Five minutes later, Zhan Bei Jue changed into a set of dry casual clothes and quietly sneaked into Jiang Nan Fang's room like a night stalker.
The door closed, and as he turned around, he saw Jiang Nan Fang, dazed from drinking, slumped on the edge of the sofa and rambling incoherently.
He didn't rush to help her up. Instead, he went into the master bedroom while she wasn't paying attention.
The four little ones were lying side by side on the bed, their eyes wide open, like eight shining pearls in the dark night.
Seeing him, they scrambled to their feet.
Zhan Bei Jue walked over and hugged them one by one.
They all sniffed his familiar scent, felt his strength, and eagerly expressed their longing for him.
"Daddy, what did you do today to make Mommy so sad? She cried, she looked so pitiful."
"When can we finally tell her the truth?"
Zhan Bei Jue looked at them with affection.
"Daddy was wrong today, so I'm here to apologize to Mommy. The truth can't be told yet, be good, and wait a little longer."
"When Grandma and Aunt's conditions improve, I have my plans."
Seeing his slightly tired expression, the children were very understanding.
"Alright. Then Daddy, don't work too hard. Although we're not around, we think of you every day and still love you. We'll be heartbroken if you exhaust yourself."
"Daddy knows. My darlings, be good. Listen to Mommy when I'm not here, and help me speak well of me, don't let her hate me too much, okay?"
After a tender moment between father and sons, Zhan Bei Jue tucked them back into bed, kissed each of them again, and then left.
Returning to the living room, Jiang Nan Fang, who had been rambling incoherently, was already about to fall asleep.
She was barefoot, hadn't washed, and was slumped there, her face flushed, her hair messy across her face.
But to Zhan Bei Jue, she had a unique, disheveled beauty.
When she was neat and proper, he found her elegantly beautiful.
When she was slumped and askew, he found her casually beautiful.
No matter her posture, she was always beautiful.
Alas, such a wonderful wife, and he had still hurt her heart.
After watching for a moment, his heart was filled with mixed emotions.
Zhan Bei Jue walked over, squatted beside her, and gently touched her cheek with his finger.
Taking advantage of her current state of confusion, he leaned in and kissed her.
The sweet, fragrant sensation instantly surged through every cell of his body.
Not only Zhan Bei Jue, but Jiang Nan Fang also felt it instantly.
With a "whoosh," she opened her eyes and found a man's face pressed against hers. She instinctively pulled her head back and pushed him away.
Only then did she realize it was Zhan Bei Jue.
Jiang Nan Fang's forehead buzzed with anger.
"It's you? You scumbag! Liar! How dare you come looking for me?"
She raised her weak foot and kicked him.
"What were you doing just now? Shameless! Scum! Who let you in?"
Zhan Bei Jue didn't dodge, letting her soft kicks land on his firm chest.
"The floor is cold. If you have something to say, get up and talk."
"Can you get up? Do you need me to carry you?"
"Who needs your carrying! Liar, big liar, why aren't you with your pretty little sister? Why are you here looking for me?"
Jiang Nan Fang continued to kick his chest while mumbling curses at him.
"Tell me I'm ugly, that my lipstick color doesn't suit me? Do you think you're so great?"
"A man over thirty, you don't fancy me, and I don't fancy you either!"
"Director Xie... *gag*... looking at you makes me sick, get away from me!"
Zhan Bei Jue knew he had gone too far tonight, so he was mentally prepared for whatever she said.
"Alright, alright, I'm an old man, and you don't fancy me."
"I'm sorry, I spoke too harshly just now, I apologize."
"The floor is cold. If you want to curse me, let's wash up and go to bed to curse, okay?"
"You even want to..."
Jiang Nan Fang lifted her other foot and kicked him back and forth.
"Who do you think you are? You're divorced and still bothering me, I'll beat you to death!"
Zhan Bei Jue felt uncharacteristically embarrassed.
"I didn't mean it like that, I meant to help you back to bed."
"I don't need it! Take your dirty hands off! Who knows how many wild women your dirty hands have touched?"
If it weren't for the fact that she was clearly lacking strength, her head swaying, her eyes unfocused, Zhan Bei Jue would have almost thought she was faking her drunkenness.
Who gets drunk and still has such clear logic? Such a clear mind?
"Alright, alright, I won't touch you. Then get up yourself. If you don't want to go to bed, can you lie on the sofa?"
"Who needs your apology? Who knows what you're up to again..."
Suddenly, Jiang Nan Fang's neck stiffened.
"The children? You've come to snatch the children from me! You're going to take them away, aren't you?"
"You want that girl from the film academy to be their stepmother? I'll kill you!"
Zhan Bei Jue: "..."
She couldn't kick him anymore, so she pouted and pretended to cry.
"I gave birth to these children through hardship, raised them alone through hardship. You can't snatch them from me, Zhan Bei Jue, I hate you so much..."
Zhan Bei Jue didn't know what to do with her now.
He couldn't touch her, and he couldn't not touch her.
Fearing she would cry, he could only raise his hands, stiffen his body, and adopt a posture of surrender.
"I didn't come to snatch the children, I really came to apologize. Be good, get up first."
"You didn't come to snatch the children? You want to apologize to me? Why do you want to apologize to me?"
"..."
"Because you lied to me, you lied to me terribly!"
Tears streamed down her face, and she spoke as if to herself.
"Since I was young, you were the only one. And you? You really need to apologize to me."
"But I won't forgive you. Not only won't I forgive you, but I'll also want back all the money I spent on you before."
"Zhan Bei Jue, you don't deserve me spending money on you, you don't deserve me being sad for you, you don't deserve me doing so much for you."
"This money was saved for my children. How could you use it to buy cars, houses, and bags for those women? Give it back to me! Give it all back to me!"
Why did it suddenly turn to money again?
Zhan Bei Jue didn't dare to argue with her.
"Alright, alright, I'll give you the money back. You get up first, and I'll give you the money back."
Jiang Nan Fang finally withdrew her feet from his chest, but she still lay slumped on the sofa, looking at him with a hazy gaze.
"Stop lying to me. What if I get up and you don't give it back? Give it back now, I'll watch you give it back, or we're not done!"
It was late October, and although it was a bit cold, it wasn't too cold yet, not yet time for the floor heating.
Perhaps she found the carpet dirty, as she had specifically moved it aside when eating on the floor.
In any case, seeing her sitting on the cold floor like that, Zhan Bei Jue felt heartbroken.
She asked for money, and he immediately took out his wallet.
"Click, click, click!" All four black cards were presented to her.
"Unlimited, no password, swipe as much as you want. It's all yours."