Reborn as the Villain's Wife, I Shine in 80s

Tian Sangsang went downstairs to throw out the trash and saw Shui Lian walking gracefully toward her, the water-blue long dress swaying lightly in the wind.

Jiang Jinghuai’s mistress, huh? Nauseating to look at.

Before she could turn around, Shui Lian had already walked up to her, softly calling out, "Sangsang."

It was noon, and soldiers were about to return from the barracks; there were quite a few people coming and going.

Tian Sangsang really disliked standing around with her. She cast a faint glance, "Looking for me, Teacher Shui?"

"Yes, I’m looking for you." Shui Lian nodded with a bright smile, then hesitated and lowered her gaze.

"If you’ve got something to say, say it quickly. I’m busy." Stop dithering—could we move things along?

Shui Lian bit her lip. "That night Jinghuai had too much to drink; is his health alright now? I’ve been so busy at the kindergarten these few days, I didn’t get a chance to ask about him. Only now did I finally have some time."

"He’s doing fine, I guess. He should be coming back soon; you can ask him yourself." Tian Sangsang replied dismissively.

Hearing about their complicated mess made Tian Sangsang feel unbearably irritated. Her face was emotionless, as though she’d already grown accustomed to it.

Not seeing a trace of sadness on her expression, Shui Lian couldn’t stand it. She hoped—no, craved—for Tian Sangsang to make a scene, hopefully even leading to a divorce.

Logically, wouldn’t every woman react explosively upon hearing about her husband’s indiscretions? Yet with Tian Sangsang, it was always this calm, as if Jiang Jinghuai wasn’t even her husband.

Not her husband? Could it be that things weren’t as good between them as the rumors claimed?

Once this thought popped into her mind, it spiraled out of control. Shui Lian’s body trembled, as if caught in turbulent waves. Suddenly, beams of hope shone down onto her, illuminating her thoughts completely.

That’s it—had she overlooked something?

Before Jiang Jinghuai married Tian Sangsang, Tian Sangsang had been so dark-skinned and overweight. No normal man could possibly like her. Their marriage must’ve been entirely for the sake of the child. During the time Tian Sangsang transformed into someone fairer and more beautiful, Jiang Jinghuai was out on missions. He’s only recently returned for a few days—it’s impossible for them to build such deep feelings so quickly.

Everything that was said before... turns out all of it was just because of the child? If there weren’t a child involved!!!

Shui Lian lifted her head excitedly. "Tian..."

!!!

She chased after her, her fair face flush red with emotion. "Wait, Sangsang!"

"Now what do you want?" Tian Sangsang stared coldly at her. What’s with women these days? Do they all have some special proclivity for coveting married men, putting on a grand ’we’re true love and have done no wrong, and I’ll never regret this’ act; and men, always thinking their own wife isn’t as good as someone else’s, that their own wife isn’t as fresh and alluring as the young lady down the street?

"Actually, I came to return something." To test her theory, Shui Lian took out a watch from her bag, glancing at her expectantly. "Jinghuai left his watch at my place the other night—you’d be able to return it for me, right?"

Flashy smile. "Oh, don’t misunderstand; we’re just regular friends. It’s just that I don’t feel right handing it back to him personally, especially since there are so many people around. I need to avoid suspicion. So I can only ask you to give this to him—after all, you see him every day."

With her beautiful peach-shaped eyes narrowing slightly, her gaze grew darker as she fixated on the watch in Shui Lian’s hand. Tian Sangsang looked incredulous. "You’re saying this is his watch?"

Shui Lian admired the expression on her face, secretly curling her lips upward in satisfaction. Her voice was delicate. "Yes. He was so drunk that night, he left it at my place without taking it."

Tian Sangsang suddenly burst into laughter, her laughter like blossoms shaking in the wind.

"Oh, Teacher Shui... you’ve got it wrong. This watch isn’t his."

"You—what nonsense are you talking about?" A flicker of panic crossed Shui Lian’s composed face. "This is Jinghuai’s watch!"

Tian Sangsang gazed at her quietly... Ah, a skilled performer. Too bad that faint trace of panic betrayed her true thoughts.

She suddenly felt like a fool. All those days fretting over Shui Lian’s words—so foolish. Shui Lian, ruthless back in Tian Family Village, even pushed Qianqian into the water. Now she’s reinvented herself as a teacher here, making Tian Sangsang almost forget her original character. She’s just a compulsive liar, isn’t she?

