The wealthy military officer spoils his wife excessively

Nie Suwen rushed to the hospital in a taxi late at night.

The atmosphere in the high-ranking cadre ward of the General Staff Headquarters was tense and serious. Feng Zhan greeted her at the hospital entrance and led her to Lu Wenyi's ward.

The doctor on duty was monitoring Lu Wenyi's heart rate as she lay in bed. When he saw Feng Zhan come in, he quickly explained the situation: the patient had just been given medication to control her blood pressure and further examinations were needed.

Lu Wenyi lay on the hospital bed with her hair disheveled, her pale and tired face showing signs of aging. Her former domineering presence was nowhere to be seen; her eyes listlessly swept over everyone in the ward, pausing slightly when they met Su Wen's gaze.

Suwen felt guilty under her gaze. Feng Zhan gently nudged her from the side. She mustered her courage and went up to her, taking her hand: "Mom, your blood pressure is low, don't get too emotional."

Lu Wenyi gently raised her hand, shook off Su Wen, closed her eyes, and didn't want to say anything more.

This time, Lu Wenyi was truly enraged. While there had been many rumors about Suwen before, none had been too outrageous. Suwen understood that Lu Wenyi had allowed her into the family because of her decent character; sincerity could move even the most stubborn heart. Now, with the newspapers writing such unsavory things, even a normal, conservative old woman would find it unacceptable.

Seeing this scene, Feng Zhan also felt that things were getting out of hand, so he tried to step forward to smooth things over: "Lu Zheng is temporarily unable to come, so Su Su will come and check on you for him..."

Before Feng Zhan could finish speaking, Lu Wenyi turned her head away, her expression even worse: "Let's go, let's go. Seeing her makes my heart ache even more, and I can hardly breathe."

Lu Wenyi waved her hand in disgust, while Su Wen apologized in a restrained tone, "Mom, I'm sorry, I was wrong. Those photos are from a long time ago, I really have nothing to do with the man in the photos, I..."

"How could someone take such intimate photos if it wasn't a relationship? I'm asking you, do you even know that guy? Have you ever lived with him?"

Lu Wenyi's eyebrows even stood up.

Suwen lowered her head, her expression somber.

Her expression made it clear to everyone; no further explanation was needed. Lu Wenyi waved her hand, saying, "If Lu Zheng hadn't liked you, I would never have let you in the first place! Get out, get out, and don't let me see you again!"

Feng Zhan tried to persuade her, then winked at her to let Su Wen go out first.

After a while, Feng Zhan finally calmed Lu Wenyi down before coming out. His gaze clearly showed his disapproval: "Miss Nie, I really can't help you this time."

Feng Zhan shook his head and sighed.

Suwen smiled awkwardly. Even Lu Zheng didn't believe her, so how could she expect others to believe her?

She nodded to Feng Zhan, then looked at Lu Wenyi in the ward: "Is the condition under control?"

"As long as the medication to stabilize your blood pressure works, you can be discharged tomorrow."

"Then I'll have Lu Zheng go home to visit tomorrow when he wakes up. By the way, Secretary Feng, you haven't had dinner yet, have you?"

Feng Zhan shook his head: "The Chairman's side is in complete chaos, who would have an appetite to eat?"

“You’re the only one taking care of Mom. It won’t do if you fall ill. Here, you stay here and watch over her while I go buy some food.”

Feng Zhan looked at her, and finally couldn't help but say frankly, "I'll say something, listen if you want, or just ignore it if you don't."

Suwen nodded seriously: "Just tell me, I know you've always been worried about me and Lu Zheng."

Feng Zhan glanced towards the doorway: "Don't blame the Chairman too much. She had her own difficulties. Although I know you didn't marry Lu Zheng for money, fame, or fortune, sometimes marrying into a wealthy family isn't as easy as outsiders think. Sometimes when I look at you two, I think you'd probably be much happier in an ordinary family. Sigh!"

Suwen comforted Feng Zhan instead: "It's alright, this will all pass. I believe in Lu Zheng."

“Even a lazy donkey can't withstand the millstone's grinding! Even if Lu Zheng doesn't have that intention, what if the Chairman forces him to divorce you?” Feng Zhan said, his own words contradicting himself. On one hand, he felt that Nie Suwen was indeed a good girl; on the other hand, he also felt that she was really not suited for this kind of rule-bound life in a wealthy family. After all, her every word and action would affect the Lu family's reputation.

Her mother-in-law liked her, but that was a case of loving the house because of the person she loved. Ultimately, she was an outsider, and Lu Wenyi had no obligation to unconditionally protect her. On the contrary, if she did anything, even the slightest thing that harmed Lu Zheng or the Lu family, she might be disliked. She didn't have a family background in business or politics to pave a smooth road for Lu Zheng, nor could she learn the sophisticated skills of modern daughters-in-law from prominent families. Perhaps all of this had already sown the seeds, and today, an opportunity finally presented itself, causing her mother-in-law's pent-up resentment to erupt.

But if this marriage is broken up, how much better will it be for the Lu family?

