Officialdom: The beautiful leader took me to the top

Bai Fengying suddenly looked up, her tone urgent and defensive, "How could you think that? I'm worried you really are!"

"Knowing you were attacked in Tianzhou, I was so worried I didn't sleep all night..."

Qin Zhiyuan sneered, "You're not worried about me. To be precise, you're not worried about me, your husband, but about the husband of your assistant minister!"

"You're worried that if something happens to me, the Bai family will lose a powerful trump card, right?"

Bai Fengying's face drained of color instantly, and she tightened her grip on the silk nightgown, creating deep wrinkles in the fabric.

She opened her mouth, wanting to retort, but the sharp look in Qin Zhiyuan's eyes made her panic, and she could only manage to squeeze out, "You...you're deliberately picking a fight!"

"I'm not as materialistic as you say, so why would I ignore you?"

"Back when you ran into trouble in Handong, you weren't the assistant minister then. Did I abandon you then?"

"In the end, it was my dad who pulled some strings to clear your name..."

Qin Zhiyuan sneered, leaning forward slightly, his tone full of mockery, "Don't think I don't know where that trouble came from; your Bai family was the instigator!"

"As for the purpose of doing this, it was to test me!"

"Just to test me, they almost ruined my future and all my hard work over the years!"

"You Bai family really went to great lengths!"

"If I hadn't passed your dad's 'test' back then, do you think he would still care whether I lived or died?"

Bai Fengying opened her mouth, "I..."

Qin Zhiyuan interrupted directly, "Bai Fengying, stop deceiving yourself, and you don't need to wear this hypocritical mask in front of me."

“Everything your Bai family does is calculated with profit in mind, even marriage is used as a bargaining chip.”

Bai Fengying tried to explain, "No..."

Qin Zhiyuan directly mocked, "No?"

"Do you remember the year my mother got sick? She was hospitalized and needed heart bypass surgery. The medical conditions in Handong were not good, so I wanted to bring her to Tianjing for the surgery."

"But what did you say?"

"You said that medical resources in Tianjing are very strained, and even if we come here, we won't be able to find a better doctor. You also said that the Bai family's resources cannot be used casually for such a trivial matter."

"Actually, you're just afraid that my mother will come to Tianjing for health and wellness, afraid that she'll stay at home, afraid that your friends in your circle will know that you have a mother-in-law from the countryside, and that you'll lose face!"

"Why didn't you say I was a member of the Bai family back then? Why didn't you speak up for me and seek justice for me?"

"Because at that time I hadn't yet climbed to the position of assistant minister, in your eyes I was just a poor boy who needed to rely on the Bai family for support, and you didn't even care about my mother's life or death!"

Bai Fengying's tears welled up instantly, not from grievance, but from the panic of having her secrets exposed.

She shrank back, her voice trembling with tears, yet she still tried to explain, "I...I was young and naive back then!"

"Didn't I later have the driver send 50,000 yuan over there? I also care about my mother-in-law..."

Qin Zhiyuan interrupted her, his tone even more self-deprecating, "Fifty thousand? Your Bai family is certainly generous with their favors!"

"Even this isn't what you wanted, is it?"

"Your dad asked you to deliver it after he heard about it. You even told the driver not to let outsiders know, so as not to embarrass the Bai family if word got out."

"Bai Fengying, this is what you, as a daughter-in-law, have done!"

Without giving Bai Fengying a chance to explain, Qin Zhiyuan got up and went to the window.

The floor lamp cast his long shadow onto Bai Fengying, like an insurmountable barrier!

Turning his head, Qin Zhiyuan's eyes became even sharper, without a trace of warmth. "The reason you want to seek justice for me is simply because you're afraid that if something happens to me, the Bai family will lose someone who can hold their own."

"You're only trying to be nice to me now because you're afraid I'll get a divorce and you won't be able to hold your head up in the Bai family."

"Bai Fengying, you have never treated me as your husband, but only as a tool of the Bai family and a stepping stone for you to maintain your status as the eldest daughter."

"Am I right?"

Bai Fengying was stunned, looking at her husband in disbelief.

In her eyes, her husband had never been so domineering.

At this moment, Qin Zhiyuan's domineering demeanor was somewhat unfamiliar.

Women are naturally inclined to admire strong people, and she was no exception.

Qin Zhiyuan had indeed treated her very well in the past, taking great care of her.

It was happiness, but there was absolutely no passion.

Unexpectedly, seeing her husband, who now seemed somewhat unfamiliar, stirred up a passion within her!

Bai Fengying suddenly stood up from the sofa, tears streaming down her face, and tried to grab Qin Zhiyuan's hand, "I was wrong!"

"Zhiyuan, I was really wrong. I truly want to make this work with you now!"

"I was willful and acted like a spoiled princess before, which not only hurt you but also your family!"

"From today onwards, I will listen to you."

"In that case, you can bring your mother-in-law from Handong and have her live with us."

"I won't go anywhere else from now on. I'll stay home and take care of her, cook for you, and wait for you to come home from get off work for dinner every day."

"OK?"

Bai Fengying's words moved Qin Zhiyuan deeply.

These simple requests are, in fact, his greatest desires.

If it were a few years ago, and Bai Fengying had been willing to do this, he would never have even considered divorce.

If Bai Fengying had been willing to change before going to Tianzhou, he wouldn't have left the Bai family.

But now, it's too late to say anything!

Especially as Niannian's voice and smile flashed before his eyes, Qin Zhiyuan knew that there was absolutely no possibility between him and Bai Fengying.

Bai Fengying could accept his mother living in the countryside, but she absolutely could not accept Niannian, and she absolutely could not accept an illegitimate daughter!

Thinking of this, a fleeting tenderness crossed Qin Zhiyuan's eyes, which then hardened again. "Alright, we've been married for so many years, there's no need to say these things."

"Our current situation is fine. You don't bother me, and I don't bother you. Neither of us needs to change anything."

"Besides, you don't need to worry about what happened in Tianzhou. No police officer is immune to being targeted by criminals."

"This matter has nothing to do with China, nor with the Bai family. It's just that the operation I organized some time ago touched the interests of those criminals abroad and provoked a terrorist organization."

"The perpetrators have been dealt with, and the case has been transferred to the National Security Department of Handong Province."

"You don't need to worry about the rest. I will take good care of myself and will absolutely not implicate the Bai family!"

Bai Fengying's hand froze in mid-air. Qin Zhiyuan's words, "I will absolutely not implicate the Bai family," were like a bucket of cold water, completely extinguishing the little bit of hope that had just been ignited in her heart!

In an effort to salvage the relationship, she deliberately lowered her pride and even bowed her head in a way she had never done before.

It turns out that in Qin Zhiyuan's eyes, the only boundary between them had long been "don't bother each other".

Even her initiative to bring her mother-in-law to Tianjing became an unnecessary formality!

In the past, Qin Zhiyuan would never have been so ruthless.

All of these changes happened after we returned from Tianzhou!