Ex-Wife is a Big Villainess
Chapter 575 - 288: Joy for Some, Sorrow for Others_2

Chapter 575: Chapter 288: Joy for Some, Sorrow for Others_2

The young girl’s pretty face was flushed like a fire, carrying a bit of grievance and shyness as she whispered, "No one gives me massages."

Jiang Shouzhong: "..."

...

The flying sword swept through the air, resembling a small flat boat.

It must be said that Qu Hongling’s Sword Control Skill was indeed impressive. Apart from a bit of turbulence at the beginning of the journey, it was extremely smooth thereafter, weaving through the clouds without a hint of instability.

Li Nanshuang spread her arms and shouted in amazement, full of admiration.

"Qu, where did you learn your Sword Control Skill, Sword Pool, Peach Blossom Mountain, or Zhenxuan Mountain? It’s said that all three are good at it."

Because Qu Hongling had intentionally created a barrier of Sword Qi, speaking was not affected.

Qu Hongling, tilting her delicate little face, laughed and said, "Ms. Qiu taught me."

"Teach me sometime."

"Sure."

"By the way, you are the Sect Master of the Sky Demon Sect, and your family must have many Magic Artifacts. Gift me some when the time comes."

"Sure."

"..."

The two women chatted joyfully.

Jiang Shouzhong was silent and deeply conflicted at the moment.

Meeting Hong’er filled him with ecstatic joy, but he didn’t know how to face Ran Qingchen.

He had once thought about confessing everything to her, but perhaps he wanted to completely shed the identity of "Jiang Shouzhong" and start embracing a new relationship.

Perhaps it was not to disrupt Yeying’s plan.

Or maybe he was afraid to admit in front of Ran Qingchen that Hong’er always held a very important place in his heart.

In the end, he chose to conceal everything.

However, fate arranged such a dramatic encounter.

He could not empathize with the woman’s feelings at the moment; under a reversal of perspective, it would surely be distressing.

But what could he have done at that time?

To ignore Qu Hongling and continue to marry Ran Qingchen?

Even though he had countless complaints about the girl in his arms, she was, after all, his most beloved wife.

Jiang Shouzhong suddenly felt very tired.

He missed the days when he first arrived in the Capital, solely focused on avenging Ye, free from the distractions of romantic entanglements, not having to care about any woman’s feelings.

He didn’t know when he had started accumulating emotional debts.

Even he felt unfamiliar with himself.

Indeed, the three fundamental natures of humans are: pettiness, pragmatism, and hypocrisy.

His proactive pursuit of Ye and Hong’er, his active responsibility towards Xia He, his deliberate neglect of his leader, his active acceptance of Ran Qingchen, his passive enjoyment with Mengniang...

He always wanted to maintain his emotional purity, but in the end, it turned into a mess.

Perhaps starting with Qiuye, he began to slack off emotionally.

He didn’t want to take initiative anymore—even if he could feel the other person’s intent, he chose to ignore it, not actively pursuing or piercing that delicate layer. For instance, with Ran Qingchen and his leader previously.

He opted for a passive acceptance.

If you take the initiative, then I’ll accept. If you don’t pierce through this layer of relationship, I can’t be bothered to do it myself.

However, this lazy way of dealing with relationships ultimately came at a cost.

Regret, of course, was profound.

Hatred, naturally towards himself.

Even the grievances towards Hong’er might largely be self-directed.

For the first time, Jiang Shouzhong experienced helplessness and powerlessness, the first time he deeply despised himself, the first time he wished time could turn back, to take measures for atonement.

"Jiang..."

The gentle voice of the girl interrupted his thoughts.

Qu Hongling pressed her cherry lips together, her eyes hiding a trace of barely noticeable worry, and asked softly, "Are you worrying about Jin Yi... worrying about her?"

Jiang Shouzhong did not respond.

"I’m sorry..."

The girl’s voice was like a wisp of smoke, quietly dissipating in the air.

Jiang Shouzhong softly said, "It has nothing to do with you."

Qu Hongling no longer spoke, quietly controlling the sword forward.

Unlike Ran Qingchen’s reserved demeanor, Qu Hongling’s personality was lively, delicate, and more extroverted.

