Chapter 44

After coming out of the bathroom, Zhou Zuizui’s eyes were a bit red.

In the end she was still pressed by Shen Nan in the bathroom and thoroughly bullied once.

Shen Nan returned to the bed, slightly lowered his eyelids looking at the person lying on her side on the bed. A head of chestnut long curly hair covered half her face. In her hand she was holding a phone.

He lowered his head to glance, leaned over and propped himself on both sides of her, kissed once, his voice low and hoarse: “What are you looking at?”

“Looking at Weibo.” Zhou Zuizui lifted her eyes to give him a look. She was scrolling Weibo relatively energetically. She said in a low voice: “Now that I’m in charge of the entertainment section interviews, so occasionally I have to look at these big stars’ Weibo.”

Hearing that, Shen Nan froze slightly, smiled gently and said: “See anything?”

“There is.” Zhou Zuizui said with a smile: “There are two female celebrities whose relationship is actually very bad, but on the surface on Weibo they’re still maintaining a very good interpersonal relationship, calling each other little sisters outwardly.”

She looked, rubbed her brow and said: “Actually their relationship is very bad. They often attend events still wearing the same brand of clothes to secretly compete.”

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“Tomorrow and the weekend.” He said in a low voice: “But if there are temporarily no tasks then no need to go out.”

Hearing that, Zhou Zuizui understandingly nodded, put away her phone, buried her head against Shen Nan’s neck and rubbed a little, acting spoiled: “That’s good then.”

At least there were a few days together.

Shen Nan laughed helplessly, curved his lips looking at her: “Any place you want to go?”

Zhou Zuizui froze for a second and looked at him: “Temporarily can’t think of any.”

“Want me to arrange for you?”

Zhou Zuizui laughed helplessly, lifted her head to look at him, touched Shen Nan’s chin and half-narrowed her eyes asking: “Want to take me out to play?”

“No.” Shen Nan said: “I want you to drive your new car and take me out to play.”

Zhou Zuizui burst out laughing, lightly laughed and answered: “Okay. You arrange the location. I drive — how about that.”

“Okay.”

The news of the two of them going out on the weekend was settled like this. It was just that in the end the ones who went out together weren’t the two of them alone.

Shen Nan glanced at the tiredness on her face, reached out and held her, pulled the person into his arms and coaxed softly: “Sleep.”

“Good night.”

“Good night.” Shen Nan answered, lowered his eyes staring at her sleeping face for a long time, then closed his eyes and fell asleep together.

After being outside in closed training for so long, there had always been one thought in his mind. Only when seeing her did that suspended heart just right let down.

Thinking about it, his arm tightened a bit more.

The distance between the two people was just like those stars hanging on both sides in the night sky. As time moved they slowly moved, finally slowly approaching and connecting together.

The next morning, the morning sunlight had already emerged.

It was already July. The weather was getting hotter and hotter. Every morning the moment Zhou Zuizui went out she would be startled by the heat wave that pounced toward her.

You had to admit, the weather here was as always — in summer hot to the point of exploding.

Not long after just going out, a little bit of sweat already started appearing on her forehead. She looked at the person on the side driving to send her to work and felt a bit like laughing.

“Do you have to be this high-profile?”

Shen Nan raised an eyebrow and said without caring: “Yesterday was already high-profile. Today sending you to work is only right and proper.”

This was actually the truth. Zhou Zuizui could roughly guess how many inquiries she would receive when arriving at the newspaper office today. Of course these inquiries… most should be related to Shen Nan. Last time at the newspaper office entrance she got on Ai Zeyang’s Bentley. Later several times Ai Zeyang again drove different luxury cars to pick her up, causing the newspaper office to always have rumors about her.

All kinds of them.

But on ordinary times she just listened with one ear and forgot. Everyone also wouldn’t truly too openly say anything about her. Zhou Zuizui simply pretended not to know.

She had said Ai Zeyang was her friend, but everyone seemed not very believing. So she was thinking what everyone would ask today.

Thinking about it, she lightly laughed out loud.

“What are you laughing about?”

“Nothing.” Zhou Zuizui curved her lips and said: “Just thinking how high everyone’s curiosity toward you is.”

Shen Nan glanced at her and didn’t speak.

From home to the newspaper office didn’t need to take too long. When getting out of the car Zhou Zuizui made a sound and said: “By the way, in the middle of the month my internship will end.”

