Chapter 08
It was already the next morning when Yun Shu found out about Duan Jianguo’s arrest. It was their neighbor, Auntie Zhang, who came over to deliver the news. “The one who pasted those letters on the bulletin board was Li Lifang. Last night, she was caught red-handed by the public security bureau while trying to destroy the evidence. After a round of interrogation back at the station, she confessed everything. And guess what? It turned out to be instigated by Duan Jianguo! Look at that, what kind of person does that?” “I knew Duan Jianguo harbored malicious intentions. Just because our Yun Shu admired his opera singing, he developed such obscene thoughts. He is utterly detestable.” Yan Meili’s face flushed with anger, and her fists were tightly clenched. Compared to Yan Meili, Yun Shu was incredibly calm. “A toad lusting after a swan’s meatākeep dreaming.” “It seems the previous rumors weren’t true at all. Yun Shu doesn’t look like she has a thing with Duan Jianguo at all. I knew those gossips were talking nonsense.” Auntie Zhang slapped her thigh and snorted. “Now that this matter has blown up, let’s see who else dares to blabber around. I’ll be the first to teach them a lesson.” Auntie Zhang was a warm-hearted woman who loved to gossip, but she was also someone who knew how to show gratitude. Two years ago, her youngest son had a high fever and almost died. Because they had no money for treatment, she could only watch her youngest son suffer helplessly. It was Yun Guoliang who advanced the medical expenses, which saved his life. Yun Shu felt her heart warmed by Auntie Zhang’s righteous indignation. As the victim, Yun Shu went to the public security bureau with Yan Meili and Yun Guoliang in the morning to give her statement. “Comrade officer, this man dared to ruin my daughter’s reputation like this. He must be severely punished.” Yun Guoliang loved Yun Shu the most, so naturally, he wouldn’t just swallow this grievance silently. The officers nodded repeatedly and assured them that they would not let him off lightly.
Meanwhile, Duan Jianguo could not figure out what had gone wrong. Just a couple of days ago, Yun Shu had expressed her feelings to him, saying that she would marry him as soon as she divorced Bai Zhan. How could someone change their mind so completely in such a short time? Logically speaking, his purpose in asking Li Lifang to paste those letters was, first, to test the waters and see if Yun Shu was truly determined to cut ties with him. Looking at it now, Yun Shu had really changed. She was no longer the foolish, love-brained Yun Shu from before. Could it be that she transmigrated into this book after hitting her head against the wall? After all, since he himself was a transmigrator, it wasn’t impossible for someone else to be one too, right? Thinking of this, Duan Jianguo couldn’t put his mind at ease. He absolutely had to find Yun Shu to feel her out.
What Duan Jianguo didn’t know was that after leaving the public security bureau, Yun Shu went straight to the Revolutionary Committee. “I want to report Duan Jianguo for disrupting a military marriage.” Hearing this, the staff member looked up at Yun Shu. “Do you have evidence?” Yun Shu replied, “Yes.” She had brought all the evidence with her, which consisted of ambiguous letters Duan Jianguo had written to the original host in the past. Coupled with the fact that Duan Jianguo had defiled Yun Shu’s reputation earlier, the Revolutionary Committee verified the matter very quickly. When Duan Jianguo was brought in for questioning again, he was completely blindsided. Upon learning that he had been reported by Yun Shu for disrupting a military marriage, he completely lost his composure. “There is true love between us! How can you say I’m disrupting a military marriage? It was clearly Yun Shu who first showed her affection for me. How can she turn around and sue me for disrupting a military marriage?” “Comrade, the evidence is ironclad, yet you are still making excuses. We have also learned that you instigated others to defile Comrade Yun Shu’s reputation. We have already reported this matter to the higher authorities.” Duan Jianguo knew all too well that in this era, committing a serious offense would lead to being sent down for labor reform in some remote mountain village. He absolutely did not want to do labor reform; he still wanted to become the richest man. “I want to see Yun Shu! Also, I did nothing wrong, I don’t plead guilty!” Having worked in the art troupe for so long, the original host had accumulated quite a network of connections. After his arrest, someone immediately pulled strings for him outside, and he was bailed out that very afternoon. Now that the Revolutionary Committee was talking to him, Duan Jianguo’s movements were not restricted before the punishment was finalized. In Shanghai, Duan Jianguo was all on his own, relying entirely on his mouth and a good voice to carve out a place for himself. Having finally achieved today’s success, how could Duan Jianguo let Yun Shu ruin his dream of becoming the richest man?
