xiao Min's mother came to visit, but Jian Sheng wasn't home.

Seeing that Xiao Min was thinner than before, her mother felt a pang of sorrow.

"You've lost weight, Xiao Min. Are you having a hard time?" "I'm alright."

"Is Jian Sheng still bothered by you?" "Yes."

Xiao Min burst into tears.

"After something like this, a man will hold a grudge for years," her

mother sighed. "I looked at your birth chart. The fortune teller said you're destined for divorce. I'm not trying to encourage you to divorce, I'm just reminding you that if you're suffering, take advantage of your youth and get a divorce." "Mom , I don't want a divorce. Right now, I just want to give birth to my child and raise him /her. I don't want to think about anything else." "Xiao Min, you're only hurting yourself. Living like this will be very difficult," her mother said, crying as well. Reply to live173 (PTC077): Prince of Wales, yesterday 05:02, 2nd floor, thirteenth floor: Xiao Min had strong pregnancy reactions, vomiting and nausea, especially in the morning. She told Jiansheng that with such strong reactions, it was very likely a boy. The child in her belly gradually became everything to Xiao Min. She started reading books about pregnancy and began prenatal education. Between her and her husband, perhaps because of too much guilt or too sensitive taboos, there was always a weight on their hearts, and they spoke less and less. Only she lived in her fantasies about the child; her thoughts were soaring happily. Xiao Min's belly gradually grew bigger. She went to the hospital for a checkup, subconsciously hoping for twins. However, the doctor's diagnosis was a bolt from the blue, completely shattering her sweet fantasies about the child. "The baby isn't developing well. Did you have any injections or medication during your pregnancy?" Xiao Min became anxious. "I had a high fever once during my pregnancy, and... I took a lot of sleeping pills once." " It's better not to keep it. The baby is deformed," the doctor said calmly, as if removing a woman's baby was a trivial matter, no different from cutting nails. Xiao Min hoped it was a misdiagnosis and went to another hospital, but the result was the same. Xiao Min was desperate and went home, crying bitterly in her husband's arms. "I'm the one who ruined him..." Xiao Min sobbed, feeling like a jinx, harming her family, herself, and the innocent child. The baby was finally removed, and Xiao Min was like a lost soul, spending her days in a daze. Jian Sheng comforted Xiao Min for a week, and she gradually regained some vitality. Xiao Min rested for half a month and then went back to work.

Jiansheng, who had been busy taking care of Xiaomin for half a month, finally felt relieved. He could come home to a delicious meal cooked by Xiaomin, and after dinner, he and his wife would go for a walk and shop.

However, Jiansheng became increasingly worried about his sexual function because he discovered he was impotent.

Not only could he not get an erection with his wife, but he even dreamed of having sex with a beautiful female classmate from university, and during nocturnal emissions, he still couldn't achieve an erection.

He decided to go to the hospital.

Xiaomin saw Jiansheng's discarded underwear and felt terrible.

She realized that since her husband found out about her past, they hadn't had a single successful sexual encounter. She knew his love for her had diminished, but it hadn't completely disappeared.

He was disgusted by her uncleanliness.

Xiaomin decided to have a serious talk with Jiansheng.

That night, Xiaomin stripped naked and crawled into bed.

Since getting married, Xiaomin had gotten used to sleeping naked; it was not only comfortable but also easily aroused her husband's passion.

Xiaomin lay in her husband's arms.

“Honey, let’s have another child.”

Jiansheng seemed unprepared for this topic, paused for a moment, and said, “Let’s talk about it later.”

Xiaomin stared into Jiansheng’s eyes: “Honey, tell me the truth, are you very concerned about what happened to me? Do you think I’m not clean?” “Don’t overthink it, let’s go to sleep.”

The husband turned off the wall lamp and lay down on his side with his back to his wife.

The wife thought for a long time in the dark, then said softly, “Honey, let’s get a divorce!” The reason for the divorce was incompatibility.

Because it was a mutual agreement, all issues had been resolved privately, requiring neither arbitration nor a judgment. So, after a symbolic mediation, the marriage agency processed the divorce.

According to the agreement, after the divorce, the house, furniture, and other items would belong to Xiaomin, and Xiaomin would compensate Jiansheng with 80,000 yuan, to be paid within three months.

If Jiansheng couldn’t find housing within these three months, he could still live with Xiaomin.

Jiansheng made a bed in the study, which became his temporary residence.

Jiansheng came home very late that day.

He drank beer with the bachelors for dinner and then played cards for a while.

But he had exceptionally good luck today, getting all sorts of good cards and winning over 300 yuan. So he treated the bachelors to a late-night snack, and it was 11 pm when he got back.

"You're back."

Xiao Min had just come out of the shower, drying her hair as she greeted him.

"Yeah."

Jian Sheng plopped down on the sofa, picked up the TV remote, and switched to a sports channel.

Xiao Min said, "I made you dinner."

"Ah, thank you, I've already eaten."

Xiao Min couldn't help but laugh out loud: "I feel like it's really awkward for you to say thank you to me!" Jian Sheng laughed sheepishly, "I feel the same way."

"How's it going? How does it feel to be divorced?" Xiao Min sat down next to Jian Sheng, tilting her head to ask him.

“I feel a little empty inside. I don’t think I’ve planned out my life after the divorce yet, but I’ll get used to it.

How are you feeling?” “I feel relieved, so much lighter.”

Jiansheng was a little puzzled: “Was being with me really this oppressive?” “Not really. I just felt so sorry for you. I owed you so much, and the feeling of being indebted is awful.

But now that we’re divorced, it’s all over. I’m back to being myself. I want

to live carefree like before.”

“I hope you can live happily like before too.”

Jiansheng smiled at Xiaomin and said, “Xiaomin, I didn’t dare to know before, afraid that knowing too much would make it harder to let go, but now I really want to know, did you ever love him?” Xiaomin’s smile faded, slightly embarrassed: “We’re divorced, why bring that up again? But I can tell you, the person I’ve always loved is you, no one else.”

"If you don't love someone else, how can you be so intimate with them?" "Perhaps," Xiao Min carefully chose her words, "perhaps, subconsciously I'm a little... curious about this kind of extramarital relationship. It's just that I didn't realize it before. When the other person makes ambiguous gestures towards me, this curiosity surfaces. I'm conflicted. On one hand, I really want to try it, but on the other hand, I know it's wrong. And at that moment, wishful thinking is like the last straw, causing the scales in my heart to tip.

But afterwards, I regretted it."

"If you regretted it, how could there be a second and a third time? You don't seem to be telling the truth."

Jian Sheng seemed quite calm at this point.

"The second time, I gave him the chance to get close to me out of politeness and out of gratitude. I didn't want a second time, but under his forceful advances, my defenses became very weak because of the first time.

The subsequent times were just a continuation of the first. It's probably like drug addiction; once you've tried it and know what it's like, you shouldn't try it again, or you'll ruin yourself.

The day you came back, I decided to end this relationship with him, that's true."

"You must have taken the initiative too, right?" "Yes... I did."

Xiao Min blushed slightly, but still frankly told Jian Sheng, "I don't deny that this extramarital affair was very passionate, and it excited me.

Of course, I also invested my passion.

But that doesn't mean I love him. I have no attachment to him, nor do I long to see him again. I know very well that I don't love him."

"Now that you're divorced, are you still planning to continue this kind of relationship with him?" Xiao Min glanced at Jian Sheng and smiled slyly. "Why are you asking this? You're not going to be jealous, are you?" Xiao Min said softly, "I won't have anything to do with him anymore. I just want to love someone properly and live a good life with him.

Okay, it's getting late. Go take a shower and get some rest. Put your clothes in the washing machine, I'll do the laundry."

"How could I?" Jian Sheng said insincerely.

"I have to wash them anyway.

Also, come home for dinner. I'm afraid you'll go astray if you hang out with those bachelors.

But I can't help you for much longer, so take care of yourself."

Xiao Min stood up and went back to the bedroom.

Hearing Xiao Min's words, Jian Sheng felt a warmth in his heart. Damn, he thought, it's good to have a wife who cares about you. After the divorce, many people tried to set Xiao Min up with someone.

Xiao Min said, "I just jumped out, why would I jump back in? Let me relax for a couple of years first."

The sales manager at the factory introduced his niece to Jiansheng.

Jiansheng asked a few casual questions, and the manager gave a detailed account of his niece.

She was two years younger than Jiansheng, worked in the factory office, got married six months ago, and divorced two weeks ago.

The reason for the divorce was incompatibility; they had been arguing constantly since the first month of their marriage.

Jiansheng said, "Why don't you introduce me to someone who doesn't argue? You could introduce me to your niece."

The manager replied, "My niece has never been married before. Don't even think about it."

Jiansheng said, "At worst, I'll wait two years until she gets married and then divorced. I'll take a loss and then take her back. That way, I won't have let your niece down."

The section chief patted Jiansheng on the shoulder. "Young man, finding a wife isn't a business deal. Why are you talking so much nonsense?" Joking aside, the section chief still arranged for the two to meet.

That day, the section chief didn't say why, but just invited Jiansheng to his house for dinner. Jiansheng called Xiao Min to ask for leave and went.

At the section chief's house, he saw a young woman he didn't recognize. She was quite pretty, and he remembered the section chief saying he would introduce his niece to him. He guessed that this woman was probably her.

Thinking this, Jiansheng became shy.

The section chief didn't introduce them, treating Jiansheng as just a colleague, and they chatted about some things that had happened at the factory.

From the time he finished eating until he left, Jiansheng didn't speak to her, but he noticed that the woman often glanced at him while eating, and that look made his heart flutter.

Not long after Jiansheng returned home, his section chief called: "That's my niece, what do you think?" Because Xiao Min was nearby, Jiansheng couldn't speak directly, so he went into the study to talk.

"What's her opinion?" the section chief asked. "She doesn't have any objections. What about you?" "Well… let's get to know her first."

"Okay, her name is Mingxiang. Take the initiative and call her to ask her out. The rest is up to you."

The section chief gave Jiansheng Mingxiang's phone number.

The next afternoon at work, Jiansheng called Mingxiang.

Jiansheng said, "This is Jiansheng. Yesterday I was at your uncle's house…" Before he could finish, she said, "I know you. Are you asking me out?" "Let's go out for dinner."

"Wait a little longer, I'll take a shower first,"

Mingxiang said.

Mingxiang dressed up and rushed to the meeting place, where Jiansheng was already waiting.

After dinner, the two strolled around the streets for a while, then went to the park and found a bench to sit on.

It was getting dark, and some young couples were intimately huddled together, whispering sweet nothings.

For Jiansheng, this scene evoked a long-lost sweetness. When he and Xiaomin were dating, they had left their romantic footprints here, just like these young people.

Now, Jiansheng felt like he was falling in love again.

He liked Mingxiang; she was talkative and outgoing. From their conversation, Jiansheng could tell she was interested in the internet. Jiansheng

had a computer at home, and during his university years, he often spent time chatting and playing games in internet cafes.

Since marrying Xiaomin, Jiansheng felt that online chatting was a waste of time and prone to causing marital problems, so he and Xiaomin rarely went online, especially not using QQ.

What Jiansheng didn't expect was that even his wife, who rarely went online, was experiencing problems.

Time seemed to fly by; it was already 11 pm in the blink of an eye.

The two older people felt embarrassed to stay too late. Dating in such places was the domain of young people with nowhere else to go; for them, it easily led to suspicions of infidelity.

They got up, and Jiansheng escorted Mingxiang back to her doorstep.

Mingxiang said, "Come in and sit for a while."

Jiansheng also wanted to see Mingxiang's home, so he went in.

Mingxiang's home looked rather simple. Although the house wasn't small, all the furniture and appliances had been given to her ex-husband. Mingxiang had only bought some commonly used items, and the house still looked quite empty.

Mingxiang poured Jiansheng a glass of water and asked, "Are you still living with your ex-wife?" "Yes, I haven't found a place yet. I'll move out once I find one."

"You should move out. How can anyone find a partner if you live here?" "Yeah, I'll look for a place tomorrow."

"How about this? If you're willing, you can move in with me tomorrow, and then move out after you find a place?" "I'll think about it, okay?" Jiansheng checked the time and said, "I have to go back now. You should get some rest."

Mingxiang saw Jiansheng to the door, and Jiansheng mustered up his courage and put his arm around Mingxiang, kissing her on the lips.

Mingxiang's face turned slightly red, looking shy.

Jiansheng thought Mingxiang was quite cute.

When Jiansheng returned home, he saw Xiaomin asleep on the sofa, with an advertisement for weight-loss drugs playing on the TV.

Jiansheng shook Xiaomin awake, and she opened her eyes, mumbling, "You're back."

"Yeah."

Jiansheng sat down and said to Xiaomin, "I think I'm moving out tomorrow."

Xiaomin glanced at Jiansheng, "Found a girlfriend?" "Not really, living together isn't ideal, it might affect your dating prospects."

"Okay, if you want to move, then move. I'm going to sleep."

Xiaomin stood up, seemingly dizzy, and went into the bedroom.

Jiansheng moved out at noon, and there wasn't much to move. He packed the books from the bookshelf into a large woven bag, packed his clothes into cardboard boxes, and took a taxi.

Xiaomin stood by watching Jiansheng busy himself. As he was leaving, Jiansheng said to Xiaomin, "I'm leaving, take care."

Xiaomin nodded, and just as Jiansheng turned around, she hugged him from behind and bit him hard on the shoulder.

The bite really hurt, but Jiansheng felt the pain in his heart.

He sensed Xiao Min's lingering attachment to him. He stopped, letting Xiao Min bite him. Xiao Min whispered in Jiansheng's ear, "Jiansheng, promise me you won't speak ill of your ex-wife to your girlfriend, okay? Although she wronged you, she truly loved you."

Jiansheng nodded in agreement. He didn't turn around, afraid that if he did, he would cry too.

Mingxiang moved the computer to the bedroom, giving Jiansheng the room where the computer used to be.

Living together, they soon got to know each other better.

Mingxiang loved surfing the internet, which her ex-husband strongly disapproved of, leading to frequent arguments and eventually divorce.

Jiansheng said, "Actually, you two didn't have any major problems. A little more communication and compromise would have solved the issues. It didn't have to be this serious as divorce!" Mingxiang said, "Since you two couldn't get along, divorce isn't necessarily a bad thing." Jiansheng

didn't tell Mingxiang the real reason for his divorce, only saying that he and Xiao Min lacked common ground, and living together was depressing and heavy. Mingxiang didn't press for details.

The two were living more and more like a young married couple. Mingxiang organized their lives very well. After dinner, she would accompany Jiansheng for a walk. Afterwards, Jiansheng would watch TV while Mingxiang would stay in the bedroom online.

One day, Mingxiang didn't go online and watched TV with Jiansheng. Jiansheng smelled the scent of shampoo in Mingxiang's hair and suddenly felt a strong urge. He pulled Mingxiang into his arms and kissed her, and Mingxiang kissed him back.

Jiansheng unbuttoned Mingxiang's nightgown, and Mingxiang, blushing, gently leaned against him.

That night, Jiansheng went to Mingxiang's bed and they made love until two or three in the morning, both achieving great satisfaction.

Jiansheng didn't know why he was so energetic. This kind of sex seemed different from married life. Was this what having an affair felt like? He thought of Xiaomin; perhaps Xiaomin liked this kind of feeling.

But then again, it seemed like overeating. If every meal in a marriage was like this, it would inevitably lead to illness.

Jiansheng even thought of a very inappropriate question.

Xiaomin had only been with that man a few times, and he really couldn't accept her anymore. But the woman in his arms had been living with another man for half a year, and he didn't feel uncomfortable at all.

After that, the single bed in Jiansheng's room became useless, and Jiansheng slept in Mingxiang's bed every night.

As for marriage, after Mingxiang brought it up, it was also on Jiansheng's mind.

