A charming widow in her 70s married a factory manager and raised his children.

Ge Jiangtao grew increasingly disappointed: "Are you trying to shift the blame for our divorce onto me?"

"We all have a responsibility, but your responsibility is greater," Shang Hua replied after thinking for a moment.

Ge Jiangtao clenched his fists in anger: "Shang Hua, I hope you think carefully before you answer. Think about our years of relationship, think about the good times we had. Aren't you afraid that I might really marry someone else?"

Shang Hua was speechless. She was increasingly doubting whether she had been out of her mind when she was younger, wondering how she could have fallen for such an unyielding guy as Ge Jiangtao.

She made herself so clear, yet he remained immersed in his own world, fantasizing that she would back down and apologize to him.

Zhuang Qingxiang couldn't stand it anymore. Perhaps it was because she had been with Lu Congyue for so long, but she particularly disliked pretentious men.

Ge Jiangtao is a prime example of this.

In her opinion, Ge Jiangtao was even more disgusting than Li Weixing, who slept with women right under his wife's nose.

"Comrade Ge, I'd like to ask you something. You keep saying that Sister Shang looks down on your family because you're from the countryside, but have you ever considered that if she really looked down on you, why would she marry you?"

"If I'm not mistaken, Sister Shang had no shortage of suitors back then, right? She certainly didn't lack suitors with good family backgrounds and high education, but out of so many people, she chose you. At that time, you came from the countryside, and you were probably... at most a battalion commander?"

"If you say she looks down on rural people, how come she respects you?"

Ge Jiangtao was taken aback by her question.

Shang Hua replied, "It's probably because I'm young and my eyesight is impaired."

Ge Jiangtao's face instantly turned red, even purple from holding it in.

Zhuang Qingxiang continued, "Since she didn't mind that you were from the countryside and married you, why would she mind that your family was from the countryside? Isn't that a contradiction? As for your claim that she bullied your mother and sister-in-law, and even laid a hand on your sister-in-law, think back carefully, did you really see it with your own eyes?"

"I'm so busy with training and work every day... how could she possibly lay a hand on me in front of me? Are you trying to say that my sister-in-law is wronging her? You don't understand my sister-in-law at all. She has never wronged Shanghua. She always covers for Shanghua, telling me that she accidentally bumped into her or dropped her, and that Shanghua didn't do anything!"

Ge Jiangtao became increasingly indignant as he spoke, and his gaze towards Zhuang Qingxiang turned fierce, as if she were bullying and defaming his sister-in-law.

Lu Congyue stepped forward, blocking Ge Jiangtao's unfriendly gaze, and said coldly, "Ge Jiangtao, I've noticed that you tend to lose control of your emotions and become confused whenever your sister-in-law is involved."

"What do you mean?" Ge Jiangtao frowned.

Zhuang Qingxiang peeked out from behind Lu Congyue and chuckled, "So, your sister-in-law clearly said it wasn't Shang Jie who did it, but you're convinced it was Shang Jie. Why? Because you lost control of your emotions when it involved your sister-in-law. Because in your heart, your sister-in-law is more important than Shang Jie."

She paused, then uttered a shocking statement.

"Ge Jiangtao, you like your sister-in-law, don't you?"

"You're talking nonsense!" Ge Jiangtao roared, his face instantly turning deathly pale. "How dare you slander me and my sister-in-law like this? Do you know the consequences of slandering a soldier?!"

"Ahua, don't listen to her nonsense. We've known each other for so long, I still remember the wonderful times we had when we were dating. I've only ever loved one woman, you. I only have respect for your sister-in-law, you know that."

Shang Hua's tightly furrowed brows began to relax, and he even suddenly smiled.

"Zhuang Qingxiang," she smiled, "you really have a way of waking me up! All the awkwardness and strangeness I've felt for so many years suddenly makes sense."

"What do you mean?" Ge Jiangtao asked urgently.

Shang Hua looked at him, a mocking smile playing on her lips: "So you mean I finally understand why you were so eager to make me apologize the moment your sister-in-law shed a tear? Because the scales in your heart have always tipped towards her, because you like her!"

"Shang Hua, even you are going to slander my and my sister-in-law's innocence like this?" Ge Jiangtao's face darkened. "We've lived under the same roof for so long, you know very well that my sister-in-law and I are completely innocent."

Shang Hua nodded slightly: "Yes, I know very well! I clearly remember that every time she cried, you rushed into the house to comfort her. To make her laugh, you took my allowance to give to her. You suppressed me, scolded me, and forced me to apologize to her just to make her smile. Even though many people testified that I didn't take your nephew to the water's edge, you still forced me to admit to this crime. Was it so that I would be overshadowed by your sister-in-law for the rest of my life? If it wasn't because you liked her, what was the point of all this?"

"She's my sister-in-law, isn't this the right thing to do?" Ge Jiangtao said indignantly. "Why do you all portray me and my sister-in-law in such a despicable way? Your hearts are filthy, so everything you see is filthy. Shang Hua, I really misjudged you!"

Shang Hua said calmly, "My heart was too pure, which is why I'm only now being awakened. Ge Jiangtao, if you're a man, admit what you truly think!"

"Bullshit! I never thought that way. If I had, I wouldn't have pursued you or married you. I originally intended to spend my whole life with you."

"Is it the kind of life where you don't have children and just raise your sister-in-law's son?" Zhuang Qingxiang suddenly blurted out.

Ge Jiangtao opened his mouth and suddenly fell silent.

Shang Hua suddenly felt like laughing even more, laughing at her own youthful ignorance and her inability to understand men.

The most ridiculous thing is that when Ge Jiangtao suggested not having children for a few years, she actually agreed happily.

It turns out that he probably never intended to have a child with her.

"Ge Jiangtao!" Shang Jiang rushed over, grabbing Ge Jiangtao by the collar, his face full of injury. "Is what they said true? Because of your filthy thoughts, you threw dirty water on my sister? You're worse than an animal!"

Shang Jiang was furious when he thought about how he had believed his former brother-in-law's words and said so many hurtful things to his sister.

Before anyone could stop him, he punched Ge Jiangtao hard in the face.

"Ge Jiangtao, you beast! How dare you bully my sister like this! I'll beat you to death!"

"I didn't! They're just making things up. It was your sister who bullied my sister-in-law!" Ge Jiangtao snapped out of his daze, indignant, and started to fight back.

The two exchanged blows, each punch and kick landing with equal force. Soon, both of them had blood on their faces, panting heavily but still unwilling to stop.

Finally, at Shang Jianjun's command, Lu Congyue and Peng Wanzhou stepped forward and forcibly separated the two men.

Looking at the disheveled couple, Shang Jianjun's face darkened, and he coldly said, "Alright, we know what happened. The root of the divorce lies with you, Ge Jiangtao. My daughter may have made mistakes, but I'm certain she didn't bully your family. On the contrary, you two were the ones who forcibly took her allowance, emotionally oppressed her, and slandered her in front of outsiders... Ge Jiangtao, you're something else! You're really something else! After all these years, this is the first time I've seen through you!"

"Now that we're divorced, there should be no further contact. Ge Jiangtao, stop harassing my daughter and stop slandering her, or... I'll let everyone know about your despicable intentions!"

The cold, authoritative voice brought the farce to a complete end, and Ge Jiangtao was suddenly filled with immense fear.