Chapter 97: I’m the Only Villain

Chapter 97: Chapter 97: I’m the Only Villain

’No wonder she’s given up on you...’

Zhao Shijie’s entire body trembled. He suddenly raised his eyes and looked over. "Did she tell you that?"

"I didn’t need her to tell me. It’s obvious just from looking... What," Cui Lingyao said with a cold laugh, "can’t you see how completely your wife has given up on you, Mr. Zhao?"

...

The air grew still.

Her words were too direct.

They left Zhao Shijie with no room for denial.

He could no longer deceive himself into thinking that Chen Minrou was just angry with him, that they were still in love.

An outsider sees things most clearly.

So, she really didn’t care about him anymore.

Zhao Shijie’s face gradually turned pale. He asked blankly, "Is she trying to use death to get revenge on me?"

"???"

Cui Lingyao was stunned. "Don’t think so highly of yourself. She’s given up on you, but there are still people in this world she can’t let go of. Why would she use her own life to get revenge on someone like you?"

"She’s just tired of dealing with you. Her spirits drop whenever she sees you, and she doesn’t want to talk to you."

They had been talking for too long. Seeing his lifeless expression, Cui Lingyao grew even more impatient and said directly, "Her illness is of the heart, caused by anxiety and worry. If you have any conscience left, you’ll find a way to make her happy."

It wasn’t that Zhao Shijie didn’t want to make his wife happy.

He said hoarsely, "I’m out of ideas. I’ve already tried every method I can think of."

"After she gave birth, her body was weak, and she wanted to return to the capital to recuperate. So, I submitted my resignation from my post in Yunzhou to accompany her back. While searching for famous doctors, I also asked the Chen Family to visit her more often, to comfort and advise her..."

But what was the result?

Zhao Shijie’s expression grew cold. "The Chen Family did come, but every time they visited, they brought along one of the family’s daughters by a concubine. The Chen Family has quite a few of them. If I didn’t pay much attention to one, they would bring a different one the next time. Sometimes they even brought two or three at once. No matter how slow I was, after this happened several times, I started to figure things out."

He had resigned from an official post with real power to accompany his wife back to the capital for her recovery, yet she was acting as if she were arranging her own funeral affairs by preparing a candidate to be his next wife.

Without his knowledge, she had even convinced her parents to arrange for her half-sisters to come and be ’inspected’ by him.

Those girls visited so frequently that rumors swirled both inside and outside the residence. Yet Zhao Shijie still couldn’t believe his wife would be like all the other ladies of the inner quarters, who, when confined to their sickbeds and feeling their days were numbered, would personally arrange for their husband’s next wife just for the sake of their children.

’After everything they’d been through!’

But when he went to confront her about it, she didn’t even pretend, admitting to it directly.

She even used ’taking her medicine’ as a bargaining chip to force him to agree that if he ever thought of remarrying, his new wife could only be a Miss Chen.

Zhao Shijie flew into a rage. The unprecedented shock and pain made him lose all reason; he almost wanted to just strangle her and be done with it.

But she was ill, so weak that she would gasp for breath after just a few words.

Before his anger could even erupt, her string of coughs scared him out of his wits.

He was terrified something would happen to her. Even though he was dying of pain and hatred on the inside, he gritted his teeth and agreed.

"Later, Chen Peirou even came to me, saying she would marry into the Zhao Family to take care of her sister’s children... But then my wife took it seriously! Unwilling to let her own full-blooded sister sacrifice her life, she made me swear I would never touch her sister."

At this point, Zhao Shijie could no longer hold back. With bloodshot eyes, he asked, "Tell me, why would she do this to me?"

’What did I do wrong?’

’It was just one wrong sentence.’

’Just one sentence.’

’How could so many years of affection be completely overturned by a single sentence?’

Zhao Shijie wiped away a tear and said self-mockingly, "Their sisterly bond is so deep. I’m the only villain here—the villain who couldn’t wait to arrange for a new wife while his current one was gravely ill."

...

The surroundings fell silent.

Cui Lingyao also fell silent.

’The man before me... seems quite pitiful.’

’But I don’t know if what Chen Minrou saw in her dream was a ’future’ that hasn’t happened yet.’

The moment she thought that in just three years, this man might have a new young wife in his arms and another child, having thrown all memory of his deceased first wife to the wind, that tiny bit of pity she felt vanished.

Cui Lingyao composed herself and said coolly, "If it weren’t for what you said before, revealing your intention to take a concubine, Minmin wouldn’t have misunderstood you like this."

He had indeed said those words, and under such circumstances too. Zhao Shijie couldn’t argue his way out of it even if he had a hundred mouths.

He gave a bitter laugh. "In your opinion, what should I do now?"

He was truly at his wit’s end.

He didn’t dare hope for anything now, nor did he let himself think about it.

His only thought was that Chen Minrou could not die.

She could not die.

Even if she never forgave him for the rest of her life, even if she treated him coldly forever and they became a resentful couple, they had to grow old together peacefully.

To share a blanket in life, and a grave in death.

Neither of them could leave the other behind halfway.

Before Cui Lingyao could speak, she heard him say, "Her condition was much better after seeing you today. I haven’t seen her with so much energy in a long time. In the future, could you come and keep her company more often?"

’If her mood improves, maybe her health will too.’

Cui Lingyao nodded. "Of course. I’ll definitely come see her. Once I get back from Pingzhou..."

"You’re leaving the capital?"

Zhao Shijie was taken aback, but he quickly understood the reason. His brow furrowed slightly. "Minmin sees you as very important. Three years ago, your death saddened her for a long time. Part of her depression was because of you. Now that you’re back, she’s so overjoyed..."

He said in a low voice, "I know this is an unreasonable request, but for Minmin’s sake, could you postpone leaving the capital? Or perhaps wait until she’s feeling better before..."

It truly was an unreasonable request.

The dead must be respected above all.

Laying them to rest is the highest priority.

It absolutely could not be delayed.

Especially since the Shen Family had already made all the arrangements and were just waiting to depart tomorrow.

To suddenly say she wasn’t going, that she was staying to help a friend recuperate...

Setting aside what others might say, the Duke Mansion alone would probably think she had lost her mind.

Cui Lingyao could ignore the opinions of others, but Mrs. Shen was this body’s biological mother. She had to fulfill her duty as a daughter.

She pressed her lips together and said softly, "I will be back soon. As soon as I’ve arranged my mother’s funeral, I’ll ride back with all speed."

Zhao Shijie stood frozen for a moment, still not giving up. "Can’t you just not go?"

Making such unreasonable requests time and again was a first for him in his entire life.

But Zhao Shijie couldn’t care about any of that.

He forced himself to say, "I’ll arrange for people to go in your place. I’ll make sure your mother’s funeral is handled beautifully."

If he weren’t so reluctant to leave his wife, he probably would have wanted to go in her place himself.

Cui Lingyao ignored him and said, as if to herself, "After I leave the capital, I’ll send a letter to the Zhao Family every other day. I’ll be back in two months at the latest. You watch over her. Don’t let anything happen to her."

Her mind was made up; she insisted on going to handle her biological mother’s funeral.

This was perfectly understandable, but Zhao Shijie could not accept it.