The house needed to be renovated, and some furniture needed to be added, which required money. Xiaomin hadn't paid back the money she owed, and Mingxiang asked Jiansheng to go and urge her.

Jiansheng felt awkward asking Xiaomin for the money. He knew it would be difficult for Xiaomin to raise 80,000 yuan in a short time, but he couldn't keep dragging it on.

Thinking about these things that night, Jiansheng felt very uneasy. He couldn't concentrate on watching TV and went back to his room to rest early.

In the bedroom, Mingxiang was staring blankly at something on the computer. Jiansheng leaned closer, but before he could see what it was, Mingxiang hurriedly closed the webpage.

But Jiansheng saw that Mingxiang's eyes were filled with tears.

"What's wrong?" Jiansheng asked.

"Nothing,"

Mingxiang said, but Jiansheng sensed that she was hiding something.

"You cried, and you still say nothing's wrong?" "I read a touching article, it's nothing, let's go to sleep."

Mingxiang turned off the computer.

While being intimate with Mingxiang, Jiansheng sensed her distraction. When he tried to penetrate her, Mingxiang pushed him away, saying, "I don't want to do it today, let's get some rest."

This puzzled Jiansheng greatly, as Mingxiang had tossed and turned all night and didn't fall asleep until very late.

He wondered if Mingxiang had some secret she couldn't let him know. The next day, after Mingxiang went to work, Jiansheng took a short leave from the factory and went home to check on Mingxiang's computer.

He found the webpage Mingxiang had visited the previous day in her recent browsing history.

The webpage was a forum post, the main post being a love letter written by a woman with the screen name Qingya.

The love letter said that it was Qixi Festival (Chinese Valentine's Day), and many couples were celebrating together, but she hadn't received his greeting, and it sounded somewhat resentful.

Jiansheng guessed that something was wrong between them.

The love letter also recounted their acquaintance, their growing understanding, and their falling in love.

They met in a chat room; Qingya was attracted to his maturity, stability, and rich experience. After several deep conversations, Qingya fell in love with him, and sparks flew.

With him, she sometimes saw him as a father, sometimes as an older brother, and when she missed him, he was her intimate lover.

Jiansheng thought that this "him" was probably quite a bit older than Qingya.

Later, Qingya had a conflict with her husband, and Jiansheng wondered if it was related.

At this time, when she needed his support the most, he disappeared, which broke Qingya's heart.

The love letter concluded by expressing her longing and yearning for him once again:

"Lanfeng, can you hear me?" Finally, she uttered his name: Lanfeng.

Actually, Jiansheng didn't find the entire love letter particularly moving. Why was Mingxiang crying? With this question in mind, Jiansheng continued reading.

Next came several comments from netizens, some encouraging and praising, some offering comfort, and some making jokes. In the last column, the netizen with the username "Lanfeng" finally appeared.

"Qingya, calling your name brings a bittersweet feeling, yet also a pang of heartache.

Seeing your love letter made me very uneasy, because our relationship has caused discord between you and your husband, something I never expected.

I don't want to affect your family or your normal life. Perhaps this sounds hypocritical, but it's truly what I feel.

Please forgive me for leaving so quietly; is that too unkind? You can resent me or hate me, but I only wanted you to mend your marriage. I

did this because of love! This post is over a month old, deeply buried. I don't want it to resurface, so I made some edits to the original post.

This should remain our secret, or perhaps it's just my secret.

I want it to sink deeper, so that when I miss you, I can look at your love letter.

And so that one day, when you think back and look back, seeing these words will bring you a little comfort, a little unexpected surprise, a long-lost warmth."

In Jiansheng's opinion, this still wasn't enough to move him to tears.

Could this Qingya be Mingxiang? Jiansheng, lost in thought, suddenly noticed the username: "Qingya"! This made it clear that Mingxiang was the one writing love letters to Lanfeng.

Mingxiang's divorce was very likely related to this.

Jiansheng desperately wanted to know what kind of relationship Mingxiang had with Lanfeng. However, the computer couldn't provide him with more information.

Jiansheng decided to find a suitable opportunity to ask Mingxiang.

Mingxiang moved the computer back to its original place.

After her evening walk, Mingxiang went into her room to go online.

Jiansheng wanted to know what Mingxiang did online and tried to go into her room to check, but found the door locked.

—Jiansheng then realized that the woman he had held in his arms all night had many secrets, and he felt like an outsider; she had many things to hide from him.

Jiansheng increasingly felt that Mingxiang was hiding something from him by locking herself in her room.

He felt this was extremely important; he couldn't marry Mingxiang so hastily.

He knocked on the door, and after a while, Mingxiang opened it, peeking out to ask, "What's up?" Jiansheng asked, "What secrets do you have that you have to lock the door to go online?" Mingxiang was a little unhappy and said, "Even if I marry you, I should still have my own privacy, right?" Seeing Mingxiang's self-righteous attitude, Jiansheng couldn't help but get angry.

He said sternly, "Do you think I would marry someone who hides so many things from me?" "What have I hidden from you?" "Who is Lanfeng?" Jiansheng said this without waiting for Mingxiang's explanation and went back to the bedroom.

Mingxiang stood there, mouth agape.

Jiansheng, still dressed, lay down on the bed and fell asleep. A few minutes later, Mingxiang also returned to the bedroom, still looking angry.

"How did you know? Did you peek at my computer? How could you sneak into someone's privacy like a thief?" "Do you think this is just your privacy? How am I supposed to feel when the woman I'm going to marry has someone else in her heart? Tell me!" Mingxiang's voice softened: "Shouldn't I have my own privacy? You should respect my privacy..." "I'm thinking about whether I should move out first," Jiansheng

said.

"Fine, move out then, no one's stopping you!" Mingxiang turned away from Jiansheng in a huff.

Jiansheng got out of bed, opened the door, and went out.

The mid-autumn weather was much cooler, and Jiansheng felt a chill on his scalp as soon as he stepped outside.

He looked up at the crescent moon in the sky, which looked like a lonely little boat in the vast sea of stars! And the little boat was now wandering in the sky, not knowing which way to go. And

him? Where was he going? The shops on both sides of the street were brightly lit, and there were many pedestrians on the street, but they all seemed leisurely.

A middle-aged woman standing in the shade of a tree saw Jiansheng looking lost and approached him, saying, "Need a place to stay?" Jiansheng was taken aback. The woman then added mysteriously, "Get an eighteen or nineteen-year-old girl to play the flute for you. She's very skilled."

Jiansheng said, "I don't have any money."

After following her for a few dozen steps, the woman turned and left without looking back. Jiansheng found it amusing; he wondered when so many shameless pimps, especially women, had appeared on the streets! He walked aimlessly, wondering where he was going.

Suddenly, he stopped.

Wasn't this the place he used to live in? How had he gotten so far? He looked up at Xiao Min's room; it was dark. Xiao Min was probably on a date; she didn't usually like going out.

Just then, he heard footsteps behind him and slipped into a nearby passageway to avoid them.

Most people here knew him, and he didn't want anyone to see him here.

Two people walked past, a man and a woman. Although Jiansheng only caught a glimpse of the woman, he immediately recognized her as Xiao Min! Xiao Min had a boyfriend. For some reason, Jiansheng felt a pang of sadness. "

What's wrong with me? Xiao Min isn't your wife anymore. What business is it of yours if she has a boyfriend!" Jiansheng mentally berated himself.

The light in Xiao Min's room came on, and Jiansheng couldn't stop thinking about her—what were they doing? Jiansheng desperately hoped the man would come out of the building immediately.

However, half an hour passed, and the man didn't appear.

Jiansheng went around to the back of the house, where he could see the bedroom window.

The bedroom light shone softly red through the rose-colored curtains.

Jiansheng couldn't resist dialing Xiao Min's number. After ringing for a while, Xiao Min answered

. "Jiansheng, is there something you need?" Xiao Min asked.

"Nothing, I just wanted to ask how you've been lately," Jiansheng said.

"It's...it's alright."

Xiao Min's voice was a little breathless, but Jian Sheng could tell she was trying hard not to catch her breath.

—They really were making love! "That's good. Good

night!" Jian Sheng hung up the phone, but his heart felt like it was being pierced by a thousand needles.

What's wrong with me? She's no longer my wife, why am I still heartbroken and unable to bear it! Just then, Ming Xiang called Jian Sheng.

Ming Xiang said, "Jian Sheng, I was wrong just now. Come back, let's talk it over."

Jian Sheng said, "I need some peace and quiet, I'll be back later."

Jian Sheng walked a long way again, thinking a lot, and finally came to a decision.

Xiao Min was no longer a part of his life; now it was Ming Xiang who was connected to him.

He needed to think carefully about how to handle things with Ming Xiang.

When he got home, because Ming Xiang had just apologized, Jian Sheng had the upper hand.

"What do you want to talk about?" Jian Sheng adopted an attitude of not wanting to talk.

“Let’s talk about Lanfeng,”

Mingxiang said. “I met Lanfeng online. He’s an associate professor at a university, more than ten years older than me.

At first, I just admired him. He was so young to be an associate professor, and he was very knowledgeable, mature, and tolerant.

Gradually, I fell in love with him, but it was the kind of love I had for him as an older brother or father figure. Then one time, he was away on a business trip, and we talked on the phone. His voice was very magnetic and pleasant to listen to. After that, I started to care about him and often stared blankly at the computer.

Later, we fell in love.”

Mingxiang paused and said, “But we were both very rational. This feeling was purely a spiritual attachment and couldn’t affect our families or marriages.

Later, my ex-husband found out about our relationship, and our marriage started to crack.

When Lanfeng found out, he seemed very uneasy. He asked me to take the initiative to mend the rift between my ex-husband and me.

He disappeared around that time, and we haven’t been in contact since. He doesn’t even know I’m divorced.”

“Yesterday, when I was online, I suddenly felt nostalgic for the days with him, so I went through some old posts. I saw one he had secretly posted, and I was a little touched.

That’s it.”

“You divorced your ex-husband over this?” Jiansheng asked.

“Actually, Lanfeng and I only have a spiritual relationship. I never thought about meeting him or having any physical relationship. What impact would that have on our marriage? My ex-husband couldn’t understand.”

Jiansheng felt both angry and amused. Mingxiang didn’t seem stupid, so why was she saying such childish things? “Any man wouldn’t tolerate something like this, including me.

You’d better think it through first. Do you want to marry me? Or do you want to continue this spiritual relationship with him? You can only choose one.”

After a long pause, Mingxiang whispered that she chose to marry Jiansheng and promised never to have any more contact with Lanfeng.

The next day at work, Xiaomin called Jiansheng and asked if he had something to say to her yesterday. Jiansheng said nothing was wrong. Xiaomin said, “If anything is wrong, tell her. Don’t keep it to yourself.”

Jiansheng said, “Okay.”

In the following days, Mingxiang didn’t lock the door when she went online.

Jiansheng sometimes went in to watch Mingxiang chat, and Mingxiang didn't avoid him, just seemed to enjoy the conversation.

But one day, Jiansheng noticed something strange: when he pushed open the door, a bell rang from behind it.

Two bells were hanging on a hook behind the door.

Mingxiang said they belonged to her sister, and she'd taken them because she thought they were fun.

But Jiansheng thought it was just a trick Mingxiang was playing.

Mingxiang was up to something! She was afraid Jiansheng would sneak into her room and disturb her "privacy." Jiansheng

didn't say anything, but he was secretly plotting to find out what Mingxiang was up to.

And Mingxiang's secrets were kept in her QQ (a Chinese instant messaging platform).

There was a computer expert in the factory who claimed to have hacked into several websites.

Jiansheng went to find him.

"Is there any way to see the chat history on QQ?" "Do you want to see someone else's computer or your own?" "My own."

"That's easy! First, turn off your computer's firewall and antivirus software, then download a keylogger software. You can then get the QQ login password, and with the password, you can see the chat history."

The computer expert demonstrated for Jiansheng, who quickly learned how.

Back home, following the expert's instructions, he installed the hacker software on his computer, waiting for Mingxiang to go online and expose the password.

That evening, Jiansheng didn't disturb Mingxiang, making an excuse to go out, giving her ample opportunity to reveal herself. The

next day, after working for a while, Jiansheng secretly returned.

He turned on the computer and, sure enough, obtained Mingxiang's QQ password.

After logging in anonymously, Mingxiang's chat history with all her online friends was exposed to Jiansheng.

Mingxiang was relatively faithful; she didn't have anything going on with the other online friends, only rekindling her relationship with the one named Lanfeng.

All previous records have been deleted, and yesterday we probably had such a pleasant conversation that we neglected the issue of "security".

Of course, the language used in their conversation was quite intimate.

Surprisingly, Jiansheng didn't feel angry; he remained remarkably calm.

Perhaps this was expected, only confirmed today.

When he returned home from work at noon, Mingxiang was cooking.

Jiansheng didn't say a word, went into the room, and started packing.

Mingxiang didn't pay much attention at first, but when she saw Jiansheng pick up his bags and leave, she chased after him.

"What are you doing?" "I'm moving out."

Jiansheng pointed to the coffee table, "I left the key on the coffee table."

Jiansheng added, "However, I still want to give you some advice: if you want a stable marriage, you can't have one person in your hand and another in your heart.

Think about it."

Mingxiang didn't say anything, silently watching Jiansheng carry his things out the door.

Twenty, Jiansheng called Xiaomin.

"Xiaomin, I have some things I'd like to leave at your place. I'm coming over now, is it convenient for you?" Xiaomin said, "Come on over, it's no problem."

Jiansheng delivered his things to Xiaomin's place.

When Xiaomin opened the door and saw Jiansheng's moving-out setup, she understood.

"Did you have a fight with your girlfriend?" "We broke up."

Jiansheng said casually, "I'll leave my things here for now, I'm going to rent a place this afternoon."

"Stay here for now, you can move back after you've made up."

Xiaomin helped move the things to the study. "See, it's the same as always, I'll clean it for you."

Jiansheng stopped Xiaomin and said, "I'm moving out, don't bother."

"Moving out costs money.

You're afraid your girlfriend will be jealous of your ex-wife, right?" "There's nothing between us anymore, I'm afraid your boyfriend will have some thoughts about it."

"Boyfriend?" Xiaomin laughed, "Don't worry, I don't have a boyfriend right now."

"But, that day I clearly saw..." "That day? Which day?" Xiaomin remembered, "The day you called, right? You were downstairs?" Jiansheng blushed and said, "I saw you go upstairs, and you didn't come out for a long time, so I called to see if you needed... help."

Xiaomin glared at Jiansheng fiercely: "You're so mean! By the way, have you eaten?" "Not yet."

"I'll make you a bowl of noodles."

A moment later, Xiao Min brought over a steaming bowl of noodles with two boiled eggs.

Jian Sheng was really hungry and wolfed it down. Seeing Xiao Min looking at him with a smile, he felt a long-lost sense of warmth.

That evening, Jian Sheng accompanied Xiao Min shopping. Xiao Min told him that the man from the other day worked for China Mobile; the CEO of China Telecom had introduced her to him.

At first, she thought he was nice, but later she found him arrogant and vulgar, so she told him not to come looking for her the next day.

Jian Sheng laughed at her, asking why she slept with him if she didn't like him. Xiao Min frankly said, "At that time, I also had some needs."

Xiao Min bought Jian Sheng several pairs of socks, a pair of leather shoes, and a tie. Jian Sheng insisted on paying for them himself, but Xiao Min said, "These are gifts for you. If you feel bad about it, just buy me a few things; I won't mind."

As the two were carrying their bags home, they ran into Jiansheng's friends. The friend, shaking Jiansheng's hand, said bluntly, "Damn! You're divorced and still so close! Do you want the whole world to be envious?" The friend's wife pulled Xiaomin aside and said, "I think you two have a really good relationship; you should just remarry."

Xiaomin smiled, a polite reply.

After saying goodbye to their friends, both felt awkward and remained silent the rest of the way.

