Chapter 19: Ji Jinmao

~Let Ji Zhao follow you?~

The person who knocked down Zhang Shihu was Xu Songling.

Xu Songling, who despised bullying the weak, was furious upon hearing that Zhang Shihu had beaten his wife so severely. He easily took Zhang Shihu down.

If he enjoys beating his wife so much, then let him experience being beaten!

Zhang Shihu awkwardly climbed up while holding the door frame, rubbing his lower back and looking around. He saw that in addition to Yuan Dongmei and Zhang Yalan, Zhao Xiangwan and two policemen were also present.

Zhang Shihu’s arrogance quickly faded. He looked at Xu Songling and said in a hesitant tone, “Are the police really that great? Why are you beating people up? What’s wrong with me entering my own home?”

Xu Songling took out a protection order and held it up in front of Zhang Shihu: “Your wife has applied for a protection order. From now on, you must move out of the residence, have no contact with her, and stop any violence. If you do anything again, we have the right to detain you!”

Zhang Shihu had no idea what a protection order was, but the police uniforms and the large red court seal on the document had a certain authority, so he didn’t dare act arrogantly anymore.

Zhang Shihu shifted his gaze to Zhang Yalan, gritting his teeth and whispering, “Okay, very good, I paid for your Public Security University education, and you’ve grown up so capable that you got all these policemen to treat your father like a thief!”

Zhang Yalan stood in front of Yuan Dongmei and said, “Don’t you always want to force mom to get a divorce? Then get a divorce.”

Zhang Shihu gritted his teeth and stamped his foot fiercely: “If your mother wants a divorce, then just divorce. Why can’t we just part ways peacefully? Why make such a fuss? There are courts and police involved. What will the neighbors think?”

Zhang Yalan couldn’t hold back her anger thinking about the injury report.

“When you beat my mom until her spleen ruptured and had to be removed, and her sternum fractured and she couldn’t move for a month, how could you not feel ashamed? When you brought your pregnant lover home and forced my mom to serve you, how could you not feel ashamed? Now, when we want to divorce and seek fair judgment from the court, you feel embarrassed. Let me tell you, mom has shown mercy by not suing you for personal injury and letting you avoid jail!”

Zhang Shihu had never imagined that his daughter would publicly air the family’s dirty laundry. He wanted to slap her, but when he saw the two policemen standing next to her, he dared not act arrogantly and could only say angrily, “Well, what do you want?”

Zhang Yalan’s eyes were filled with fury. “There are three houses in the family, but you won’t even leave one for mom. There are hundreds of thousands in savings, but you won’t give her a single hundred yuan for living expenses. If you’re unkind and unjust, don’t blame us for being ruthless!”

When Zhang Shihu heard they knew about his real estate and savings, and thought about the court freezing his bank deposits, his arrogance quickly faded. “Dongmei, Dongmei, we are husband and wife, and even if we want a divorce, we can just agree and part ways peacefully. Why drag it to court?”

Yuan Dongmei ignored Zhang Shihu. At that moment, her heart and eyes were filled with her daughter.

Her daughter had grown up and dared to confront Zhang Shihu, handling everything well. Yuan Dongmei felt her daughter radiating strength, which warmed her heart and gave her strength.

Who says mothers can only rely on sons? Daughters are the same!

Yuan Dongmei looked at Zhang Yalan and smiled: “Yalan, mom will listen to you.”

When Zhang Yalan heard her mother’s words, a warm current rose from her feet. Zhang Yalan, who had always been blamed by her mother for not being a son, was trusted and relied upon for the first time. She was so moved her heart raced.

Zhang Yalan spoke slowly: “Want to agree to a divorce? Sure, but we have conditions.”

Quick victory.

This was Zhao Xiangwan’s advice to Zhang Yalan.

Court divorce hearings typically have a mediation process, which can take from three to six months. During this period, even if there is evidence of domestic violence or infidelity, if Zhang Shihu doesn’t want the divorce, everything could change.

Zhao Xiangwan judged that Zhang Shihu would be abandoned by Liu Liju within a month. After being deceived and betrayed, he would likely remember what Yuan Dongmei had done for him. Moreover, he wouldn’t want to give up half of the family property in a divorce. So Zhang Shihu would probably pretend to repent and beg Yuan Dongmei for forgiveness.

After 20 years of marriage, Yuan Dongmei had been soft-hearted, cowardly, and habitually obedient. Zhang Yalan couldn’t be by her side every day, and the police couldn’t protect her forever. What if Zhang Shihu begged her and she softened, agreeing not to divorce and continue living with him? That would ruin all their efforts.

Therefore, they had to cut through the Gordian knot quickly; otherwise, things would get worse.

Even if they had to give up some interests, they had to divorce this scumbag like Zhang Shihu as soon as possible.

Zhang Yalan’s words gave Zhang Shihu some hope. He wanted to enter the house but was stopped by Xu Songling.

Xu Songling raised the protection order and coldly shouted, “Step away!”

Although Zhang Shihu was fierce at home, he was a bully who only feared the strong. In front of Officer Xu, he didn’t dare to resist. He forced a smile and took two steps back: “Yes, yes, I won’t come near.”

Even though he stepped back, Zhang Shihu still felt anxious. He poked his head into the room and said, “Yalan, just tell me what you want. Your mother and I were husband and wife, so we should part ways peacefully. No need to trouble the police.”

