Chapter 14

Zhang Luomeng shouted angrily at Xia Xue to get out and snatched the property deed back.

“A married daughter is like water spilled out — give me back all the money I gave you.”

Xia Xue was thrown out, losing face in front of Wang Xing. Seeing the situation, Wang Xing was ready to pack up and return to the countryside.

Xia Xue, though unwilling, felt powerless — and Wang Xing’s attitude toward her had clearly plummeted.

“Haifeng, don’t be petty with the child. Please, get Old Xia out of there. You’ll be our family’s greatest benefactor!”

Lin Haifeng couldn’t bear to see Zhang Luomeng so pitiful, so he agreed to run around and get the money sent quickly to bring Old Xia back as soon as possible.

On the way back, Lin Haifeng grew more and more uneasy. If such a thing happened to him, would anyone bother to rescue him?

That thought reminded him of his original wife and Lin Wanting. He decided to handle this matter first and deal with that situation afterward.

Lin Wanting accompanied Qiao Yilan home. Once she was sure her mother wouldn’t do anything foolish, she took out a certain key. Today, since Lin Haifeng was busy, he definitely wouldn’t suddenly go to that remote residence.

She thought: No time like the present. She’d try the key today, and if it opened the door, she would take a look inside.

Meanwhile, Qiao Yilan suddenly remembered that the military officer was due to visit next month. She couldn’t let herself mope every day — the women in her circle would look down on her.

Lin Wanting quietly slipped out, leaving Gu Qingqing to keep watch over Mrs. Qiao.

By the time she reached the remote place, it was already late afternoon, nearing dusk. Feeling nervous, she wished she had someone to accompany her, but instead she gathered her courage and went to the front door.

She took out the key — it was a perfect fit. Hearing no movement inside, she assumed the illegitimate child wasn’t home; the place was far too secluded.

As soon as the key turned, the door opened. With the same sneakiness she’d shown in her father’s study, Lin Wanting stepped inside, full of curiosity.

She was stunned. Her father had moved all his valuables into this house — no wonder the old mansion was still mostly filled with antiques.

Looking around, she realized: if Lin Haifeng really wanted to rescue Xia Jifeng, it would be a piece of cake. No wonder he refused to agree to a divorce and kept dragging things out.

If they divorced, all of this would risk exposure. It had clearly taken him years and years to amass this wealth.

“I’ll just take one painting at random — Dad won’t notice, right?”

She didn’t want to alert him yet. This visit had given her a whole new understanding of Lin Haifeng’s assets.

Her mother absolutely must not divorce now. If she did, it should only be after stripping Lin Haifeng of his wealth.

【System: Releasing storage space～】

Puzzled by the system’s prompt, Lin Wanting fiddled with the concept of “space” for a while, forgetting entirely that night was falling in this isolated place.

“Store the paintings～”

Because she hadn’t understood the rules, every painting in the house was sucked into the space. A strong wind swept past her head. She tried to stop it: “Stop!”

【System: Running — cannot stop.】

“Ah! Isn’t this a disaster?”

Every painting on the walls in the room and the living room vanished into the space. Lin Wanting learned her lesson the hard way — next time, she would be precise. She really hadn’t meant to do this.

Five minutes later, all the paintings were stored away. She quickly backed out and ran — better safe than sorry.

Outside, it was pitch black, with no bright moon tonight. She had to rely on her instincts to find the main road.

“Don’t look back, don’t look back!”

She reminded herself as she ran. This was the bravest thing she had ever done — and also her biggest haul, almost wiping out her father’s secret stash.

Meanwhile, Lin Haifeng was still busy arranging for Xia Jifeng’s release, without putting in a single cent of his own.

Back at the lodging, Wang Xing flopped onto the bed, not caring about anything.

“These days I’ve barely eaten. Xia Xue, why is my life so unlucky? Of all times, I had to marry you right when your family went bankrupt!”

“Who said my family’s bankrupt? Once my dad’s back, everything will be fine!”

“Yeah right! The house has already been sold. What’s the point of your dad coming back? He’ll probably need you to support him. You can’t even feed yourself.”

Xia Xue thought Wang Xing’s words were strange. Wasn’t marrying him supposed to mean she would eat well and live comfortably? The bankruptcy wasn’t even certain yet, and he was already showing such a realistic, cold attitude.

“Wang Xing, let me tell you in advance — if you go back to the countryside, you’re going alone. I’m not going.”

She felt she had already given Wang Xing enough face during their days in the countryside, but he was becoming more and more arrogant, ignoring her feelings completely.

Wang Xing couldn’t care less. Back home, he could eat whatever he wanted — maybe not live in luxury, but never go hungry.

Finally, Lin Wanting reached the main street. There were only two or three people around, but seeing them made her feel less afraid.

Tonight’s haul was too good to return. She had no intention of putting the paintings back yet, not after braving the dark like that.

The next morning, Lin Haifeng, who had fallen asleep in his office after a busy night, was woken by a phone call.

“Who is this?”

“Have you forgotten about the money?” The voice on the other end was deliberately low.

“It’s ready. When and where will you release the person?”

“Put the money on the ground at the agreed location. Someone will pick it up.”

Lin Haifeng followed instructions exactly, bringing Zhang Luomeng with him to the dock.

Her heart was pounding — if they didn’t release him, she’d have nothing left.

Luckily, Xia Jifeng was sitting on the steps by the shore. “Over here!”

Zhang Luomeng ran straight over to hug him.

“Old man, you scared me to death!”

“I’m fine. How’s the house?”

Zhang Luomeng didn’t dare answer. The house was already sold — there was no home to go back to.

“Old Xia, if it weren’t for Lin Haifeng, I’d still be waiting until the day I died!”

Trying to change the subject, she saw that Xia Jifeng’s temper had shifted since being freed. But gratitude? Not a chance.

He insisted on going home, and she stammered, unable to admit there was no home.

“The person’s back, the money’s gone.”

Sensing the situation, Lin Haifeng said a quick goodbye and left.

All the way, he felt satisfied with his decision. He hadn’t spent a penny, and the other party had no hint of appreciation.

When Xia Jifeng learned they had no house, he almost divorced Zhang Luomeng on the spot. He wasn’t a lecher — work was always his priority.

“Zhang Luomeng, do you have any brains at all?”

She stayed silent, resigned to living in the countryside for a while.

Lin Haifeng went straight back to the old mansion and made it in time for breakfast.

Lin Wanting, still exhausted from returning home after 3 a.m., was startled to see him, her sleepiness instantly gone.

“Dad, how did it go?”

“The person’s been found. Xia Xue’s family fortune has been cleaned out.”

Hearing this, Lin Wanting felt a rush of satisfaction, knowing it was thanks to the mysterious person’s cooperation with her.