She looked at Shen Nan with curved eyes: “If I smoothly pass I’ll treat you to a meal.”

Shen Nan laughed: “Okay. When it’s almost time to get off work send me a message. I’ll come pick you up to go home for dinner.”

“No problem.”

After watching her go in, Shen Nan only then drove away, going toward the opposite direction on the other side.

And Zhou Zuizui, just as she imagined, the moment she arrived at the newspaper office she received quite a few curious gazes. The ones a bit bolder directly started asking.

“Zuizui, the one who sent you to work this morning — is it that man from yesterday?”

Zhou Zuizui nodded with a smile: “Yes. What’s wrong?”

The female colleague’s eyes rolled around, curiously staring at her: “Then is that your… husband?”

Yesterday that man under everyone’s eyes called out the nickname. Everyone still remembered it. At that time everyone felt it was so sweet it exploded. Such a manly man, using a low deep doting voice to call wife — any woman would fall.

So the moment the two of them left, everyone lively discussed.

Zhou Zuizui smiled: “Mm. It’s my husband.”

“Wow…”

The surrounding female colleagues sucked in a breath. The gazes looking at her were full of envy.

“Your husband seems to be the first time coming to pick you up from work.”

“Zuizui what does your husband do? He looks so imposing.”

“Yes yes, that especially manly feeling, very powerful!!!”

“Is he a businessman? But feels like he doesn’t have that businessman kind of aura. Anyway his net worth is definitely not bad!”

……

Everyone asked with seven mouths and eight tongues. Zhou Zuizui gave a light smile and very proudly told everyone: “He’s a soldier.” She looked at the group of little girls who froze in front of her and said: “My husband is a soldier.”

“Ah…”

The colleagues in front froze for a second, blinked looking at her, somewhat unable to believe: “A soldier?”

In their tones, a sense of loss could be heard.

Zhou Zuizui hummed once. The smile on her face lightened a bit. She nodded: “A soldier. Any other questions?”

In an instant everyone’s curiosity instantly wasn’t high anymore.

“No no more. Zuizui you busy first.”

Zhou Zuizui looked around once, knew these few people’s little thoughts. Although she felt very uncomfortable, she also didn’t say much.

In many people’s hearts, marrying a soldier wasn’t any good thing. After all soldiers had no money and every day needed to worry and fear. In many people’s eyes they even didn’t look up to soldiers that much.

Because for soldiers, the most important might not be wife and children, but the country, their own comrades. This was also why this group of people the moment they heard it was a soldier, their interest dissipated.

They had no interest in soldiers.

Although Zhou Zuizui was very unhappy, she also couldn’t change anything.

Most people were bystanders. When needing protection they would think of soldiers, but on ordinary times toward soldiers there was still quite a lot of disdain. Feeling these are soldiers, definitely no culture no money. After all people with culture and money — who would be willing to be a soldier.

This kind of concept couldn’t be twisted around. Zhou Zuizui also didn’t want to twist it. Anyway how good soldiers were, how good Shen Nan was — as long as she herself knew it was fine. No need to tell others.

But sometimes she still hoped this world could be a bit kinder, whether toward soldiers or toward people of other professions.

After the people surrounding this side left, Lin You looked at her, patted her shoulder: “Don’t take them seriously.”

Zhou Zuizui laughed helplessly: “Won’t. I understand everyone’s thoughts.”

After all people are a bit selfish. She was the same.

Lin You raised her cup toward her and said: “Your husband is the pride of the country.”

Zhou Zuizui burst out laughing, clinked cups with her: “Exaggerated. He’s just doing what he should do.”

Originally Zhou Zuizui thought this matter would just pass like this. After all everyone’s thoughts were different. Soldiers were too bitter. Everyone not liking it was also very normal. No normal person would be willing for their own husband, or other relatives and friends and such to suffer, to risk their own lives to exchange for other people’s lives.

This point she truly could understand. But toward the people gossiping behind the back, she was still extremely unhappy. Especially when they used filthy words to evaluate a soldier.

She couldn’t hold back from getting angry.

The entire morning was peaceful. Zhou Zuizui was writing the manuscripts from the previous few days. Her writing was still pretty good — sharp and concise. Often one sentence could summarize the key points.

