Chen Chen’s reaction was to push him away and stride out of the door.
Regarding the three thousand yuan, she didn’t say she didn’t want it, but she also didn’t insist on taking it.
Jiang Xiaoyue was chatting happily with her father when she saw Chen Chen leaving. She hurriedly followed, adhering to the words of Commander Bai who had instructed them to arrive and leave together, while Jiang Yun entered the office. There, he saw Wan Xinguo standing, leaning against the wall, "How did your talk go?"
"Divorce," Wan Xinguo said succinctly.
"Divorce?" Jiang Yun couldn’t help but repeat it.
"Yes, divorce." Wan Xinguo turned to face Jiang Yun, looking him in the eye without flinching, "Set her free, let myself go."
Continuing to tangle would be meaningless. Making a huge fuss over it would only turn them into fodder for gossip.
Jiang Yun nodded, "If it’s divorce, then let it be. If her heart is not with you, isn’t being married the same as being unmarried? A real man should be able to let go as easily as he took on. Haven’t we both faced life and death? Can’t you get through this minor issue? After the divorce, I’ll introduce you to a decent and down-to-earth female comrade who’s willing to live a life with you."
Wan Xinguo gave a bitter smile, "After settling this matter, I’ll just go back to the military. I don’t want to think about marriage for now."
"How can that be acceptable?" Jiang Yun looked at him disapprovingly, "The failure of this marriage isn’t your fault. Why should you be so apprehensive because of it? The military should take some responsibility. If we had known that Chen Chen wasn’t willing, we should not have arranged the wedding. Now, this has left a stain on your life."
"The military handles the life-long matters of senior officers like us with good intentions." Wan Xinguo didn’t blame the military, as without his own agreement, the wedding with Chen Chen would not have happened.
Ultimately, both parties bore responsibility.
Although Chen Chen was more at fault, Wan Xinguo would not absolve himself.
Jiang Yun patted his shoulder, about to ask if he would stay with him that night or go back to his own place, when Jiang Xiaoyue suddenly burst in, gasping for breath, "Commander Wan, Chen Chen has gone to write a divorce report, she wants to divorce you!"
She didn’t know that the divorce was suggested by Wan Xinguo and only felt that Chen Chen was being really awful.
Jiang Yun and Wan Xinguo were both momentarily stunned before quickly regaining their composure.
Wan Xinguo said indifferently, "The divorce was my idea. Since she wants to file the report first, then let her do so. I would have had to submit my report eventually anyway."
"You know what kind of person Chen Chen is. What if she pushes all the reasons for the divorce onto you?" Jiang Xiaoyue said indignantly, "Chen Chen is capable of doing something like that. She doesn’t care about losing face! If she fabricates lies and concocts false charges against you and if the military approves it without verification, or if they punish you based on those charges, you’ll be doomed, Commander Wan."
Jiang Xiaoyue hit the nail on the head.
In her divorce report, Chen Chen claimed that Wan Xinguo’s visit was not for family reasons, but to divorce her, because he had a woman outside, and after living separately for one or two years, he wanted to marry that woman; that’s why he came to her. Fearing that Wan Xinguo would submit a report putting all the blame on her or give her false accusations, she rushed to file the report first.
In the report, she also mention that Wan Xinguo had fought on the battlefield many times and developed mental illness, becoming violent in nature. Initially, it was Wan Xinguo who threatened her and forced her to marry him. She compromised in desperation, and only then did she reluctantly proceed with the wedding.