Chapter 11: Dreaming

After taking the medicine, Qingqing Shen’s condition improved significantly.

She was unfamiliar with this place, having no one to talk to.

She could only take out her book and continue her translation work.

With amnesia, she might forget many people and events in the future. Qingqing Shen wasn’t even sure if she would forget all her skills.

The thought terrified her.

But she had no one to confide in, no one to seek comfort from.

Her mind pictured a tall figure—her husband, the person who should have been closest to her.

Qingqing Shen tugged at the corner of her mouth, revealing a self-mocking smile.

Living like this, this marriage was indeed a failure.

She cast aside the chaotic thoughts from her mind.

The future was unpredictable; the only thing she could do was seize the present.

If she couldn’t hold onto the man, then she must at least hold onto her skills, so that if they divorced, she could still support herself.

She decided to read the book multiple times each day, repeatedly reinforcing her memory—hoping it might help.

With this mindset, Qingqing Shen worked more diligently than before.

The tip of her pen scratched softly against the paper, occasionally accompanied by the sound of turning pages.

The room was quiet, lit warmly in yellow light, with only her presence.

Footsteps occasionally echoed in the hallway, dispelling the fear in Qingqing Shen’s heart.

This place was safe; even without Zhixun Jiang, she didn’t have to be constantly on edge.

After an unknown span of time, there was a knock at the door.

It was Comrade Li from the front desk.

“Captain Jiang said you’re ill and asked me to check on you every two hours. Comrade Shen, have you taken your medicine? Are you feeling any better now?”

Li’s tone was filled with envy.

Marrying a capable and handsome man like that, Comrade Shen was truly lucky!

Qingqing Shen took a deep breath, suppressing the ripple of emotions in her heart.

He was always like this.

Rejecting her closeness on one hand, yet meticulously caring for her on the other.

Giving her illusions.

Making her believe that if she tried hard enough, Zhixun Jiang would notice her.

But the truth proved: if there’s no love, there’s no love.

Even though they had a marriage certificate, he would rather be stationed in the distant northwest than face her.

Everything he did now was just out of responsibility.

“Comrade Shen?”

Seeing her displeased expression, Li grew anxious.

“Are you running a fever again? I’ll take you to the hospital.”

Qingqing Shen shook her head. “I’m fine now.”

She pointed to the books on the table. “I can sit and read. You don’t need to come anymore.”

Li craned his neck to look and saw the book was upside down, but the cover was visible.

Yet, he recognized none of the characters on it.

His gaze toward Qingqing Shen became cautious and assessing.

Not wanting to cause trouble for herself or Zhixun Jiang, Qingqing Shen took out her work ID from her bag.

“I work at a publishing house as a translator.”

Li realized he had overthought it and blushed.

Stammering, he said, “Comrade Shen, you’re really impressive. No wonder Captain Jiang, such a hard man to catch, is taken by you.”

Beautiful, fluent in foreign languages, and with a respectable job—surely many were after Comrade Shen!

Her lips curved gently, radiating warmth and intelligence.

Li thought that if he were a man, he’d be smitten with her too.

Seeing Qingqing Shen in good spirits, Li relaxed. “I won’t bother you then.”

“Thank you.”

“No trouble at all.”

Li waved his hands repeatedly and left without lingering.

The room fell silent again, but Qingqing Shen couldn’t concentrate anymore.

She stared at the lines of text, her mind gradually drifting away.

That phone call—Zhixun Jiang’s mother’s words were filled with reminders to keep the bigger picture in mind.

Not to make a scene and affect Jiang’s future.

If she thought more of herself, she would have decisively asked for a divorce.

But she couldn’t.

Since she was fifteen, the Jiang family had been supporting her, providing for her education, clothes, and food, never letting her suffer.

Back then, Zhixun Jiang was already rising as a promising young pilot.

They hadn’t spent much time together, but whenever he came home, he gave her pocket money.

He was cold by nature, sometimes sharp-tongued, scolding until cheeks flushed.

Yet, Qingqing Shen held onto his kindness deep in her heart.

Aside from the cold war of the past three years, she couldn’t think of any fault in Zhixun Jiang.

No, even during those years, he sent her allowance.

That wasn’t so bad.

They… were simply incompatible.

Qingqing Shen laid her head on the table, her silky long hair sliding along her slender back to one side, the ends fluttering in the air.

Like her mood at this moment, rippling endlessly.

...

Qingqing Shen’s arrival shattered the calm.

Zhixun Jiang was deeply affected; she appeared in his dreams for the first time.

They first met when she was still a girl.

She had just come from Shanghai, wearing a dress, with twin ponytails, standing nervously in the courtyard, calling him Brother Zhixun.

At that time, her parents had recently passed away, and she had no reliable relatives.

A sheltered young girl unfamiliar with the harshness of the world, suddenly left without support.

She was anxious, fearful that a wrong word or deed would make the Jiang family dislike her.

Zhixun Jiang wasn’t a particularly sensitive man, but upon meeting Qingqing Shen, he noticed her unease.

So he gave her a fountain pen.

Saying it was a gift for their meeting.

Qingqing Shen settled in the compound.

She went to school; he served in the military.

They had little interaction, hardly seeing each other through the year.

To Zhixun Jiang, she was just an added little sister; she didn’t affect his life much.

Yet in his dreams, Qingqing Shen’s image became clearer and clearer, and at some point, he even noticed the tiny tear mole near her eye.

When they registered their marriage, she was just twenty.

Beautiful and gentle-tempered, she was the secret crush of many boys in the compound.

At that time, their grandfather was hospitalized, his condition worsening day by day.

He often murmured that he hadn’t seen Zhixun marry or Qingqing wed, and he couldn’t let go.

That was the boldest moment for Qingqing Shen.

In the hospital room, before many people, she said she wanted to marry him.

Perhaps out of nervousness or shyness, her face turned bright red.

Yet she stared unblinkingly at him and asked, “Brother Zhixun, would you be willing to be my revolutionary partner?”

In his dream, Zhixun Jiang heard the question again.

He was silent for a long time.

When Qingqing Shen’s cheeks flushed crimson, embarrassed to the point of wishing to disappear, he nodded.

“Then let’s get married.”

Zhixun Jiang woke up abruptly, his breath ragged, the image of Qingqing Shen’s expression clear in his mind.

Those sharply contrasting black and white eyes, shining brightly.

The eyes held surprise.

Three years ago, Zhixun Jiang thought Qingqing Shen and their grandfather were putting on a show, deliberately coaxing him into marriage.

This deliberately arranged marriage became a shackle that suffocated him.

Not knowing how to vent, he chose to escape.

That escape lasted three years.

His resentment towards Qingqing Shen quietly faded over more than a thousand days and nights.

But that didn’t mean he could accept this marriage.

Zhixun Jiang pressed his temples, deciding to keep his distance from Qingqing Shen.

He would not see her again before returning to the capital.

After sending her back and explaining to the elders, he would return to the northwest and continue sending his monthly allowance.

Casting away the tangled thoughts, Zhixun Jiang forced himself to sleep again.

Unexpectedly, he dreamed of Qingqing Shen once more.

She was alone on a train, encountering a lecherous man, leaving her traumatized.

In the guesthouse room, afraid to sleep, she lit a lamp and cried alone, leaning on the table.

Her skin was pale; her nose red from crying, and her eyes frighteningly red.

She was still ill and fainted after crying...

Before dawn, Zhixun Jiang appeared at the guesthouse, his expression dark.

He felt he was being tormented to madness by Qingqing Shen.

She was crying nonstop in his dream; if he didn’t come see her, he couldn’t rest easy!