Bai Jiu was dumbfounded. Did this man really have such deep feelings for the original owner of her body? She couldn’t feel it at all. If he truly liked her, why had he been so permissive of his family’s abuse? Furthermore, if he was deeply in love with his wife, wouldn’t she—an imposter—be easily exposed?
"No, this can’t happen," she thought. "I haven’t lived long enough yet."
Although this era wasn’t great, she had no desire to be treated as a freak.
"But that was your mother and second brother," she blurted out. She refused to believe that he could just brush this aside and continue living a happy life with her.
Sure enough, Gao Zhijun fell silent.
For a moment, the production team leader didn’t know how to persuade them. Aunt Li hadn’t expected Bai Jiu to be so resolute either. Divorce wasn’t a good thing in this day and age.
"Bai Jiu, should we think this over a bit more? Zhijun isn’t blaming you, after all," Aunt Li said, still hoping to prevent a divorce. Life was far too difficult for a divorced woman.
"Exactly. Child, don’t take your anger out on innocent people. Zhijun is a good man. Since he is still willing to stay with you, you should just live a good life with him." There hadn’t been a single divorce in the village yet, and the team leader didn’t want to break that precedent. Naturally, he didn’t want the couple to separate; they had two children, after all.
Bai Jiu’s heart went ice-cold. She was the one who had practically killed his mother and brother. If they didn’t divorce, was she just supposed to sit around waiting for him to retaliate? If they divorced, she planned to move far away. It would be best if they never saw each other again for the rest of their lives.
"No, team leader, are you certain he can actually live peacefully with me?" Bai Jiu was utterly speechless.
No matter who it was, something like this could never be forgiven, right? Even if that mother and son were in the wrong, they were still his biological mother and brother. She just didn’t believe he could live with her without harboring a shred of resentment.
Seeing her intense reaction, Gao Zhijun could somewhat understand what she was trying to express. However, there were certain things that shouldn’t be revealed to outsiders.
"Uncle, Aunt Li, I’ve really troubled you both tonight. Tomorrow, I’ll personally pay a visit to express my gratitude." Gao Zhijun glanced at Bai Jiu. Instead of answering her, he began to see their guests out.
The team leader and his wife couldn’t stay any longer anyway. Besides, the couple had already stated they weren’t going to divorce, so it wasn’t like outsiders could hover over their private lives.
Aunt Li patted Bai Jiu’s shoulder. "Talk things over properly. You aren’t in the wrong here." The dramatic scene she had anticipated hadn’t occurred, rendering all her prepared comforting speeches useless.
The team leader made a similar gesture, though his silent encouragement was directed at Gao Zhijun.
Seeing the two elders get up to leave, Bai Jiu understood their intentions, but she was terrified.
"Aunt Li," she said, her face fraught with worry.
"Don’t be afraid. We are here for you. I’ll come check on you first thing tomorrow morning." Everything that needed to be said had been said, and Gao Zhijun had made his stance clear. It really wouldn’t be appropriate for Aunt Li to linger any longer.
Meanwhile, the team leader instructed Gao Zhijun to stay calm, have a proper conversation, and not scare his wife. Gao Zhijun was very cooperative and agreed to everything.
After seeing the guests out of the courtyard, Gao Zhijun turned back to look at the woman standing to the side.
"W-What do you want?" Bai Jiu retreated two steps in fear.
"Let’s go inside. It’s cold out here." With that, he took long strides toward the house.
Bai Jiu dawdled behind him. It wasn’t until he had started a fire in the kitchen that she finally stepped inside.
"Um, what are you doing?" For a fleeting moment, panic seized Bai Jiu. Was he going to burn her alive? "Don’t do anything reckless," she said stiffly. "Murder is illegal."
Gao Zhijun let out a sigh.
"I don’t blame you, and I certainly never thought about divorcing you. I just couldn’t process everything right away. I’ve been riding on a bus all day. Let me eat something hot, and then we can have a proper talk."
There were certain things he needed to tell her now. In the past, he had lacked the capability to protect her, yet he had still brought her into this mess. Since things had reached this point, apart from accepting reality, he actually felt a hint of gratitude toward her deep down. She had done something he would never have dared to do in his entire life.
"You really don’t blame me?" Hearing his words, Bai Jiu was stunned, taking quite a while to process them.
Gao Zhijun rolled his sleeves up high. "I don’t."
Bai Jiu stared into his eyes. Seeing that he didn’t evade her gaze at all, she managed to believe him a little. Of course, even if he did try to kill her, she was more than capable of escaping.
"Fine, I’ll trust you this once." Bai Jiu put down her flashlight and nudged him aside. "Go sit down. I’ll cook."
Gao Zhijun didn’t stand on ceremony with her. While she busied herself, he just sat there, staring at her. No matter how much he looked, it wasn’t enough. However, he also noticed the changes in her. She was more generous and far more confident than before. This was how someone of her background was supposed to be. Unknowingly, a faint smile actually tugged at the corners of his lips—a truly baffling reaction.
Bai Jiu knew he was staring at her, but so what? If he dared to try anything funny, the kitchen knife next to her hand wasn’t just for show.
In the middle of the night, she simply made a bowl of noodles. She had stockpiled a lot of dried noodles at home. When she was busy, she usually just made noodles for herself and the kids. It was quick and convenient.
"Eat up." Bai Jiu generously dropped two poached eggs into the bowl, along with a large dollop of lard. She also added a few sprigs of wild vegetables she had foraged while working in the fields—they were incredibly tender.
"Thank you."
Seeing him eat with relish, Bai Jiu sat by the fire, refusing to leave. She waited for him. Even though he said he didn’t blame her, she still didn’t buy it. No matter who it was, it was impossible to remain so calm when faced with something like this.
Very quickly, the massive bowl of noodles was completely devoured by Gao Zhijun, broth and all, without a single scrap left. After eating, he took the initiative to wash the bowl. She didn’t stop him; after all, she was keeping her guard up at all times.
Gao Zhijun put the bowl away and came over to sit beside her. Feeling an imposing figure approaching, Bai Jiu subconsciously leaned back, wanting to escape his proximity.
"Now, let’s have a proper talk," Gao Zhijun said, having taken in all her subtle movements. He tried his best to keep his voice gentle.
Bai Jiu didn’t mince words with him. "Then tell me, why don’t you blame me?"
She was intensely curious. Did this man really love the original owner that much? If he loved her so deeply, why had he treated her with such indifference, ultimately leading to her untimely death?
"It was their fault. It has nothing to do with you." Gao Zhijun was calm—so calm that even he himself found it a little hard to believe. "If you hadn’t dealt with them, you would have been the one to die. And if you died, I would be heartbroken," he said bluntly.
However, his words caused Bai Jiu to frown deeply. She was even more bewildered as to why he was so apathetic about his family. She had always assumed he had a great relationship with them. Otherwise, why would he hand over his entire monthly salary, not leaving a single cent for his wife? Furthermore, he had comfortably left his wife and children behind in his hometown instead of keeping them by his side. Although Bai Jiu wasn’t familiar with how the military worked in this era, she had heard from others that someone of his rank should have been able to bring his family to live with him. He wouldn’t have such a high salary otherwise.
Seeing that she remained silent, Gao Zhijun assumed she didn’t believe him.
"Nothing is more important than you and the children," he spoke again, his voice slightly hoarse.
Bai Jiu took a deep breath.
"Let me tell you how I’ve been living all these years." Although Bai Jiu couldn’t fathom why he was acting this way, she didn’t want the original owner’s sacrifices for him to remain hidden. At this moment, she desperately wanted him to know exactly what kind of life the original owner had endured in this house because of him.