"Are you okay?" Chris was startled and quickly patted his back.
Upon hearing this, Third Uncle and Huo Tingzhou exchanged a glance before silently turning their attention to their teacups.
"I... I'm fine," Chi Heng waved his hand, his face still flushed.
With so many people around, he couldn’t say anything too harsh.
But this was China, after all, and some topics couldn’t be discussed freely.
Especially something like having a child out of wedlock—if overheard, it could damage her reputation.
So when Third Uncle and Uncle Zhong went out to buy groceries, Chi Heng pulled Chris aside.
"Alright, fine. I won’t bring it up again," Chris said, though her mood visibly soured.
Chi Heng wanted to explain but didn’t know where to start.
Noticing her shift in demeanor, Jiang Si casually asked, "What’s going on with you two? Weren’t you just laughing together a moment ago?"
"It’s nothing," Chris sighed, resting her chin on her hand. "I was just making an offhand comment—it’s not like I was forcing anything. Look how scared he got!"
"Did he?" Jiang Si found him unfairly accused. "He was just worried about you."
Chris didn’t understand. "What’s there to worry about? I only mentioned having a child, not asking him to take responsibility. Why’s he so afraid?"
With that, she turned to Jiang Si and began sharing stories about customs in her home country, France.
The conversation drifted from childbirth to single motherhood, with Chris speaking highly of the latter.
Jiang Si listened attentively, occasionally chiming in.
Her agreement, however minor, sent Huo Tingzhou into high alert.
He couldn’t shake the feeling that his wife was being led astray.
Single mothers were admirable, sure, but he still hoped to grow old with his wife.
"Sweetheart," Huo Tingzhou interjected with a cough as the discussion veered toward relationships without marriage, "didn’t you say you had something to discuss with Chi Heng earlier?"
Hearing this, Chi Heng set down his teacup.
His visit with Chris today, under the guise of delivering holiday gifts, wasn’t just a social call.
In fact, he also had something to discuss with Jiang Si.
Coincidentally, it was the same matter.
While Jiang Si had picked up on subtle clues, Chi Heng had pieced it together through deduction.
"My mother has been planning this for a long time. If Yan Weiliang really was the mole and has been caught, knowing her, she’d definitely issue me new orders."
This was part of the plan he and Jiang Si had agreed on—root out the mole and force his mother to replace them.
That way, she’d have to hand over some control to Chi Heng.
But strangely, after learning the mole had been removed, Chi’s mother only scolded him briefly over the phone.
This was unusual.
Completely out of character for her.
So Chi Heng suspected Yan Weiliang might have been a decoy.
The real mole was someone else.
Before he could share this, though, Jiang Si had already uncovered new leads.
Now that they had a suspect, the next steps were straightforward.
Jiang Si lowered her voice and laid out her plan.
After a moment’s consideration, Chi Heng nodded. "It’s solid. I’ll support it fully, but be careful."
"Don’t worry."
By the time they finished discussing business, it was already late.
When Third Uncle returned, Chi Heng stood to leave. "Third Uncle, we should get going."
"Stay for lunch," Third Uncle urged.
"Another time," Chi Heng glanced at Chris. "We’re expected at the embassy district—her father invited us for a meal."
They could fool the spies around them, but not Chris’s father.
Tonight would be another challenge, and he needed to be fully prepared.
Hearing he was meeting his future father-in-law, Third Uncle didn’t press further.
"Then hurry along. Be safe."
"Will do, Third Uncle."
After seeing them off, it was nearly lunchtime.
Since they’d have a big family dinner that evening, they kept the midday meal simple.
After eating, Third Uncle and Uncle Zhong cuddled the two exhausted little ones. "It’s still early—go rest for a bit."
Jiang Si had barely slept four hours the night before.
Coupled with playing with the kids all morning, she was exhausted.
She’d just dozed off when Huo Tingzhou returned after cleaning up.
Curling into his arms, she murmured, "You’re troubled."
Not a question—a statement.
"Yes," he admitted, hesitating over how to broach the subject.
Jiang Si didn’t push.
If he wanted to talk, she’d listen.
If not, she wouldn’t pry.
Everyone had their secrets.
As long as his heart—and his wallet—remained hers, that was enough.
Perhaps because she stopped pressing the matter, Huo Tingzhou suddenly felt uneasy. "Darling, if there's anything I'm not doing well or that doesn't meet your expectations, just tell me directly."
Hearing this, Jiang Si, who had been drowsy just moments ago, blinked her eyes awake.
After a pause, Huo Tingzhou added in a low voice, "In any aspect."
Noticing his ears turning red, Jiang Si couldn't help but laugh. She reached out and pinched his cheek. "What are you thinking? He already has someone. What’s there for you to be jealous about?"
Huo Tingzhou tightened his grip on her hand. "I’m not jealous."
"Then why…?"
After a brief silence, Huo Tingzhou spoke honestly.
He was simply worried he wasn’t doing enough, and even more afraid that he wasn’t needed.
After all, his wife was beautiful, came from a good family, and was highly capable. Even without him, she could raise their two children perfectly well on her own.
And so, Jiang Si understood.
It all stemmed from their earlier conversation with Chris about single mothers.
But, thinking about it, it made sense.
In this era, divorce was seen as a social taboo.
Even in later years, some remote areas still instilled in women the idea that divorce was something shameful.
Jiang Si found it ridiculous.
Wasn’t it more shameful for a man to be abusive or have an affair? Yet somehow, a woman getting divorced was the disgrace?
Whoever came up with that idea must have been a real genius.
So when she heard Chris’s remarks, Jiang Si had been moved to speak her mind—ending up saying more than she intended.
She hadn’t expected him to overhear.
And to take it to heart.
"You only heard half of it, not what we said afterward."
"What did you say later?" Was it something he was allowed to hear?
Seeing his cautious expression, Jiang Si couldn’t help but smile. "I said I’m not afraid of divorce because I have the ability and confidence to live well even without a man. But if I meet a good one, I’d cherish him just the same."
In her past life, she had grown up in a loving family.
Her parents were devoted to each other, and their home was harmonious.
Because she had seen it, experienced it firsthand, she knew exactly what a happy marriage looked like—and what kind of man was worth entrusting her life to.
And now, she was certain.
This was the marriage she wanted, and Huo Tingzhou was the man she wanted.
As a man, he had the capability to handle things independently.
As a husband, he was loyal, considerate, and unconditionally supportive of her choices, always standing as her strongest pillar.
He remembered every little thing she mentioned in passing.
When she was exhausted, he took care of her and comforted her without being asked.
In front of others, he never hesitated to defend her.
He gave her an overwhelming sense of security.
As a father, he was equally dedicated.
Within the limited time he had, he did everything he possibly could.
To be honest, after their children were born, she had worried whether Huo Tingzhou might unconditionally dote on their daughter.
But he didn’t.
For both children, he truly loved them equally, without favoritism.
She suddenly recalled a time when Suisui had been especially clingy to her.
No one else could hold him—only his mother.
Back then, she had wondered if Huo Tingzhou might feel slighted, as if the child’s arrival had stolen his place in her heart.
So she had asked him about it.
But Huo Tingzhou had said, "They’re our children, the precious ones you carried for ten months. How could I ever resent them? I love them more than anything."
In truth, Huo Tingzhou’s presence fulfilled every fantasy she had ever had about the ideal man.