Jiansheng compared Mingxiang to Xiaomin, realizing Xiaomin was far superior.

Yet they were divorced; life sometimes seems like a cruel joke.

A few days later, Jiansheng went on another business trip, this time for over a month.

Xiaomin skillfully packed Jiansheng's belongings and, when seeing him off, repeatedly reminded him to cover himself with a blanket and wear warm clothes as the weather turned cooler.

The first few days at the construction site would be busy, but once the plan was finalized, things would be less hectic. During equipment installation, he would only provide guidance to ensure quality.

That day, it rained, and Jiansheng lay in bed feeling a profound sense of peace.

He thought of Xiao Min and called her.

"Jiansheng, are you alright?" "Fine, how about you?" "Fine too.

Did you need something?" "Nothing.

I just wanted to see if you needed help."

Jiansheng joked.

"You naughty thing, so frivolous.

Are you lonely?" "A little."

"Call me if you're lonely, don't go out and mess around, you'll get sick."

"Okay."

Jiansheng answered obediently.

They talked about work, and Xiao Min told him to be careful.

Jiansheng increasingly felt that their relationship was no different from when they were husband and wife. Although they weren't sleeping together anymore, their feelings were the same.

He also missed Xiao Min more and more; this longing was clearly the feeling of being in love.

Jiansheng thought, "Am I falling in love with Xiao Min again?" This feeling was beautiful. Several times when he called, he wanted to tell Xiao Min, "I've fallen in love with you again," but he held back.

He had experienced love before; he knew that this unspoken understanding was the most beautiful state.

He wanted this state to last a little longer.

The two talked on the phone more and more frequently, eventually chatting almost every day.

One day, Xiao Min told Jian Sheng that someone had introduced her to another man, who looked like Andy Lau in the photos. Jian Sheng

asked if she was a little tempted. Xiao Min said a little, and asked if she should meet him. Jian Sheng laughed and said she should meet him, but just not yet at the point of marriage, and not to commit herself to him. Jian Sheng

thought Xiao Min was joking.

The next day, Xiao Min told him she had met him, that he was very handsome, and that she was almost losing control, and might soon lose her virginity.

Jian Sheng said he was worried about contracting STDs and told her to get a checkup at the hospital first.

The third day, Jian Sheng called, but Xiao Min didn't answer.

Jian Sheng was getting worried, fearing that what Xiao Min said was true.

He called her repeatedly, but she still didn't answer.

Two hours later, Xiao Min called, asking Jian Sheng to come back the next day. Jian Sheng asked what was wrong, and Xiao Min said she had found him a place to live and wanted him to come back and take a look. Jian

Sheng was furious and told Xiao Min to throw his things out; he didn't want them anymore.

Xiao Min said, "You should come back for a bit."

Jiansheng said, "Okay."

This phone call was like a bolt from the blue, leaving Jiansheng completely dumbfounded! He felt as if a ruthless hand had ripped his heart out, leaving him with nothing.

He hated himself. Why had he let go of such a good wife? He hated Xiao Min, hated Xiao Min… but what did he hate? Xiao Min was already divorced from him; she was free. What was wrong with liking another man? No, he couldn't just let Xiao Min go like this. He had to fight back! …On his way home, Jiansheng racked his brains, trying to figure out how to handle two scenarios. If he got home and the man who looked like Andy Lau was there, how would he act? If only Xiao Min was there, how would he confess his feelings? There were too many uncertainties. When he got home, his mind was still a complete mess.

It was already 1 p.m. when he got home. Xiao Min wasn't home. There was a note from her on the table: "Jiansheng, the food is in the microwave. Heat it up yourself."

Jiansheng thought that Xiao Min was probably eating out with that man. The thought made him lose his appetite. He didn't eat and lay on the bed waiting for Xiao Min to come home.

It was almost 3 p.m., and Xiao Min still hadn't returned home.

Jiansheng called Xiaomin, who said she was at work and told him to make himself something to eat. Jiansheng was hungry, so he heated up the food and ate a little.

Then he went out and bought a ring.

He came back and lay there lost in thought until he fell asleep.

When he woke up, it was already dark, and the lights were on in the room.

Xiaomin looked like she had just finished preparing a sumptuous meal and was taking off her apron. When she saw Jiansheng come out, she greeted him, "Get up, go wash up, it's time to eat."

Jiansheng brushed his teeth, washed his face, and sat down at the table casually. "You've prepared such a feast, is Andy Lau coming too?" "Andy Lau? Who's that?" Xiaomin didn't understand at first.

"Don't you have a boyfriend who looks like Andy Lau?" Jiansheng said somewhat sarcastically.

Xiao Min realized what was happening and casually raised an eyebrow. "Him? He was supposed to come too, but he has a business dinner tonight, so he can't make it.

Come on, let's eat by ourselves.

Have some wine, I'll drink with you."

Xiao Min poured Jian Sheng a glass of baijiu and herself a glass of red wine. Jian Sheng picked up his glass and downed it in one gulp, saying, "That Andy Lau, does he really fascinate you?" Xiao Min just smiled gently and poured Jian Sheng another glass.

Jian Sheng drank that in one gulp too! Jian Sheng said, "If I were to compete with that Andy Lau, do you think I have a chance?" "Compete? What are you going to compete for?" Xiao Min stopped pouring the wine, afraid that the action would affect her hearing.

Jian Sheng grabbed Xiao Min's hand and said, "Xiao Min, will you marry me?" Xiao Min desperately held back her tears and nodded gently.

Jian Sheng took out the ring from his pocket and put it on Xiao Min's finger.

Looking at the ring on her finger, Xiao Min could no longer hold back her tears and they streamed down her face.

Suddenly, Xiao Min burst into laughter through her tears, wiped them away, and poured Jian Sheng a full glass.

"Come on, husband, to our second love!" Xiao Min raised her glass.

Jian Sheng downed it in one gulp.

Xiao Min poured another glass and said to Jian Sheng, "Come on, husband, happy birthday!" "Happy birthday? Me?" Jian Sheng suddenly remembered that today was his birthday.

"Happy birthday, husband!" Xiao Min smiled broadly, seemingly secretly pleased with her little trick.

"You tricked me into coming home to celebrate my birthday, didn't you?" "Yes, I wanted to give you a surprise."

"Hmph, did that Andy Lau trick me too?" "Not entirely.

Someone introduced me to someone, but I didn't want him."

"Xiao Min, you've gone too far!" Jian Sheng slammed his hand on the table, looking furious.

"You come here!" Jian Sheng's angry expression startled Xiao Min.

Xiao Min stood up, looking guilty. "I'm sorry."

"Come here."

Xiao Min cautiously walked to Jian Sheng. Jian Sheng took Xiao Min's hand and pulled her onto his lap.

"You naughty thing, tell me how I should punish you!" Xiao Min sobbed on Jian Sheng's shoulder, "Husband, I don't know what's wrong with me these past few days. I miss you so much. I know I don't have the right to tell you I love you, so I'm going crazy with pain! I want to see if you still care about me. If you don't care about me at all, I really want to just marry someone else."

"Okay, everything is okay now. Let's not be in so much pain anymore.

Wife, I want you so much right now."

Xiao Min nodded and whispered, "Husband, carry me to wash up, okay?" When they were husband and wife, they often bathed together. But today, after the baptism of the torrential rain and the painful rebirth, when the two of them were naked in each other's sight, this erotic scene actually seemed very sacred.

Seeing Jiansheng's erect and proud genitals, Xiaomin felt a surge of confused emotion! She reached out and embraced Jiansheng, pressing her full breasts tightly against his chest, and whispered in his ear, "Honey, you don't mind me at all anymore, do you?" Jiansheng lifted Xiaomin's face and kissed her longing lips deeply! ... The next day, when she woke up, Xiaomin was shaking Jiansheng's body as usual.

"Lazy husband, I'm going to work. Breakfast is on the table,"

Jiansheng hummed.

Xiaomin leaned down again and said, "You were really amazing last night, here's a reward for you."

She kissed Jiansheng on the forehead.

Jiansheng got up and drew back the curtains, watching Xiaomin's figure disappear into the vast street.

The morning sunlight bathed all hope in a warm and bright light...

Jiansheng was especially happy today.

The installation and debugging of the new equipment at the power station was completed two days ahead of schedule, and he could go home tomorrow.

Even more exciting was that his wife called today to tell him that she was pregnant.

Jiansheng could hardly believe it, because they had been using contraception since their marriage, and it seemed that contraception wasn't 100% effective.

For Jiansheng, who hadn't been prepared at all, this unexpected event was still a huge surprise.

"Are you sure?" "I went to the hospital for a test today, and I'm pregnant,"

his wife said on the other end of the phone, though she didn't seem as happy as Jiansheng.

Jiansheng understood his wife's worries; without him by her side, she must be at a loss.

"It's not someone else's, is it? We've always used condoms,"

Jiansheng joked casually.

His wife seemed angry and couldn't speak for a long time.

"If you don't think it's yours, I'll get an abortion tomorrow."

"No, I was just kidding. You don't know how happy I was just now, I almost jumped for joy.

I'm going back tomorrow; I finished my work here ahead of schedule."

Jiansheng had been married for two years, and after their marriage, his wife had discussed with him that they shouldn't have children yet, firstly because their finances weren't very good, and secondly because they wanted to enjoy their youth for a few more years.

Jiansheng is 28 years old this year. After graduating from university, he joined a factory that produces power generation equipment. With the rapid development of small hydropower in rural areas, the factory is doing well. In the past two years, the couple has not only paid off their mortgage but also have some savings. Jiansheng is now considering having children.

The power station they bought this time isn't very large, and the equipment installation wasn't too complicated.

From installation to commissioning, it only took a little over half a month, unlike large and medium-sized power stations which sometimes take one or two months.

Dinner was quite lavish, and Jiansheng joked that it was their last supper.

The power station chairman criticized him for his unlucky words, saying he should have been welcoming Jiansheng and his team to come often for technical guidance. He was punished by having to drink three cups of wine.

Jiansheng, who wasn't a heavy drinker, was slurring his words after the three cups.

After dinner, the power station arranged for them to stay at a hotel in the county, with entertainment planned for the evening.

The chairman, however, had to go to the city on business, and since his home was also in the city, he drove back that evening.

Jiansheng, impatient to get home, hitched a ride.

"You're a young man after all, haven't you been cooped up for over two weeks?" the chairman, a man in his forties, said with a smile.

Jiansheng smiled but didn't reply.

His mind, however, was filled with thoughts of the warm atmosphere at home, the feeling of his wife in his arms, and a sweet warmth filling his heart.

His wife, Xiaomin, was a year younger than him, a very virtuous woman who worked as a sales clerk at the telecommunications company.

Two years ago, when they were dating, she had an abortion; at that time, they couldn't afford to get married, and they didn't own a house.

Since then, they had always used contraception.

During his unsafe period, Jiansheng was always required to use condoms, and even after marriage, they continued to use contraception during their sex life.

His wife wasn't particularly beautiful, but she had small, Wu Qianlian-style eyes, which were quite pleasing to the eye.

After marriage, nourished by love, his wife became more voluptuous, with large breasts and hips, and her skin was fair and translucent, which greatly satisfied Jiansheng.

Even sitting in the car, recalling the feeling of holding his wife's warm, soft body, he would become erect.

The car was driving at night with its headlights on.

It would take two hours to get from the county to the city.

Jiansheng wanted to call his wife to tell her he was coming home, but the car's vibrations were too loud, and he couldn't hear clearly. He gave up the idea of calling, thinking he would just sneak back and surprise his wife.

The subsequent events were remarkably similar; the story's trajectory was too similar for me to rewrite.

Just like getting from one place to another, there are many ways, but the starting point is the same.

When he arrived home, Jiansheng checked the time on his phone: 11 pm.

Jiansheng couldn't resist calling his wife. He looked up at their fourth-floor window; the living room light and bedroom light were on. He figured she was probably watching some good TV show and hadn't gone to bed yet.

The bedroom had been redecorated before the New Year. The walls were painted a vibrant orange-yellow, and the bedding was now a rose-red bridal bedding set. Stepping into the bedroom, one could feel a romantic, warm, and intensely sensual atmosphere, which Xiaomin loved.

Once, Xiaomin hugged the naked Jiansheng and said, "If you ever betray me, I will never allow that woman to sleep in this bed with me, or I will kill you."

Jiansheng kissed Xiaomin and said, "How could I betray you? You're so good; you're my everything."

Xiaomin cried, saying that this bed was the witness to their union, and she would defend its purity with her life.

Xiaomin, my dear wife, you are so adorable. Are you nestled alone in our red bed right now, waiting for your husband's return? I'm back, my wife.

Jiansheng put away his phone. He wanted to surprise her, waiting to see her gaping in astonishment, then throw herself into his arms and act all cute.

Jiansheng quietly unlocked the door. His wife wasn't asleep yet; she usually locked the door before bed, so he had to knock.

He took off his shoes to change into slippers, but unexpectedly, there was a pair of men's leather shoes on the shoe cabinet.

Jiansheng's heart skipped a beat. It was so late, why was there a man in the house?! Jiansheng moved quietly, leaning against the wall and peeking into the living room.

The house's layout was advantageous for Jiansheng's concealment. Entering, there was a short passageway; to the left were the dining room, kitchen, and bathroom; to the right was his study; further in was the living room, and to the right of the living room was the bedroom.

The bedroom and study were next to each other and shared a spacious balcony.

There was no one in the living room.

But on the floor next to the sofa were his wife's bra, pajamas, and men's clothes.

Jiansheng was stunned! Adultery! Adultery or rape? The bedroom door was ajar, and he could hear his wife and another man's voices coming from inside.

Jiansheng was about to rush in and catch them

in the act, but he found he lacked the courage. What good would catching them in the act do? If this got out, could he still hold his head high at work and in front of his acquaintances? Jiansheng quietly slipped through the study and onto the balcony. The curtains weren't fully drawn, leaving a gap at the window.

The naked woman in the bedroom was his wife. He didn't recognize her, but she looked about his age, taller than him. His

wife was shyly nestled in his arms, saying, "No matter what, you can't do this in my husband's bed.

" The man held his wife, saying, "I just want you to be more comfortable."

His wife's voice was soft. She said, "I already feel so guilty towards my husband. If you go to his bed, it will only make me feel more guilty."

"Okay, let's go back to the living room."

The man picked up his wife and carried her out of the bedroom.

At that moment, Jiansheng's heart shattered, accompanied by intense heartache.

He wished his wife had been raped, but the truth was different. His wife was having an affair; his wife had betrayed him! My wife belonged to someone else at this moment, but perhaps she didn't realize that she had lost me forever.

This beautiful and warm family was gone forever.

The study was dark, but Jiansheng opened the door a crack and could clearly see what was happening in the living room.

The man sat on the sofa, sucking on his wife's breast.

The wife sat on the man, holding his face, and said, "Zhilin, promise me, okay? This is the last time. Don't ever come looking for me again."

The man released his wife's nipple. "Weren't we having a great time? I don't want it to end."

The wife said, "You have to think about me too. I'm a married woman. I love my husband, I love this family. You can't ruin me."

The man shamelessly said, "Call me 'husband,' and I'll say yes."

The wife snuggled in the man's arms, tapping his nose, and said, "No, I'll only ever have one husband in my life, and it's not you."

The man was somewhat annoyed. "Don't mention your husband, it's a downer.

Let me do it a few more times tonight, and then we'll go our separate ways."

The wife, in a truly lewd way, said, "How many more times can you do it? Tonight I'll give you a sumptuous dinner. I'll do whatever you want."

The wife moaned, writhing on the man's body.

Adulterous couple! Is this lewd and shameless woman the wife I once deeply loved and cherished? This shameless man even wants to spend the night here! Get out of here right now! Jiansheng took out his cell phone and dialed the landline.

The pleasant ringtone interrupted the couple's sexual escapade.

The wife tried to get up to answer the phone, but the man said, "Ignore him. "

The wife said, "No, it must be my husband calling."

