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.
It's not easy to change the stubborn mindset of the elderly.
Old Madam Zhou, who had experienced the oppression of women, was just such a person. She firmly believed that her son must continue the family line.
"Why do you keep going back to your parents' home every few days?"
"Your husband is exhausted from attending court daily, yet he still has to accompany you home after work."
"He's so considerate of you, why can't you show some consideration for your husband in return?" Old Madam Zhou complained with great dissatisfaction.
Madam Zhou was reserved by nature. Faced with her mother-in-law's unkind words, she didn't take them to heart. Instead, she agreed with a word or two, just to please the old lady.
But she didn't expect that her non-confrontational attitude would only encourage Old Madam Zhou to become more aggressive.
Old Madam Zhou snorted coldly: "You only pay lip service. If you really cared for him, you should have given him heirs by now."
"Our Zhou family holds one of the three highest positions in court. If there's no son to inherit in the future, I won't be able to face our ancestors even in death."
"Although the Queen has issued an edict saying that daughters can also inherit titles, women will still eventually marry out."
"I'm old and have no other wishes. I just want a grandson. If you can't bear one, then you should voluntarily allow your husband to take a concubine."
Madam Zhou could tolerate Zhou Qichen not loving her, but she couldn't accept sharing a husband with someone else.
Hearing this, Madam Zhou's expression changed slightly, her fingers clenched tightly.
She turned her head and said firmly, word by word: "Mother-in-law, no matter what you say about me, I cannot agree to such an unreasonable demand."
"Miss Gu once said something that I find very true and have taken as my motto."
"A man is like a toothbrush, I will absolutely not share him with anyone else!"
Upon hearing this, Old Madam Zhou's face changed dramatically. Using her authority as an elder, she pressured: "This matter doesn't depend on whether you agree or not! I must have a grandson."
"Even if the Queen herself were standing before me, I would say the same thing."
"Is it illegal for me to want to hold my grandson?"
"Even the Queen doesn't have the right to say I can't have a grandson."
Madam Zhou looked to Zhou Qichen for help, but his expression remained indifferent.
He didn't speak up to criticize her, but neither did he stand up to defend her as his wife.
He only felt that everything before him was irritating.
Old Madam Zhou grabbed Zhou Qichen's hand, determined to get an answer from him: "Today, in front of both of us, tell me whether you'll take a concubine or not."
"If you won't continue the Zhou family line, then don't bother caring about me."
"I might as well die early, rather than be angered to death by you two."
Faced with his mother's relentless pressure, Zhou Qichen felt a headache coming on and wanted to escape.
But his wife's burning gaze and his mother's tight grip on his clothes – both women were forcing him to make a choice.
Zhou Qichen hesitated for a moment, then began reluctantly: "Why ask me about this? Mother, you decide—"
However,
Before he could finish, Madam Zhou suddenly reddened her eyes and interrupted: "Zhou Qichen, if you want to take a concubine, then let's divorce."
"Since you don't like girls, I'll take our daughter with me."
"I am perfectly capable of raising my daughter on my own."
Madam Zhou's eyes were rimmed with red, but she stubbornly refused to let her tears fall. Every word she spoke to Zhou Qichen was filled with determination.
Zhou Qichen felt utterly exhausted. At that moment, he just wanted to find a crack in the ground to lie down in, not wanting to deal with all this mess.
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."
