The Stunningly Beautiful and Delicate Darling in the 1980s Military Compound - Chapter 16

As she drew closer, Wang Er realized that he hadn’t seen Song Mingyue in a while. The change in her could only be described as earth-shattering.

In the past, she had been a well-known beauty in the area, but her beauty was simple and rustic; she was the type to offer a small smile and a shy greeting whenever she met someone.

But the Song Mingyue standing before him now was bright and bold. Her vibrant red dress perfectly complemented her proud, sophisticated aura. One couldn’t help but steal extra glances at her.

Liu Jiabao felt the same. He was involuntarily drawn to her, his heart pounding rapidly against his chest. Yet, a trace of bitterness remained in his heart; he had not forgotten the insulting words Song Aiguo had thrown at him earlier.

“What are you doing here? Aren’t you with—”

Seeing the people around them casting curious looks their way, he cut himself off. He asked sullenly, “Why did you come to find me?”

“To give this back to you.” Song Mingyue pulled a tiny elephant figurine from her pocket, suspended by a translucent pink cord. The clay had yellowed slightly with age. It was a gift Liu Jiabao had bought for the original Song Mingyue at the Pingcheng market after he first learned to ride a motorcycle.

At the time, she had cherished the gift dearly, wearing it constantly and refusing to take it off even while she slept. Even when she had jumped into the river, she had been clutching this little elephant in her hand.

Liu Jiabao knew that this figurine held extraordinary significance for both of them. Seeing her return it now—calmly and without a hint of attachment—signified that she was truly closing the chapter on their relationship.

Combined with the knowledge that she had a new fiancé in the provincial capital, Liu Jiabao’s heart felt as though it were suspended in mid-air—empty and unable to find purchase. Ignoring the strange looks from his coworkers, he asked, “Are you… cutting ties with me completely?”

Song Mingyue let out a cold, contemptuous smirk. “What else? Take care of yourself.”

Liu Jiabao reached out, wanting to grab her arm, but Song Mingyue deftly dodged him. His hand fell back to his side, suspended in the empty air.

Indeed—what right did he have to touch her now?

Liu Jiabao was naturally sentimental. He looked up just as Song Mingyue offered one last blessing: “I hope you and my cousin remain of one heart and grow old together. Goodbye.”

He couldn’t hold it together any longer. His eyes grew red, startling the friends standing nearby. “Jiabao, Jiabao, are you okay?”

What could be wrong with him? It was simply that his heart would never be whole again.

Song Mingyue didn’t look back. Knowing the original plot, she understood exactly what kind of man Liu Jiabao was. Her trip today was intended to plant a seed of “the one who got away” in his heart.

She was simply paying them back in their own coin. Every ounce of pain the original host had suffered, she would make sure Liu Jiabao and Song Jiajia tasted in turn.

Song Jiajia had been crying at home for half the day before finally deciding to toughen up. Compared to these people, she had the advantage of having lived a whole extra lifetime; she couldn’t give up this easily.

She began making radish cakes in the kitchen, intending to bring them to Liu Jiabao to smooth things over. These cakes were the very thing that had first brought them together.

Liu Jiabao loved adding sesame oil to his radish cakes, but in this era, sesame oil was expensive, and he had never tried that particular combination before. Having been reborn, Song Jiajia knew this secret. When she had first made the cakes for him with that extra touch, he had been full of praise, and their relationship had blossomed from there.

She took a bite; the flavor was as authentic as ever. Hope began to flicker in her heart again. She even planned to go to the market tomorrow to find a copy of Stray Birds by Tagore to give to him.

That was her secret weapon: weaving their lives together through a shared love of poetry and high-brow culture. As long as she held onto that, Liu Jiabao would never escape her grasp.

But a moment later, a neighbor who worked at the factory with her came running in breathlessly.

“Jiajia! Jiajia! Something’s wrong! Liu Jiabao and Song Mingyue were seen meeting at the gate of the steel plant!”

Song Jiajia stood up abruptly. “What were they doing?”

The neighbor hesitated. “They were just standing together. They looked… very familiar. I don’t know the details.”

The knot of anxiety in Jiajia’s chest hadn’t disappeared, but she tried to reassure herself. “No, that can’t be. Doesn’t Song Mingyue have a fiancé in the city?”

“You don’t know? Your mother went to their house today and caused a scene. The family from the city left immediately. That marriage is as good as dead.”

“What did you say?!” Song Jiajia slammed her spatula down and stormed out of the kitchen to find her mother.

She found Sun Xiangcui sitting leisurely in the courtyard peeling soybeans. Seeing Jiajia, she grinned and asked, “Are the radish cakes finished already?”

“Did you go to Song Mingyue’s house to cause trouble?”

At the mention of this, Sun Xiangcui became animated, looking incredibly proud of herself. “Jiajia, your mother finally got revenge for you! You should have seen the looks on those city people’s faces when they heard the news. They didn’t even visit the temple; they went straight home. I bet they’ll break off the engagement the second they get back!”