Lin You and the chief editor both valued her quite a bit. The moment her manuscripts came out and were sent, they received a large amount of good reviews. Everyone liked her style. Although there were also some who couldn’t accept it, obviously some of their newspaper office’s news volume increased.

At noon she ate takeout with Lin You. Zhou Zuizui then lay on the desk resting for half an hour.

Halfway she got up and went to the bathroom once. When her brain was chaotic she liked sitting on the toilet to think. Just now there happened to be one point she couldn’t get past, so Zhou Zuizui took her phone and drilled into the bathroom.

In her phone she still received quite a few messages Xia Wen sent. This person’s long vacation just ended. She returned to the company for work. Probably work was boring — she kept complaining nonstop.

Xia Wen: Let me tell you, I’ve already been back working for one week and can still hear everyone’s evaluations of me.

Xia Wen: Truly so boring. Where’s your manuscript? You said you’d hand it in after I finished traveling. Treating me like this?

Xia Wen: Fuck, I just argued a few sentences with someone. That person actually said I’m a woman no one wants. Do I look like a woman no one wants? I just got a divorce. How did I become no one wants me? The people chasing me line up from my house door to Tiananmen Square okay!!!

……

Zhou Zuizui looked at them one by one, silently smiled, leaned to the side and replied to Xia Wen.

Zhou Zuizui: That is true. The people chasing you are indeed a lot. Any you fancy?

Xia Wen replied very quickly: No. This old lady is beautiful as a flower. Why should I be tripped by marriage.

Zhou Zuizui: Oh? This is implying something?

Xia Wen: Of course. You’re definitely different. Your family’s Captain Shen is too handsome too manly. If I could meet such an unmatched good man I would also be willing to marry again.

Zhou Zuizui was just about to reply when she heard soft conversation sounds coming from outside — familiar voices.

“Hey I say, did you hear what Zhou Zuizui said this morning? Her husband is actually a soldier.” They had long been unable to stand Zhou Zuizui. Relying on her ability being okay, relying on having beauty, attracting all the men in the newspaper office over. In the newspaper office, as long as Zhou Zuizui had any difficulty, those male colleagues would absolutely be the first to stand up and help.

Even after knowing she was married it was still like this. So everyone’s resentment was very deep.

Of course, it was only individual parts.

“Heard it.” The other person said with secret joy: “I still thought how amazing. Didn’t expect it’s an uncultured soldier. Tsk tsk.”

“Ai, tell me how she would marry a soldier. Before didn’t Shasha say she’s very rich? Still some mall’s Young Madam.”

“Probably lying. Maybe just coming to prop up the scene. But also a bit suspicious. Her husband is a soldier. Where would a soldier have money to buy such expensive cars? Probably tricking us.”

“Maybe. Looking at her appearance she also doesn’t look like an honest person.” A slightly sharper female voice said: “Look before there were so many luxury cars coming to pick her up from work. Who knows… what her private life is really like.”

She laughed stealthily: “Maybe marrying a soldier, the soldier has no time to control her. You also know how busy soldiers are. And maybe anytime they’ll die in the line of duty. At that time whatever Zhou Zuizui wants to do is still free. The abacus is calculated really well. Just don’t know when her husband will die… Let me tell you soldiers are truly too dangerous. In the blink of an eye they’re gone.”

“This is true. The idea is calculated really well. Husband sacrifices, maybe can still get a martyr’s family member title……”

“Don’t know if her husband dies whether she will… ah…”

……

While the two of them were speaking halfway, a bucket of dirty water dropped from the sky and poured down.

“Ah who is it!”

“Fuck!!!”

The two of them jumped in rage, but the water had already all poured down.

This action attracted quite a few colleagues to surround: “What’s wrong what’s wrong?”

Everyone gathered over. After seeing the water on the two of them they all stared wide-eyed, a bit unable to believe.

“This…” Everyone’s gazes looked toward Zhou Zuizui.

Zhou Zuizui threw the bucket to the side, clapped her palms looking at the two people whose whole bodies were dirty and messy, tugged at her lips and said: “I warn you, keep your mouths clean.”

“You…” One of them pointed at Zhou Zuizui glaring: “What are you doing?”

Zhou Zuizui smiled slightly. Her eyes were full of fierce energy: “You should be glad I reformed myself. Otherwise today what I poured on you wouldn’t be a bucket of mop water.” She used her height advantage to suppress the two of them’s arrogance, saying word by word: “Next time if you let me hear half a point of disrespect toward the soldier profession, I’ll finish you!”

