The beloved but ungrateful girl is reborn: This time she has truly changed.

The confession was written in neat handwriting, Tang Tiantian's handwriting.

The content is short, but every sentence is shocking:

"My name is Tang Tiantian, I am 24 years old, and I work at the supply and marketing cooperative. I admit that I actively seduced my cousin Tang Aijun and maintained an improper relationship with him for a long time. Tang Aijun initially refused, but I threatened to kill myself, and he had no choice but to... This is all my fault and has nothing to do with Tang Aijun. I am willing to take full responsibility."

At the bottom of the page are Tang Tiantian's signature and red handprint.

The date is today!

Wang Dong's hands were trembling.

He looked up at Liang Bing, his eyes bloodshot again: "What...does this mean?"

"It means," Liang Bing sighed, "that Tang Tiantian took the blame for everything. She said she was the main culprit, and Tang Aijun was just an accomplice, or even coerced. In this way, Tang Aijun's crime is much lighter."

"And what about her?" Wang Dong asked hoarsely.

"Her?" Liang Bing took out another document from the drawer. "Take a look at this."

The second document.

It's still a confession, but the contents are even more shocking:

"I admit that six years ago and four years ago, I got Tang Aijun drunk twice and had sex with him. After that, I became pregnant and gave birth to two children. In order to keep the children with me, I secretly switched Qi Weiwei's newborn daughter with my son twice, without telling anyone. Tang Aijun and his grandmother Sun Xidi knew nothing about any of this."

Below is a line of smaller print: "The case in Shandong Province has been closed; Su Cuilan has been imprisoned for child trafficking."

Wang Dong finished reading and froze on the spot.

It looks like a stone statue.

After a long while, he slowly raised his head, looked at Liang Bing, and something shattered in his eyes: "So... those two children really are hers and Tang Aijun's?"

"Yes." Liang Bing nodded. "All the testimonies match up."

Wang Dong smiled.

The laughter was awful, like crying or the howl of a wild beast.

He had held onto a sliver of hope, but now it has been completely shattered.

Six years.

His wife, whom he had supported for six years, had two children with another man and then gave those children away to someone else to raise, replacing his own son with her.

What is this?

Is this something a human being would do?

"And what about Tang Aijun?" he asked, his voice eerily calm. "How is he?"

"Because Tang Tiantian took all the blame and 'exposed' Tang Tiantian's child-switching, it was considered a meritorious service," Liang Bing said with a complicated tone. "So... he was released."

"Release?" Wang Dong repeated the two words, as if he didn't understand.

"Yes." Liang Bing nodded. "It was released this morning. Tang Tiantian's verdict has also been handed down—she was sentenced to eleven years in prison for bigamy, child trafficking, and adultery, with multiple crimes combined."

Eleven years.

Wang Dong closed his eyes.

The woman he loved for six years and hated to the core will spend eleven years in prison.

But why doesn't he feel any pleasure at all?

I just feel empty.

A huge emptiness filled my heart, with cold wind whistling through.

"And what about Tang Aijun?" he asked again. "Is he completely unharmed?"

"No, not exactly," Liang Bing said. "The steel mill has already been notified that he will be dismissed from his public office. Tang Qu has also been placed under investigation. His past has caused him a lot of trouble. As for Tang Aijun... he is now a free man, but his reputation is ruined, he has lost his job, and his future... won't be easy."

Wang Dong remained silent.

He picked up the two confessions and read them again.

Every word and phrase is in Tang Tiantian's handwriting.

She admitted everything, took all the blame, and completely absolved Tang Aijun of any responsibility.

Why?

Because she loved Tang Aijun?

Is it possible to love someone so much that you'd take the blame for them, or even sacrifice yourself for them?

What about Wang Dong?

What are these six years?

A joke?

"Wang Dong," Liang Bing looked at him, her tone serious, "there's something else I need to tell you. This morning, Zhou Lingbin sent someone to pick you up and take you to Feng County; it was a trap."

Wang Dong suddenly looked up.

"Zhou Lingbin?" He remembered the young soldier. "Minister Zhou from the logistics department?"

"Yes." Liang Bing nodded. "According to Chen Xiangqin's testimony, he is Tang Tiantian's biological father. You ruined Tang Tiantian and Tang Aijun's relationship, so he holds a grudge against you and wants to get rid of you. The mountain roads in Feng County are treacherous, so he arranged for people to create an 'accident' on the road to kill you in a car crash."

Wang Dong's mind went blank.

He remembered the young soldier's anxious eyes, Xiao Zhao's words "I'll save your life," and the tools in the trunk...

It turns out he almost died.

He almost died on the way to Fengxian County, dying mysteriously, like an "accident".

"What about Zhou Lingbin?" he asked.

"He's been arrested," Liang Bing said. "Chen Xiangqin—his wife—also reported him for embezzlement and bribery, and the evidence is irrefutable. He's in dire straits himself now and can't afford to worry about you."

Wang Dong opened his mouth as if to say something, but in the end he said nothing.

He just sat there, clutching the two confessions in his hands, almost tearing them to shreds.

The room was very quiet.

Only the clock on the wall ticked away.

After a long silence, Liang Bing finally spoke, her voice softening: "Wang Dong, this matter... is considered closed now. Tang Tiantian has been sentenced, Tang Aijun has lost his job, and Tang Qu is under investigation. You... you should move on."

Look ahead?

Wang Dong twitched the corner of his mouth.

What can he see if he looks ahead?

A scene of ruins.

Six years of marriage are ruins, six years of feelings are ruins, six years of trust are ruins.

He wandered through these ruins like a fool for six years, only to see them clearly today.

"Political Commissar," he said, his voice hoarse, "I want to change careers."

Liang Bing was taken aback: "Transfer to civilian work? Why? You had a bright future in the army. You were the victim in this incident, and the organization will take care of you..."

"I don't want to stay anymore." Wang Dong interrupted him, raising his head, his eyes lifeless. "Seeing this uniform reminds me of her. I remember her fake smile every time she saw me. I remember her impatient tone when she wrote letters. I remember her and Tang Aijun..."

He couldn't continue.

Liang Bing fell silent.

He understood Wang Dong's feelings.

No one could stand this kind of thing.

Especially for someone as loyal and righteous as Wang Dong, being betrayed so thoroughly, the wound in his heart won't heal anytime soon.

"Take a break first," Liang Bing finally said. "We can talk about your transfer later. The military will always be your home. You can come back anytime you want."

Wang Dong nodded and said nothing more.

He stood up, placed the two confessions on the table, and turned to leave.

His steps were heavy, as if he were dragging a thousand-pound burden.

He stopped at the door, turned around, and said, "Political Commissar, thank you."

Liang Bing waved her hand: "Go back and get a good night's sleep. Don't think too much."

Wang Dong is gone.

Liang Bing sat in her office, looking at the two confessions on her desk, and sighed.

On the surface, the matter is considered closed.

But he knew that Tang Qu would never sit idly by and wait for his death.