That same day, he rushed over to the Yun family home, only to be barred from entering. Thunder rumbled continuously, and the heavy clouds pressed down so low it made people feel suffocated. Soon, a torrential rain poured down. Duan Jianguo stood right at the main gate. His tall and slender figure actually looked quite pitiful. To say Duan Jianguo lacked looks would be unfair to him. In particular, his deep-set eyes were extremely captivating when he looked at someone affectionately. Otherwise, the original host wouldn’t have been so infatuated with him that she was willing to ram her head against the wall to force Bai Zhan into a divorce with her by threatening her own life. Regrettably, Yun Shu only cast a passing glance before withdrawing her gaze and continuing to pack her things. Yun Guoliang had bought her a train ticket for two days later, so she needed to prepare everything she would use in advance. She heard that Skylark Island, where Bai Zhan was stationed, lacked nothing, but it was always better to prepare more.
Seeing that Yun Shu didn’t go out, the couple, Yun Guoliang and Yan Meili, felt at ease. Yan Meili glanced out toward the main gate and placed the folded clothes into the wardrobe. “It seems Yun Shu is truly determined to make a clean break with Duan Jianguo.” “I was already prepared for her to divorce Bai Zhan,” Yun Guoliang said with relief. “Fortunately, Yun Shu was able to clear her head and cut her losses in time.” Yan Meili closed the wardrobe door and said with some worry, “Do you think it’s really alright to just leave Duan Jianguo standing out there like that?” “Let’s see what Yun Shu does.” “If Yun Shu were to…” If she were really touched by Duan Jianguo and changed her mind, they could only accept their fate.
The heavy rain didn’t begin to taper off until nightfall. Drenched to the bone like a drowned rat, Duan Jianguo still showed no intention of leaving. He refused to believe that Yun Shu wouldn’t be touched. No woman disliked being coaxed, especially since he had been standing in the heavy rain for over two hours. Once the rain stopped, Yun Shu finally walked out with lazy steps. A loose, aqua-blue qipao accentuated her enchanting figure. Even though she was five months pregnant, she didn’t look the least bit clumsy; on the contrary, she appeared increasingly alluring. Duan Jianguo’s primary goal was the Yun family’s wealth, but secondly, it was because Yun Shu was beautiful, with fair skin that looked so tender it seemed it could produce water at a single pinch. “Yun Shu, I’m sorry. This time it was my fault. I was just too eager to be with you that I ended up doing such a foolish thing. I wrote those letters recklessly on my own. Please don’t be angry anymore.” “You can hit me, you can scold me, or even make me kneel down. As long as you aren’t angry with me, I will do whatever you want.” “As for you reporting me for disrupting a military marriage, I know you didn’t mean it, and I won’t mind. If I did something wrong to make you angry, tell me, and I will change.” Duan Jianguo spoke with deep sincerity, tears welling up in his eyes. Paired with his refined and handsome features, it was truly hard to resist. As expected of an opera actor, his acting skills were absolutely superb. If Yun Shu hadn’t transmigrated into this book and known the original plot, she might have been moved by him. Unfortunately, the original host’s body already had a new soul. Yun Shu didn’t have a single shred of affection for him; instead, she felt a wave of physiological nausea. “Gag…” Duan Jianguo: “……!!” Taken aback for a moment, he quickly reacted and stepped forward, pretending to be anxious to pat her back. “Are you feeling unwell again?” Yun Shu lifted her gaze and swept it across him, causing Duan Jianguo’s hand to freeze completely in mid-air. The next second, a slap landed squarely on his face with a loud and crisp “Smack.” “Keep your disgusting, groping hands off me, you perverted rogue.” A flash of faint anger crossed Duan Jianguo’s eyes, vanishing in an instant, replaced once again by a look of deep affection and penitence. “Yun Shu, scold me, hit me. As long as you can vent your anger, it doesn’t matter even if you beat me to death.” Yun Shu let out a chuckle. “Hit you? That would be letting you off too easy. If you have the guts, stand right here and wait for me.” Hearing this, Duan Jianguo knew he still had a chance, so he stood obediently by the gate. As long as he could win Yun Shu over, everything else would be easy to handle. A few minutes later, Yun Shu walked out from next door, leading Auntie Zhang’s large black dog. Duan Jianguo: “…”
