Chapter 135

*The Fierce Wife Arrives* was a fast-paced web drama packed with legal twists and turns. Each episode was just ten minutes long, with a self-contained story in every installment. The very first episode already delivered a rollercoaster of events: the heroine, Tang Peiru, fell off a cliff and was reborn, found herself suddenly a mother, and swiftly took revenge on a cheating scumbag.

In the second episode, Tang Peiru resolved to reclaim everything that was rightfully hers. But to her shock, after news of her death, her boyfriend had wasted no time in seizing all the assets they had built together. Her parents only received a meager funeral allowance and some insurance money.

What really made viewers’ blood boil was that the boyfriend had long been eyeing her apartment. While her parents were busy “handling her funeral,” he secretly forged a gift contract, faked her signature, and transferred the property to his own name!

Now penniless and having just given birth, Tang Peiru was in dire straits. Though her best friend believed her incredible story, legally speaking, the current “Tang Peiru” was considered deceased. The law didn’t recognize rebirth, let alone support a “reborn” person reclaiming their assets. So how was she going to take back what was hers?

Just then, the stirring end theme blared—right at the most critical moment!

Viewers, now fully hooked: ???

Come on, just show us what she does! You think we can’t spare a few bucks?

That same night, Wei Sheng had several of the company’s streamers promote the show during their live broadcasts. Before long, the premiere stats came in, and the series even landed a small feature spot on the platform’s homepage.

Seeing the freshly released data, Wei Sheng let out a quiet sigh of relief. The show hadn’t required much investment to begin with, and judging by the current momentum, it was well on track to recoup its costs.

What he didn’t expect, though, was that the two episodes released the next day would see a tenfold spike in views compared to the first day!

And not just the new episodes—the view count for the first three episodes also skyrocketed. Within just two days, this seemingly melodramatic rebirth-revenge drama disguised as a legal education short series had racked up over a hundred million views.

The numbers shot up like a rocket, straight into the stratosphere!

What the hell was going on?

“You’ve got good karma, that’s what!” Zhou Mingxing shot him an annoyed glare. “Have you seen the internet lately? Everyone’s hyping your drama like it’s some blockbuster from a top-tier director.”

He never did any proper work, but when it came to these offbeat ventures, he always struck gold.

That said, if the higher-ups at the station found out that he and Wei Sheng had just been fooling around when they invested in this show—and it actually made serious money—there’d definitely be some backstabbing whispers going around again… But whatever!

If you’re not being envied, you’re not doing it right. Zhou Mingxing thrived on the jealousy and frustration of others who couldn’t touch him.

Wei Sheng opened Weibo and searched for *The Fierce Wife Arrives*. Sure enough, a flood of recommendation posts popped up.

Looking closer, he saw familiar names: villagers from Houzhai Village, internet influencers from Huazi Village, former colleagues from the *Mountain Path* production team, old friends from Huangjiapu and Yangjiapo, buddies from the *Daji Reborn* crew, residents of the Pearl Garden Unfinished Building… and of course, his new friend Jiang Xiaoman. Practically everyone he knew was enthusiastically promoting *The Fierce Wife Arrives* on their social media.

Viewers who were lured in by the hype quickly caught up on the first three episodes, then breezed through the next two. In under two hours, they’d binged all five available episodes.

That’s the beauty of web dramas—once the numbers start climbing, the platform immediately injects ads, which is where most of the revenue for free short dramas comes from. The ads were so frequent that some viewers got fed up and just bought a monthly subscription… and Wei Sheng got a cut of those earnings too.

And with the show’s explosive popularity, the platform had already reached out to Wei Sheng, hoping to switch future episodes to paid on-demand.

“I told you, didn’t I? Wei Sheng’s like the reincarnation of the God of Wealth. Any project he invests in is bound to make money.” President Li beamed with pride as he watched Li Ji’s premium soy sauce products pop up repeatedly in the show, getting plenty of screen time.

No wonder so many companies were rushing to invest in these low-budget short dramas. Not only were they profitable, but they also offered a perfect channel for product placement, saving a ton on marketing costs.

Thinking of this, President Li personally called Wei Sheng to congratulate him on the successful premiere. He then expressed Li Ji’s intent to increase their investment, hoping to see a second and third season as soon as possible.

Of course, President Li would never admit that he actually enjoyed the drama himself. The plot was tight and fast-paced, the female lead wasn’t your typical weepy romance heroine—she took revenge on the spot—and with each episode only ten minutes long, it was perfect for busy people with just a bit of spare time.

Take President Li, for example. He’d watched the first five episodes while sitting on the toilet. Ahem.

Now that the show was blowing up, Wei Sheng quickly followed the plan he’d discussed with Jiang Xiaoman. He registered an official video account for the production team on a short video platform and began posting behind-the-scenes clips daily. While the main goal was to drive traffic to the drama, the real purpose was to use the short video format to promote the local culture and scenery of Langshan, the filming location.