The man picked up his wife and carried her to the phone.

The wife said, "Don't move while I'm on the phone."

The wife picked up the phone with one hand that was draped around the man's neck.

Jiansheng kept the door tightly closed; the house was well soundproofed, so he wasn't worried his wife could hear him.

"Wife, are you asleep?" Jiansheng lowered his voice, trying to hide his anger.

"Ah, I'm about to sleep. Did you miss me, honey?" Hearing his wife's affectionate words, Jiansheng would normally feel like he was melting, but now he felt so nauseous he almost vomited.

"What are you doing? Aren't you asleep yet?" Jiansheng said.

"I just finished watching TV and I'm about to take a shower and go to bed."

"Okay, get clean, I'll be home soon."

After a pause, Jiansheng guessed his wife might be stunned. His wife said, "Okay, I'll wait for you. I'm going to take a shower now."

Jiansheng hung up the phone, opened the door a crack, and saw the man hurriedly putting on his pants. Before he was even finished, he rushed out the door.

His wife deftly grabbed her underwear and pajamas, took a few steps, then turned back, retrieved a large pack of toilet paper from the trash can, and went into the bathroom.

San Jiansheng stepped out of the study, feeling the suffocating stench of the adulterous couple filling the room.

He took a bottle of strong liquor from the cupboard, uncapped it, and downed half of it in one gulp.

Jiansheng didn't usually drink; he kept this bottle for entertaining guests.

The liquor burned his throat and raged in his stomach.

He took only two steps before vomiting, spitting it out onto the sofa where his wife had just made love. He

staggered into the bedroom, perhaps the only slightly clean place left. He remembered his wife's words: "If you ever betray me, you must never let that woman into our bed, or I will kill you."

At that moment, he truly wanted to kill, but he couldn't.

The rose-colored sheets on the bed still exuded a warm and alluring charm, but to Jiansheng, they looked like blood—his wife's menstrual blood—and now they were nauseating.

He ripped off the blood-red blankets, pillows, and sheets, throwing them all out of the bedroom. Looking at the wedding photo hanging above the bed, a photo that had once captured their sweet moments, it now seemed like a scene from a prostitute and her client's charade.

Was it the prostitute's mockery of the sanctity of marriage? Was it the mockery of a cheating woman towards her husband, destined to be a cuckold? "You bastard!" Jiansheng punched Xiaomin in the photo hard on the head.

Even without glass in the photo, his hand was covered in blood.

Jiansheng cried! Xiaomin came out of the shower, smelling the strong stench of alcohol in the room. She saw the sofa covered in vomit, blankets and pillows thrown out, and felt a chill of fear, wondering who had come to the house.

Xiaomin went into the bedroom and saw her husband lying on the bed, painfully drunk, one hand covered in still-wet blood.

"Honey, what happened to you? You're like this!" Seeing her husband bleeding, Xiao Min felt a pang of pain in her heart. "Why did you drink so much today, honey?" Jian Sheng groaned in pain.

Xiao Min fetched a basin of water and washed the blood off Jian Sheng's hands. She then got some alcohol and applied it to the wound. Since

there was no gauze at home, Xiao Min cut off a piece of her own underwear and bandaged Jian Sheng's wound.

She then fetched more water to wash Jian Sheng's face and feet, took off his clothes, and covered him with a blanket.

She even made a cup of strong tea with honey and placed it on his bedside table, doing everything very efficiently.

Xiao Min was a capable woman; even Jian Sheng's friends praised her for her competence.

Jian Sheng was quite proud of himself, saying, "Without Xiao Min, my home isn't a home. Without Xiao Min, I'm not alone."

This gave his friends goosebumps.

After Xiao Min cleaned up the mess Jian Sheng had made on the sofa, it was already past midnight.

Xiao Min looked at her husband again; he was asleep, his expression calm and no longer in pain. Xiao Min finally felt relieved; otherwise, she would have called an ambulance.

Just before dawn, Xiao Min woke up once because Jiansheng was still drunk and the light was still on.

Xiao Min glanced at her husband; his back was to her, his shoulders were shaking as if he were crying. She leaned down to look at Jiansheng's face and was surprised to find it covered in tears.

"Honey, why are you crying?" Xiao Min shook Jiansheng's shoulders, but he didn't respond. Xiao Min thought for a moment; it was probably because of the alcohol. She figured he'd be fine once he sobered up.

So she went back to sleep.

In the morning, Xiao Min bought soy milk and steamed buns, and fried an egg, placing them on the table.

As usual, Xiao Min kissed her still-sleeping husband and called out, "Lazybones, time to get up and go to work! Food's on the table, I'm off!"

Xiao Min, now in her work uniform, looked young and energetic. Her job was collecting phone bills or handling other telecommunications services at the business hall. The work environment was excellent, which naturally kept her in a good mood, and a happy woman is very charming.

After work, Xiao Min bought a pound of shrimp, preparing to cook her husband's favorite spicy crayfish.

Returning home, she immediately noticed the sofa wasn't the same one anymore. Her husband was sitting in the study, lost in thought, the ashtray overflowing with yellow cigarette butts.

Xiao Min kissed her husband's hair and asked, "Honey, are you feeling better? You drank so much yesterday, I was so worried."

Jian Sheng was still lost in thought. Xiao Min asked again, "Honey, you changed the sofa? The old one was fine."

Jian Sheng spoke, his voice somewhat cold.

"That sofa stinks, I replaced it."

"You've got too much money, haven't you? He just threw up on it while drunk, a wash will fix it."

"It'll never be clean, that sofa will never be clean."

Jiansheng's voice sounded like a ghost from a TV show.

Xiaomin thought to herself, "My husband's acting strange today. Never mind, I'll cook first, then ask him properly after we eat.

" Her husband must have suffered some kind of trauma.

Walking into the kitchen, she immediately saw a new washing machine by the bathroom door.

This time, Xiaomin couldn't hold back any longer, and a surge of anger welled up inside her.

"Honey, what's gotten into you today? Buying a new washing machine!" "Yes, I bought a new one."

Seeing Xiao Min's anger, Jian Sheng couldn't help but join in: "Let me tell you, from now on, our clothes will be washed separately, and the washing machine will be separate too."

"Why?" A sense of foreboding suddenly rose in Xiao Min's heart. "Do you... do you have an STD?" "STD? Yes, I have an STD!" "You..." Xiao Min almost burst into tears: "Did you go to a prostitute?" Jian Sheng ignored his wife and returned to his previous dazed state.

"Tell me, did you go to a prostitute? Are you trying to destroy our family?" Jian Sheng turned his head and looked at Xiao Min with a strange look: "Do prostitutes have to have STDs? How can you be so sure this STD didn't come from you?" "You're talking nonsense! I don't have any STDs!" After shouting this, Xiao Min felt a chill. Could Zhi Lin have an STD? Xiao Min's mind was in turmoil, she was at a loss.

Her husband didn't deny going to a prostitute, which was something she couldn't accept no matter what.

And—could it be that I'm sick and have infected my husband? —Oh my god! If that's the case, I'll never be able to clear my name! There are also some other inexplicable things gnawing at Xiao Min's chaotic nerves.

After her husband came home, he was like a completely different person. His actions were unbelievable and incomprehensible; they couldn't even communicate verbally… Xiao Min didn't know how she managed to cook the dish; she forgot both chili and salt.

After putting it on the table, she took it back to reheat it.

Seeing Xiao Min's bewildered state, Jian Sheng looked at her with a strange gaze—a gaze that made Xiao Min's heart pound—and asked, "Are you feeling very confused?" Xiao Min glanced at Jian Sheng and said irritably, "Yes, I'm angry, I hate you!" Perhaps at that moment, anger was the most natural way to mask the turmoil in her heart. Xiao Min ate the meal without tasting it. After finishing his meal, her husband went back to his study to space out. After clearing the table, Xiao Min also sat on the sofa,

lost in thought. A football match was playing on TV; she never watched football and didn't understand it. Before going to work in the afternoon, Xiao Min called Zhi Lin. Zhi Lin answered the phone and said softly, "Wait a minute." Having found a safe place, Zhi Lin spoke more freely. "Honey, you missed me, didn't you?" "Don't talk nonsense. I need to ask you something." "What is it?" "Did you run into my husband when you left yesterday?" "No, I didn't see him when I left. What happened?" "My husband came back acting strangely. I'm not sure what happened, so I wanted to ask." "How was he acting strangely?" "He came home drunk last night and cried. Today he replaced the sofa and bought a new washing machine. I'm so angry." "Didn't you ask him why?" "I did, and he said he has an STD, and he acted so self-righteous. I wanted to kill him." "Your husband is quite frank. Did he get it from outside?" "I suspect he's been to a prostitute. I have to go to work now." There was another thing weighing heavily on Xiao Min's mind: whether she had contracted an STD—this not only concerned the safety of her child but also the potential exposure of her relationship with Zhilin. Zhilin didn't seem like a pure person, and she wasn't entirely at ease with him. The first time she and he made love was two months ago. An old classmate who worked out of town had made a fortune and returned home for a family reunion. Xiao Min didn't keep in touch with her high school classmates, but she received a call. At that reunion, she met Zhilin. Zhilin was Xiao Min's high school classmate, handsome and tall. The young Xiao Min, experiencing her first crush, had a secret crush on Zhilin, but at that time, Zhilin was surrounded by many girls, and Xiao Min was just an ordinary girl; she hadn't even caught his eye. After graduation, she hadn't seen Zhilin again. Seeing him again, Xiao Min, now married and deeply in love with her husband, was still somewhat excited. When Zhilin saw her, she could feel a flash of surprise in his eyes. During dinner, Xiao Min, who never drank, couldn't resist Zhilin's repeated urging and had a drink with him. Later, the old classmates booked a karaoke bar and took turns singing. Xiao Min wasn't a good singer and didn't request any songs. Zhilin then invited Xiao Min to dance. Xiao Min had danced before, but with Zhilin, she felt something different. Even before any physical contact, she could feel his warm aura radiating outwards. When Zhilin held her tighter, she suddenly felt a dreamlike intoxication. She felt shy, but powerless to refuse. After the dance, Zhilin hailed a taxi to take Xiao Min home. In the car, Zhilin held Xiao Min's hand, and she tacitly consented to this ambiguous gesture. Zhilin then told the driver another destination, and the taxi took Xiao Min to his home. Zhilin's wife was at her parents' house during her postpartum period, so Zhilin indulged in Xiao Min's body in his own home. On the verge of infidelity, Xiao Min struggled internally, her love for her husband ultimately succumbing to the novelty and excitement of the affair. Back home, she cried bitterly about her own descent into adultery, for herself and for her husband. That time, they hadn't used a condom; if Zhilin had a disease, it could have infected her. At work, Xiao Min claimed to have an upset stomach and needed to go to the hospital. The manager, a very easy-going woman, knew Xiao Min was pregnant and told her to go home after her visit to the hospital and not to come back this afternoon. Xiao Min went to the maternal and child health center for a sexually transmitted disease test, and the results came back normal. Xiao Min finally breathed a sigh of relief. However, she wasn't entirely at ease. Although she could rightfully demand an explanation and repentance from Jian Sheng for his prostitution, she hadn't figured out how to deal with him. She had even considered divorce. On her way home, Zhi Lin called. Zhi Lin said, "Xiao Min, you should go to the hospital for a checkup." Xiao Min asked, "What kind of checkup?" Zhi Lin said, "A sexually transmitted disease. I just went to the hospital for a checkup, and I have it. I haven't been messing around outside; you're the one who gave it to me." "I'm not sick," Xiao Min said, somewhat angrily. Zhi Lin said, "I don't mean to blame you; I'm doing this for your own good. Go get checked." Xiao Min impatiently told Zhi Lin, "I just had a check-up at the maternal and child health center, and I'm healthy. Who knows where you got your sexually transmitted disease!" Xiao Min hung up without saying goodbye. Zhi Lin called several more times, but Xiao Min didn't answer. He thought, "Fine, it's over now." Wu Jiansheng was also overwhelmed with thoughts and had to use a pen to sort them out. He made an outline on the paper: 1. Divorce; 2. Property division; 3. Children... He drew a big question mark next to "children." Divorce was a certainty. Having made this decision, in his heart, she was no longer his wife. What she did was her own business. —This could at least numb him a little and make him less painful. But the thought of divorce still pained him, making him feel like he had lost the whole world. If it weren't for her betrayal, if God had given him a choice: either beg with Xiao Min or leave Xiao Min and become an immortal, he would have chosen to stay with Xiao Min without hesitation. Making the decision to divorce meant seeing the end of his marriage, a state etched with despair. He was almost certain the child wasn't his. He and his wife had used contraception for two years without incident; why did she conceive right when she was having an affair? Even if there was only a one in ten thousand chance the child was his, the thought of another man's semen entering her mother's womb during pregnancy always gave her the feeling of being a bastard, which he found hard to accept. He would leave the child's fate to her mother. He decided to part amicably with Xiao Min; after all, she had given him the best years of his life. He was willing to give her three more days. If she confessed, he wouldn't pursue the matter further, and they would split the assets equally. If she remained stubborn and unrepentant, he wouldn't hold back; things would be as they were.

She was at fault. Even if she dared to be shameless enough to deny what he had witnessed, the innocent child was still irrefutable evidence.

Six. Today, his wife came home early.

Jiansheng asked, "Didn't you go to work today?" His wife, changing into slippers, said, "I took the day off."

"Taking the day off and not staying home, who did you meet up with?" "Meet you my foot!" His wife pulled out the hospital test results and threw them at her husband. "Take a good look, your wife doesn't have any STDs."

Jiansheng glanced at the hospital report and handed it back to his wife.

"You seem very nervous."

His wife plopped down next to her husband and said, "I'm a little worried because I'm pregnant."

She then complained to her husband, "You don't care about the child in my belly at all. Don't you want to ask?" "Okay," Jiansheng said, "Then I'll ask.

This child, is it mine?" Xiaomin didn't expect her husband to ask such a question and became somewhat annoyed! "What do you mean? If this child isn't yours, whose is it?" Jiansheng didn't want to be direct; he let his wife think about it slowly.

He then stopped talking and watched the TV.

Xiao Min turned Jian Sheng's face towards her, making him look at her.

"Honey, did you really go to a prostitute?" Jian Sheng turned to her, looking at her seriously.

He wanted to talk to his wife about issues like betrayal.

"If I went to a prostitute, or if I had another woman, how would you feel?" "I would be heartbroken, very hurt."

"If a woman betrays her husband, that man will also be heartbroken, very hurt."

"I know..." Xiao Min leaned against her husband obediently, tears welling up in her eyes.

She almost said "I'm sorry" to her husband, but she couldn't say it; once she did, there would be no turning back.

"Honey, I'm so scared. I'm afraid you'll leave me. I really can't live without you."

"Hypocrite!" Jian Sheng wailed inwardly.

He couldn't understand how women could pretend so well; yesterday she was having an affair, and today she could say such things to her husband.

Xiao Min couldn't stand this atmosphere. She thought that if she stayed any longer, she would definitely break down and reveal a shocking secret.

She finally stopped crying and said to her husband with concern, "Let's go to the hospital tomorrow."

Jiansheng looked at his wife in confusion, "Go see what?" His wife pointed to his crotch, "Go see a doctor."

Jiansheng said, "I don't have erectile dysfunction or premature ejaculation, what kind of doctor would I need?" "An STD."

Jiansheng almost laughed; he had casually said something yesterday, and his wife had taken it seriously.

However, Jiansheng felt there was no need to explain himself to his wife.

"Honey, as long as you still have me in your heart, I'll still be your good wife, you know? I'll go cook."

Xiaomin said tenderly, kissing her husband's forehead.

His wife's forgiving look made Jiansheng feel quite ridiculous.

Finally, Jiansheng said something that night that stirred up a storm in Xiaomin's heart.