It will only cause her and Lu Zheng some grief for a while. Perhaps they will recover in the long run, or perhaps they will never recover.

Suwen went to the convenience store and bought some ready-made bread and milk for Feng Zhan to have something to eat first. Knowing that Lu Wenyi didn't want to see her, she asked Feng Zhan to stay with her, and that she would go back to the Lu residence to get anything she needed for the hospital.

Feng Zhan felt bad, knowing that Su Wen was pregnant and was still running around in the middle of the night to fulfill her filial duties to Lu Zheng.

In the end, it's all about debt, but no one knows who owes whom or who should repay whom.

Suwen didn't get home until after 4 a.m. It was the coldest time of day. As she walked out of the hospital and stood by the roadside waiting for a car, she turned on her phone to light her way in the biting wind, only to find several missed calls on the screen.

It seems Lu Zheng sobered up in the middle of the night.

Early risers were beautifying the city in the dark. Apart from a few young people who had just come out of internet cafes and walked by humming off-key tunes, there were hardly any people on the streets.

She stood alone on the street, as if she had always been like this, all alone, throughout her journey.

She stared blankly at the missed calls on her phone for a while, then finally pressed her finger and dialed back.

The call was answered almost immediately. Lu Zheng's voice, hoarse and uneasy after sobering up, came through the phone. He asked anxiously, "Where have you been? Why aren't you home in the middle of the night?"

A taxi approached in the dim light. She gestured to stop it while replying, "Mom is sick. I'm going to the hospital to see her. I'm heading back now."

Lu Zheng's voice became even more tense: "What happened to my aunt?"

He heard the sound of a door closing and the driver talking through the receiver, and knowing that she was indeed on her way back, his chaotic heart finally began to calm down.

Ironically, when he woke up from his hazy drunkenness and saw the empty house, his first thought was, "Could she have eloped with Hao Haiyun?"

Such thoughts had never crossed his mind before. Only now did he realize that he, too, could feel uneasy. He was afraid that one day she would leave him.

Suwen leaned back in the car seat, looking somewhat tired.

"Mom's low blood pressure flared up again, but her condition is under control now after taking the medicine. If there are no problems, she can be discharged tomorrow. Feng Zhan is with her at the hospital now."

Lu Zheng listened quietly, then gave a low "hmm".

"Hello, Lu Zheng." She closed her eyes, held the phone to her ear, and called out to him in a soft voice.

"I'm here."

His familiar and gentle voice was still in her ears. Suwen unconsciously curled up the corners of her lips, and her hands and feet, which had been numb from the cold, seemed to begin to warm up.

"if……"

She hesitated, unsure whether she should reveal that Lu Wenyi wanted them to divorce.

"Ok?"

"It's okay, let's talk about it when we get home." She suddenly abandoned the idea.

"Did your aunt say something to you?" Sometimes, his intuition was frighteningly sharp.

"No, she fell asleep after taking her medicine, so she didn't have a chance to talk to me," Suwen lied.

Lu Zheng, unsuspecting, said, "Then I won't go to the hospital and cause trouble. It's cold outside, so you should come back quickly."

"Um……"

She waited until Lu Zheng hung up the phone before hanging up herself. The driver chuckled in the rearview mirror and teased the pretty girl who was taking the bus in the early morning: "Is he your husband? He's so worried about you."

Suwen smiled sheepishly.

The driver, who had been driving all night, was now engrossed in conversation: "My wife is the same way. Every time I work the night shift, she calls around this time. I've told her hundreds of times that it's inconvenient to answer the phone while driving, but she just won't listen." As he was speaking, his cell phone on the dashboard rang. The driver pointed to the constantly ringing phone, as if to say: See, I wasn't wrong.

He had the phone on speakerphone, and Suwen could hear the other person's sharp voice clearly: "You rascal, what time is it and you're still not home!"

"This is my last job. I'll head back as soon as I'm done."

"Are you working or fooling around? Don't let me catch you, or else I'll..." Before she could finish, the driver hurriedly turned off the speakerphone and picked up his phone: "Okay, keep your voice down, there are still passengers in the car. I'll be right back, I'll be right back! Hey, wait for me in bed after you've showered... Okay, Bo, I'm hanging up now."

As Suwen listened, she unconsciously raised her lips and turned her head to look at her reflection in the car window.

She never knew she could laugh so happily over other people's trivial matters. Was the marriage she once hoped for just as ordinary and simple as this?

For the rest of the journey, the driver didn't dare to chat with her anymore. When Suwen got out to pay, the driver, still blushing, refused to accept the change, and chuckled, scratching the back of his head: "This is the last bus, consider it a ride on my way. You should hurry home and be with your husband." After saying that, he hurriedly started the car and drove home.

Suwen held the change that had been pushed back into her hand, feeling a warm feeling in her heart.

When she got home, there was only an empty blanket left on the living room sofa. Lu Zheng had just finished showering and changed into clean pajamas when he came out of the bathroom. He was stunned when he saw her, wiped his hair haphazardly, and said to her, "Go take a shower and go to bed."