B5SB -Chapter 288 Guilty Conscience

Cheng Bo grimaced in pain, propping himself up with his arms, trying to see what condition he was in.

Just as he lifted his head, bang!

Hu Shan swung a broom and hit him on the shoulder.

Cheng Bo had been sleeping soundly and suddenly fell off the bed for no reason; the back of his head was still hurting.

Then he got hit again, head-first under the blanket. Naturally, his expression was grim.

As the broom came down again, he grabbed it, yanked it violently, and threw it behind him.

His eyes blazed as he glared at her. “Hu Shan, are you crazy?!”

Hu Shan stumbled backward from Cheng Bo’s pull. The friction made her loosen her grip on the broom instinctively.

Her eyes stared daggers at Cheng Bo as she yelled, her face twisted: “Cheng Bo, who was the woman you were struggling with at the textile factory today?!”

At her words, a flicker of guilt passed through Cheng Bo’s eyes.

He then thought: catch a thief, catch stolen goods, catch an affair, catch both.

He stood up nonchalantly and dusted himself off.

Looking at Hu Shan with a righteous air, he said, “Was it Gu Yihan trying to stir up trouble in front of you?”

“I’ve told you so many times—don’t interact with her so much.”

“She’s just jealous that your life is going well. She wants to split us apart!”

Hu Shan didn’t want to hear anything about whether Gu Yihan was good or not; she just wanted to know who the woman was.

She yelled, “Don’t change the subject! Tell me who that woman is! Why was she looking for you?!”

“If you don’t explain this, I’ll divorce you!”

“Don’t think that just because I don’t have relatives or friends backing me up in Kun City, you can bully me!”

“Believe me, one phone call from me and you’ll be kicked out of the textile factory!”

After saying this, Hu Shan’s tears fell uncontrollably.

She had strained her relationship with her family just to marry Cheng Bo. Her relatives and friends mocked her, saying she had a problem with her head for marrying a poor guy who had nothing.

If Cheng Bo really did something to betray her…

Her relatives and friends would ridicule her even more behind her back, gossiping endlessly.

Thinking of this, she felt even more wronged.

At her words, Cheng Bo’s expression suddenly darkened. His eyes narrowed slightly.

Divorce?

Not a chance.

He hadn’t even secured Hu Shan’s dowry and bridal gifts yet; how could he possibly divorce her?

He paced to her side, looking at her tear-streaked, snotty face—so messy.

Thinking about the five thousand yuan savings passbook and the big yellow croaker dowry he hadn’t received yet, he suppressed his disgust. He stepped closer, wrapped his arms around her shoulders, and pulled her into his chest.

He whispered gently, “Xiao Shan, even the police explain things to suspects during investigations.”

“Besides, we’re married.”

“You heard one ambiguous thing from someone else and accused me without knowing the facts! Did it ever occur to you that I might be hurt?”

He put on a sorrowful, pained expression.

“We’ve been married for so long. I hand over my entire salary to you every month—is that not worthy of your trust?”

“Or is it that, in your eyes, I really can’t compare to Gu Yihan?”

“One casual remark from her can stir your emotions, yet nothing I say earns even a bit of your trust?”

Hu Shan’s mind got tangled in Cheng Bo’s words.

She lifted her head, eyes blurred with tears, looking at him with a flicker of doubt—could it be she had misunderstood?

Then she thought of what Gu Yihan said about a slim woman, and a sour feeling rose in her chest.

Pushing Cheng Bo away, she demanded, “Who was the woman looking for you?”

“You even took leave for her! I went through a miscarriage, such a big deal, and you didn’t take leave!”

Cheng Bo looked at Hu Shan indulgently, helplessly.

He sighed and said, “It was Ye Qingqing. She came looking for your cousin!”

“She couldn’t find him, so she blocked me at the door!”

“I only dealt with her out of respect for you. Otherwise, who even knows her?!”

Hu Shan froze at his words.

Ye Qingqing? How could it be her?

She looked at Cheng Bo, who was carefully dabbing her tears with a handkerchief.

Something felt off.

Ever since he knew about the tensions with her family, Cheng Bo had changed. Normally, he would leave without explanation after arguments, slamming doors.

But this time, he not only explained, he coaxed her gently.

His unusual behavior—could it be a sign of guilt?

Then why would he feel guilty?

Her gaze fell on Cheng Bo’s face.

Suddenly, Gu Yihan’s words flashed through her mind.

Jingjing’s natural curls looked just like Cheng Bo’s, and she had repeatedly suggested checking Jingjing’s biological parents.

A bad premonition arose in Hu Shan’s heart.

She also remembered that Jingjing’s connection came through Ye Qingqing’s parents.

Thinking of this, Hu Shan’s face went pale.

Her heart felt tightly squeezed, hurting so much she bent over instinctively.

“What’s wrong? Are you feeling unwell?” Cheng Bo immediately put the handkerchief in his pocket.

He carefully guided Hu Shan to sit on the bed to rest.

“I’ll go get you a glass of water.”

“You go out. I don’t want to see you!”

Both spoke in unison.

Cheng Bo froze at her words, his expression turning cold. He had already humbled himself, yet Hu Shan still rejected him.

He snorted coldly. “Fine. If you don’t trust me and don’t welcome me, I’ll stay at my cousin’s house!”

With that, he swung his arm and left the bedroom.

Hu Shan listened to his footsteps fade.

Staring blankly at the ceiling, her mind in chaos, she had no concrete evidence for her suspicions. She could only compromise for now.

Tomorrow at work, she would ask Gu Yihan for advice.

Thinking of this, she felt extremely wronged. Tears uncontrollably flowed from the outer corners of her eyes, soaking her hair.

Meanwhile, Gu Yihan glanced at Secretary Chang, who was pushing a bicycle behind her.

She turned and asked, “Secretary Chang, do you need something?”

Secretary Chang quickened his pace to walk alongside her, smiling as he tilted his head toward her.

“Gu Yihan, thank you.”

Gu Yihan was puzzled, looking at him blankly, not understanding what he was thanking her for.

Secretary Chang pushed up his glasses, a gentle smile on his face.

He explained, “Thank you for not hiding what you saw today.”

Gu Yihan was surprised, wondering how he knew what she had told Hu Shan, and why he felt the need to thank her.

“Hu Shan is my ex-fiancée,” Secretary Chang said with a smile.

“Cough, cough!”

Gu Yihan was shocked at his words.

She looked at him in disbelief. He looked fair-skinned and gentle, giving off a refined, intellectual aura. Clearly a scholarly type—how could Hu Shan not be interested in him?

Secretary Chang smiled at her expression.

His soft, mellow voice said, “Hu Shan never met me. She doesn’t like arranged marriages.”

Gu Yihan thought of Hu Shan’s habit of opposing her family and nodded in understanding.