That night, after taking a shower, Xiaomin climbed into bed and said to her husband, "Honey, do you think my belly is a little bigger?" His wife lifted her milky-white cotton nightgown, revealing her smooth body to Jiansheng.

His wife wasn't wearing anything underneath; her full breasts looked like two sleeping little white rabbits, as if the slightest sound would wake her.

Jiansheng knew his wife's body intimately, but today, the pubic hair covering her private parts seemed to hold some secret she didn't want him to know, making her feel somewhat unfamiliar.

He made a gesture as if to take his wife's nipple into his mouth, but suddenly stopped.

Like a dog, he sniffed at his wife's nipple. His wife said, "What are you sniffing?" Jiansheng said, "I smell bad breath."

"How could that be? You haven't even kissed her yet."

"It must be residue from yesterday, the day before, or the days before," Jiansheng pushed his wife away and said, "Go wash up, it makes me nauseous."

Xiaomin's face turned pale, and she froze like a puppet.

That night, Xiaomin barely slept, wondering if her husband was suspicious because she was pregnant despite using contraception. She wondered if her husband knew something, and how much he knew. Or was it just some rumors? A moment later, thinking about her husband wanting a divorce, should she commit suicide as an act of repentance? ... When she woke up in the morning, her pillow was soaked with tears.

At work today, Xiao Min couldn't concentrate. A customer took out 50 yuan and gave 40 yuan to someone else.

Later, when she called to inquire, the other party denied it.

Xiao Min felt like she was about to collapse; it seemed like everything around her was determined to torment her.

Near the end of the workday, Xiao Min received a call from Zhilin.

If Xiao Min hadn't been so distracted, she wouldn't have answered Zhilin's call.

Zhilin, however, was completely unaware of Xiao Min's chaotic state of mind.

He excitedly told Xiao Min some good news.

"I went to a hospital for a checkup today, and guess what? Nothing's wrong.

Damn it, that dermatology hospital is heartless and unethical! Anyone who goes there gets diagnosed with an STD, and you have no one to complain to, who dares to say anything?... Xiao Min, are you listening? Xiao Min..." Xiao Min snapped out of her daze: "Hey, I'm asking you, did you say anything out loud?" "What did I say? No, no, how could I say something like that out loud? I'm a married man, what would happen if my wife found out? What happened to you?" "My husband seems to know something, I don't know what to do, I'm so confused..." "Don't worry, you have to stay calm, everything will be alright.

Is it convenient for you now?" "I'm going home." "

Then let's arrange a time tonight, let's analyze the situation."

"Let's not contact each other anymore, and don't call me again."

"I'm worried about you. If it's inconvenient for you, we can talk on the phone somewhere else."

Xiao Min ended the call with Zhi Lin.

Zhi Lin didn't call back.

Back home, she found a note Jiansheng had written to her.

"Xiao Min: There's a problem with the equipment at the power station, and the factory wants me to go there immediately. It'll probably be a few days before I'm back.

"There are some things I need to clarify with you. I wanted to give you some time to explain, but it seems you're having some difficulty.

I'll explain it to you.

"I already know about you and that man.

Do you know why I changed that sofa? Because you two had sex on it.

Do you know why I bought a washing machine? It's not because I have an STD, but because I find your clothes stained with semen dirty.

As for why you betrayed me, I don't want to know anymore; knowing will only hurt me more.

"While I'm gone, think about our divorce. Before we divorce, I hope you won't have any contact with that man.

I believe you're not someone without principles."

Jiansheng and Xiaomin sat blankly for over two hours holding her husband's letter, then sent him a text message: "Honey, I'm sorry.

I agree to the divorce."

A few days later, her husband returned, and both seemed very calm, as if nothing had happened between them.

Xiaomin said, "I'll cook you one last meal tonight."

Jiansheng didn't come home for dinner.

A few of his single friends often gathered together, taking turns treating each other to beer at a small tavern near the factory gate. Jiansheng said, "Today it's my treat, guys, have a good drink."

An older single man, a year older than Jiansheng, patted him on the shoulder and said, "Ha, reminiscing about the past, huh?" Jiansheng said, "I really miss the days when I was single.

Come on, grab a beer and drink."

After drinking, the single friends didn't have much entertainment, so they played cards and gambled.

Gambling wasn't Jiansheng's hobby, and he lost his 200 yuan in half an hour.

"You guys keep playing, I'm going home now." "

The guys were having a blast, and someone offered to lend him money to win back his losses. The old bachelor said, 'Alright, alright, don't encourage drinking and whoring, or Jiansheng will be kneeling on a washboard when he gets home.'

'Hahahaha!' Jiansheng hadn't been this happy in a long time. He thought to himself on the way home, being a happy single isn't so bad after all.

I'm going back to being single! It was already 10 o'clock when he got home.

His wife came out to greet him, helped him take off his coat, and asked, 'Looks like you had a good time.'

'Yeah, drinking with my single buddies, it felt like I was back in the old days.

I'll be joining the ranks of the singles soon!' 'Let's celebrate for you today.

Come on!' Xiao Min invited her husband to sit down at the table.

There were three dishes on the table: a bowl of chicken, a plate of steamed fish, and a plate of Jiansheng's favorite spicy crayfish.

'You haven't eaten yet?' Jiansheng asked.

'I've been waiting for you.'" Xiao

Min poured her husband a glass of baijiu (Chinese liquor).

Jian Sheng then noticed that his wife had dressed up carefully.

Her hair was freshly washed and tied up with a ribbon. Jian Sheng had said before that he loved seeing his wife looking like she had just stepped out of the bath; it was very sexy.

His wife also wore makeup, but this time it was heavier, somewhat like the makeup she wore for her wedding, making her look both energetic and charming.

Furthermore, Jian Sheng hadn't seen Xiao Min's clothes before; they must be new.

Jian Sheng couldn't help but tease her.

"Looking so beautiful, is there a date?" "Yes, a date with you."

His wife smiled, brushing her bangs aside. "Isn't your wife beautiful? I had my makeup done at a bridal shop. The makeup artist asked if I was getting married, and I said I was getting a divorce.

The makeup artist laughed."

Xiao Min poured herself a glass of red wine, just enough to fill a stemmed glass.

She showed the bottle, saying, "You haven't been home these past few days, so I've been drinking a little whenever I have free time. It's almost finished.

I like the taste of red wine. Here, for your sake, I'm single. "

Jiansheng raised his glass, "For your freedom." He

tilted his head back, emptying the glass.

Xiaomin picked up her glass and took a small sip.

"Come on, eat some shrimp.

This is the one I've put the most effort into making. How does it taste?" "Delicious,"

her husband praised sincerely after taking a bite.

"Then eat more. You won't be able to eat this again."

Xiaomin picked up a few large shrimp and put them in Jiansheng's bowl.

Jiansheng saw tears glistening in Xiaomin's eyes and felt a pang of sadness, so he buried his head in his food.

Xiaomin kept watching her husband, and seeing him eat so heartily, a smile appeared on her face.

Tears filled her eyes, but Xiaomin still smiled faintly.

"I'm full,"

Jiansheng said, not daring to look at Xiaomin's tearful smile. He grabbed a napkin to wipe his mouth, and Xiaomin picked up her glass: "Will you drink this with me?" "Cheers!" Jiansheng drank another glass.

Xiaomin took several large gulps before finishing her glass of red wine.

She stood up, a little unsteady.

She said to her husband, who rushed over to help her, "Honey, I'm a little drunk. I want to sleep for a while. Could you carry me one last time and put me in bed?" Jiansheng picked his wife up and carried her to bed.

Xiaomin clung tightly to her husband's neck, carefully examining every part of his face, then smiled, pulled him closer, and kissed him on the lips.

"Honey, I love you.

Go watch TV. There should be your favorite Argentina vs. Germany match today. Don't worry about me."

"Okay, go to sleep early. " Jiansheng

tucked his wife in and saw that Xiaomin's hair was soaked with tears. His own eyes welled up with tears as well.

The television was showing a football match between Argentina and Germany.

Xiaomin never cared about football, but today she was so interested. Jiansheng had to admit that his wife was very loving; if it weren't for her infidelity, he would be such a happy man! However, watching the game today, Jiansheng felt uneasy and couldn't concentrate.

He thought it was probably because of the alcohol.

During the halftime commercial break, Jiansheng drank some water.

Remembering that Xiaomin had drunk quite a bit, he made her a strong cup of tea and brought it in.

Xiaomin was sleeping peacefully; the tear tracks from her eyes to her ears had dried, but her hair was still wet.

Jiansheng suddenly felt a pang of pity for Xiaomin. She never drank alcohol, yet today she had drunk a large glass; it was no wonder she was drunk.

Jiansheng poured the tea... He gently placed it on the bedside table and noticed a note on top.

He took it out and read it. The note was from Xiao Min. "

My dearest husband, this is the last time I'll call you that. You'll never hear it again.

This separation, though filled with sorrow, brings me a strange peace. Compared to my inner pain, death might be the only way out.

I'm sorry.

But please believe me, in this declaration of love, I love you more than my own life.

Please bury me in your husband's name, and burn this bed too; I want to take it to heaven.

In your desk drawer, there's a letter I wrote to my parents; please give it to them.

There's also a letter to you; everything I want to say is on it.

If you still feel I should maintain my last shred of dignity, please keep this a secret.

Farewell, my husband.

I was content holding you today; thank you.

" ... When Xiao Min was rushed to the emergency room, she was in a deep coma.

Xiao Min's parents rushed over. Xiao Min's mother grabbed Jian Sheng, crying and screaming.

"What have you done to wrong Xiao Min that you're driving her to her death?! You heartless bastard, what has Xiao Min ever done to you?!" Seeing the situation escalating, Xiao Min's father pulled his wife away and dragged Jian Sheng to the other end of the corridor to talk.

"What happened between you two? Why did you have to make such a big fuss?"

Jian Sheng felt wronged and told his father-in-law what had happened.

"Xiao Min... she's having an affair..." "Sigh," his father-in-law sighed and shook his head, "This child, how can he be so insensible? We need to save Xiao Min first, and then we can deal with your problems later, okay? I know this is a bit difficult for you, but it's a life-saving matter."

"Dad, don't worry, Xiao Min will be alright."

His father-in-law patted Jian Sheng's shoulder and went back to Xiao Min's mother, saying, "The young couple has run into some problems, and it's Xiao Min's fault. Don't add fuel to the fire. The most important thing now is to save our daughter."

Xiao Min's mother nodded, leaning against her husband, her jaw trembling slightly from the stress.

The emergency room door opened, and Xiao Min was wheeled into the observation room.

The doctor called Jiansheng and his father-in-law to the on-call room.

"The patient overdosed on sleeping pills. She's temporarily out of danger, but the critical period hasn't passed yet. She needs to be observed and treated for a few days.

You two go and complete the admission procedures."

Jiansheng returned to the ward after completing the admission procedures.

Xiao Min was wearing an oxygen mask and had an IV drip in her hand.

The medicine dripped into the IV tube, one drop at a time, as if recording the passage of time.

His father-in-law called Jiansheng out.

"Go back and rest. We can watch over her here."

"I'd better stay here. I'm worried."

"I'm afraid Xiao Min might wake up and become agitated, which could be bad for her.

You should go back."

"Okay, I'll go back then."

It was already late at night when he returned.

Jiansheng blamed himself for being too careless. Actually, he had noticed that Xiao Min's behavior that day wasn't normal, but he hadn't thought of anything serious.

He thought Xiao Min just wanted to leave a deep impression on him during the divorce proceedings.

Xiao Min's note was still on the bedside table.

Jiansheng read it again, feeling a pang of sorrow.

He had no doubt that Xiaomin loved him, but he couldn't understand why her love was so fickle.

Without any warning that something was wrong between them, she had fallen for someone else, and then, like a circuit switching, she had switched her love back to her husband.

Some say women are an unreadable book, and now he understood.

Jiansheng opened his desk drawer; sure enough, there were two letters inside, one to her parents and one to himself. The envelopes were stained with tears, some words blurred by the stains.

He was about to open the letter from his wife, but then hesitated.

He desperately wanted to know what it said, the reason for his wife's infidelity, the depth of their love, but he feared he wouldn't be able to remain calm after reading it. Right now, Xiaomin's safety was paramount.

Jiansheng wanted to rest for a while; he had to go to the hospital at dawn and might have to stay by her side all day.

Just then, his father-in-law called: "Come quickly! Xiaomin is dying!" Jiansheng jumped up and ran towards the hospital.

There were no cars or pedestrians on the street.

When Jiansheng arrived, the doctor and nurses were coming out of the ward. The doctor told Jiansheng that her blood pressure had suddenly dropped, but it had stabilized now, though the situation wasn't very optimistic; they needed to see if her physical condition could help her pull through.

Xiaomin's mother sat to the side, wiping away tears, afraid to cry out loud.

Jiansheng sat by the bed, holding Xiaomin's hands tightly, as if trying to pull her up.

He thought to himself: Xiaomin, you have to pull through! How could you do something so foolish? Are you going to ruin my life? Jiansheng seemed to feel Xiaomin's fingers twitch slightly, and he softly called out, "Xiaomin, can you hear me? If you can, twitch your finger again."

Hearing Jiansheng's words, Xiaomin's mother suddenly perked up: "Did she move? Did she move?" Jiansheng said, "It might be my imagination, I felt her move."

Xiaomin's mother then called out, "Xiaomin, Xiaomin..." Dawn broke, but Xiaomin still hadn't woken up.

Jiansheng told his parents-in-law to go home and rest. His father-in-law said, "If Xiaomin wakes up, call me immediately.

" Jiansheng sat down next to Xiaomin, took her hand, and said in his heart, "Xiaomin, it's Jiansheng, wake up!"

He had seen many dramas on television where people, even when unconscious, could feel the calls of their loved ones and eventually wake up. He called out, and indeed, he woke her up! He first saw tears slowly streaming from the corners of Xiaomin's closed eyes.

Jiansheng was overjoyed. He leaned close to her ear and gently called, "Xiaomin, it's Jiansheng, you can hear me, right?" "Jiansheng, Jiansheng..." Xiaomin called out, her voice strained, as if she were in a dream, wanting to shout but unable to.

Jiansheng pressed Xiaomin's hand to his face, "It's me, open your eyes and look."

Xiaomin opened her eyes.

"Xiao Min, you're finally awake! How could you be so silly?" "I'm sorry, husband, I'm so sorry..." "Don't say that. You need to get better quickly, then come home with me and be a good wife to me, and even better than before."

"Okay,"

Xiao Min agreed.

Jian Sheng called the doctor.

After examining her, the doctor told Jian Sheng, "She should be fine. If nothing unexpected happens, she can be discharged tomorrow.

You need to comfort her and not upset her."

With Jian Sheng's comfort and encouragement, Xiao Min recovered quickly and was discharged the next day. On

the day of her discharge, Xiao Min's parents picked her and Jian Sheng up and took them home. Her mother-in-law cooked a delicious meal.

During the meal, Xiao Min's parents didn't say much, but seeing how loving they were, they felt gratified.

For the first time, her mother-in-law put some food in Jian Sheng's bowl.

After the meal, Xiao Min went home with Jian Sheng.

Xiao Min's mother said to her father, "Jian Sheng is such a good son-in-law. We should treat him better from now on."

"Sigh!" Xiao Min's father sighed worriedly, watching their retreating figures. "Perhaps it's not so optimistic. The pain in Jian Sheng's heart after something like this can't be healed overnight."

Xiao Min's mother's face darkened.

She knew her husband still hadn't erased the shadow of his wife's infidelity ten years ago… The days that followed, after all, couldn't be as if nothing had happened.

Xiao Min became quiet and withdrawn, and did housework even more diligently.

Although Jian Sheng told himself he had forgiven Xiao Min, there was one question he still needed to clarify:

the child.

One day, after Xiao Min had finished her household chores, Jian Sheng said to her, "Let's talk.