But similar to Ran Qingchen, she was also possessive about love, not allowing any impurities to mix in.

Originally when Jiang Shouzhong confessed to Ye, the girl, upon learning this, was unhappy for many days.

In her heart, Jiang belonged to her.

It belonged to her alone.

But at this moment, she did not exhibit that kind of dominance.

For one thing, she no longer had the right to act capriciously or get angry in front of him.

Secondly, that woman was her sworn sister.

The only sister she could confide in after her "husband had died."

Apologize?

It seemed futile.

Graciously bowing out?

That was even less likely.

Having lost her chance once, now that Heaven had given her the opportunity to regain it, she would not give up again!

Or perhaps, lower her stance to share?

Thus, at this moment, the girl’s heart was even more conflicted than Jiang Shouzhong’s.

She regretted not meeting her sworn sister’s husband earlier, to avoid stirring up such trouble at the wedding.

Now that the mistake had been made, she didn’t know how to face it.

But in her heart, she knew that their sisterly bond was completely severed.

There was no chance of repair.

Recalling their life-and-death memories together, Qu Hongling felt a piercing pain in her heart; tears fell silently, drip by drip, landing on her lower abdomen...on the back of the man’s hand.

Jiang Shouzhong stared at the girl’s profile, instinctively wanting to reach out to wipe her tears, but ultimately he did not move.

The man was troubled, and so was the girl.

Only Li Nanshuang seemed utterly carefree, shouting and screaming incessantly.

The conversation with Jiang Shouzhong on the eve of the wedding, on the contrary, had cleared her mind. She ate, drank, and was merry, not missing out on anything.

——

Time silently slipped away.

The originally bustling wedding banquet gradually became deserted, and eventually, all the guests left.

In the Ran Family’s hall, the atmosphere was oppressively somber.

Ran Qingchen sat silently in a dim corner of the room, like a carefully arranged still life painting.

Her gaze was downcast, her long eyelashes casting a faint shadow over her pale face, hiding all the emotional turbulence in her eyes.

Amid the festive red, she exuded an incongruously cold aura.

She was still waiting.

Waiting for that man to come back.

Yet, as the guests left, as the sun set behind the eaves...that man still did not appear.

The looks directed at her were quite complicated.

There were sympathy, pity, confusion, sadness, as well as mockery and schadenfreude.

Old Madam Ran’s brows were tightly furrowed.

Ran Jinyi kept going out to look around, shaking his head and sighing.

Ran Jinsheng, the second eldest, sprawled indifferently in his chair, occasionally picking his ears or yawning, boredly staring at the ceiling, looking utterly uninvolved.

Lady Zuo Su wanted to offer comfort, but seeing Ran Qingchen’s icy demeanor, she did not dare to approach.

Suddenly, a mocking voice broke the silence.

Hu Meixin, holding a cat, looked at Ran Qingchen and sneered:

"So, this is the Ran Family’s son-in-law we were introduced to? Quite the style he has, running off with another woman in the middle of his own wedding. Now we have become the laughingstock of not just the Capital, but of the entire world..."

"Say less!" Zuo Su reprimanded.

Hu Meixin raised her eyebrows: "Oh, so you who prays and chants don’t belong to the Ran Family anymore, you’re not embarrassed?"

She squinted at the bride in the corner and mocked:

"Heh, if you ask me, even a beggar from the streets would preserve the face of our Ran Family. This Jiang Mo, on the other hand, has trampled our family underfoot, subjecting us to public ridicule.

Do you know how those guests were discussing our Ran Family just now?

Some even said that our dear lady here naturally likes to seduce other people’s men, and so she’s been confronted by the true wife..."

"Shut your mouth!"

Old Madam Ran, in her anger, banged her cane hard.

Suddenly, a red blur flashed.

In the next moment, Hu Meixin’s neck was seized by a slender white hand, hoisted up, and brutally smashed against a pillar.

"He was originally my husband!"

Ran Qingchen looked murderous, her eyes cold as ice, devoid of warmth, resembling a fierce deity possessed.

Hu Meixin’s face showed sheer terror, her hands desperately hitting the other’s arm trying to break free. Her throat made muffled whimpers, her cheeks reddened from lack of oxygen, and her legs flailed weakly.