Rebirth to a Military Marriage: Good Morning Chief

“Do you mean that everyone who has gone to jail before is single? Don’t be too nervous and don’t think too much. The situation can’t be so bad!”

“Mom, it’s not about whether people who’ve gone to jail can get married. Mom, I don’t want to go to jail. Can you help me tell Qiao Nan and order her not to come after me? I didn’t cause any harm to anyone. I didn’t commit arson or murder anyone. I’m sure Qiao Nan was unhappy with me and used her position to get her revenge on me by framing me.” Up until now, Qiao Zijin still did not understand why she faced a possible jail term.

All she knew was that even the most hardworking reporters who had just been interviewing her a few days earlier were now nowhere to be found. If even the magazines had been blacklisted, could she alone be even more powerful than the entire magazine company? She did not want to end up like those magazine publishers who would not be able to rise from the ashes in the future. “Mom, how can she commit such brazen acts as an official? How can she just arrest someone because she wants to? Aren’t there any laws in our country? When did our country fall into such a state? How will commoners like us live in the future?

Ding Jiayi’s face darkened. “Things can be eaten carelessly, but words cannot be spoken carelessly. Do you still think you haven’t caused enough trouble? I’m not sure about other things, but think carefully. You also said that Qiao Nan is an official, a national cadre. What you’ve harped on is Qiao Nan not acknowledging her relatives and refusing to meet you after becoming the minister of foreign affairs. It’s no surprise that the state has interfered…”

Now that Ding Jiayi was not agreeing with her, Qiao Zijin no longer yelled in injustice or grievance. “All right, Mom. Stop analyzing it. I know that Qiao Nan and the Zhai family went on a holiday during the National Day period. But today is the seventh. She’s definitely back. Hurry and help me think of a solution. Don’t let Qiao Nan make me take responsibility for this! At most, I will stop this. If I have any requests, I will demand them nicely. There is still room for negotiation and bargaining when buying things. Qiao Nan is being too harsh by doing this!”

Qiao Zijin had never thought of skipping the intermediate steps and whacking her to death. But this time, Qiao Nan had been too harsh on her and had left no room for her at all. If Qiao Nan had not gone so far, she would not have been so furious as to expose the truth to everyone. If Qiao Nan had just a tiny bit of conscience left in her, this matter would have been settled between them long ago.

“…” Ding Jiayi clutched her chest. “So you mean that you’re about to be thrown into jail by Qiao Nan, but you’re still asking me to help you beg Qiao Nan for mercy and ask Qiao Nan to provide you with a villa, as well as five thousand dollars of living allowance every month?”

“I…” Qiao Zijin spoke. “It doesn’t have to be a villa. It’s all right as long as it’s bigger than your house now. As for the living allowance, just give me however much she gives you. If it’s not enough, I’ll go find a job.” Qiao Zijin spat out that last sentence rather forcefully and reluctantly. As if finding a job and taking less money from Qiao Nan was already giving in.

“Zijin, it’s not that I don’t want to help you. But I’ll give you two suggestions if you have such requests. Firstly, wait until Ying Ying grows up to enjoy a good life that she provides you with. Secondly, work hard to find a husband like Zhou Zheng. In these ways, your demands will be fulfilled.” There was no way she was going to live such a lifestyle on Qiao Nan’s accounts.

“Zijin, as a mother, I really don’t want to say this, but I can’t hold it in anymore. Other than living in a different city, wasn’t the Zhou family’s house bigger than mine before you got divorced? Was the money that Zhou Zheng gave you every month less than what Qiao Nan gives me? The cost of living in Ping Cheng is low. The money that Zhou Zheng gave you was enough for you to spend and you didn’t even need to go out to work. Look at yourself. After getting divorced, even if you want to stay in a house smaller than the Zhou family’s, take less money than what Zhou Zheng gave you, go and work to get some money, Qiao Nan still would not agree to these requests. What have you been doing these few months?”

While she was in Ping Cheng, Zijin was still the Zhou family’s daughter-in-law. She had led a life that was even better than what she was asking for.

But Zijin had not wanted such a good married life and had started an affair outside. Ding Jiayi wondered if Qiao Zijin’s brains were empty or if she was retarded.

“…”

“Oh, why aren’t you saying anything?”

“…” Qiao Zijin inhaled sharply. It was not that she did not know. But she did not know what to say anymore.

It really did seem true that her life in the Zhou family was much better than her current one. Even if she were to lower her demands, Qiao Nan would still refuse to give in and provide her with a house and living allowances. Why had she gone through so much trouble to get a life that could not even compare to the one she had in the Zhou family?

Ding Jiayi sat down dispiritedly. “Zijin, actually, Qiao Nan has been pretty good to you. Don’t rebut me without thinking it through. Now, you’re finally seeing that your life after marrying into the Zhou family was not bad, right? Without Qiao Nan, there was no way you could have married Zhou Zheng. Can we look at this from another angle? After Qiao Nan helped arrange your marriage with Zhou Zheng, she has already fulfilled all your demands and helped you live a life that you wanted.”

It was just that Zijin had not treasured it and had ruined such a good life.

Whether she admitted to it, these were the facts.

Ding Jiayi’s voice was filled with fatigue. “I’m Qiao Nan’s mom, but she never treated me as her mom. Apart from giving me a house to stay in and a monthly allowance, she refuses to speak to me. I’ve never seen the three children either. Do you really think I’ll be able to help you convince Qiao Nan to stop any legal actions against you? But if I can really do it, Zijin, can you stop with all your nonsense? Let’s just live our lives quietly in the future, shall we?”

She was not faking it. She was truly exhausted.

Ding Jiayi had been making a din for almost two decades, but what had that led to?

Her husband had gotten a divorce from her, and her elder daughter was selfish and stingy. It would already be filial if her elder daughter did not spend her money. Her younger daughter practically treated her as though she didn’t exist. Other than duty, she did not have any relationship with her. After spending time alone in her house for such a long time, there was no way Ding Jiayi was not going to feel lonely. Then, she recalled her past, especially the times before she got a divorce from her husband, before her family became a mess. Those had been good times.

If making a fuss could make life easier, then it would be acceptable. Ding Jiayi would not stop Qiao Zijin either. But the problem was that making a fuss would only worsen the problem.