[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-1987-my-era":3,"chapter-1987-my-era-1987-my-era-chapter-584":6},{"origin":4,"title":5},"chinese","1987: My Era",{"chapter":7,"nextChapterSlug":19,"prevChapterSlug":20,"totalChapters":21,"novelImage":22},{"id":8,"novel_id":9,"title":10,"slug":11,"index":12,"content":13,"wordcount":14,"created_at":15,"updated_at":15,"volume":16,"translator":17,"content_hash":18},2259744,4409,"Chapter 584: Left and Right Embraced","1987-my-era-chapter-584",584,"\u003Cp>Following her mother-in-law’s instructions, Tian Run’e went to the backyard to catch and kill a goose.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The goose was too large for his wife to handle alone, so Li Jianguo followed her as usual.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Barely reaching the backyard, Tian Run’e began to fret: “Jianguo, what should we do?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Though the two women seemed to be chatting warmly, they were secretly clashing.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She understood Zijin’s anger, and she understood Professor Yu’s forced counterattack.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Fortunately, both women were well-bred; they didn’t openly break ties, only exchanging verbal blows.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But she was deeply worried—this tension couldn’t last; open confrontation was inevitable.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Jianguo shared her concern, lit a cigarette, smoked it slowly without speaking, then stepped into the chicken pen and pulled out a large goose.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Tian Run’e grew impatient: “Say something, will you?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After thinking a while, Li Jianguo said: “Right now, favoring either side will hurt the other. We can only play our parts—try to soothe both Zijin and Professor Yu’s emotions. As for the rest, leave it to fate.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Tian Run’e sighed: “There’s no other way. Do you think I should tell Manzi to hide for a while?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Jianguo shook his head: “Hiding won’t solve anything. Don’t forget, outside there’s Xiao Han, Song Yu, and that girl named Maisui. If we hide now, what then?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Tian Run’e’s heart tightened—Zijin and Professor Yu meeting had already been terrifying.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If five girls gathered in one room, she couldn’t imagine the scene.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Her chest felt suffocated; she slapped the goose’s head hard in frustration: “Since we can’t hide, I’ll send Da’er to Xiao’s house to bring your son back. I want to see what kind of man dares to offend so many good girls at once.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After killing the goose, Tian Run’e slipped out the back door and ran to her eldest daughter’s house.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Jianguo boiled water to pluck the goose’s feathers, smoking one cigarette after another—he was clearly anxious about what was coming.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He knew this wasn’t yet the most deadly moment; the real crisis would come when his son walked through the door.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>….\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Once the old couple left, the main room held only Grandma, Professor Yu, and Chen Zijin.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Though Grandma had little formal education, she possessed an uncanny ability to command the room; with a few sharp words, she managed to make the two women temporarily set aside their grievances and begin chatting.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Chen Zijin was deeply curious about Li Heng’s life at Fudan, and asked mostly about that.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yu Shuheng preferred to probe into Li Heng’s childhood, chatting merrily with Grandma while subtly fishing for details about his romance with Chen Zijin.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Throughout the conversation, the two women traded words evenly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But Grandma, as an experienced elder, clearly sensed that Professor Yu wasn’t fighting back—she was only defending passively, not attacking.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After about an hour of chatting, the two women went upstairs.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>When Chen Zijin saw Li Heng’s empty room and noticed his clothes hanging at the foot of Professor Yu’s bed, her previously confident expression dimmed; her spirit seemed drained, leaving her lost and hollow.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>No matter how hard she planned, no matter how fiercely she defended this relationship, she couldn’t overcome proximity’s advantage, nor the brutal reality of their separation.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At that moment, Chen Zijin suddenly felt powerless.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Without family support, with her future mother-in-law and her own mother estranged, what good was her boldness? Even if she fought to the death, who would benefit?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Would it benefit Xiao Han?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Or Song Yu?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Or some other woman?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Staring at the man’s coat at the foot of the bed, Chen Zijin’s eyes burned.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yu Shuheng, raised in a prominent family, had honed the skill of reading expressions; she quietly observed every shift in Chen Zijin’s demeanor.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Logically, seeing her rival’s despair, Professor Yu should have felt triumphant.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yet strangely, she felt no joy—only a deep, resonant empathy.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She thought of Song Yu, thought of Zhou Shihe—her two most uncertain rivals. Perhaps one day, she too would lose, and suffer as Chen Zijin did now.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After a moment’s thought, Yu Shuheng broke the silence—uncharacteristically, she said to Chen Zijin: “Li Heng’s room is next door.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was an obvious statement—both women already knew Li Heng’s room was next door.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But Chen Zijin understood: her rival was subtly signaling her.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After a long silence, Chen Zijin picked up her luggage and entered Li Heng’s room.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Oh—her luggage had been brought by Chen Zitong.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>When Chen Zitong learned Yu Shuheng was at Li’s house, she quietly delivered her sister’s clothes and, in front of Grandma and Yu Shuheng, said to her sister:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Sis, what’s wrong with you? Always losing things—you need me to bring your clothes?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Auntie says you’ll sleep with Brother-in-law like before. Here—your clothes are here. Don’t forget to pay me back. Hmph.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After speaking, Chen Zitong voluntarily called out, \"Grandma Li.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Then the girl turned on her heel and returned to the Chen family house across the road.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Chen Zitong wasn’t lying—her sister had indeed often stayed at Li’s house and slept with her brother-in-law; it was an unspoken truth both families accepted.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Grandma watched Chen Zitong’s retreating back and thought: This little one might be the only person in the Chen family who truly cares for Zijin.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After entering the next room with her luggage, Chen Zijin didn’t rush to pack; she closed the door and sat on the edge of the bed, staring blankly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She stared blankly at every familiar object in the room.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Chen Zijin sat in thought; so did Yu Shuheng in her own bedroom.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After a long while, Yu Shuheng found paper and pen and wrote two notes.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>One note read the familiar phrase: Let nature take its course.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After writing both, she put down her pen, closed her eyes, crumpled the two notes into balls, held them in her palm, turned them around, then tossed them onto the desk.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>When she opened her eyes, she glanced between the left ball and the right ball, then chose the right one.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The first time, in Lushan Village, she chose the left ball.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Earlier this year, in Bai Luyuan, she chose the left ball again.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This time, she did the opposite—she chose the right ball.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This time, if not “let nature take its course,” she would abandon all mercy and show no leniency to Chen Zijin, the first to provoke her.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Just now, though she appeared to sympathize with Chen Zijin, she was really sympathizing with herself.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In that moment, a deep sense of crisis stirred within her.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She sensed Chen Zijin’s despair might be temporary—she must still fight, to defend her last remaining ground, because the other had no retreat.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Indeed, after a brief moment of shock, Chen Zijin quickly regained her composure. She wasn’t new to knowing her man slept with other women—Xiao Han was living proof. Her inner strength far exceeded others’ imagination.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>….\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Along with her elder sister, Li Heng hurried forward; most of the path was uphill, the dirt road bumpy and muddy, slippery and hard to walk.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yet despite this, anxious as he was, Li Heng reached the crossroads in just 46 minutes.\u003C\u002Fp>",1188,"2026-06-19T15:27:37.100Z",1,"Qwen3-Next 80B","53e0dc878102d75c4b3734817af7774fb870c5902aa363ddc3ad1e4ab590741f","1987-my-era-chapter-585","1987-my-era-chapter-583",713,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002F1987-my-era-cover.jpg"]