Viewers were surprised to discover that Langshan, which they’d assumed was a backward, impoverished mountain area while watching the show, was actually a place of stunning natural beauty and abundant resources. The locals were warm and genuine—okay, there were a few bad apples, but hey, where in the world doesn’t have a few?

What’s more, the behind-the-scenes footage released by Wei Sheng shattered many people’s stereotypes about poor mountain regions being full of “uncivilized troublemakers.”

In the show, she played the vicious mother-in-law who tormented her daughter-in-law and got schooled by the heroine, Tang Peiru. But in real life? Her two sons are well into their thirties and still single!

The old lady now spends her days sighing at the village entrance. Ever since her cameo in the drama, she’s been explaining to anyone who’ll listen: “If my sons could just bring home a daughter-in-law, forget tormenting her—I’d cook and clean for her every day! Whatever she likes to eat, I’ll make it!”

And the domestic abuser who got thrown in jail by Tang Peiru in the show? Turns out, he’s actually a total pushover in real life! Don’t be fooled by his fierce looks—because it’s so hard to find a wife in Langshan, he jumped at the rare chance to marry into a family. After “marrying in,” he became utterly devoted to his wife. He’s great at cooking, childcare, everything. He even frets about not having enough pocket money to buy cigarettes.

Then there’s the meek little wife in the show, always swallowing her grievances. In reality, she’s the head of a “female-headed household” in Langshan. Word is, daughters born into these households never marry out. To preserve their ancestral property, they don’t marry men at all—instead, they carry on the family line through “walking marriages.”

If they give birth to a daughter, she stays.

If it’s a boy, once he’s grown, he either goes to live with his father or makes his own way in the world.

The director specifically cast her in the role of the submissive wife so that when the plot twist hit later, her fierce, commanding presence as the head of a female-led household would shine through.

The audience: “……”

What kind of magical place is Langshan? Fascinating! We want to go!

Right around this time, netizens with their uncanny sleuthing skills dug up Jiang Xiaoman’s videos documenting daily life in Langshan. Then, thanks to the all-seeing algorithm, they were promptly recommended short videos from other Langshan influencers…

No wonder the crew went to film in this so-called “impoverished mountain region” and came back looking healthier than ever! Turns out, this seemingly barren and backward Langshan is actually a treasure trove of delicious food!

By Episode 6, the streaming platform finally caved and launched “VIP Early Access.” Members could unlock new episodes 24 hours early. Viewers grumbled while scrambling to borrow someone’s VIP account—if they couldn’t, they reluctantly shelled out the cash themselves. Luckily, a monthly pass only cost a few bucks and unlocked access to other shows and movies too—not a bad deal.

But after watching the latest episode, VIP users unanimously declared: “Totally worth it!”

You thought this would follow the usual formula, with Tang Peiru making a dramatic comeback to take down the scumbag ex?

Think again, folks! The law doesn’t protect “reborn” individuals. In fact, post-1949, the state doesn’t allow demons or reincarnations—legally, the identity of a “reborn person” doesn’t even exist!

Tang Peiru is a calm and rational woman. She knows that if she just charges back in, not only will she fail to reclaim what’s rightfully hers, she’ll also alert that scheming ex of hers.

So, Tang Peiru chooses to stay in Langshan for the time being. While caring for her child, she starts a social media channel, sharing legal tips for women going through divorce.

What she didn’t expect was that what started as a way to earn a little money and help the struggling Jiang family survive would suddenly go viral!

To avoid tipping off her ex, Tang Peiru didn’t use her past high-profile divorce cases from wealthy families as examples. Instead, she drew from local stories—women in Langshan who wanted to divorce but were trapped by various circumstances.

These women, poor and powerless, were never the target clients of a top-tier divorce lawyer like Tang Peiru. But now, just by watching her videos, they were gaining access to invaluable legal knowledge that would normally cost a fortune.

Don’t underestimate this group—most married women in the country can’t afford a divorce lawyer.

And now, Tang Peiru had given them a free path to self-rescue.

Soon, a massive wave of married women from the lower rungs of society flooded into the “Lawyer Tang Fan Group.” Tang Peiru’s video account gained over a million followers in just one month.

In real life, married women from Langshan began trekking over mountains, carrying eggs and cured meat, just to find Tang Peiru and beg her to help them escape their desperate, terrifying marriages.

Some had endured years of domestic abuse, their bones broken multiple times, yet couldn’t leave because of their children—or other reasons.

Some were tormented by their mothers-in-law for not bearing sons, forced to take bizarre folk remedies that wrecked their health, until they finally couldn’t take the endless beatings and verbal abuse anymore and decided to leave.

And then there were women like Wu Meiqiong, farming in their hometowns with kids in tow while their husbands worked in the city. These men rarely sent money home, and sometimes even racked up debts outside, only to come back during the holidays and demand money from their wives to pay them off.

These women had always believed that this was just how rural life was. Like the older generation said, just endure it—eventually, the man would come home, or the kids would grow up and things would get better.

