Chapter 133

Hu Qianqian had always had a dream—to own a house facing the sea, where spring blossoms bloom year-round.

Wei Sheng had kept that dream close to his heart.

He’d thought it would take a few more years of hard work, saving up enough money before finally finding a livable seaside town to help his mother fulfill that youthful dream.

But now, by a twist of fate, it seemed that plan might be realized a few years ahead of schedule.

Besides, ever since Wei Sheng decided to sign Wu Meiqiong, he’d known that she and her irresponsible husband wouldn’t last.

The reason was simple: Wu Meiqiong wanted to earn money to give her two daughters a better life, while her long-absent husband only cared about living it up and enjoying himself.

Two people with such fundamentally different values—no matter how many children they had—were unlikely to stay together for life.

Just look at his own parents for reference. Even though his mother had endured over twenty years of unhappiness just to give him a “complete” family, in the end, she still divorced his father.

In fact, Wei Sheng had been urging his mom to divorce his dad since he was little. But his mother’s generation—no offense—had a tendency to romanticize their own suffering. They believed that children couldn’t grow up in single-parent homes, or they’d be looked down on by classmates or scarred for life…

If she weren’t his own mother, Wei Sheng would’ve rolled his eyes so hard they’d fall out of his head!

With his mental resilience? He’d only ever been the one giving others psychological trauma, never the other way around. Not to brag, but if the country ever launched a certification exam for “Master of Brainwashing,” he’d probably qualify for the highest rank.

Anyway, earlier when they were at the dock buying seafood, he overheard some people talking about the tourism development in Huazhi Village. Wei Sheng listened in and noticed that most held a pessimistic view. Many preferred to wait and see—let others invest and make money first, then they’d jump on the bandwagon.

Most villagers didn’t have much faith in the future of local tourism. Wei Sheng couldn’t really blame them for lacking vision. After all, aside from a few large-scale aquaculture families, the average household here was barely scraping by. An annual income of twenty to thirty thousand yuan was already considered decent. Expecting them to suddenly fork out hundreds of thousands or even a million for an investment with no clear prospects? That was a stretch.

But while they lacked confidence, Wei Sheng had plenty.

The problem was—

He had the money but couldn’t get his hands on a residential land permit in the village.

Renting was an option, but what if his homestay business took off and the landlord had second thoughts? Even if they were willing to pay the penalty, they could still take the property back, and that would be a huge headache.

So Wei Sheng’s idea was to find a local partner—someone who could secure the land permit. That person would contribute the land as equity, and he’d provide the capital. Together, they’d invest in building a seaside homestay.

That way, as long as the property remained in trusted hands, the business could run long-term. Later on, when Hu Qianqian got older, she could either sell the place or hire someone to manage it while she lived there herself—enjoying the dream of facing the sea, surrounded by blooming spring flowers.

“I was thinking, even though Meiqiong-jie isn’t a native of this village, Xiao Qing and Xiao Ya are true Liu family descendants. You could apply for a residential plot in the kids’ names. If you don’t have enough to buy the land, I can lend you the money. That way, you’ll also have a fallback plan for you and the girls.”

“But now, Meiqiong-jie, I’m not trying to break up your marriage or anything, but if you want to go into this business, you really need to think carefully—do you want to continue this relationship?”

“Because as long as you and Liu Gao’an are still legally married, every cent you earn, every asset you acquire, is considered marital property. Even if you get divorced later, Liu Gao’an has the legal right to file for a division of your savings.”

“What? What kind of bullshit law is that? Everyone in this village can vouch that every penny Meiqiong made was through her own hard work—it has nothing to do with Liu Gao’an!” Liu Gaomei exploded with anger.

Wei Sheng sighed inwardly.

He knew it!

No wonder Liang Yi had to go online under a pseudonym to “enlighten the masses.” Clearly, grassroots legal awareness was in dire need of more accessible, entertaining, and educational content to drive home the basics of the law.

Wei Sheng tried his best to explain the concept of “marital property” in simple terms, emphasizing one crucial point to Wu Meiqiong—

Even if she worked herself to the bone trying to save up money for her daughters, it wouldn’t matter. Even if she died right now, her spouse and children would both be first-tier heirs. Which meant—no matter how hard she worked, if she dropped dead today, Liu Gao’an would still be entitled to at least one-third of her assets!

