Reborn in the 1970s — Married a Proud Rough Man

After dinner, Li Axiu told Jie Jingwei to take Lin Yaru out for a walk to aid her digestion. Being pregnant meant she needed to move around more; staying cooped up at home all day would affect her mood and wasn’t good for the baby’s development.

The two of them had already registered their marriage, and the banquet was in just two days, so Li Axiu wasn’t worried about the neighbors gossiping. Still, it had taken a great deal of persuasion to convince Lin Yaru to go for a walk with Jie Jingwei.

If the two of them appeared to have a good relationship, the rumors would die down on their own. Li Axiu had her little scheme all figured out, but Lin Yaru and Jie Jingwei’s performance was subpar.

As they walked together, the expression on Lin Yaru’s face wasn’t the bliss of a newlywed but the agony of someone stepping into an abyss. For Jie Jingwei, this was his second marriage. Lin Yaru was a few years younger and prettier than Xu Chunyan, so he decided not to press the issue.

The man was pleased, the woman was in despair. They were a discordant sight no matter how you looked at it.

Lin Yaru suddenly stopped in her tracks, her expression growing even darker. ”What’s wrong?” Jie Jingwei asked with concern.

Lin Yaru bit her lip, not saying a word. Her expression turned sorrowful, and her gaze grew dark and menacing as she stared at two figures sitting under a tree. Even from a distance, and though she could only see their backs, she recognized them instantly.

Jie Jingwei’s expression grew tense with worry. ”Are you not feeling well?” he asked.

Lin Yaru continued to ignore him, the resentment in her eyes completely undisguised.

Only then did Jie Jingwei realize what was wrong. He followed Lin Yaru’s gaze, and his pupils contracted as a wave of emotions washed over him. He had no feelings for Lin Yaru. The only reasons he was with her were the threats from her parents and his desire for her tender body.

He had been married to Xu Chunyan for many years and still loved her deeply. He was all too familiar with Xu Chunyan’s body, whereas Lin Yaru offered him a new experience. That novelty was intoxicating.

If Lin Yaru’s parents hadn’t threatened him, he never would have divorced Xu Chunyan. Love and novelty were two different things. Once the novelty faded, all that would be left was a dull, tasteless routine.

Before they registered their marriage, he had no control over Lin Yaru. But now they were legally married, and she was carrying his child. He didn’t expect her to give up her love for Jing Si, but she could at least try not to be so obvious about it in his presence.

Jie Jingwei suppressed his anger and said gently to Lin Yaru, ”You’re tired. Let’s go home.”

Not only did Lin Yaru ignore him, but she wouldn’t even spare him a glance.

Jie Jingwei suddenly felt thoroughly cuckolded. ’Does she really think our marriage certificate is a joke?’ ”Yaru, you’re tired, and the baby is tired too. Let’s go home and rest.”

The mention of the child struck a painful chord in Lin Yaru. A dark, menacing aura enveloped her. This child had destroyed her right to pursue happiness. There was no joy of impending motherhood, only helpless anguish.

When she’d first learned she was pregnant, she had been devastated. Her first thought was to get rid of the baby. She had ignored her parents’ objections, pleading and begging, even threatening to kill herself until they finally relented. They had taken her to the hospital to see her aunt, who worked there, to get an abortion.

After the examination, her aunt had spoken to her mother with a grave expression, advising against the abortion. She explained that Lin Yaru’s constitution was delicate, and since it was her first pregnancy, terminating it could render her unable to ever become a mother.

Terrified, her mother had ignored her daughter’s frantic threats and insisted on taking her home. Her parents deliberated all night before finally deciding to tell Jie Jingwei about the pregnancy. They then went to the Jie Family to discuss the matter. Upon returning home, her mother turned the tables on her, threatening to die right in front of her if she didn’t register her marriage with Jie Jingwei.

She didn’t want to die, nor did she want her mother to die. With no other choice, she had to agree to register the marriage.

She had given her body to a man she didn’t love, gotten pregnant with his child, and been forced to marry him. The pain was truly worse than death.

She refused to accept it. ’Why can’t I marry the man I love? By what right does Qin Mei get to marry the man *she* loves?’

’Qin Mei deserves to die,’ she thought. ’If it weren’t for her, I would be the one marrying Jing Si. Right now, it would be me and Jing Si sitting happily under that tree, enjoying the last rays of the sunset.’

The more she thought about it, the angrier and more resentful she became. Lin Yaru began to walk toward the two people sitting under the tree.

”Yaru.” With quick reflexes, Jie Jingwei grabbed her wrist. ”What do you think you’re doing?” he demanded coldly.

”Let go.” Lin Yaru angrily wrenched her wrist free from Jie Jingwei’s grasp.

”Yaru, remember who you are now,” Jie Jingwei reminded her through clenched teeth. Suddenly, he felt that Aunt Qiao had been right to suggest they move into the housing assigned by the machinery factory.

After marrying Lin Yaru, living so close to Jing Si and his wife was bound to cause trouble sooner or later.

His mother-in-law had complained to him that Aunt Qiao had given the north rooms to his eldest sister instead of him. But honestly, he wasn’t angry at all. Before that, his dad had already spoken with him and made it very clear that both the housing assigned to him by the factory and the unit assigned to his father would eventually be his.