" Xiao Min sat nervously beside Jian Sheng and said, "Go ahead."

“That child…” “Honey, the child is yours. I explained it in detail in the letter I gave you. Just trust me.”

“I didn’t read that letter.

I feel that since I’ve forgiven you, we still have to live together, so the less I know about your relationship, the better.”

Jiansheng got up and took the letter Xiaomin had written to him and his parents from the study.

“I didn’t give this letter to your parents either. You can handle it yourself.

I haven’t opened the letter you gave me.”

Jiansheng showed the seal to Xiaomin, then lit the letter with a lighter and threw it into the ashtray to burn.

Xiaomin also put her letter to her parents in the ashtray.

“How can you be so sure that the child is mine and not his?” “Okay, let me start from the beginning.”

“It was about two months ago. A classmate from high school came back from out of town and organized a class reunion.

I went too, you know that, just that one time.

“At that reunion, I met him. He was also my classmate from high school…” Jiansheng waved his hand and said, “Don’t go into the details. Is that when you two got together?” “It wasn’t exactly a smooth ride…” “You had sex with him that day?” “Yes

… I don’t know how it happened… Even though I was in my safe period that day, I still told him not to ejaculate inside, and he ejaculated outside.

A few days later, I got my period.”

“Go on.”

“After that day, I regretted it. He called me twice afterward, but I didn’t answer.”

"We didn't contact each other during that time.

Until a few days ago, four days before you came back from the power station, I got sick and had a fever. I went to the hospital for an IV drip, and I ran into him there.

He asked me why I was getting an IV drip all by myself. I told him my husband was away on a business trip, and he wanted to keep me company. I told him to leave because I was afraid of gossip.

When I was almost finished with the IV drip, he came back and said he would take me home.

I was very weak then, and I felt dizzy even when I stood up, so I let him take me home.

When I got home, I told him to leave, and he said he would make me a bowl of noodles and then leave. He made me a bowl of noodles, told me to eat it and go to bed early, and then left.

The next day, he called me and asked if I was feeling better. I said I was. That

evening, he bought a bouquet of flowers, and I was a little touched. Then he hugged me, and I struggled desperately, but then I felt weak all over and didn't have the strength to struggle anymore.

I was conflicted at that time, but then I thought, since we've already done it once, I just went along with it."

“He came to see me for the next two nights, and I didn’t refuse, but I still decided to end this relationship.

The day you came back, I told him that was the last time, and we should never contact each other again.

He agreed.

That’s how it is between us. Except for the first time when he didn’t use a condom, I asked him to use one the next few times. I didn’t want his thing inside me; that would make me feel even more guilty towards you.”

Jiansheng’s face was a little pale. He sneered, “Don’t you have any feelings for him at all?” “You wouldn’t believe me if I said I didn’t, but it’s not love. I know very well that it’s not love. I’ve never loved him.”

Jiansheng lit a cigarette, and Xiaomin saw his hand trembling as he held it.

“Honey, you’re the only one I love. I beg you, believe me.

The child is yours. Actually, if my ovulation had come earlier or later, we could have conceived, because you don’t use condoms during what we consider the safe period.”

Xiaomin lowered her head, tears streaming down her face.

“Alright, stop crying. Don’t look so pitiful.”

Jiansheng stood up and walked straight out the door.

Xiao Min felt hopeless. She knew that although her husband had forgiven her, it was almost impossible for him to truly forgive her from the heart.

Would the loving days they used to share ever return? After leaving, Jian Sheng sat down at a late-night food stall and drank alone.

Why

did thinking about his wife make him feel so miserable? Hadn't he forgiven her? Or had he never truly forgiven her? Jian Sheng unknowingly finished a whole pot of

wine. It was homemade sweet potato wine, not strong, and he wouldn't even know how he got drunk.

Towards the end, Jian Sheng felt the wine tasted as weak as water. He said, "Boss, why does this wine taste like water? Did you dilute it for me?" The boss said, "Of course not, you're drunk. Don't drink anymore."

Jian Sheng said, "If I'm drunk, how come I can speak so clearly?" The boss said, "You're almost stuttering." Jian

Sheng said, "Is that so? Then I'm drunk."

Jiansheng paid the bill and started walking home, swaying unsteadily. He muttered, "Damn it, I can't walk straight anymore. I'm going to walk straight today!" He tried to walk along the squares on the sidewalk, but still couldn't find a straight path.

When he got home, he couldn't find the keyhole, so he knocked on the door.

Xiaomin opened the door and helped the swaying Jiansheng, complaining, "Honey, why are you so drunk?" "I'm not drunk, I don't need you to help me!" he said, pushing Xiaomin.

When people are drunk, they don't know the difference between light and heavy. Perhaps Jiansheng's push was only light, but he didn't realize he had used a lot of force.

Xiaomin lost her balance and fell to the ground, her forehead hitting the glass coffee table hard, drawing blood.

Jiansheng, seeing the blood on Xiaomin's head, still somewhat conscious, became anxious.

"Honey, you're bleeding! Don't move! I'll call 120."

Xiao Min got up and pressed Jian Sheng down. "Go back to bed and sleep. Don't cause me any trouble, okay? I'll go to the hospital first."

"I want to take you there."

"You can barely walk, how can you take me? Listen to me, stay home and sleep."

Xiao Min took a taxi to the hospital, got two stitches, and returned home, but couldn't find Jian Sheng. She was furious.

Men are so troublesome when they're drunk! Xiao Min went out to look for Jian Sheng again, guessing he might have gone to the hospital. Luckily, she found him sleeping on the sidewalk not far from home.

Jian Sheng looked like he had fallen; his cheekbone and nose were scraped, and his lips were swollen.

Xiao Min was both angry and amused.

In the morning, as usual, Xiao Min prepared to wake her husband early.

"Honey, you lazybones, time to get up and go to work."

Jian Sheng saw the patch on Xiao Min's forehead and vaguely remembered what had happened the night before.

Jian Sheng hugged Xiao Min.

"Wife, I'm sorry, I got drunk yesterday, it wasn't intentional."

Xiao Min nestled against Jian Sheng and said to her husband, "I know you're in pain. If you're feeling down, take it out on me. Don't drink; it's worrying people when you're drunk."

"From now on, we're not allowed to mention the past anymore. We need to forget it and start a new life, okay?" "Mmm,"

his wife nodded obediently, clinging tightly to her husband.

Life seemed to return to normal.

Jiansheng continued to be as cheerful and talkative with his wife at home as before, and his wife often wore a happy expression on her face. When they went out together, she always held Jiansheng's arm, as intimate as a newlywed couple, which made the neighbors very envious.

However, his wife had also changed, which her sensitive husband noticed.

Her cautiousness, her submissiveness to her husband, and even the occasional moments of absentmindedness she would experience when alone, all made Jiansheng feel that his wife had become a different person. The happy, lovely, and affectionate wife he used to know had disappeared from his life.

Xiaomin could still sense that

her husband was still bothered by the past. Although he could usually hide his hidden pain, he was completely uninhibited in their sex life.

Jiansheng basically never touched Xiaomin's body and showed no interest in sex.

Even when he tried to comfort her, he would only touch her breasts and rarely grope her genitals.

Sometimes Xiaomin would try her best to get her husband to get an erection, but he would go limp in less than a minute.

Xiao Min could only swallow her tears silently.

It wasn't the disharmony in their sex life that bothered her, but rather her husband's disdain for her.

Finally, one day, Xiao Min couldn't help but say to her husband, "If you still care about that, why don't you go out and find another woman?

Then we'll be even, and neither of us will look down on the other."

Jian Sheng hadn't expected his wife to make such a suggestion.

He held back his laughter and said, "Would you bear to see me with another woman?" "No, I wouldn't, but you can't keep looking down on me like this!" "Don't be silly, don't overthink it, go to sleep."

Jian Sheng held his wife in his arms, coaxing her to sleep like a child.

Jian Sheng had tried to live like before, but during sex, images of his wife having sex with other men would flash before his eyes, making him feel no interest in sex.

He thought, it's easy to deceive others, but you can't deceive yourself. And because you can't deceive yourself, many efforts are ultimately in vain.

...Xiao Min's mother came to visit, but Jian Sheng wasn't home.

Seeing that Xiao Min was thinner than before, her mother felt a pang of sorrow.

"You've lost weight, Xiao Min. Are you having a hard time?" "I'm alright."

"Is Jian Sheng still bothered by you?" "Yes."

Xiao Min burst into tears.

"After something like this, a man will hold a grudge for years," her

mother sighed. "I looked at your birth chart. The fortune teller said you're destined for divorce. I'm not trying to encourage you to divorce, I'm just reminding you that if you're suffering, take advantage of your youth and get a divorce." "Mom , I don't want a divorce. Right now, I just want to give birth to my child and raise him /her. I don't want to think about anything else." "Xiao Min, you're only hurting yourself. Living like this will be very difficult," her mother said, crying as well. Reply to live173 (PTC077): Prince of Wales, yesterday 05:02, 2nd floor, thirteenth floor: Xiao Min had strong pregnancy reactions, vomiting and nausea, especially in the morning. She told Jiansheng that with such strong reactions, it was very likely a boy. The child in her belly gradually became everything to Xiao Min. She started reading books about pregnancy and began prenatal education. Between her and her husband, perhaps because of too much guilt or too sensitive taboos, there was always a weight on their hearts, and they spoke less and less. Only she lived in her fantasies about the child; her thoughts were soaring happily. Xiao Min's belly gradually grew bigger. She went to the hospital for a checkup, subconsciously hoping for twins. However, the doctor's diagnosis was a bolt from the blue, completely shattering her sweet fantasies about the child. "The baby isn't developing well. Did you have any injections or medication during your pregnancy?" Xiao Min became anxious. "I had a high fever once during my pregnancy, and... I took a lot of sleeping pills once." " It's better not to keep it. The baby is deformed," the doctor said calmly, as if removing a woman's baby was a trivial matter, no different from cutting nails. Xiao Min hoped it was a misdiagnosis and went to another hospital, but the result was the same. Xiao Min was desperate and went home, hugging her husband and crying her heart out. "I'm the one who ruined him..." Xiao Min sobbed, feeling like a jinx, ruining her family, herself, and the innocent child. The baby was finally removed, and Xiao Min was like a lost soul, staring blankly all day. Jian Sheng comforted Xiao Min for a week, and she gradually regained some vitality. Xiao Min rested for half a month and then went back to work. Jian Sheng, who had been busy taking care of Xiao Min for half a month, finally relaxed. He could come home to a delicious meal cooked by Xiao Min, and after dinner, he and his wife would go for a walk and go shopping. However, Jiansheng became increasingly worried about his sexual function because he discovered he was impotent. Not only could he not get an erection with his wife, but he even dreamt of having sex with a beautiful female classmate from university, and during those nocturnal emissions, he still couldn't achieve an erection. He decided to go to the hospital. Xiaomin saw Jiansheng's discarded underwear and felt uneasy. Reflecting on it, since her husband learned about her past, the couple hadn't had a single successful sexual encounter. She knew his love for her had diminished, but it hadn't completely disappeared. He was disgusted by her uncleanliness. Xiaomin decided to have a serious talk with Jiansheng. That night, Xiaomin stripped naked and crawled into bed. Since getting married, Xiaomin had gotten used to sleeping naked; it was not only comfortable but also easily aroused her husband's passion. Xiaomin lay in her husband's arms. “Honey, let’s have another child.” Jiansheng seemed unprepared for this topic, paused for a moment, and said, “Let’s talk about it later.” Xiaomin stared into Jiansheng’s eyes: “Honey, tell me the truth, are you very concerned about what happened to me? Do you think I’m not clean?” “Don’t think like that, go to sleep.” The husband turned off the wall lamp and lay down on his side with his back to his wife. The wife thought for a long time in the dark, then said softly, “Honey, let’s get a divorce!” The reason for the divorce was irreconcilable differences. Because it was a mutual agreement, all issues had been resolved privately, requiring neither arbitration nor a judgment. So, after a symbolic mediation, the marriage agency processed the divorce. According to the agreement, after the divorce, the house, furniture, and other items would belong to Xiaomin, and Xiaomin would compensate Jiansheng with 80,000 yuan, to be paid within three months. If Jiansheng couldn’t find housing within these three months, he could still live with Xiaomin.

Jiansheng made a bed in his study, which became his temporary residence.

He returned home very late that day.

He had dinner with the bachelors, drinking beer and playing cards for a while.

He was on a particularly good day, winning over 300 yuan, so he treated the bachelors to a late-night snack. He didn't get back until 11 pm.

"You're back,"

Xiaomin greeted him, having just finished showering and drying her hair.

"Yeah,"

Jiansheng plopped down on the sofa and picked up the TV remote, switching to a sports channel.

Xiaomin said, "I made you dinner."

"Ah, thank you, I've already eaten."

Xiaomin couldn't help but laugh. "I feel like it's awkward for you to say thank you!" Jiansheng laughed sheepishly. "I feel the same way."

"How's it going? How does the divorce feel?" Xiaomin sat down next to Jiansheng, tilting her head to ask.

“I feel a little empty inside. I don’t think I’ve planned out my life after the divorce yet, but I’ll get used to it.

How are you feeling?” “I feel relieved, so much lighter.”

Jiansheng was a little puzzled: “Was being with me really this oppressive?” “Not really. I just felt so sorry for you. I owed you so much, and the feeling of being indebted is awful.

But now that we’re divorced, it’s all over. I’m back to being myself. I want

to live carefree like before.”

“I hope you can live happily like before too.”

Jiansheng smiled at Xiaomin and said, “Xiaomin, I didn’t dare to know before, afraid that knowing too much would make it harder to let go, but now I really want to know, did you ever love him?” Xiaomin’s smile faded, slightly embarrassed: “We’re divorced, why bring that up again? But I can tell you, the person I’ve always loved is you, no one else.”

"If you don't love someone else, how can you be so intimate with them?" "Perhaps," Xiao Min carefully chose her words, "perhaps, subconsciously I'm a little... curious about this kind of extramarital relationship. It's just that I didn't realize it before. When the other person makes ambiguous gestures towards me, this curiosity surfaces. I'm conflicted. On one hand, I really want to try it, but on the other hand, I know it's wrong. And at that moment, wishful thinking is like the last straw, causing the scales in my heart to tip.

But afterwards, I regretted it."

"If you regretted it, how could there be a second and a third time? You don't seem to be telling the truth."

Jian Sheng seemed quite calm at this point.

"The second time, I gave him the chance to get close to me out of politeness and out of gratitude. I didn't want a second time, but under his forceful advances, my defenses became very weak because of the first time.

The subsequent times were just a continuation of the first. It's probably like drug addiction; once you've tried it and know what it's like, you shouldn't try it again, or you'll ruin yourself.

The day you came back, I decided to end this relationship with him, that's true."

"You must have taken the initiative too, right?" "Yes... I did."

Xiao Min blushed slightly, but still frankly told Jian Sheng, "I don't deny that this extramarital affair was very passionate, and it excited me.

Of course, I also invested my passion.

But that doesn't mean I love him. I have no attachment to him, nor do I long to see him again. I know very well that I don't love him."

"Now that you're divorced, are you still planning to continue this kind of relationship with him?" Xiao Min glanced at Jian Sheng and smiled slyly. "Why are you asking this? You're not going to be jealous, are you?" Xiao Min said softly, "I won't have anything to do with him anymore. I just want to love someone properly and live a good life with him.

Okay, it's getting late. Go take a shower and get some rest. Put your clothes in the washing machine, I'll do the laundry."

"How could I?" Jian Sheng said insincerely.

"I have to wash them anyway.

Also, come home for dinner. I'm afraid you'll go astray if you hang out with those bachelors.

But I can't help you for much longer, so take care of yourself."

Xiao Min stood up and went back to the bedroom.

Hearing Xiao Min's words, Jian Sheng felt a warmth in his heart. Damn, he thought, it's good to have a wife who cares about you. After the divorce, many people tried to set Xiao Min up with someone.