And if, heaven forbid, the girls were still minors, Liu Gao’an could very well end up taking all of it. After all, he was their legal guardian. With the kids not yet grown, he’d be fully within his rights—legally and logically—to manage their inheritance on their behalf.

Wu Meiqiong: “……”

If just moments ago she’d still been wondering whether she could avoid a divorce, now—if the Civil Affairs Bureau weren’t already closed for the day—she’d have dragged Liu Gao’an there on the spot to get it done.

“So what you’re saying is, we shouldn’t buy the land yet. We have to wait until Meiqiong gets the divorce certificate first?”

“Exactly. That’ll save us a lot of trouble.” Wei Sheng nodded.

“Alright! I’ll do everything I can to get divorced from Liu Gao’an as soon as possible!” At this point, Wu Meiqiong no longer hesitated.

Her two daughters were her greatest weakness. All her hard work, all the exhausting hours she put in to earn money—it was all for them. She just wanted them to have the chance to study, to get an education, so they wouldn’t have to suffer the same fate she did, living a life weighed down by ignorance.

Every cent she earned was meant for Xiao Qing and Xiao Ya’s college tuition. If anyone dared touch that money—even her own husband—she’d fight them to the bitter end.

Thinking about money, Wu Meiqiong couldn’t help but feel a pang of regret over the two hundred thousand yuan she earned from her first livestream sales. Even after taxes, she’d have at least a hundred thousand left—enough to get both girls through high school.

And just like that, she had to give half of it to Liu Gao’an? She couldn’t accept it!

“Just think of it as spending money to ward off disaster. You can always earn more later. But if you keep dragging out the divorce, the more you earn, the more he’ll cling to you. And when the time comes, he’ll demand even more…” Liu Gaomei tried to comfort her.

Wu Meiqiong still felt bitter, but the more she thought about it, the more she realized that cutting her losses now might be the only way forward.

Because of her situation, Wei Sheng, who was supposed to leave with the film crew, decided to stay an extra day. He asked Liang Yi for help and found a lawyer experienced in divorce cases for Wu Meiqiong.

Good thing he did. As soon as Liu Gao’an saw his wife was on the verge of becoming a major influencer, he flat-out refused to divorce her. He even tried to take custody of both children.

Ha! Did he really think the law was just for show?

Wu Meiqiong presented years of bank records as evidence, proving that Liu Gao’an had shirked all responsibility for their daughters. Since their birth, he had contributed less than five thousand yuan a year in child support—and in the past two years, he hadn’t paid a single cent.

“I’ll change! I swear I’ll change! From now on, I’ll transfer money to you every month for living expenses,” Liu Gao’an said with a repentant tone during mediation.

But he already had it all figured out. Wu Meiqiong was making good money now, so what if he handed over a few thousand a month? Later, he could just ask her for tens of thousands—he’d still come out ahead.

There was no way he’d agree to a divorce now. Letting go of a goose that laid golden eggs? Not a chance.

What made Wu Meiqiong truly despair was that Liu Gao’an’s performance during mediation actually moved the mediator. Even they began urging her to give him another chance—for the sake of the children, so they could have a complete family.

“Lawyer Jiang, what do I do now?” Wu Meiqiong was determined to divorce Liu Gao’an, but she hadn’t expected to get stuck at the mediation stage.

Apparently, even if mediation failed, there would still be a mandatory one-month cooling-off period. Just thinking about the long, drawn-out process made her feel hopeless.

Why?

Why did women have to suffer so much, only to be further punished by the law?

Wasn’t the law supposed to protect the vulnerable?

So why was it protecting scumbags like Liu Gao’an?

“If you’re set on getting a divorce, we can file a lawsuit. We’ll cite his long-term failure to fulfill parental responsibilities and the emotional breakdown caused by prolonged separation,” Lawyer Jiang said, looking at Wu Meiqiong with sympathy.

She’d seen too many cases like this in her career, but each one still left her with a heavy heart.

The divorce cooling-off period was originally meant to save marriages that shouldn’t have ended. When did it become a loophole for shameless men to exploit?

