Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios

  But since she had already picked up the phone, Qiao Nan could not do anything else but put the phone up to her ear and answer in a soft voice. “Hello.”

  “.……” Zhai Yaohui, who had wanted to lecture that unfilial son of his, suddenly stiffened up. “Hello, I’m looking for my son. May I ask who you are?” What relationship did she have with his son? His son was still as single as an iron tree that never blossomed. He had never gotten into a second relationship, so how could there be a woman by his side?

  Or could it be that his son had lost his mobile phone and that it had been picked up by a woman? Or could it be that a woman had stolen Zhai Sheng’s phone from him?

  “I’m the nanny who’s been hired at the last minute to take care of your son over the next few days. Brother Zhai is beside me. I’ll hand the phone over to him. You can speak to him directly.” Qiao Nan had hardly had any time to distinguish between her dream and reality before all these people, whom she had once been close to in her dream, appeared before her one by one. With such a sudden change, Qiao Nan was caught unprepared and had no idea how to react.

  At this time, Qiao Nan had absolutely no ability to think for herself. She was simply running on her instincts. It was as though there was a blank screen in her mind.

  Qiao Nan quickly handed the phone over to Zhai Sheng. Zhai Sheng glanced at Qiao Nan, indicating to her that he had no free hands to receive his phone and thus asked Qiao Nan to hold the phone up to his ear. Everything happened so quickly that Qiao Nan had not realized that this action might have been too intimate. All she could do was to follow Zhai Sheng’s order to hold the phone up to his ear.

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  Once she did so, Qiao Nan finally felt all sorts of unease. Except for Chen Jun, Qiao Nan had never been so physically close to any other men. Besides, that had been more than a decade ago. Qiao Nan had already completely forgotten how that felt.

  “Hello, it’s me. Just speak your mind. And remember that I’m at home to recuperate.” There was no point in asking about the things that were simply impossible. Otherwise, the one who would get angry would only be the person on the other end of the line.

  Zhai Yaohui raised his eyebrows. “You’re recuperating? Then, what about your mom’s and my heart disease? You should help treat it too. It may be a new era now, and traditions may no longer be as important. But think about your mom’s and my age. You may not have the filial piety to let your mom and I have a grandchild while we’re still alive, but at the very least, your mom and I shouldn’t have to worry about whether you’ll have someone by your side up until our deaths! Do you really intend to spend the rest of your life with your rifle?”

  Facing his son, Zhai Sheng, Zhai Yaohui actually felt rather guilty. If it had not been his and Miao Jing’s insistence, Zhai Sheng would never have had such a failed marriage. Everyone had to bear some responsibility for this failed marriage, but Zhai Yaohui knew that the biggest problem was actually him and Miao Jing.

  Zhai Yaohui was not even willing to call that woman his ex-daughter-in-law. She was simply unworthy of that title. Thinking about how that woman still wanted to turn back and reconcile with Zhai Sheng, Zhai Yaohui was utterly disgusted.

  “After grandma passed away, didn’t grandpa spend his whole life alone too?” There was nothing wrong with spending the rest of his life with his rifle. After all, all the men in the Zhai family loved their rifles. Their love for their rifles far surpassed their love for their wives.

  “.……” Zhai Yaohui wished that he was five years younger and had a better physique. That way, he could pull on Zhai Sheng’s collar and give Zhai Sheng a good beating until Zhai Sheng was willing to listen to him. When his son was younger, he had been extremely obedient and had always been that typical ‘other family’s kid’. Neither he nor Miao Miao had ever needed to worry about him.

  But who would have known that rebellion would eventually come?

  His son had never worried him as a child and performed outstandingly as part of a respected family. But who would have known that his son would be unmarried and childless in his fifties while his parents were already in their old age!

  Even though men’s fertility lasted much longer than women’s, if this continued for any longer, the Zhai family’s line might very well end here. He and Miao Miao could not possibly just leave Zhai Sheng alone to spend his days with his rifle, right?

  If they had known that this was going to happen, they would never have agreed to the marriage, much less have any contact with that family at all.

  “You might not want it, but the problem is that someone else does. I’m sure you know what kind of person Qiu Chenxi is after being her husband for a few years. She’s probably had enough fun and wants to settle down now. A few days ago, she came to look for your mom and me. She kept calling us her parents-in-law and begged for our forgiveness. If you don’t find someone suitable, she’ll definitely continue pestering you. She might even think that you’ve not gotten remarried all these years because of her. If she continues to pester you, once you really find someone you fancy, that girl might just be frightened away by Qiu Chenxi!”

  Qiao Nan, who had rather sharp ears, heard Qiu Chenxi’s name, and her expression darkened significantly. Zhai Sheng had indeed married Qiu Chenxi!

  As for the other news that was revealed in the call, saying that Qiu Chenxi had already been divorced from Zhai Sheng for several years, Qiao Nan could not be bothered to think about it. Now that she had her answer, Qiao Nan felt as though an age-old bottle of vinegar had toppled in her heart. Her heart was raging with jealousy.

  But Qiao Nan could not tell whether this jealousy was because of the Zhai Sheng in her dream, or whether it was because of the Zhai Sheng who was in front of her.

  The person who felt worse than Qiao Nan was Zhai Sheng, who hated Qiu Chenxi to the guts. “Why? Has she been so hardworking in visiting the hospital lately that her illness has already been cured?”

  “Illness? What illness?” Zhai Yaohui was confused. Why did he know nothing about Qiu Chenxi being sick and needing to visit the hospital? Why did Zhai Sheng know about it? Did that mean that Zhai Sheng still had feelings for Qiu Chenxi? If that was really the case, they would never have gotten divorced in the first place.

  He believed that as long as Zhai Sheng was willing to do so, Zhai Sheng would definitely have the ability to control Qiu Chenxi, even if Qiu Chenxi enjoyed living a colorful life filled with debauchery. It was obvious that Zhai Sheng had not only refused to control Qiu Chenxi, but he had even allowed Qiu Chenxi free rein to do as she pleased.

  If Zhai Sheng had no feelings toward Qiu Chenxi anymore, then why did he still care so much about Qiu Chenxi and know about Qiu Chenxi’s condition?

  “When I went for my checkup in the hospital the last time, I happened to see and hear about it,” Zhai Sheng said monotonously. “I think she’s played around too much and had too many abortions. Her uterine wall is too thin, so she’s prone to miscarriages now. Besides, even while her body was not clean yet, her life had been so messy that she contracted transmittable diseases.”

  Even if it was not as serious as syphilis or AIDS, anyone who got close to Qiu Chenxi should still be prepared to be admitted to the hospital for a year.

  Qiu Chenxi was probably a frequent visitor at the hospital. From what Zhai Sheng heard, this was not the first time that Qiu Chenxi was visiting the hospital for such an illness.