ushernet Chapter 254: Extra Story: Zhou Qichen
Chapter 254: Extra Story: Zhou Qichen
Chapter 254
Several years after the live stream ended, Zhou Qichen finally succumbed to the relentless pressure from his family. His mother's incessant crying and threats of suicide, combined with countless pleas from friends, wore him down.
He abandoned his foolish notions completely.
He married a well-matched young lady from an official family.
Their life together was uneventful, but Zhou Qichen always felt something was missing.
Looking at his gentle-eyed wife before him, Zhou Qichen was haunted by a persistent thought: even with a perfect match on paper, his heart remained unsettled.
"I'm going back to my parents' home tomorrow," Madam Zhou said as she entered Zhou Qichen's study.
"My cousin has reached marriageable age, and father wants me to help vet potential suitors for her."
Zhou Qichen spent time in his study every day after returning from court, though he didn't actually do anything there. It seemed to be the only way he could have some personal space.
Hearing his wife's words, Zhou Qichen didn't even lift his eyes, but his tone was gentle, showing her a measure of respect.
"Very well. I'll escort you there tomorrow."
"If you'd like, feel free to stay for a few days."
Madam Zhou hesitated, wanting to say more, but ultimately just sighed silently and left the study.
Never mind.
She had known this before marrying him. She had simply chosen to love someone who didn't love her back.
Outside, the maid who had come with Madam Zhou as part of her dowry glanced towards the study and said:
"Miss, will the young master accompany you tomorrow?"
Madam Zhou nodded, concealing the dimness in her eyes.
The maid didn't notice her mistress's dejection and said happily, "That's wonderful. Tomorrow let the young master see how modern courtships and marriages work."
"Miss, I've heard others say that since the young master is a general, he doesn't know how to treat women well."
"He should observe how other men court women and treat them kindly. Surely the young master will be inspired."
Madam Zhou didn't respond, because she knew that Zhou Qichen's problem wasn't not knowing how to court women.
It was simply that Zhou Qichen didn't like her.
Even though they were married, Zhou Qichen only fulfilled his duties as a husband.
Although people outside spoke of how devoted and kind Zhou Qichen was to her, she understood very well that Zhou Qichen held no love for her.
But this was something she had known before marrying Zhou Qichen.
She knew that Zhou Qichen was in love with Miss Gu.
At the time, she had wholeheartedly believed that, with time, she could melt Zhou Qichen's heart.
But she had overlooked one thing: Zhou Qichen's heart was as hard as stone, impossible to melt.
Everyone thinks they'll be the exception.
But in the end,
They all become examples.
Before marrying him, she thought she would surely be special, but she discovered she had overestimated herself.
The next day.
Old Madam Zhou watched her son rush to escort his wife back to her parents' home right after returning from court, and couldn't help but feel sorry for him.
Seeing Zhou Qichen's lack of response, Madam Zhou's heart died.
She immediately had her maid pack their belongings and took her daughter back to her parents' home.
Nowadays, under the guidance of Miss Gu and the Queen, women who are divorced are no longer scorned by society, and they can return to their maiden homes.
To be precise, women today have more choices. They are no longer just waiting to be cast aside.
They can also choose to divorce!
Dashu, Zhou Qichen's adopted son, returned from the military camp and heard about what had happened at home.
He brought two jugs of good wine and found Zhou Qichen staring blankly in his study.
"Father, why didn't you speak up for Mother today? Do you really have no feelings for her at all?"
"What if it had been Miss Gu today? Would you have agreed to take a concubine then?"
Zhou Qichen took a big swig from the wine jug and gulped it down. He couldn't explain why, only feeling irritated and confused: "I don't know! Don't ask me."
"I just wanted to balance the relationship between the two of them, but they had to force me to make a choice."
"If it were Gu Sang... heh, but there's no 'if'."
Dashu, however, followed his train of thought and said firmly: "If it were Miss Gu, she wouldn't have stood for it! And you definitely wouldn't have let her suffer such indignity!"
"To be honest, in the two years you've been married, Mother has endured a lot for your sake, but your actions today truly broke her heart."
"I know you don't really want to take a concubine, but you can't withstand Grandmother's persistence and end up nodding along. That's very irresponsible of you."
"I've never seen Mother so angry before. She must be utterly disappointed in you."
Zhou Qichen looked irritably towards the horizon: "If she wants to leave me, then I can only let her go. Maybe it's for the best."
Dashu placed the remaining wine on the table and said, both helplessly and angrily:
"Father, why can't you accept reality?"
"Think it over carefully. Do you truly love Miss Gu, or is it just an obsession born from unrequited love?"
"I don't know how much affection you have for your adoptive mother, or if her efforts over the years have ever moved you even slightly. But I want to tell you, some things, once lost, will never return."
After Dashu left, Zhou Qichen drank alone.
Drunk, he lay on the chair, his mind filled with images of Gu Sang reporting to his wife.
Finally...
Gu Sang gazed at him from afar, then decisively floated away, disappearing completely.
Meanwhile, his wife's graceful smile, the emotions in her eyes, and various scenes of her enduring hardships intertwined, ultimately revealing his wife resolutely reaching out her hand to him.
Zhou Qichen closed his eyes and smiled bitterly.
Before dawn, when Dashu came to bring his adoptive father a coat, worried he might catch cold,
He found the study door wide open, and his adoptive father was already gone.
He probably went to bring his adoptive mother home, Dashu thought.
Looking at the study doorway, Dashu sighed: "Time truly is a wonderful thing. It can dilute everything, and it can also make people choose outcomes they wouldn't have wanted to choose."
"Perhaps it's really difficult for anyone to always stick to their original intentions and true feelings, to never follow the crowd, to never compromise."
"Adoptive father has finally faced reality."
"I'm not sure what love is, but I know that once you step into marriage, from that moment on, besides love, there's also responsibility."