After saying that, Zhou Zuizui also didn’t care about the two people’s shouting behind and walked straight out of the bathroom.

And the rest of the melon-eating crowd completely looked blank.

Ten minutes later, Zhou Zuizui and the other two were called to the chief editor’s office.

She sat on the chair with a lazy face, still holding her phone turning it.

The other two were complaining to the chief editor, one sentence after another, directly convicting Zhou Zuizui.

The chief editor listened, rather having a headache: “Zuizui, you come properly explain. What’s going on with this?”

Zhou Zuizui gave a light smile: “Nothing much to say. I just poured a bucket of water on them.” She looked at the chief editor in front and laughed once: “Chief Editor if you have any difficulty just punish me. I accept it all.”

The chief editor looked troubled: “This…” He always felt there was some hidden situation.

Even if the chief editor wanted to punish Zhou Zuizui, he couldn’t punish her. This person had a greeting from above. No one could touch her. As long as she didn’t kill or set fire in the newspaper office, everything else was free.

He looked at Zhou Zuizui: “There’s also no surveillance over by the bathroom. You guys honestly tell me. What’s going on exactly.”

Zhou Zuizui lifted her eyelids, expression cold: “You ask them.”

Those two exchanged a glance and started: “We just softly said a couple of sentences in the bathroom, didn’t do anything. She suddenly poured a bucket of water on us.”

“Yes yes. We didn’t even say about her!”

Staff liking to gossip in the bathroom — this point the chief editor knew. How to put it, places with many women had a lot of gossip. What’s more their newspaper office. This point was very normal.

He made a sound: “Just because of gossip? Zuizui made a move on you?”

“Otherwise!” That person said: “If you don’t believe ask Shasha. When we were talking Shasha just happened to pass by the doorway.”

In an instant Chen Shasha was also called to the office.

When Chen Shasha was asked she said lightly: “Chief Editor, they indeed didn’t say anything much. Just discussed some gossip. When I passed by I didn’t hear Zuizui’s name.”

Chief editor: “…………”

Hearing that, Zhou Zuizui raised an eyebrow, curved the corners of her mouth looking at Chen Shasha with a neither-smile-nor-not-smile look: “Like this?”

“Yes… yes.” Chen Shasha felt a bit guilty being looked at by her.

In the end the chief editor also had no way and could only say to Zhou Zuizui: “How to punish — let me properly think about it.” He looked at Zhou Zuizui: “Zuizui, how about this afternoon you first go back and rest a bit?”

“No problem.” Zhou Zuizui raised an eyebrow and said: “Thanks Chief Editor. Then I’ll get off work first.”

After going out she ran into Lin You: “What’s going on?”

“Nothing.” Zhou Zuizui moved her neck, smiled slightly and said: “Talk about it on Monday. I’m getting off work first.”

Lin You: “…………”

Until after Zhou Zuizui left, Lin You still hadn’t recovered. And the other colleagues all successively thought Zhou Zuizui was fired.

It was right. In the newspaper office openly pouring mop water on colleagues — if not firing then keeping for what.

After leaving the newspaper office, Zhou Zuizui rubbed her brow, very annoyed as she kicked a stone under her feet once.

Fuck!

She thought of those three people’s victorious mouths just now. At that time she should have taken the trash can and poured it down, not only given them a bucket of water as a lesson.

Thinking about it, Zhou Zuizui took a deep breath, then turned and walked to the side.

Conveniently dialed Shen Nan’s phone: “I’m off work. What are you doing?”

Twenty minutes later Shen Nan’s car stopped in front of her. He looked sideways at the person sitting by the roadside: “Get in.”

After getting in, Shen Nan also didn’t ask why Zhou Zuizui got off work early. He observed his own wife’s expression for a moment and asked in a low voice: “Where do you want to go now?”

“Go home.” Zhou Zuizui curved the corners of her mouth and said: “Go see Grandpa.”

Shen Nan’s Adam’s apple rolled. He answered her: “Okay.”

The two of them directly went home. Toward the people who came back several hours early, Mother Shen was shocked for a second and looked at the two of them: “Zuizui not working?”

Zhou Zuizui made a sound: “I rested early.”

Although Mother Shen was curious she also didn’t ask more.