But after watching Tang Peiru’s videos, it was like they’d woken from a long dream. They refused to keep living in the dark.

Tang Peiru was right: “A tree dies if it stays in one place, but people thrive when they move.” If life in this household was unbearable, why not find a new one?

There are plenty of men out there—why hang yourself on a single tree?

The audience had expected a revenge drama, something fierce and flashy. I mean, just look at the title—*The Fierce Wife Arrives*! Surely the heroine would come back like a boss, tearing through her enemies?

But after getting lured in by the melodramatic opening and hooked on the updates, they realized—this wasn’t that kind of story at all!

Forget the domineering, over-the-top female lead. Tang Peiru was more like Langshan Town’s unofficial women’s director and a countryside version of a legal rights ambassador.

After deciding to lay low in Langshan, she naturally slipped into the original host’s social circle. And with her extroverted charm and people skills, it didn’t take long before she’d gathered a loyal following.

In the countryside, defending your rights with just the law isn’t enough—you need muscle, too. So, Tang Peiru gathered a bunch of idle village thugs and formed the “Single-Cell Legion.” This ragtag crew might not be the sharpest tools in the shed—their brainless antics often left netizens in stitches—but when Big Sis gave the word, they were ready to throw down without hesitation.

There was this one wife-beater who, upon hearing that Tang Peiru—a woman with no man backing her—had dared to take in his wife, stormed over with a machete to drag her back. But instead of getting his wife, he got a brutal beatdown from Tang Peiru’s crew. He even tried to call the cops, thinking he could turn the tables. But when the police arrived, they didn’t arrest Tang Peiru—instead, they detained him.

Why? Because Tang Peiru had been smart. She’d told her guys to go easy—no visible injuries, no broken bones. But that man had, without a doubt, committed “armed home invasion with intent to harm.”

According to Chinese law, attempted armed home invasion with intent to kill qualifies as attempted murder. Whether or not he succeeded, the minimum sentence is ten years in prison.

The abuser tried to plead innocence, but Tang Peiru went full drama queen. She sobbed to the police, saying she had two young children at home. “This time, we were lucky someone in the village stepped in. But what if next time no one’s around? It’s just the three of us—what if he slaughters us all?”

The moment she uttered the words “slaughter us all,” the officers’ expressions turned grim.

If what she said was true—if no one had stopped that man today—then their jurisdiction could’ve ended up with a horrific family massacre on the books. And if that happened, none of them would escape accountability.

Seeing the shift in their faces, Tang Peiru cried even harder. She even claimed she was too scared to go home. “If that psycho gets released, he’ll come back and hack us to death. Honestly, we might as well hang ourselves right now in front of the station, at least we’d leave whole bodies behind.”

At that, the officers’ faces went completely dark.

In the end, the police detained the abuser on the spot and even assigned two female officers to escort Tang Peiru home. They comforted her all the way, assuring her that the law would protect her and that no criminal would go unpunished.

Not long after, Tang Peiru hired a lawyer on behalf of the woman who had sought her help. The lawyer negotiated with the abuser, offering a letter of forgiveness in exchange for a settlement. Thanks to this, the woman finally escaped the nightmare of domestic violence. And with the man in prison, she naturally gained full custody of the children.

“Good! The law should protect the truly vulnerable!”

“Damn! This is the first time a melodrama made me feel like I was watching an episode of ‘Legal Report.’”

“Ladies, I’ve downloaded the whole series. Every episode is pure gold! No dry legal lectures, just real lessons on how to wield your Legal Weapon!”

“Same here! I even recommended it to my bestie who’s stuck in a toxic relationship.”

“I laughed so hard at the beginning, but now… I don’t know why, I just want to cry. Seriously, girls—no matter if there’s no one in the world willing to protect you, it’s okay. If we learn the law, understand the law, we can protect ourselves with our own Legal Weapon!”

“After watching this show, I’ve decided to divorce my husband. We’ve been on a 50/50 split for four years. Sounds fair, right? But in reality, I do all the housework, gave birth to the kid, raised the kid, and still have to earn money to support the family. What’s the point of a marriage like this?”

At first, the comments under *The Fierce Wife Arrives* were mostly people begging for new episodes. But gradually, more and more viewers—women and even men trapped in unhappy marriages—started using the comment section as a confessional, sharing their own struggles with relationships and family.

Fans began comforting each other, offering advice, cheering one another on. Though they had never met, this short drama had turned them into temporary soulmates.

When Season One ended, one top comment brought tears to the eyes of the entire production team:

“I hope every woman, whether from the city or the countryside, watches this show. Even if the whole world is against you, you must learn to protect yourself. Never sacrifice your happiness for some scumbag.”

Exactly. Every day, society throws countless injustices, heartbreaks, and frustrations at people. In the past, they could only cry out in anger, not knowing how to change things.

But now, this short drama, with stories that feel like they could happen right next door, has shown them: If life tries to screw you over, don’t despair, don’t panic—pick up your Legal Weapon and sue the hell out of it.

(End of Chapter)