Volume One, Chapter Two: The Five Thunders Strike Down

Bai Xuanyuan’s eyes streamed tears like a burst faucet, each drop cold as ice, falling onto the back of the man’s hand.

Fu Heng’s heart softened slightly, a strange ache stirring within him.

He gently wiped away her tears.

It was unprecedented—the first time.

He fell silent for a moment. “How about you lie down beside me for a while?”

This bed was just right for one person; his offer was purely out of courtesy.

Bai Xuanyuan looked at him with innocent, large eyes, her tone hesitant and a little embarrassed.

“Husband…”

“You’re so good to me.”

Like a slippery eel, she wriggled under the covers, nudging him to the side.

Turning onto her side, she inadvertently pressed against his wound.

Seeing him grimace in pain, she obediently apologized, “Husband, are you alright? Does it hurt? Should I call a doctor for you?”

Fu Heng drew in a sharp breath.

If not for the clear, tear-filled look in her eyes, he might have suspected she was pressing deliberately on his wound.

He endured the pain and forced a smile, “It’s fine, not painful at all.”

Bai Xuanyuan slipped her cold fingers beneath his shirt, her voice heavy with drowsiness, “Husband, you’re amazing, you even defeated the bad guy. You’re the one in my heart…”

Her words trailed off as she closed her eyes, falling into a deep sleep.

Fu Heng lay partly turned, unable to move much because of the stitches on his abdomen. He could only watch Bai Xuanyuan.

The warm, scattered glow in the hospital room illuminated her delicate features.

Her long eyelashes curled thickly, like tiny stars scattered above; her small nose quivered slightly with each breath; her crimson lips were moist and faintly glossy.

He nearly forgot that at the beginning, it was his infatuation with this beautiful face that led him to marry her.

But living together made him realize she wasn’t the type he truly liked.

She was as quiet as a doll that never spoke.

Only constantly busy with tasks.

And inexplicably jealous, especially hostile toward Shen Wen.

There was nothing between them, yet Bai Xuanyuan always sought trouble with others—tripping people up or pushing them into the water.

When criticized, she sulked, wearing a sour face every day, making him reluctant to come home.

That’s why he never planned to bring her back to the capital.

At dawn, Shen Wen arrived.

She had initially called relatives and neighbors from the village to catch them in the act, but when the crowd arrived, only Xue Junping was there.

Barely alive.

She rushed to her own home, only to find the door half torn off.

The lock she had added last night hung loosely, swinging back and forth.

It wasn’t surprising she was so ruthless.

In her past life, she had schemed endlessly but was blocked by that brat Fu Yuan.

Otherwise, she wouldn’t have resorted to such extremes.

Entering the kitchen, the fire she had started last night was completely doused.

Bai Xuanyuan and the child had vanished without a trace.

She decided to change tactics.

When she met Fu Heng, she would hint that Bai Xuanyuan had lost her purity and was too ashamed to face anyone, so she took the child and disappeared.

That way, Bai Xuanyuan would once again be hated and abandoned, just like in her previous life.

She simply couldn’t stand Bai Xuanyuan’s luck—having such a handsome and promising husband.

And she, though not unattractive, was a widow.

Comparisons made her furious.

She gently knocked on the door, “Captain Fu, are you awake? May I come in?”

Fu Heng glanced at Bai Xuanyuan, who was covered by the blanket.

Her brows furrowed lightly, her fingers curled slightly on his chest, lips parted as she murmured softly, “Husband, I’m scared.”

She seemed to be having a terrible dream.

Seeing the woman clutching his waist tightly, a natural protective instinct for the vulnerable stirred deep within him. He slowly pulled her closer.

Giving her all the security she needed.

Shen Wen, sensing no response, grew anxious. She had prepared a whole slew of bad remarks about Bai Xuanyuan to tell Fu Heng.

There was no way she would leave now.

Winter was colder than usual this year. Standing in the hallway’s draft, she shivered all over.

She remembered Fu Heng always woke early.

Because she often came to wake him up at dawn to ask for help, and he never refused.

Why was he sleeping so soundly today?

It was just a belly wound—it wasn’t going to kill him.

How dare he ignore her!

Betrayal!

He had promised to take good care of her, yet this was the result?

Checking the time, she knocked again, “Captain Fu, you should be awake by now.”

“If you don’t speak, I’ll just come in.”

Fu Heng realized for the first time that Shen Wen had no sense of tact.

He was a man who detested stupidity, and his expression darkened significantly when she entered.

Shen Wen noticed nothing of his displeasure, assuming he was just in a bad mood because of his illness.

Smiling brightly, she took out some fruit and placed it by the bedside, complaining slightly, “Captain Fu, why didn’t you call me in when you woke up? I thought you were still sleeping and didn’t want to disturb you.”

She picked up an apple for herself, “Captain Fu, do you want some? I can peel it for you.”

The man’s face stiffened, “No.”

Shen Wen put on an overly sweet smile, “You’re welcome, I’ll peel the biggest one for you.”

Unaware of his sour expression, her voice grew louder with each word, “Captain Fu, don’t blame me for tattling, but I believe in doing things properly. I can’t stand seeing you like a fool, completely in the dark.”

“Did you know Bai Xuanyuan left the child to go find Xue Junping?”

“As soon as you got hurt, I ran to tell her. She wasn’t worried at all and even went on a date with Xue Junping.”

“She even beat him up—his head was all bloody. It was terrifying.”

“Before I left, I went to her house. She took the child and ran. She’s definitely hiding to cover up that affair.”

“Isn’t that like cuckolding you?”

…

Fu Heng watched her mouth open and close, feeling for the first time how annoying and full of lies she was.

Her story was all over the place—did she mean Bai Xuanyuan was looking for another man, or that Bai Xuanyuan fought a thug?

She was treating him like a fool.

His voice was cold: “Enough.”

Shen Wen looked at him with feigned concern, “Captain Fu, avoiding problems solves nothing.”

“Xuanyuan and I grew up together. Don’t I know her well? She seems gentle but is actually very cunning.”

“She must have found out you won’t bring her back to the capital, so she’s desperate to find a new place.”

Bai Xuanyuan, buried in the blanket, felt as if struck by thunder.

After all this time, everyone in the world knew he wouldn’t take her back to the capital—except her.

It wasn’t because of those false accusations against her, but because from the start, he never wanted to bring her along.

She had foolishly thought those misunderstandings were the cause of his unshakable resentment.

She thought without those misunderstandings, he would take her back to the capital and grow old with her.

The knot she had kept in her heart for forty years was untied, and her world shattered instantly.

Tears surged, and she unconsciously clenched the fabric of his shirt with trembling fingers.