Xiao Min said, "I just jumped out, why would I jump back in? Let me relax for a couple of years first."

The sales manager at the factory introduced his niece to Jiansheng.

Jiansheng asked casually, and the manager gave a detailed introduction to his niece.

She was two years younger than Jiansheng, worked in the factory office, got married six months ago, and divorced two weeks ago.

The reason for the divorce was incompatibility; they had been arguing constantly since the first month of their marriage.

Jiansheng said, "Why don't you introduce me to someone who doesn't argue? You can introduce me to your niece."

The manager said, "My niece has never been married before; don't even think about it."

Jiansheng said, "At worst, I'll wait two years until she gets married and divorced. I'll take a loss and then take her in; that way, I won't have let your niece down."

The manager patted Jiansheng on the shoulder, "Young man, finding a wife isn't a business deal. Why are you talking so much nonsense?" Joking aside, the manager still arranged for the two to meet.

That day, the manager didn't say why, but just invited Jiansheng to his house for dinner. Jiansheng called Xiaomin to ask for leave and went.

At the section chief's house, Jian Sheng saw a young woman he didn't recognize. She was quite pretty, and he remembered the section chief mentioning introducing him to his niece. He guessed this woman was probably her.

Thinking this, Jian Sheng became shy.

The section chief didn't introduce them, treating Jian Sheng as just a colleague, and they chatted about things that had happened at the factory.

From the time he finished eating until he left, Jian Sheng didn't speak to her, but he noticed the woman frequently glancing at him during the meal; her gaze was somewhat alluring.

Not long after Jian Sheng returned home, the section chief called: "That's my niece. What do you think?" Because Xiao Min was nearby, Jian Sheng couldn't speak directly, so he went to the study to talk.

"What's her opinion?" the section chief asked. "She doesn't have any objections. What about you?" "Well… let's get to know her first." "

Okay, her name is Ming Xiang. Take the initiative and give her a call to ask her out. From now on, you two will have to work on it yourselves."

The section chief gave Jian Sheng Ming Xiang's phone number.

The next afternoon at work, Jian Sheng called Ming Xiang.

Jiansheng said, "I'm Jiansheng. I was at your uncle's house yesterday..." Before Jiansheng could finish, the other person said, "I know you. Are you trying to ask me out?" "Let's go out for dinner."

"Wait for me a little longer, I'll take a shower first,"

Mingxiang said.

Mingxiang dressed up and rushed to the meeting place, where Jiansheng was already waiting.

After dinner, the two strolled around the streets for a while, then went to the park in the center of the street and found a bench to sit on.

At this time, it began to get dark, and some young couples in love leaned intimately together, whispering sweet nothings.

For Jiansheng, this scene evoked a long-lost sweetness. When he and Xiaomin were dating, they had left their romantic footprints here, just like these young people.

Now, Jiansheng felt like he was falling in love again.

He liked Mingxiang; she was talkative and outgoing. From their conversation, Jiansheng could tell she was interested in the internet. Jiansheng

had a computer at home, and during his university years, he often spent time chatting and playing games in internet cafes.

Since marrying Xiaomin, Jiansheng felt that online chatting was a waste of time and prone to causing marital problems, so he and Xiaomin rarely went online, especially not using QQ.

What Jiansheng didn't expect was that even his wife, who rarely went online, was experiencing problems.

Time seemed to fly by; it was already 11 pm in the blink of an eye.

The two older people felt embarrassed to stay too late. Dating in such places was the domain of young people with nowhere else to go; for them, it easily led to suspicions of infidelity.

They got up, and Jiansheng escorted Mingxiang back to her doorstep.

Mingxiang said, "Come in and sit for a while."

Jiansheng also wanted to see Mingxiang's home, so he went in.

Mingxiang's home looked rather simple. Although the house wasn't small, all the furniture and appliances had been given to her ex-husband. Mingxiang had only bought some commonly used items, and the house still looked quite empty.

Mingxiang poured Jiansheng a glass of water and asked, "Are you still living with your ex-wife?" "Yes, I haven't found a place yet. I'll move out once I find one."

"You should move out. How can anyone find a partner if you live here?" "Yeah, I'll look for a place tomorrow."

"How about this? If you're willing, you can move in with me tomorrow, and then move out after you find a place?" "I'll think about it, okay?" Jiansheng checked the time and said, "I have to go back now. You should get some rest."

Mingxiang saw Jiansheng to the door, and Jiansheng mustered up his courage and put his arm around Mingxiang, kissing her on the lips.

Mingxiang's face turned slightly red, looking shy.

Jiansheng thought Mingxiang was quite cute.

When Jiansheng returned home, he saw Xiaomin asleep on the sofa, with an advertisement for weight-loss drugs playing on the TV.

Jiansheng shook Xiaomin awake, and she opened her eyes, mumbling, "You're back."

"Yeah."

Jiansheng sat down and said to Xiaomin, "I think I'm moving out tomorrow."

Xiaomin glanced at Jiansheng, "Found a girlfriend?" "Not really, living together isn't ideal, it might affect your dating prospects."

"Okay, if you want to move, then move. I'm going to sleep."

Xiaomin stood up, seemingly dizzy, and went into the bedroom.

Jiansheng moved out at noon, and there wasn't much to move. He packed the books from the bookshelf into a large woven bag, packed his clothes into cardboard boxes, and then took a taxi.

Xiaomin stood by watching Jiansheng busy himself. As he was leaving, Jiansheng said to Xiaomin, "I'm leaving, take care."

Xiaomin nodded, and just as Jiansheng turned around, she hugged him from behind and bit him hard on the shoulder.

The bite really hurt, but Jiansheng felt the pain in his heart.

He sensed Xiao Min's lingering attachment to him. He stopped, letting Xiao Min bite him. Xiao Min whispered in Jiansheng's ear, "Jiansheng, promise me you won't speak ill of your ex-wife to your girlfriend, okay? Although she wronged you, she truly loved you."

Jiansheng nodded in agreement. He didn't turn around, afraid that if he did, he would cry too.

Mingxiang moved the computer to the bedroom, giving Jiansheng the room where the computer used to be.

Living together, they soon got to know each other better.

Mingxiang loved surfing the internet, which her ex-husband strongly disapproved of, leading to frequent arguments and eventually divorce.

Jiansheng said, "Actually, you two didn't have any major problems. A little more communication and compromise would have solved the issues. It didn't have to be this serious as divorce!" Mingxiang said, "Since you two couldn't get along, divorce isn't necessarily a bad thing." Jiansheng

didn't tell Mingxiang the real reason for his divorce, only saying that he and Xiao Min lacked common ground, and living together was depressing and heavy. Mingxiang didn't press for details.

Their lives were becoming more and more like those of a young married couple. Mingxiang organized her life very well. After dinner, she would accompany Jiansheng for a walk. Afterwards, Jiansheng would watch TV while Mingxiang would stay in the bedroom online.

One day, Mingxiang didn't go online and watched TV with Jiansheng. Jiansheng smelled the scent of shampoo in Mingxiang's hair and suddenly felt a strong urge. He pulled Mingxiang into his arms and kissed her, and Mingxiang kissed him back.

Jiansheng unbuttoned Mingxiang's nightgown, and Mingxiang, blushing, leaned gently against him.

That night, Jiansheng went to Mingxiang's bed and they made love until two or three in the morning, both achieving great satisfaction.

Jiansheng didn't know why he was so energetic. This kind of sex seemed different from married life. Was this what having an affair felt like? He thought of Xiaomin; perhaps Xiaomin liked this kind of feeling.

But then again, it seemed like overeating. If every meal in a marriage was like this, it would inevitably lead to illness.

Jiansheng even thought of a very inappropriate question.

Xiao Min had only been with that man a few times, and he really couldn't accept her anymore. Yet the woman in his arms had been living with another man for six months, and he didn't feel any discomfort.

After that, the single bed in Jiansheng's room became useless; Jiansheng slept in Mingxiang's bed every night.

The matter of marriage, brought up by Mingxiang, was also on Jiansheng's mind.

The house needed renovations and new furniture, which required money, and Xiao Min hadn't paid back the money she owed. Mingxiang asked Jiansheng to go and urge her.

Jiansheng felt awkward asking Xiao Min for the money; he knew it would be difficult for her to raise 80,000 yuan in a short time, but he couldn't keep dragging it on.

Thinking about these things that night, Jiansheng felt very uneasy. He couldn't concentrate on watching TV and went back to his room to rest early.

In the bedroom, Mingxiang was staring blankly at something on the computer. Jiansheng leaned closer, but before he could see anything clearly, Mingxiang hurriedly closed the webpage.

But Jiansheng saw tears welling up in Mingxiang's eyes.

"What's wrong?" Jiansheng asked.

"It's nothing,"

Mingxiang said, but Jiansheng sensed that she was hiding something.

"You cried, and you still say it's nothing?" "I read a touching article, it's nothing, let's go to sleep."

Mingxiang turned off the computer.

During their intimacy, Jiansheng sensed Mingxiang's distraction. When he tried to penetrate her, Mingxiang pushed him away, saying, "I don't want to do it today, let's get some rest."

This puzzled Jiansheng greatly, as Mingxiang had tossed and turned all night before finally falling asleep.

He wondered if Mingxiang had some secret she couldn't let him know. The next day, after Mingxiang went to work, Jiansheng took a short leave from the factory and returned home, turning on Mingxiang's computer.

In her recent browsing history, he found the webpage Mingxiang had viewed the previous day.

The webpage was a forum post; the main post was a love letter written by a woman with the username "Qingya."

The love letter said it was Qixi Festival (Chinese Valentine's Day), a day many couples celebrated together, but she hadn't received his greeting, her tone slightly resentful.

Jiansheng guessed that something was wrong between them.

The letter also recounted their meeting, getting to know each other, and falling in love.

They met in a chat room; Qingya was attracted to his maturity, stability, and rich experience. After several deep conversations, Qingya fell for him, and sparks flew.

With him, she sometimes saw him as a father, sometimes as an older brother, and when she missed him, he was her intimate lover.

Jiansheng thought that this "him" was probably quite a bit older than Qingya.

Later, Qingya had a conflict with her husband, and Jiansheng wondered if it was related.

At this time, when she needed his support the most, he disappeared, breaking Qingya's heart.

The love letter concluded by expressing her longing and yearning for him once again.

—Lanfeng, can you hear me? Finally, she uttered his name: Lanfeng.

In Jiansheng's opinion, the love letter itself wasn't particularly touching. So why did Mingxiang cry? With this question in mind, Jiansheng continued reading.

Next came several comments from netizens, some encouraging and praising, some offering comfort, and some teasing. Finally, in the last column, a user named Lanfeng appeared.

"Qingya, calling your name brings a bittersweet feeling, a touch of heartache.

Seeing your love letter made me very uneasy, because our relationship has caused discord between you and your husband, something I never expected.

I don't want to affect your family or your normal life. Perhaps this sounds hypocritical, but it's truly what I feel.

Please forgive me for leaving so quietly; is that too unkind? Whether you resent me or hate me, I only wanted you to mend your marriage. I

did this out of love! This post is over a month old, deeply buried. I don't want it to resurface, so I made some edits.

This should remain our secret, or perhaps it's just my secret.

I want it to sink deeper, so that when I miss you, I can look at your love letter.

And so that one day, when you think back and look back, seeing these words will bring you a little comfort, a little unexpected surprise, a long-lost warmth."

In Jiansheng's opinion, this still wasn't enough to move him to tears.

Could this Qingya be Mingxiang? Jiansheng, lost in thought, suddenly noticed the username: "Qingya"! This made it clear that Mingxiang was the one writing love letters to Lanfeng.

Mingxiang's divorce was very likely related to this.

Jiansheng desperately wanted to know what kind of relationship Mingxiang had with Lanfeng. However, the computer couldn't provide him with more information.

Jiansheng decided to find a suitable opportunity to ask Mingxiang.

Mingxiang moved the computer back to its original place.

After her evening walk, Mingxiang went into her room to go online.

Jiansheng wanted to know what Mingxiang did online and tried to go into her room to check, but found the door locked.

—Jiansheng then realized that the woman he had held in his arms all night had many secrets, and he felt like an outsider; she had many things to hide from him.

Jiansheng increasingly felt that Mingxiang was hiding something from him by locking herself in her room.

He felt this was extremely important; he couldn't marry Mingxiang so hastily.

He knocked on the door, and after a while, Mingxiang opened it, peeking out to ask, "What's up?" Jiansheng asked, "What secrets do you have that you have to lock the door to go online?" Mingxiang was a little unhappy and said, "Even if I marry you, I should still have my own privacy, right?" Seeing Mingxiang's self-righteous attitude, Jiansheng couldn't help but get angry.

He said sternly, "Do you think I would marry someone who hides so many things from me?" "What have I hidden from you?" "Who is Lanfeng?" Jiansheng said this without waiting for Mingxiang's explanation and went back to the bedroom.

Mingxiang stood there, mouth agape.

Jiansheng, still dressed, lay down on the bed and fell asleep. A few minutes later, Mingxiang also returned to the bedroom, still looking angry.

"How did you know? Did you peek at my computer? How could you sneak into someone's privacy like a thief?" "Do you think this is just your privacy? How am I supposed to feel when the woman I'm going to marry has someone else in her heart? Tell me!" Mingxiang's voice softened: "Shouldn't I have my own privacy? You should respect my privacy..." "I'm thinking about whether I should move out first," Jiansheng

said.

"Fine, move out then, no one's stopping you!" Mingxiang turned away from Jiansheng in a huff.

Jiansheng got out of bed, opened the door, and went out.

The mid-autumn weather was much cooler, and Jiansheng felt a chill on his scalp as soon as he stepped outside.

He looked up at the crescent moon in the sky, which looked like a lonely little boat in the vast sea of stars! And the little boat was now wandering in the sky, not knowing which way to go. And

him? Where was he going? The shops on both sides of the street were brightly lit, and there were many pedestrians on the street, but they all seemed leisurely.

A middle-aged woman standing in the shade of a tree saw Jiansheng looking lost and approached him, saying, "Need a place to stay?" Jiansheng was taken aback. The woman then added mysteriously, "Get an eighteen or nineteen-year-old girl to play the flute for you. She's very skilled."

Jiansheng said, "I don't have any money."

After following her for a few dozen steps, the woman turned and left without looking back. Jiansheng found it amusing; he wondered when so many shameless pimps, especially women, had appeared on the streets! He walked aimlessly, wondering where he was going.

Suddenly, he stopped.

Wasn't this the place he used to live? How had he gotten so far? He looked up at Xiao Min's room; it was dark. Xiao Min was probably on a date; she didn't usually like going out.

Just then, he heard footsteps behind him and slipped into a nearby passageway to avoid them.

Most people here knew him, and he didn't want anyone to see him here.

Two people walked past, a man and a woman. Although Jiansheng only caught a glimpse of the woman, he immediately recognized her as Xiao Min! Xiao Min had a boyfriend. For some reason, Jiansheng felt a pang of sadness. "

What's wrong with me? Xiao Min isn't your wife anymore. What business is it of yours if she has a boyfriend!" Jiansheng mentally berated himself.

The light in Xiao Min's room came on, and Jiansheng couldn't stop thinking about her—what were they doing? Jiansheng desperately hoped the man would come out of the building immediately.

However, half an hour passed, and the man didn't appear.

Jiansheng went around to the back of the house, where he could see the bedroom window.

The bedroom light shone softly red through the rose-colored curtains.

Jiansheng couldn't resist dialing Xiao Min's number. After ringing for a while, Xiao Min answered

. "Jiansheng, is there something you need?" Xiao Min asked.

"Nothing, I just wanted to ask how you've been lately," Jiansheng said.

"It's...it's alright."

Xiao Min's voice was a little breathless, but Jian Sheng could tell she was trying hard not to breathe.

—They really were making love! "That's good."