Because of the ongoing legal battle, Wu Meiqiong didn’t livestream or post any videos for several days. Some of her new followers began to worry and left comments under her last video, asking if something had happened.

Wu Meiqiong had no idea how to handle this sudden crisis. Thankfully, the team Wei Sheng hired was reliable. With help from their copywriters, Wu Meiqiong recorded a video explaining her current situation.

“At first, I didn’t want to air my dirty laundry in public. I was afraid relatives and friends would see it and laugh at us. But now, I don’t think that way anymore.”

“He hasn’t come home in two years. He hasn’t sent a single cent for me or the girls. And that shameless bastard isn’t afraid of being laughed at—so why should I be?”

“Today, I’m putting it all out there. I want everyone to see this man’s true colors!”

In the video, Wu Meiqiong’s eyes brimmed with tears as she looked into the camera and recounted how she met Liu Gao’an, how they fell in love, and how, after getting married, he grew cold and eventually stopped caring about her and their daughters altogether.

“I’m just an uneducated rural woman. Honestly, a lot of women in the countryside are like me. The men don’t care about the family or give us money to live on, and we’re left with no choice. But at least we have land and a house. We work hard, farm the land, raise pigs, chickens, ducks… We won’t starve.”

“But Liu Gao’an has gone too far! I finally managed to earn a little money—money I was saving for our daughters’ education. We live far from the county seat. Elementary and middle school are manageable, but once they get to high school, I’ll have to rent a place in town to stay with them. Rent, living expenses, tuition, books… I heard it costs at least twenty thousand yuan a year for one student.”

“And do you know what that bastard Liu Gao’an wants? After disappearing for two years, the moment he heard I made some money, he came running back and demanded I give it to him—to buy a car!”

“I don’t care if he bullies me. But he has no right to touch the money meant for my daughters’ education.”

“My daughters are my life. If he won’t give us a way to live, then let’s cut ties once and for all! I’m not afraid of being laughed at by relatives and friends. If I dared to record this video today, then I’m ready to face whatever comes. I, Wu Meiqiong, would rather die than stay married to Liu Gao’an!”

“What do you mean ‘don’t air your dirty laundry in public’? I’m not the one who should be ashamed! I, Wu Meiqiong, have done everything a wife is supposed to do for the Liu family, for Liu Gao’an. They favor sons over daughters, look down on my two girls, and don’t even want to raise them? Fine! Then give them to me. Even if I have to live on scraps, I’ll raise my daughters myself!”

“Starting today, I’ll post a video every day, sharing every step of my divorce battle with all my sisters out there!”

“I also want to say this to every woman out there who’s in the same boat as me—if you’re dealing with a bastard like Liu Gao’an who refuses to pay child support, don’t be afraid. Fight back! Either he pays, or he divorces you! And even if he doesn’t, you’re the one raising the kids on your own anyway—what difference does it make whether there’s a man around or not?”

By the time she finished, Wu Meiqiong couldn’t stop the tears streaming down her face.

All the anger and resentment she’d buried deep inside—things she used to think were too shameful to speak of, things she feared would make her the laughingstock of her relatives and friends—she no longer felt that way.

Lawyer Jiang had told her: only those who’ve done wrong are afraid of being laughed at. She had married into the Liu family, cared for her mother-in-law, raised the children, worked the fields, supported the household—every single thing she did, people would call her a good wife. Who would dare mock her?

“That’s exactly how you should think!” Wei Sheng wholeheartedly supported Wu Meiqiong’s resolve in pursuing the divorce. “If even good people can’t stand up for themselves, then what’s the point of laws and social morality?”

To show her support in a tangible way, Wei Sheng secretly paid her legal fees.

“Don’t feel bad about it, okay? Helping you is also helping our company keep its golden goose,” Wei Sheng said with a smile.

Wu Meiqiong opened her mouth, wanting to say that she wasn’t pretty, didn’t have a great figure, spoke with a thick accent, couldn’t sing or dance—how could Wei Sheng be so sure she’d be a moneymaker for the company?

But before she could even figure that out, her latest video exploded in popularity, shooting straight to the trending list. Overnight, her personal account gained two hundred thousand new followers!

(End of Chapter)