“Mom!! How could you be so stupid? Why do you always ruin things for me!” Song Jiajia was jumping with rage, tears of frustration stinging her eyes.

Sun Xiangcui dropped her beans in shock. Her face turned red as she tried to comfort her daughter. “Jiajia, how could I ruin things for you?”

Song Jiajia was indeed jealous of Mingyue, but anyone with a brain knew that Mingyue was a ticking time bomb. Only once Mingyue was married off would Liu Jiabao truly settle down. Only then could Jiajia marry him in peace.

Jiajia had never intended to break up Mingyue’s engagement; at most, she wanted to make a few snide remarks. She hadn’t expected Sun Xiangcui to blow the whole thing up. No wonder Song Mingyue had gone to see Liu Jiabao.

Jiajia had always resented her humble beginnings and her unhelpful parents. Hearing about Sun Xiangcui’s blunder made her wish even more that she hadn’t been born into this family.

Sun Xiangcui was dazed, repeating like a broken record, “How could I ruin it for you? Jiajia, don’t be angry…”

But Song Jiajia wouldn’t even look at her. She swore that once she was married, she would cut ties with this family that did nothing but hold her back.

That evening, Song Jiajia brought the radish cakes to Liu Jiabao.

However, he was clearly distracted. His earlier talk of breaking the engagement had been a heat-of-the-moment outburst, and he had originally intended to apologize to her that night.

But after seeing Song Mingyue, he found himself staring at the little elephant in his hand, his mind drifting far away. As the saying goes: the one you can’t have is always the best.

All of Song Mingyue’s good qualities—things he had taken for granted before—began to flood his mind. They had shared so many experiences that no one else could replace. How had they ended up as strangers?

As he ate the radish cakes, a food he usually loved, they tasted like wax in his mouth.

Seeing his lack of focus, Song Jiajia’s suppressed resentment boiled over. She said aggrievedly, “You yelled at me this morning, and I’ve already lowered myself to apologize. Now you’re acting like this? Jiabao, I’m starting to wonder if you ever really loved me.”

Song Jiajia didn’t truly love Liu Jiabao; she just liked that he was a good man with a soft temperament. In her previous life, she had been incredibly envious seeing him and Mingyue together at family gatherings.

Now that she was actually with him, she realized he had many flaws. However, his family was wealthy and he was generous. For now, she wanted to keep her hold on this “big tree.”

She intended to act coquettishly to win him over. Liu Jiabao was a bit of an idealist; he loved romance and talk of grand emotions. Usually, when she asked if he loved her, he would respond with something poetic.

Tonight, however, Liu Jiabao remained silent.

Did he love Song Jiajia? He asked himself, but he couldn’t find an answer. His mind was filled entirely with the image of a woman in a red dress.

Seeing his hesitation, Song Jiajia ran away crying. This was part of her persona; she knew Liu Jiabao liked to see women cry for him, as it stirred his protective instincts.

Besides, Jiajia had an ace up her sleeve: she had already given herself to him. In this era, if a man took a woman’s virginity, he was socially obligated to marry her. She had used that “strong medicine” when he was still wavering between her and Mingyue. If necessary, she would use it as a threat later.

As he watched Jiajia run off, Liu Jiabao felt a flicker of annoyance for the first time. He stood his ground, lacking the desire to chase her.

He increasingly felt that Song Jiajia was a beautiful dream he had conjured—a dream born of his own idealism. She would read books and poetry with him, always sensing what he wanted before he even asked.

But as they grew closer, cracks began to appear in the dream. He realized Jiajia’s family was incredibly materialistic; her mother was already pestering him to find a job for Jiajia’s brother. And while Jiajia acted gentle and pitiful in front of him, the people at the steel plant whispered that she was actually a bully who hid behind his influence.

Liu Jiabao no longer knew which version of her was real. For the first time, an irreparable rift had formed between them.

Song Mingyue never imagined she would find herself in such a desperate situation regarding marriage.

Ever since the Chen family left, her home had been shrouded in gloom. Wang Yufen sighed all day, and Song Aiguo had grown silent. No matter how Mingyue tried to lighten the mood, her parents only looked more saddened by her efforts.

A strong thought took root in Mingyue’s mind: she had to leave this house as soon as possible. Her parents’ love was warm, but when that love became a shackle, it was suffocating. She was beautiful, smart, and brilliant; she shouldn’t be trapped by trivial matters like marriage.

A few days later, Chen Daoyuan took the initiative to contact Song Aiguo. When the phone rang, Song Aiguo’s tone was cold. He had been waiting for this call for days. Now that it had come, the purpose seemed obvious—they were going to call it off.

“Brother Song,” Chen Daoyuan began, “There has been a sudden change in Chen Che’s work. He may have to go away for a few years.”

Thinking this was a clumsy excuse to break the engagement, Song Aiguo snapped, “Say no more. We understand. I’ll find a time to return all the gifts you brought.”

“You misunderstand,” Chen Daoyuan corrected him. “I was calling to ask if Mingyue would be willing to accompany him as a military spouse, or if she would prefer to live with us in the provincial capital for a few years.”