Chapter 63: Angry

Chapter 63: Chapter 63: Angry

Su Wan looked up at the sound and saw Lu Zhengchuan striding toward her. Shaken by the recent incident, she was too drained to make out his expression clearly.

Not that she wanted to see it. His arrival didn’t bring her any joy; instead, a surge of anger and hurt welled up inside her.

’I know I’m just taking it out on him,’ Su Wan admitted to herself.

She felt that Lu Zhengchuan was never there when she needed him most. Even his usual tone was cold, as if he was deliberately keeping his distance.

In that instant, all her grievances rushed to the surface, and the tip of her nose began to sting with the urge to cry.

She simply lowered her gaze, choosing to ignore him completely.

"Battalion Commander Lu, you’re back?" Zhang Qiao only let go of Su Wan’s arm when he saw Lu Zhengchuan approaching.

But Lu Zhengchuan had already noticed their intimate proximity in a single glance.

He especially noted that Su Wan wasn’t resisting, standing naturally beside Zhang Qiao. They looked like a picture-perfect couple.

Lu Zhengchuan’s thin lips tightened. "Zhang Qiao, what happened?"

"Well, Su Wan was just in a near-accident. Everyone was piling up, and I happened to be passing by. I remembered she’s pregnant, so I didn’t think twice and rushed to pull her out."

"Zhang Qiao, thank you. If it weren’t for you, I’d probably be lying in a pool of blood right now." Su Wan looked at him with sincere gratitude, her eyes overflowing with it.

Her gaze made Zhang Qiao’s heart skip a beat. He subconsciously shook his head, trying to appear composed. "It’s nothing, Su Wan. It’s what I should have done."

Su Wan gave a faint smile. "Regardless, I’m still very grateful. When I’m not so busy, I’d like to treat you to a meal to thank you for your help today."

"...There’s no need, Su Wan. Even if I hadn’t been here, someone else would have helped you." Zhang Qiao couldn’t tear his eyes away from her face.

Su Wan didn’t notice this detail and only said sincerely, "But I’m truly grateful. If you don’t let me do something to thank you, it’ll keep weighing on my mind."

"...Alright, then." After agreeing, Zhang Qiao subconsciously glanced at Lu Zhengchuan.

Lu Zhengchuan’s gaze was fixed on Su Wan, his sensual, thin lips pressed into a tight line. He stood to the side without saying a word.

"Well, Su Wan, now that Battalion Commander Lu is back, he can take you to the clinic to get checked out. I’ll be going now."

"Okay." Su Wan nodded.

Zhang Qiao left.

Su Wan didn’t look at Lu Zhengchuan. Even though she could feel his gaze on her, she didn’t waver for a second.

She turned and walked toward the patrol soldiers emerging from the research institute.

"Squad Leader He, please handle this. Zheng Zhizhi deliberately ran into me, a pregnant woman, and Comrade Gao Qiang found an excuse to block my path, nearly causing a serious accident. I want you to report this to the leadership." Su Wan was furious and clearly intended to press the matter.

Zheng Zhizhi panicked at her words, crying out in pain as she struggled to her feet. "You’re lying! I didn’t run into you on purpose."

Gao Qiang, who had a broken leg and a sprained hand from being crushed, exploded with rage. "Su Wan, I’m already in this miserable state, and you’re still reporting me? How did I deliberately block you? How was I supposed to know that lunatic was going to charge at us?"

Su Wan’s expression was grim as she stared coldly at the two of them. "You know exactly what you just did."

"If you’re so innocent, then go tell the leadership yourselves!"

"You..."

Gao Qiang’s eyes betrayed her guilt. She wasn’t as naive as Zheng Zhizhi. There were many people at the research institute, and her skills were already unremarkable. If she got a demerit, her future prospects would be even bleaker.

"I didn’t..." Gao Qiang tried to argue.

Lu Zhengchuan cut her off with a sharp command. "Squad Leader He, follow procedure. Take them away and go through the proper channels. The investigation will reveal who’s right and who’s wrong."

When Gao Qiang heard that, she knew she was in trouble.

Before she could argue further, she and the other researchers present were all taken away.

Those not involved would only be questioned, but as for the two main culprits, Zheng Zhizhi and Gao Qiang, they would be judged according to their crimes.

"Cousin, Su Wan, I’m going with them. You two should head home."

Zhang Yun didn’t quite dare to speak.

It was the first time she had seen Su Wan so angry.

And the atmosphere between her and her cousin seemed off, too.

"Go on," Lu Zhengchuan said, his gaze still on Su Wan.

Zhang Yun didn’t dare provoke either of them, especially with the obviously tense atmosphere. She was terrified. Hearing Lu Zhengchuan’s confirmation, she immediately followed Squad Leader He.

Su Wan turned and started walking toward the clinic.

Lu Zhengchuan caught up to her in a few long strides.

"Su Wan."

They walked side-by-side for a while in silence. When she still didn’t speak, Lu Zhengchuan finally broke the silence.

Su Wan’s voice was calm. Without even turning her head, she kept her eyes on the road ahead. "Is there something you need?"

"I’m sorry." Lu Zhengchuan pursed his lips, his eyes fixed on her profile as he uttered the words.

Su Wan’s hand, which was resting on her abdomen, paused. "You have nothing to be sorry for."

"I came back too late. You almost got hurt," Lu Zhengchuan said, taking the blame.

"You weren’t too late. When I married you, I already considered that you wouldn’t always be around. I was prepared for it."

"Besides," Su Wan said, knowing her emotions were getting the better of her and trying to calm down, "you already provide for the household. It would be unrealistic for me to demand you be by my side every day. No family lives like that."

No matter how casually she said it, only she knew the pain in her heart was real.

"...You’re not happy," Lu Zhengchuan finally replied after a moment, his eyes involuntarily studying the changes in her expression.

"It’s normal to be unhappy. Everyone has their moments. And what I just said was from the heart." Su Wan had truly accepted living apart; she wasn’t a greedy person by nature.

’It’s just that after I chose to keep the baby, I found myself developing feelings for Lu Zhengchuan I shouldn’t have. But then I realized he doesn’t have feelings for me. He was only attracted to my face, and he’s only good to me because of the baby.’

’I know I’m proud deep down.’

’If there were no feelings involved, like when we first got married, things would be manageable. I didn’t dislike him, and he had qualities I could admire.’

’But people are greedy.’

’When you start to like someone, you can’t control the desire to possess them.’

’I want Lu Zhengchuan to be good to me because he likes me.’

’He should like me for who I am.’

’He should like my good parts and my bad parts, accepting all of me.’

’Not because of my looks, not because of the baby, and certainly not because of how accomplished I am.’

’At the very least, not *just* because of my looks.’

"Then don’t be unhappy. If I did something wrong, you can tell me," Lu Zhengchuan said, his lips pursed.

Su Wan could sense his unhappiness too. At his words, she turned to look at him, took a deep breath, and asked, "Can you tell me, are you very busy when you’re on a mission?"

’So busy you can’t even send me a single letter?’