But her colleagues were increasingly treating her like an ordinary person, not placing her on a pedestal as they did when she first arrived, she felt that she was close to accepting incompetence.
Mu Yichen went down to the hotel’s wine cellar and picked out a bottle of red wine, then drove to the Qin family’s home.
Qin Mu was sitting on the sofa with Qin Haiming, watching the news. The father and daughter had nothing to talk about, so the living room was silent except for the sound from the TV, making the air seem thin.
"Why is the house so quiet? I heard Uncle Wang was discharged today, I..."
Zhang Rujia, laden with bags, came back from outside and stopped after entering the living room in her beautiful dress.
Because the woman sitting on the sofa was none other than the one she detested the most?
Qin Haiming also turned his head, and on recognizing the visitor, he frowned, "What are you doing here?"
"I, I heard that Uncle Wang was discharged today, so I came especially to see him!"
Zhang Rujia, seeing the way Qin Haiming looked at her, felt sad and continued to walk forward.
The aunt came out from inside, her face fell upon seeing Zhang Rujia, but she still stepped forward, "You’re here!"
Zhang Rujia glanced at the aunt and had reached the sofa, "Why aren’t you taking the things?"
The aunt looked down and glanced at Qin Haiming; Qin Haiming didn’t speak, and Zhang Rujia, looking down at him, said, "Don’t I even have the right to visit Uncle Wang?"
When she said that, her voice was very low, carrying a hint of grievance.
Qin Haiming, not wanting to make a scene, simply said to the aunt, "Take it!"
The aunt went to take the things from Zhang Rujia’s hands, and Zhang Rujia then sat down next to Qin Haiming, "Husband, after so long, are you still angry?"
Weren’t they already divorced?
"When you lied to me, didn’t you ever consider that I wouldn’t forgive you after knowing the truth?"
Qin Haiming didn’t want to tear into her, nor did he want to shout at her, he only quietly asked back.
"Husband! I really know I was wrong, besides, it all happened so many years ago, I..."
"Mumu is here today, I don’t want to argue with you, please leave!"
Qin Haiming wouldn’t look at her again, his body even turned the other way, coldly asking her to leave.
"Husband..., I’ve said it, no matter what, even if you want her to come back to live, but please don’t ask me to leave, recently, being out there,—I miss you!"
Zhang Rujia rested one hand on his arm, looking as if she was about to burst into tears.
Qin Mu sat quietly at an angle opposite to them, simply listening, occasionally glancing up.
Seeing Zhang Rujia in such a humble state in front of her, such a scene was indeed a rarity.
She had originally thought that only young people would endlessly repeat the words ’I miss you’, she had actually forgotten that these words did not discriminate by age.
"Enough! Don’t say these things to me anymore, leave!"
Qin Haiming pulled his arm away from her hand, unwilling to even touch her.
Zhang Rujia called him again, her eyes brimming with tears.
"At best, I’m just one of your ex-husbands, right?"
Qin Haiming chuckled sarcastically, the word ’husband’ now felt like an irony to his ears.
"Husband! How can you say that? Ever since I followed you, I..."
"Stop talking! Heaven watches what we do! Haven’t we committed enough sins?"
Qin Haiming finally looked at her, even though his eyebrows were tightly furrowed.
He hoped to completely sever his relationship with Zhang Rujia, not just because he was disgusted with her deceit, but also because their impulsive actions had caused Qin Mu’s mother to die in a car accident, ruining his own family and leaving him with guilt—
In this world, retribution always comes.
"It was that woman who couldn’t think straight, why blame us? To soothe your feelings I even agreed to divorce—Husband, we are already of age, can’t we stop separating?"
Zhang Rujia tried to grab his hand, her eyes constantly on him.
"If my mother couldn’t think straight, then aren’t you living retribution right now?"
Qin Mu’s sharp gaze lifted, shooting straight at Zhang Rujia, her seemingly calm surface hiding a strong and forceful heart, like a sharp sword.
Zhang Rujia was disturbed by the sudden voice and turned to look at her, her voice somewhat vague: "What did you say?"
"If it weren’t for your deception back then, I would still be living in a happy family of three, my mother wouldn’t have died in a car accident, and my father wouldn’t still be living with guilt till this day! If not for you, my mother would still be alive, I would still be a child with a mother, I would have had my parents at my wedding and their advice, but now—You say it has nothing to do with you? You’ve cleared yourself of responsibility a bit too cleanly, in my opinion. We are living unhappily now, all because of you!"
Qin Mu, composed and serene, with sharp eyes that never left Zhang Rujia, spoke in a gentle, slow manner, yet her words pierced the heart.
"What did you say? How can you spout such nonsense? I was only pursuing my happiness!"
Zhang Rujia angrily retorted.
"If everyone is allowed to do as they please for their happiness, then isn’t it justified for me to seek my happiness by asking you to leave? I hope you won’t appear in this house anymore, stop any connection with my father, I hope you leave Rong City, from now on in Rong City I never want to see you again, okay?"
Qin Mu said the word ’okay’ with a slight smile.
Zhang Rujia, however, turned pale with anger.
Qin Haiming also looked at his daughter in disbelief, as she had not called him "father" for many years. Since her return to the country, she had always referred to him as the Mayor of Qin City.
She finally spoke up for herself!
"How can you be so malicious? Why should I leave Rong City?"
Zhang Rujia asked, turning to face her.
"Because I’ve lived alone abroad for over ten years, I’ve had enough of the suffering without a family! Since you can pursue your happiness, I can pursue mine, too!"
"I’m really selfish! Yes! I’m selfish! I still need to learn a lot from you."
Qin Mu smiled faintly, looking at Zhang Rujia’s pale face, she found it deeply satisfying.
"You... Husband, look at her, how ill-mannered she is!"
Zhang Rujia looked at Qin Haiming with a pitiful gaze, hoping he would speak up for justice, because even Qin Mingzhu wouldn’t be allowed to say such disrespectful words at home.
"It’s all my fault! I’m the father who didn’t educate his daughter properly, do you want me to apologize to you on her behalf?"
Qin Haiming asked her.
It took several seconds for Zhang Rujia to react after hearing this, and then she stood up abruptly, bending over and looking at him with some hatred.
"What do you both take me for? Fine! Now that father and daughter are reunited, what about me? Divorced, my daughter taken away, I have nothing left, are you all happy now? All the mistakes are my own doing, is that okay?"
After speaking, Zhang Rujia picked up her bag and turned to walk out.
But after only a dozen steps, she turned back: "Qin Mu! You put on such a weak act to gain your father’s sympathy when in fact, you are colder-hearted than anyone! We shall see!"