Reborn in the 1970s — Married a Proud Rough Man

He’d had this idea since yesterday on the way to the hospital. After telling his mother what was going on, he went to the hospital room to see An Qi. He had also made things very clear to her, but An Qi was too stubborn. She insisted the baby in her belly was Qin Xiang’s and even threatened that if Qin Xiang didn’t take responsibility, it would be a matter of two lives lost—she would drag Qin Xiang down with her.

An Qi had always been extreme and acted without considering the consequences. If she really went to the military base to cause a scene, even if an investigation cleared his name, Qin Xiang would still be dragged through the mud. If someone with ulterior motives took advantage of the situation, Qin Xiang’s career would be affected to some degree.

Never mind that Qin Xiang was his brother-in-law; even without that family connection, he couldn’t just sit back and do nothing, based on their friendship alone.

An Qi was his cousin, after all. He couldn’t bring himself to eliminate the problem completely. Sending her to a mental hospital in Xiangjiang was the best place for her right now.

Mr. Xie could no longer suppress his rage. He grabbed a nearby pillow and hurled it at Jie Jingchen, roaring, ”You bastard! No matter what An Qi has done, she is your cousin! How can you be so heartless to her? Jie Jingchen, you are so ruthless. What does family even mean to you?”

Jie Jingchen caught the pillow thrown at him and placed it on a nearby chair. The more furious Mr. Xie became, the calmer Jie Jingchen appeared.

Seeing him act like this was like pouring oil on the fire for Mr. Xie. He cursed, ”For your wife? For your wife’s little brother? You’re going to be this ruthless to your own cousin? The innocent will prove themselves innocent, and the guilty will be exposed! If nothing happened between Qin Xiang and An Qi, what are you so afraid she’ll say? This is something we should resolve privately. I’ve already talked to your Granny and your Second Uncle. Just give me some time, and we can definitely persuade An Qi. Even if we can’t, we can take measures—lock her in her room so she can’t go out and spout nonsense. Isn’t that enough?”

”No,” Jie Jingchen said, his tone rigid.

”You...” Mr. Xie was so angry his blood pressure felt like it was skyrocketing. He glared at Jie Jingchen. ”Do you have to be so merciless and send her down a path of no return? Jie Jingchen, what good will ruining An Qi do you?”

Jie Jingchen clenched his jaw, his attitude utterly cold. ”Lock her in a room? You can lock her up for a while, but can you lock her up for a lifetime? What happens when she plays the victim to gain sympathy? Granny and the others will get soft-hearted and let her out. But sending her to a mental hospital can keep her locked up for life. Especially in Xiangjiang. She’ll have no one to turn to. Even if she escaped, she’d have nowhere to go. She’d be better off not even trying to escape and just living out her days in there.”

”I never realized you were so farsighted!” Mr. Xie said sarcastically, grinding his teeth.

’All that foresight, and he doesn’t use it for his job, only against his own family. This son of his was exceptionally capable, yet at the machinery factory, he was lazy. He was never eager to get to work but was the first one out the door at closing time. He’d even slack off on the job whenever he could—a classic case of just coasting.’

Jie Jingchen ignored Mr. Xie’s sarcasm and turned to his silent mother. ”Mom, I called Grandma yesterday. She said she can get things settled on her end today. You just need to arrange for someone to take An Qi to Xiangjiang. She’ll have people there to take An Qi directly to the mental hospital.”

Everything in Xiangjiang was already arranged. Mr. Xie was about to lose his mind. ’This isn’t a discussion; he’s just informing us of his decision!’

After a brief flicker in her expression, Mrs. Xie nodded. ”Alright. I’ll make the arrangements on my end as soon as possible.”

”Yan Qiu.” Mr. Xie hadn’t completely lost his senses. He dared to yell at his son, but not at his wife. He took Mrs. Xie’s hand, struggling to suppress his towering rage, and said to her, ”Yan Qiu, we can’t make this decision rashly. We should discuss it with Second Brother’s family first.”

Mrs. Xie grasped his hand in return, her voice so gentle it was almost liquid. ”Alright. Let’s split up. You go and get your second brother’s family on board, and I’ll arrange for someone to take An Qi to Xiangjiang.”

”Yan Qiu.” Mr. Xie’s head drooped in defeat. ’How is this a discussion?’ ”Yan Qiu, An Qi is my second brother’s daughter. We’re just her aunt and uncle. We don’t have the right to decide this. The decision is in her parents’ hands.”

”You don’t need to worry about that. My status as her aunt gives me no right to decide, but my status as a doctor does. I will write An Qi’s psychiatric evaluation,” Mrs. Xie said, making a ruthless decision with the gentlest of words.

Mr. Xie made one last, desperate attempt. ”Yan Qiu, you’re not a psychiatrist. A diagnosis from you would be invalid.”

Mrs. Xie smiled gently, squeezing his hand and patting the back of it. ”I’m very close with the head of the psychiatry department. A diagnosis from me might be invalid, but I doubt anyone would object to one written by her.”