“Grandpa is still resting upstairs. Do you two want to go take a nap?” She said: “Finally coming back to rest a bit. Relax.”

Mother Shen looked at Shen Nan and glanced: “Lost weight again?”

Shen Nan laughed helplessly, reached out and hugged Mother Shen: “Then trouble Mom to make more delicious food for us at night okay.”

“Okay.”

After going upstairs, Zhou Zuizui looked at Shen Nan’s expression of wanting to speak but stopping, rolled her eyes at him: “What do you want to ask?”

“What’s going on today?”

Zhou Zuizui thought for a moment, simply said the situation at the newspaper office, saying in a low voice: “Couldn’t listen anymore, so I poured a bucket of water on them.”

“Clean water?”

“Of course not.” Zhou Zuizui glanced at him: “You think I would only give a bucket of clean water? Wouldn’t that just be letting them take a bath.”

She said: “What I took was the water that had washed the mop in the bathroom.”

Shen Nan: “…………”

He laughed helplessly, reached out and held the person in his arms, lowered his head and kissed her ear, asking in a low voice: “Why so impulsive?”

“I’m not impulsive.” She said: “I can’t stand other people having misunderstandings toward you.”

Toward herself she could still endure, but toward Shen Nan, toward soldiers having slander — she couldn’t endure. Such soldiers who protected the country and protected their safety — how when reaching their mouths became so complicated and hard to say.

How great soldiers were, sacrificing themselves to save people, using their own lives to exchange for other people’s lives. Such great people — why should they be blamed by everyone, be teased and cursed by everyone with that kind of tone.

Zhou Zuizui truly couldn’t endure it anymore.

Saying other gossip she could ignore past, but this point she resolutely couldn’t.

Shen Nan knew her thoughts, and also knew his own wife was protecting him so she would be like this. But the more it was like this, the more he felt heartache.

Everyone’s misunderstandings toward the soldier profession were very deep and also very heavy. In this world there were people who revered them, and also people who disdained them. No matter which kind, they accepted it. Occasionally hearing other people’s evaluations of them, although bad, they could also endure it and accept it.

So toward Zhou Zuizui’s protection like this today, in Shen Nan’s heart there was an indescribable touch.

The two of them held each other for a long time. Zhou Zuizui said in a low voice: “You’re so good. Why should you be misunderstood by people. Why should you be slandered by them.”

She gritted her teeth and said: “If not considering still being at the newspaper office, I would have made a move long ago.”

Shen Nan hummed once and held the person even tighter a bit.

It was just that Zhou Zuizui never expected this matter would be known by Mother Shen.

The two of them had just gone down from the room when they heard Mother Shen talking on the phone in the living room, looking furious. After seeing Zhou Zuizui come down, the first thing Mother Shen asked was: “Zuizui, are you okay? Today at the newspaper office were you bullied by people?”

Zhou Zuizui froze, looking at Mother Shen in surprise: “Mom… what do you mean by this?”

Mother Shen made a sound, waved her hand and said: “This later. You had a conflict with colleagues at the newspaper office? Why?”

Hearing that, Shen Nan glanced at the two of them and roughly understood the meaning of Mother Shen’s words. He paused, directly took out Zhou Zuizui’s phone, and played the recording she had in the bathroom.

She had a recording. It was just that at that time facing the chief editor she didn’t want to take it out. She just wanted to see without the recording how those few people would use clever tongues to defend and excuse themselves, even pouring dirty water on herself.

The two people’s dialogue word by word played out in the living room. After listening, Shen Nan and Zhou Zuizui both had no expression. Mother Shen gritted her teeth looking at Zhou Zuizui: “You only poured a bucket of water on the two of them?”

“Mop water.” She emphasized.

Mother Shen stomped her foot, looking at Zhou Zuizui with the hatred of iron not becoming steel: “How could you let them off so easily? At that time you should have taken the mop and beaten them up!” She said: “If something happens Mom’s side will cover it! These people actually dared to say this about my son and daughter-in-law. Simply making me so angry I’m dying!!!”

Zhou Zuizui: “……”

Author’s note: Mother Shen: Mom will help you settle the people.

Chuichui: I was preparing to settle the people on Monday.

Mother Shen: I’ll do it!! Making me so angry I’m dying!!!

Chuichui: …Why is the development of the matter different.