Volume One, Chapter 13: Husband, Hold Me So I Can Calm Down

Jiang Ning did not reply again.

At this point, her relationship with Lu Cheng only allowed her to fulfill the duty of offering a reminder; saying too much would be overstepping. After placing her order for takeout, Jiang Ning turned on the television and put on a comedy she had already seen. She wasn’t watching it for entertainment—she just wanted some noise in the house.

Half an hour later, her food arrived. The spicy, fragrant hot pot, enhanced with millet peppers, released a pungent aroma as soon as she lifted the lid, causing her to cough lightly. She had just taken a bite when her phone vibrated—a new message on WeChat.

It was a photo: a large bowl filled with pitch-black Chinese herbal medicine, a hand held above it for size reference. A text message followed right after.

Jian Shuyan: I want to put some rat poison in this. If I die, so be it.

Jiang Ning: Don’t even think about it. These days, rat poison is all counterfeit anyway—it won’t kill you, but it’ll make life worse than death.

Jian Shuyan sent over an emoji of someone collapsing in tears.

Jiang Ning: My deepest sympathies.

Jian Shuyan was Jiang Ning’s childhood friend, a master of internet surfing and an early adopter of marriage. Married for two years and still childless, her mother-in-law, desperate for a grandchild, had moved in with them under the pretense of helping with daily life, but in reality, she was finding every possible way to pressure her into having a baby.

Each day brought a new folk remedy or old wives’ tale, and Jian was taking more medicine than meals. Her womb showed no signs of life, but her period had become a problem—sometimes it disappeared entirely, sometimes it refused to leave.

Jian Shuyan: What are you doing?

Jiang Ning sent her a picture of the hot pot. Jian Shuyan immediately called her, and Jiang Ning answered in a second, putting her on speaker and setting the phone aside.

For more than twenty minutes, Jian Shuyan treated Jiang Ning as her personal judge and recounted her mother-in-law’s countless “crimes.” Drinking herbal medicine was just the start—there was also drinking talisman-infused water and acupuncture with silver needles. Listening to it all, Jiang Ning developed not just a fear of pregnancy, but a growing dread of marriage itself.

Only then did she remember that, from a legal standpoint, she no longer had the right to fear marriage—she was already married.

Just as Jian was in the middle of venting, her mother-in-law’s voice drifted from afar: “Still not in bed? No wonder you can’t get pregnant, staying up all night and sleeping in all morning.”

Jian Shuyan fell silent in an instant, seething with frustration. She wasn’t a coward by nature—she only put up with her mother-in-law for the sake of her husband, Zhou Jing, not wanting him caught in the middle.

Muttering a few last complaints, Jian hung up, then continued chatting with Jiang Ning by text from her room. After another ten minutes, Jian went off to battle in the gaming arena, and Jiang Ning put down her phone to clean up after dinner.

After brushing her teeth, she went to bed. Before she closed her eyes, she thought it over and decided to send Lu Cheng another message: “Why don’t you tell your friend to close the shop for a few days, just to be safe?”

She couldn’t shake her unease. Lu Cheng kept going on about his miracle ointment, which had really gotten under Du Chenghong’s skin.

A few minutes later, Lu Cheng replied: “It won’t come to that. I’m staying at the shop to keep watch.”

In his hotel room, the soft bedside light shone on Lu Cheng’s sly expression. This was his chance—could he finally step up and make his move?

Jiang Ning thought for a moment, then typed: “Just be careful.” She sent the message, put her phone away, and went to sleep.

She didn’t know how long she’d been sleeping, but suddenly her phone started ringing and vibrating urgently on the nightstand, sounding like something out of a horror movie. Half-awake, she fumbled for her phone and answered, her voice hoarse: “Hello?”

A voice on the other end: “Is this Jiang Ning? Please come to the East District Police Station.”

Jiang Ning shot upright. “What? The police station?”

As a law-abiding citizen, she had never set foot in a police station before.

At three in the morning, the city was silent, but the police station was bustling. There were brawlers, drunks making trouble, and even a prostitution bust. One man, caught meeting his mistress at night, had been pinned down by his wife and her three burly brothers, stripped, and dragged to the station—a scene worthy of a year-end drama.

Jiang Ning navigated through the chaos, stopping a police officer passing by with instant noodles. “I’m Jiang Ning, Lu Cheng’s… um…”

She suddenly faltered. The words “wife,” “spouse,” “lady,” even “my better half” spun around her head, but she couldn’t bring herself to say any of them. It was her first marriage—she had no experience—and she’d never really thought of herself as married.

The officer scrutinized her, his gaze assessing. Just then, Lu Cheng emerged from the interview room and immediately spotted her, striding over.

“Jiang Ning.”

Hearing his voice, Jiang Ning went to meet him, exhaling in relief. Lu Cheng’s hair was half-wet, and his clothes damp, making him look a bit disheveled.

“What happened?” she asked. What could have brought him to the police station in the middle of the night? On the way there, Jiang Ning had imagined every possibility: theft, robbery, gambling, even skipping out on payment after hiring a prostitute. She privately decided that if it was any of those, she’d file for divorce the next day. She wasn’t about to escape one pit only to fall into another.

A police officer followed Lu Cheng out and, overhearing Jiang Ning’s question, said, “The Pleasure Adult Club was trashed tonight.”

“What?” Jiang Ning covered her mouth in shock. Although the speed was unexpected, she had already anticipated something like this, so her reaction was mostly for show.

The police escorted them to the door, gave a few reminders about safety and keeping in touch, then hurried back inside.

In the quiet of the night, the two of them walked side by side, their shadows stretching and shrinking under the streetlights. The night air was cool, and Jiang Ning pulled her knit cardigan tighter around herself. “Did they catch anyone?”

“No, they were gone by the time the police arrived.” Lu Cheng’s irritation was visible on his face as he pulled a cigarette from his pocket. He paused with the lighter in his hand, turned to Jiang Ning, and lifted the cigarette. “Mind if I smoke?”

She smiled faintly and shook her head, thinking he was at least considerate.

In the end, Lu Cheng didn’t light up. He took the initiative to tell Jiang Ning what had happened that night.

“I was sleeping when I heard glass shatter downstairs. Four or five masked men came in and started smashing everything, then ran off. The whole thing took just a few minutes.”

Jiang Ning could imagine the scene and looked him up and down. “Are you okay?”

Lu Cheng shook his head. “They didn’t touch me. They just warned me—if I want a peaceful life, I should hurry up and divorce you.”

Jiang Ning inhaled sharply, biting her lip in silence. Forcing a divorce—this had Du Chenghong written all over it. That scumbag was quick to act.

Lu Cheng said, “Don’t overthink it. The police are handling it now.”

Jiang Ning kicked a stone hard, frowning, her jaw clenched in frustration. “Like you said, tonight was just a warning. If a warning doesn’t work—”

Their eyes met, and Jiang Ning swallowed the rest of her words. Honestly, she had no idea what tricks someone like Du Chenghong might pull, but she knew it wouldn’t be easy to deal with.

If only Du Chenghong would catch rabies and rid the world of a menace. Then again, if he got infected, wouldn’t she, the “source,” be in trouble too? No, best not.

Her mind was in a whirl, her face contorted with worry, when suddenly Lu Cheng leaned in close. His eyes were deep and unreadable, hinting at something tender yet elusive, as if he meant to draw her in completely.

With a low, husky voice beside her ear, he said, “It’s alright. Come here—let your husband hold you and help you calm down.”