"Goodnight!" Jiansheng hung up the phone, but his heart ached as if a thousand needles were piercing it.

What's wrong with me? She's no longer my wife, so why am I still heartbroken and unable to bear it? Just then, Mingxiang called Jiansheng.

Mingxiang said, "Jiansheng, I was wrong just now. Come back, let's talk it over."

Jiansheng said, "I need some peace and quiet, I'll be back later."

Jiansheng walked a long way again, thinking a lot, and finally came to a conclusion.

Xiao Min was no longer related to him; now, it was Mingxiang who was related to him.

He needed to think carefully about how to handle things with Mingxiang.

When he got home, because Mingxiang had just apologized, Jiansheng had the upper hand.

"What do you want to talk about?" Jiansheng adopted an attitude of not wanting to talk.

"Let's talk about Lanfeng,"

Mingxiang said. "I met Lanfeng online. He's an associate professor at a university, more than 10 years older than me.

At first, I just admired him a lot, so young to be an associate professor. He's very knowledgeable, and his speech is very steady and tolerant."

Gradually, I fell in love with him, but it was the kind of love I had for him, like a brother or a father figure. Then one time, he was away on a business trip, and we talked on the phone. His voice was very magnetic and pleasant to listen to. After that, I started to feel attached to him, often spacing out in front of the computer.

Later, we fell in love.

Mingxiang paused, then said, "But we were both very rational. This feeling was purely a spiritual attachment, and it couldn't affect our families or marriages.

Later, my ex-husband found out about our relationship, and our marriage began to crack.

Lanfeng seemed very uneasy after he found out. He told me to take the initiative to mend the rift between my ex-husband and me.

He disappeared around that time, and we haven't been in contact since. He doesn't even know I'm divorced."

"Yesterday, when I was online, I suddenly felt nostalgic for those days with him, so I went through some old posts. I saw a post he had secretly put up, and I was suddenly moved.

That's it."

"You divorced your ex-husband because of this?" "Jiansheng asked.

"Actually, Lanfeng and I only have a spiritual relationship. I've never thought about meeting him or having any physical relationship. What impact would that have on our marriage? My ex-husband can't understand."

Jiansheng felt both angry and amused. Mingxiang didn't seem stupid, so why was she saying such childish things! "Any man wouldn't tolerate something like this, including me.

You'd better think it through first. Do you want to marry me? Or do you want to continue this spiritual relationship with him? You can only choose one."

After a long while, Mingxiang whispered that she chose to marry Jiansheng and promised not to have any more contact with Lanfeng.

The next day at work, Xiaomin called Jiansheng and asked if he had something to say to her yesterday. Jiansheng said nothing was wrong. Xiaomin said that if anything was wrong, he should tell her and not keep it to himself.

Jiansheng said okay.

In the following days, Mingxiang didn't lock the door when she went online.

Jiansheng sometimes went in to watch Mingxiang chat, and Mingxiang didn't avoid him, just watching how much she chatted.

But one day, Jiansheng discovered something strange again. Jiansheng pushed open the door... As they entered, a bell rang from behind the door.

Two bells hung on a hook behind the door.

Mingxiang said they belonged to her sister; she thought they were fun and took them.

But Jiansheng thought it was just a little trick Mingxiang was playing.

Mingxiang was up to something again! She was afraid Jiansheng would sneak into her room and disturb her "privacy."

Jiansheng didn't say anything, but he was plotting to find out what Mingxiang was up to.

Mingxiang's secrets were stored in her QQ account.

There was a computer expert in the factory who claimed to have hacked into several websites.

Jiansheng went to see him.

"Is there any way to see the chat content on QQ?" "Do you want to see someone else's computer or your own?" "My own home computer."

"That's simple! First, turn off your computer's firewall and antivirus software, then download a keylogger software. You can then get the QQ login password, and with the password, you can see the chat history." "

The computer expert gave Jiansheng a demonstration, and Jiansheng quickly learned how.

Back home, following the expert's instructions, he installed the hacking software on his computer, waiting for Mingxiang to go online and expose her password.

That evening, Jiansheng didn't disturb Mingxiang, making an excuse to go out, giving her ample opportunity to expose herself. The

next day, after working for a while, Jiansheng secretly returned.

He turned on the computer and, sure enough, obtained Mingxiang's QQ password.

After logging in anonymously, Mingxiang's chat history with all her online friends was exposed to Jiansheng.

Mingxiang was relatively faithful; she had nothing going on with the other online friends, only rekindling her relationship with that person named Lanfeng.

Previous chat logs had been deleted, and perhaps yesterday's conversations were too enjoyable, leading to a neglect of 'security.'

Of course, the language used in the chat was quite intimate. Surprisingly,

Jiansheng didn't feel angry; he remained remarkably calm.

Perhaps this was expected, only confirmed today.

When he returned home at noon, Mingxiang was cooking.

Jiansheng didn't say a word, went into his room, and started packing.

Mingxiang didn't notice at first, but when she saw Jiansheng pick up his bag and leave, she chased after him."

"What are you doing?" "I'm moving out."

Jiansheng pointed to the coffee table. "I left the key on the coffee table."

Jiansheng added, "However, I still have to give you some advice. If you want a stable marriage, you can't have one person in your hand and another in your heart.

You'd better think about it."

Mingxiang didn't say anything, silently watching Jiansheng carry his things out the door.

Twenty. Jiansheng called Xiaomin.

"Xiaomin, I have some things I'd like to leave at your place. I'm coming over now, is it convenient for you?" Xiaomin said, "Come on over, it's not inconvenient at all."

Jiansheng delivered his things to Xiaomin's place.

When Xiaomin opened the door and saw Jiansheng's moving setup, she understood.

"Did you have a fight with your girlfriend?" "We broke up."

Jiansheng said casually, "I'll leave my things here, I'm going to rent a place this afternoon."

"Stay here for now, and move back when you've made up."

Xiaomin helped carry his things to the study. "See, it's the same as always, I'll clean it for you. " "

Jiansheng stopped Xiaomin, saying, 'I'd rather move out. Don't bother.'

'Moving out costs money.

You're worried your girlfriend will be jealous of your ex-wife, right?' 'There's nothing between us anymore. I'm worried your boyfriend might have second thoughts.'

'Boyfriend?' Xiaomin smiled. 'Don't worry, I don't have a boyfriend right now.'"

“But, that day I clearly saw…” “That day? Which day?” Xiao Min remembered, “The day you called, right? You were downstairs?” Jian Sheng blushed and said, “I saw you go upstairs, and you didn’t come out for a long time, so I called to see if you needed… help.”

Xiao Min glared at Jian Sheng fiercely: “You’re so mean! By the way, have you eaten?” “Not yet.”

“I’ll make you a bowl of noodles.”

A little while later, Xiao Min brought up a steaming bowl of noodles with two boiled eggs in it.

Jian Sheng was really hungry and wolfed it down. Seeing Xiao Min looking at him with a smile, he suddenly felt a long-lost sense of warmth.

That evening, Jian Sheng accompanied Xiao Min shopping. Xiao Min told Jian Sheng that the man from that day worked for China Mobile, and the CEO of China Telecom introduced him to her.

At first, she thought he was nice, but later she found him to be arrogant and vulgar, so she told him not to come looking for her the next day.

Jian Sheng laughed at her, “If you didn’t like him, why did you sleep with him?” Xiao Min frankly said, "At that time, I also had some needs."

Xiao Min bought Jian Sheng several pairs of socks, a pair of leather shoes, and a tie. Jian Sheng insisted on paying for them himself, but Xiao Min said, "These are gifts for you. If you feel bad about it, just buy me a few things; I won't mind."

On their way home carrying the bags, they ran into Jian Sheng's friend and his wife. The friend shook Jian Sheng's hand and said bluntly, "Damn! You're divorced and still so close! Do you want everyone in the world to be envious?" The friend's wife pulled Xiao Min aside and said, "I think you two have a good relationship; you should remarry."

Xiao Min smiled, a tactful reply.

After saying goodbye to their friend, both felt a little awkward and remained silent the rest of the way.

Jian Sheng compared Ming Xiang to Xiao Min, realizing that Xiao Min was far superior to Ming Xiang.

Yet they were divorced; life sometimes seems like a cruel joke.

A few days later, Jian Sheng went on another business trip, which would last for more than a month.

Xiao Min skillfully tidied up Jiansheng's belongings and, when seeing him off, repeatedly reminded him to cover himself with a blanket and wear more clothes as the weather was getting cooler.

The first few days at the construction site would be busy, but once the plan was finalized, things would be less hectic. During equipment installation, he would simply provide guidance to ensure quality.

That day, it rained, and Jiansheng lay in bed feeling unusually calm.

He thought of Xiao Min and called her.

"Jiansheng, are you alright?" "Fine, how about you?" "Fine too.

Is there something you need?" "Nothing.

I just wanted to see if you needed help."

Jiansheng joked.

"You naughty thing, so frivolous.

Are you lonely?" "A little."

"If you're lonely, call me. Don't go out and mess around, you'll get sick."

"Okay."

Jiansheng answered obediently.

They chatted about work, and Xiao Min told him to be careful.

Jiansheng increasingly felt that their relationship was no different from when they were husband and wife; although they weren't sleeping together anymore, their feelings were the same.

He missed Xiaomin more and more, a longing that was clearly the feeling of being in love.

Jiansheng wondered, "Am I falling in love with Xiaomin again?" The feeling was beautiful. Several times during their phone calls, he wanted to tell Xiaomin, "I've fallen in love with you again," but he held back.

Having experienced love before, he knew that this unspoken understanding was the most beautiful state.

He wanted this state to last longer.

Their phone calls became more frequent, eventually almost daily.

One day, Xiaomin told Jiansheng that someone had introduced her to another man, someone who looked like Andy Lau in his photos.

Jiansheng asked if she was interested. Xiaomin said a little, and asked if she should meet him. Jiansheng laughed and said she should, but not to commit herself before marriage.

Jiansheng thought Xiaomin was joking.

The next day, Xiaomin told him she had met him, that he was very handsome, and that she was almost losing control, perhaps about to lose her virginity.

Jiansheng said he was worried about contracting an STD and suggested she get a checkup at the hospital first.

On the third day, Jiansheng called, but Xiaomin didn't answer.

Jiansheng was getting anxious, worried that what Xiaomin said was true.

He called again and again, but Xiaomin still didn't answer.

Two hours later, Xiaomin called, asking Jiansheng to come back the next day. Jiansheng asked what was wrong, and Xiaomin said she had found him a place and wanted him to come back and take a look.

Jiansheng was furious and told Xiaomin to throw his things out; he didn't want them anymore.

Xiaomin said, "You should still come back."

Jiansheng said, "Okay."

This phone call was like a bolt from the blue, leaving Jiansheng completely stunned! He felt as if a ruthless hand had ripped his heart out, leaving him with nothing.

He hated himself; why had he let go of such a good wife! He hated Xiaomin, hated Xiaomin… but what was he hating? Xiaomin was already divorced from him; she was free. What was wrong with liking another man? No, he couldn't just let Xiaomin go like this; he had to fight back! On his way home, Jiansheng racked his brains, trying to come up with solutions for two possible scenarios. If the man who looked like Andy Lau was home, how would he act? If only Xiaomin was there, how would he confess his feelings? There were too many uncertainties, and even after arriving home, his mind was still a jumbled mess.

It was already 1 p.m. when he got home. Xiaomin wasn't home; there was a note from her on the table: "Jiansheng, the food is in the microwave. Heat it up yourself."

Jiansheng thought Xiaomin was probably eating out with that man. The thought made him lose his appetite, and he didn't eat. He lay in bed waiting for Xiaomin to come home.

It was almost 3 p.m., and Xiaomin still hadn't returned.

Jiansheng called her, and she said she was at work and told him to make himself something to eat. Jiansheng was hungry by then, so he heated up the food and ate a little.

Then he went out and bought a ring.

He came back to bed, lost in thought, and eventually fell asleep.

When he woke up, it was already dark, and the lights were on in the room.

Xiao Min, who had just finished preparing a sumptuous meal, was untying her apron when she saw Jiansheng come out and greeted him, "Get up, go wash up, it's time to eat."

Jiansheng brushed his teeth, washed his face, and sat down at the table with a casual air. "Such a lavish meal, is Andy Lau coming too?" "Andy Lau? Who?" Xiao Min didn't immediately understand.

"Don't you have a boyfriend who looks like Andy Lau?" Jiansheng said somewhat sarcastically.

Xiao Min realized what he meant and raised an eyebrow casually. "Him? He was supposed to come too, but he has a business dinner tonight, so he can't make it.

Come on, let's eat by ourselves.

Have some wine, I'll drink with you."

Xiao Min poured Jiansheng a glass of baijiu and herself a glass of red wine. Jiansheng picked up his glass, downed it in one gulp, and said, "That Andy Lau, does he really fascinate you?" Xiao Min just smiled gently and poured Jiansheng another glass.

Jiansheng drank that in one gulp too! Jiansheng said, "If I were to compete with Andy Lau, do you think I have a chance?" "Compete? What are you going to compete for?" Xiaomin stopped pouring the wine, afraid that the action would affect her hearing.

Jiansheng grabbed Xiaomin's hand and said, "Xiaomin, will you marry me?" Xiaomin desperately held back her tears and nodded gently.

Jiansheng took out the ring from his pocket and put it on Xiaomin's finger.

Xiaomin looked at the ring on her finger, and tears streamed down her face.

Suddenly, Xiaomin smiled through her tears, wiped them away, and poured Jiansheng a full glass.

"Come on, husband, to our second love!" Xiaomin raised her glass.

Jiansheng drank it down in one gulp.

Xiaomin poured another glass and said to Jiansheng, "Come on, husband, happy birthday!" "Happy birthday? Me?" Jiansheng suddenly remembered that today was his birthday.

"Happy birthday, husband!" Xiaomin smiled like a flower, seemingly secretly pleased with her little trick.

"You tricked me into coming home just to celebrate my birthday, didn't you?" "Yes, I wanted to give you a surprise."

"Hmph, did that Andy Lau lie to me too?" "Not entirely.

Someone introduced me to someone, but I refused."

"Xiao Min, you've gone too far!" Jian Sheng slammed his hand on the table, looking furious.

"Come here!" Jian Sheng's angry expression startled Xiao Min.

Xiao Min stood up, looking like she had done something wrong, "I'm sorry."

"Come here."

Xiao Min cautiously walked up to Jian Sheng, who grabbed her hand and pulled her onto his lap.

"You naughty thing, tell me how I should punish you!" Xiao Min sobbed, clinging to Jian Sheng's shoulder. "Honey, I don't know what's wrong with me these past few days. I miss you so much. I know I don't deserve to tell you I love you, so I'm going crazy with heartache! I want to see if you still care about me. If you don't care about me at all, I really want to just marry someone else."

"Alright, everything's alright now. Let's not be in so much pain anymore.

Wife, I want you so much right now."

Xiao Min nodded and whispered, "Honey, carry me to the bathroom, okay?" Before, when they were husband and wife, they often bathed together. But today, after the baptism of the torrential rain and the painful rebirth, when they were naked and exposed to each other, this erotic scene somehow felt sacred.

Seeing Jian Sheng's erect and proud penis, Xiao Min felt a surge of confused emotion! She reached out and embraced Jiansheng, pressing her full breasts tightly against his chest. She whispered in his ear, "Honey, you don't mind me anymore, do you?" Jiansheng lifted Xiaomin's face and kissed her longing lips deeply. ...The next morning, Xiaomin shook Jiansheng's body as usual.

"Lazybones, I'm going to work. Breakfast is on the table,"

Jiansheng hummed.

Xiaomin leaned down again and said, "You were amazing last night, here's a reward for you." She

kissed Jiansheng on the forehead.

Jiansheng got up and drew back the curtains, watching Xiaomin's figure disappear into the vast street.

The morning sunlight bathed all hope in a warm and bright light...

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