CHAPTER 215: 205 RUMORS

"Now Captain Jiang just wants to live a peaceful life. After all, there’s a child involved." Shui Lian sighed regretfully, "There’s not much we can say anymore. It’s already a done deal."

"But..." The young women seethed with indignation. The Captain Jiang they all admired had been humiliated by that fat, dark-skinned woman. How could they possibly swallow that anger?

"Shameless woman." Ji Yao’er shook her head, "I’ve heard of countless stories, but it’s the first time I’ve come across something this shameless."

"I’ve got a class at noon, so I’ll head off now." Shui Lian smiled nervously, "We’re just chatting here. If Jinghuai hears about it, he’s definitely going to think I’ve been gossiping. Don’t let this spread, okay?"

"Relax." Ji Yao’er chuckled softly, "We won’t say it was you."

Promises among women are the least trustworthy.

And so, by that very day, the group of young ladies gathered together, chatting away incessantly, and in no time, the gossip spread like wildfire. Yet through Ji Yao’er’s deliberate steering of the narrative, no one became aware of the source of the rumors, sparing Shui Lian from blame.

The next day, after Jiang Jinghuai had left the house, Tian Sangsang temporarily left Meng Shuyan in the room and went downstairs dressed in a loose-fitting outfit.

"Sangsang, where are you headed now?" You Huixixi was holding Lin Dongni’s hand, seemingly ready to drop her off at kindergarten.

"Sis." Tian Sangsang smiled, flashing a set of white teeth, "It’s a quiet morning, so I thought I’d go for a run to lose some weight."

Recalling the gossip she’d overheard the night before, You Huixixi comforted her, "Don’t pay attention to their nonsense. You’re not fat—it would be a pity if you lost too much weight."

Tian Sangsang wasn’t sure what others had been saying and didn’t pay it much mind. She hummed a response and bent down to wave at Lin Dongni, "Nini, good morning."

Lin Dongni still didn’t speak, just slowly raised her eyes to look at her. Her gaze was pure, and her small face was strikingly beautiful.

Tian Sangsang liked this pretty little girl very much. Excitedly, she said to You Huixixi, "It seems Nini recognizes me now."

You Huixixi also smiled, "She’s shy. At home, she’ll say a few words to me and her dad, though not much. But she’s finally willing to speak."

After exchanging a few words, they went their separate ways. Tian Sangsang ran a circuit around the military housing complex, then another lap outside the military district on a quieter road. She felt she was just a little chubby now, and with her height, as long as she maintained a weight of 100 pounds, she’d be perfect. With daily runs morning and night and controlled eating, losing over 30 pounds in a month wouldn’t be hard.

When she returned from outside, her mouth was dry and she was drenched in sweat. Tian Sangsang removed the towel draped around her neck, wiped her sweat, and then looked up to see a few military wives peering curiously at her through the upstairs curtains. Some of those downstairs passed by her deliberately, with glances full of judgment.

Tian Sangsang held her breath and used the towel to give her dark face a rough wipe. It’s really exhausting to be scrutinized for being ugly, yet equally exhausting to be shunned for looking too good. Just trying to be a complete nobody—why was it so hard?

Moreover, the blatantly naked gazes of these women made her deeply uncomfortable, as if they were inspecting a gorilla in a zoo.

Short of breath, Tian Sangsang walked to the building’s entrance. As soon as she set foot on the staircase, shadows flickered upstairs, followed by voices trickling downward.

"Yeah... so shameless."

"Turns out that’s how her son came about."

"No wonder for years Captain Jiang never mentioned having kids, and then he suddenly rushed to get married."

"Even the marriage leave was just one day—probably didn’t even hold a wedding banquet. Surely the family didn’t approve."

"If you ask me, that kid might not even be Captain Jiang’s."

"What? Qin Lan, now that’s just... But that kid does look a lot like Captain Jiang."

Tian Sangsang chuckled silently and slowly climbed up to the second floor. Fixing her gaze on them, she said coldly, "What are you all chatting about?"

Qin Lan and the others were immersed in their heated discussion when they were startled by a chilling voice, shivering in fear.

"Oh, sister-in-law, you walk so quietly." Qin Lan put on a fake smile, "You gave us a scare."

"It’s not that I walk quietly. It’s that you guys were talking too loudly. I could’ve sworn I heard you mentioning my son..."

"No, no, we weren’t." The other military wives’ faces turned pale.

"Shall I repeat it for you? I think you said, ’That kid might not even be Captain Jiang’s.’" Tian Sangsang’s eyes glinted with a deep coldness. "I’m curious—exactly what have I done to make you speculate about the father-son relationship between my child and Jiang Jinghuai?"

Her domineering tone made Qin Lan feel guilty. Hardening her expression, Qin Lan blustered, "We only said what we heard from others, sister-in-law. Haven’t you heard? It’s already all over the place... Everyone’s gossiping terribly..."

"No matter how terrible they are, can they be worse than you?" Tian Sangsang brushed past her without another word, refusing to engage further.

"What kind of attitude is that?" Qin Lan scowled and laughed coldly, "The rumors are everywhere—if she hadn’t done anything, why would she care about what people say?"

"Are we being too harsh on Jiang Jinghuai’s family?" one timid military wife asked.

"Too harsh? Hardly. After all, we weren’t the ones who started it," Qin Lan said, straightening her spine. Why should she fear? They were all from the countryside, and at least she had some edge over Tian Sangsang—whether in morality or in appearance. Anyway, Captain Jiang probably doesn’t even fancy Tian Sangsang, just her son. So even if Tian Sangsang complains, Captain Jiang wouldn’t care.

"Mom, aren’t we going outside to soak up the sun today?" Meng Shuyan asked after taking a bite of his golden-hued candied date, tilting his head.

"Not today. The weather isn’t great outside. Let’s stay indoors." Tian Sangsang stroked his innocent little face. Such a young boy, already forced to hear those vile rumors in the village, only to face more malicious talk here—it must be so hard for him.

Meng Shuyan puffed up his cheeks, his appetite for the candied date vanishing, "Mom, what’s wrong?" Maybe it was mother-son intuition or just the closeness they shared, but the small boy was always acutely sensitive to her emotions.

"Nothing’s wrong." Tian Sangsang forced a smile. "I’m just tired from running."

She scooped him up in her arms, holding him close and taking in the faint scent of dried dates on his skin.

"Mom, have this." Meng Shuyan picked up a large, glossy black prune and brought it to her lips.

"Thank you." Tian Sangsang glanced at the prune—one of her favorite candied fruits—and bit into it. Its sweet-tart flavor lifted her spirits a little.

At noon, after a simple meal, Meng Shuyan went down for his habitual midday nap. Once her son was settled, Tian Sangsang walked into the living room to find Jiang Jinghuai sitting on the sofa, his expression unreadable.

Wanting to discuss the happenings of the morning, Tian Sangsang sat down beside him. To her surprise, Jiang Jinghuai spoke first.

"Why are our past affairs being spread all over the military district?" Jiang Jinghuai cast her a cool glance. His deep, piercing gaze was hard to decipher as he looked at her. "This is having a very negative impact on the district."