Jiang Nan Fang did not book the earliest flight, but instead scheduled one for noon.
After breakfast that morning, Zhan Bei Jue was going to take her to the airport, but she lied.
"Since today is already delayed, I don't want to rush. I booked my ticket for the afternoon."
"You go and busy yourself. The airport is so far, it would be too much trouble to go back and forth. We can go by ourselves."
Zhan Bei Jue had to contact the hospital, deal with company matters, and have A Zhong come over… there were many things to handle.
Since Jiang Nan Fang was already angry, she might as well compensate him later.
He kissed her forehead and apologized to her once more with utmost sincerity.
"I'm sorry. Once I'm done with this busy period, I will definitely make time to spend quality time with you all."
After hugging each of the children and reminding them to listen to their mother, he left first.
Jiang Nan Fang opened the location tracking on her phone and watched as he arrived at that hotel, and then stayed there.
A surge of impulse rushed through her chest.
She wanted to rush over, find him, and catch him and that woman on the spot, demanding an explanation.
But then she thought, what would be the point?
Jiang Nan Fang, in this life, despised forcing love the most.
It couldn't be forced anyway.
When a person loves you, everything they do is for you, and you can't stop them.
When they don't love you, can it be obtained by throwing a tantrum?
She herself was fine; she had never held high expectations for love. She only felt sorry for the children.
After finally reuniting as a family, having both a father and mother, they would face separation again. They would be very sad, wouldn't they?
On the way to the airport, Jiang Nan Fang told the children stories and subtly asked them how they would feel if their father and mother divorced.
The children were all clever, how could they not guess her intentions?
When she was close with their father, she didn't hide it from them at all; her every action was filled with love.
Yesterday, there was nothing outwardly wrong between them, but their actions lacked any real interaction.
Especially their mother, whose eyes had lost their sparkle when looking at their father.
They knew they were having problems.
However, since their mother hadn't pointed it out, they wouldn't expose it.
Pretending to be ignorant, they asked, "Mommy, why do so many people in this world get divorced?"
Jiang Nan Fang thought for a moment and replied earnestly.
"Perhaps because over time, many things happen that make them see each other more clearly, so they feel they love each other less, or they dislike each other, and then they divorce."
"But if they already have children, and they divorce because of a small incident, what will happen to the children?"
"Generally, when it reaches that point, both parties will negotiate who the children will go to. It's not that the children will be neglected just because the parents divorce."
"No matter who they go with, Daddy and Mommy can still visit them when they have time, and their love for them will remain the same."
The little ones understood.
Their mother was truly angry with their father and was planning to divorce him in her heart, guiding them in that direction in every way…
Since the conversation had gone this far, Jiang Nan Fang decided to ask them directly.
"If one day Daddy and Mommy divorce, how will you all choose? Will you all choose Daddy, all choose Mommy, or…"
Tian Tian and Jing Yu had been raised by her since they were young. If it came down to a critical moment, they would have to be with her.
After she asked, they didn't speak; they simultaneously reached out and hugged her, expressing their stance with their eyes.
As for Ge'er and Rui Rui, they had been raised by Zhan Bei Jue since they were young. They had an inseparable affection for their father and simultaneously longed for maternal love.
Therefore, they were stunned for a moment, did not hug Jiang Nan Fang, nor did they reply.
Seeing the pitiful children, Jiang Nan Fang felt that her decision had been too abrupt.
Things weren't settled yet; it might not be what she saw.
She would ask A Zhong when she got back. A Zhong would definitely tell her the truth.
Zhou Jin Bei came to pick them up at the airport. After walking for a while, she casually inquired about A Zhong.
"Him? He went back to his hometown this morning, saying his passport for Mei Guo had expired."
"Why is he renewing his passport for Mei Guo again? Aren't you supposed to go to..."
"My second brother seems to have something for him to do, so he's not going for now. The person sent from there is Deputy General Manager Tang from the marketing department."
Zhou Jin Bei said, "I was just about to ask you, what important business is it that you have to leave so suddenly? He wouldn't tell me when I asked. How long will you be gone this time? Second brother won't let me accompany him. We've only just gotten married, and now we have to be separated. It's truly cruel."
Asking Jiang Nan Fang was asking the right person.
Zhan Bei Jue was keeping everything from her now, and she didn't know either.
She suddenly remembered the accent of the beautiful woman she bumped into earlier.
She spoke English very fluently, so she must have lived abroad for a long time.
She also encountered her at the hospital, making it difficult not to associate A Zhong's trip to Mei Guo with that lady.
Things were becoming more and more interesting.
It was hard for Jiang Nan Fang not to suspect Zhan Bei Jue.
She didn't call A Zhong. After sending the children home, she felt dejected and suggested inviting Chen Jiao Jiao so the three of them could go to the club.
Zhou Jin Bei was surprised.
"What's going on, sister-in-law? Your confinement period isn't even over yet, and you're running to the club every other day. My second brother already scolded me once…"
Jiang Nan Fang interrupted her.
"Don't mention him to me. I argued with him and I'm upset. Just tell me if you're going or not."
Zhou Jin Bei immediately smiled and leaned in with gossip.
"You two actually argue? My second brother dares to upset you? Go, go, go! Anyway, my husband isn't here, and Chen Jiao Jiao is all alone. We must go!"
The three of them went to the club.
The other two heartlessly drank, while Jiang Nan Fang pretended to accompany them, but in her heart, she was waiting for Lu Qing Xu to come.
Besides A Zhong, only the Lu brothers were closest to Zhan Bei Jue.
These minor romantic entanglements between men wouldn't be hidden from their brothers.
If Zhan Bei Jue truly had something going on, she didn't believe Lu Qing Xu wouldn't know.
Lu Qing Xu was relatively straightforward, and Jiang Nan Fang was confident that if she wanted to pry information out of him, she could.
However, after sitting there for nearly two hours, he didn't come to entertain them.
Jiang Nan Fang complained for the first time.
"What's going on? Normally, Young Master Lu would make an appearance to entertain us. Why is he so lax today? He didn't bring his brother, does he look down on us?"
"Oh, I thought you didn't care about this. I didn't expect you to care about status now."
Zhou Jin Bei teased her.
"The wife of the major shareholder has come, which means the boss's wife has come. He, this small boss, should hurry out to serve her. He truly is impolite."
Jiang Nan Fang pushed her. "Stop mocking me."
"Call him and order a few bottles of the best wine here. I'm in a bad mood, let them bleed a little. What's the point of you two drinking this cheap wine every day?"
"So you're ordering wine for us? It's good to follow sister-in-law, we get to eat well and drink freely. Then I'll call him."
Zhou Jin Bei called Lu Qing Xu.
On the other end, he declined, saying he was busy and couldn't come.
She pressured him, "You decide. Sister-in-law coming here is giving you face. If you dare to neglect her, wait for second brother to deal with you."