With a playful curve to her lips, Tian Sangsang smirked. "Teacher Shui, you’ve really gotten it wrong. Our Jinghuai doesn’t wear watches."

"How could that be? This is his watch." Plenty of people lingered nearby as Shui Lian raised her voice intentionally. "How could this not be his watch?"

"I said it’s not, so it’s not." Tian Sangsang’s brows arched slightly. "If you claimed his ring was left at your place, I might believe it. But saying his watch was left at your place? I don’t buy it." She and Jiang Jinghuai lived under the same roof; she’d never seen him wear a watch. Her instincts told her Jiang Jinghuai wasn’t the kind of person who wore watches. While she wasn’t certain about other matters, she felt absolutely confident in this one.

Shui Lian’s façade began to crack as she silently wondered where she went wrong. But... why is Tian Sangsang so different from others? Shouldn’t she be focused on whether Jiang Jinghuai spent the night at her place, rather than questioning the watch? What exactly is going on in Tian Sangsang’s head?

For the first time in her life, Shui Lian found Tian Sangsang utterly inscrutable.

"I’m leaving. Teacher Shui, you might want to think further about this."

"Sangsang!" Shui Lian couldn’t let her go just like that. She suddenly lunged forward, grabbing her arm in desperation. Tian Sangsang instinctively shook off her hand, but the two women’s brief struggle was awkward and repellent—they weren’t even close, so this was just plain uncomfortable~

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With that abrupt action, Shui Lian ended up sprawling on the ground.

"Oh no, Teacher Shui! Teacher Shui what happened?" Several military wives who’d been watching the drama from a distance immediately rushed over to help her up.

From their perspective, it looked as though Tian Sangsang had deliberately shoved her.

Shui Lian pressed her pale lips together, her tear-stained eyes shimmering pitifully yet refusing to break into sobs—a picture of fragile beauty.

"Sangsang." She held up the watch in her hand like a piece of evidence. "I swear, this really is the watch Jinghuai left at my house that night. I brought it back just to return it."

The military wives perked up—drama unfolding! Their imaginative minds raced: Could it be that Captain Jiang actually spent the night at Teacher Shui’s house? And Tian Sangsang, boiling with jealousy, shoved the poor woman without leaving room for explanations?

Tian Sangsang looked at her melodramatic act and smiled inwardly. This woman was far more suited to starring in tear-jerking films; she might even produce a box-office hit.

"Sangsang."

A low, magnetic voice rang out—it was Jiang Jinghuai.

The male lead had arrived, thought the military wives in unison.

Upon seeing Shui Lian, his brows furrowed deeply. "What’s going on here?"

Caught off guard by his appearance, Shui Lian froze, momentarily unable to meet his gaze.

Tian Sangsang stepped into the role of narrator, explaining matter-of-factly, "Teacher Shui claims your watch was left at her house and asked me to return it to you." She was curious to see just how far their relationship had gone.

In a swift motion, Shui Lian clasped the watch tightly, but her reflexes couldn’t match Jiang Jinghuai’s piercing stare.

"My watch?" His expression darkened with suspicion. "Teacher Shui, you need to clarify your statement. When did I ever visit your house?"

"I-I... I made a mistake." Shui Lian’s voice trembled as memories of his icy demeanor flashed before her.

The military wives exchanged knowing glances. It seemed Captain Jiang wasn’t particularly invested in Teacher Shui—and Teacher Shui came across as far too forward, falsely suggesting he stayed at her place. No wonder Tian Sangsang was upset.

"I don’t wear watches. ...Sangsang is my wife—I don’t want her to misunderstand." With that, Jiang Jinghuai firmly took Tian Sangsang’s hand and walked away without another word.

"Hey," Tian Sangsang called out softly, "Did you two... have a falling out?"

Jiang Jinghuai’s glare could’ve cut through steel in an instant.

The anger that had been building in her chest over the past few days dissipated significantly as Tian Sangsang stared at him. "She said you specifically told her you were coming back."

"Do you believe her?"

"Of course! If she dares to say it, I’ll believe it."

"No." Jiang Jinghuai spat out the word curtly.

"Oh."

"What does ’oh’ mean?" He demanded, his tone icy.

With her hands clasped behind her back, Tian Sangsang’s lips curled ever so slightly upward. She hummed as she walked, refusing to say another word.