Zhang Yalan spoke slowly: “This old house belongs to my mother. If you pay 50,000 yuan as compensation in one lump sum, my mother will agree to divorce you amicably. As for me… I belong to my mother, and you don’t need to worry about me.”

Originally, I didn’t know Zhang Shihu had other properties, so I was only going to ask for 30,000 yuan. Now that I’ve found out, it’s only right to ask for an additional 20,000 yuan.

Zhang Shihu didn’t care who his daughter belonged to; he only cared about the house and money. When he heard the demand, he felt as if a huge piece of flesh was being cut out of his heart. The pain was unbearable.

“50,000 yuan! Why don’t you just rob me? I’ve been working on construction sites in wind and rain for years, eating dirt and ash, while your mother sits at home enjoying a good life. You want 50,000 yuan? Are you dreaming?!”

Zhang Yalan stood firm. “The lawyer said that you and mom are husband and wife, so all property earned during the marriage is jointly owned. Whether it’s earned by you or mom, it’s split equally. If you don’t agree to our terms, we’ll see you in court. The judge will consider your domestic violence and cheating, and the majority of the property will go to mom.

This old house is worth at most 20,000 yuan. You just bought two houses this year, worth 60,000 yuan, plus your savings of 120,000 yuan. If we split it, you owe mom at least 100,000 yuan. I only want one house and 50,000 yuan from you, which is still a 30% discount. I’m losing money.”

Zhang Shihu couldn’t understand how his daughter had discovered the assets he had hidden so quickly. He had already spent over 50,000 yuan on a new house, but the project had just begun, and he hadn’t even received the house yet. How could they have found out?

If they went to court to divide the family property, the judge’s decision would be final, and Yuan Dongmei could apply for compulsory execution, whether he agreed or not. Thinking about it, Zhang Shihu hesitated.

Zhang Yalan glanced at Zhao Xiangwan.

Zhao Xiangwan silently mouthed the word: son.

Zhang Yalan understood and added fuel to the fire: “You and Liu Liju are living together in a rented house, and she’s already pregnant. If we sue, you could face imprisonment for bigamy. Once you’re in jail, will Liu Liju feel safe giving birth to your son?”

Zhang Yalan smirked, but Zhang Shihu was furious: “If I end up in jail, what good does that do you? How dare you be a policewoman?”

Zhang Yalan shrugged nonchalantly: “It doesn’t matter. If I can’t be a police officer after graduation, I’ll work as a clerk. But you, you’ve lost your job, your lover has left, and your son is gone. Your life is a mess.”

Before Zhang Shihu could respond, Zhang Yalan put her hands on her hips and grinned: “You’ve always looked down on me for not having a son, and you want one so badly. Let’s see if you can have your precious son after all!”

Provoked by his daughter, Zhang Shihu couldn’t control his anger. He yelled, “You damned girl! If you dare, come out and I’ll beat you to death!”

Zhang Shihu jumped around, like a clown, but no one paid him any attention. After venting, he said in frustration, “I can give you the house, but not the money.”

Zhang Yalan sneered, “Since you don’t agree to the terms, we’ll just wait for the court’s decision. We’ve already gathered evidence of your domestic violence and cheating. Don’t worry, this marriage will definitely be dissolved. And by the way, I’m still waiting for the court to allocate me a house.”

Zhang Shihu, hearing that his daughter still intended to take his property, grew anxious: “Give the money, just give the money!” Money could be earned again, but if his daughter took the house, what would happen to his son?

Xu Songling handed him the divorce agreement: “Sign here.”

Zhang Shihu cursed but signed the agreement reluctantly. After he did, Xu Songling pushed his shoulder: “Let’s go to the Civil Affairs Bureau.”

Yuan Dongmei and Zhang Shihu divorced without issue.

After completing her task, Zhao Xiangwan returned to school.

As she got off the bus, she spotted an imported luxury car parked quietly at the east gate of the school.

Ji Jinmao was here again.

Zhao Xiangwan felt a headache coming on.

Ever since she had helped Ji Zhao, Ji Jinmao had been particularly attentive, frequently coming to the school to visit her. Since she refused expensive gifts, he would bring food prepared by his chef instead.

Having grown up in the countryside, Zhao Xiangwan understood the value of food, so she couldn’t bring herself to refuse it.

Ji Jinmao held a thermos and smiled: “It’s cold, drink some mutton and wolfberry soup to nourish yourself.”

Zhao Xiangwan took it and simply said, “Thank you.”

Ji Jinmao could tell that Zhao Xiangwan was cold on the outside but warm on the inside. So, he started a conversation: “Ji Zhao is receiving psychological treatment abroad this month and will return soon. The psychologist Hanks said that Ji Zhao’s concerns about the story of the landlord’s idiot son show that he’s now more self-aware, which is a good sign.”

Zhao Xiangwan nodded gently: “Hmm.”

Ji Jinmao continued, “Hanks also mentioned that Ji Zhao should interact with strangers more often. Maybe one day, he’ll be able to work, get married, and have children like a normal person.”

Zhao Xiangwan asked, “Who did Ji Zhao go with?”

Ji Jinmao seemed to sense her worry: “Don’t worry, Ji Zhao’s mother went with him. I didn’t let Luo Yihui follow. I sent him to study psychology, but he only learned part of it. He nearly caused harm to Ji Zhao, so I won’t let him follow again.”

Zhao Xiangwan knew well that Luo Yihui was an expert in psychology and not some “half-trained” person as Ji Jinmao claimed. But, this was Ji Jinmao’s family business, so she refrained from commenting.

Zhao Xiangwan simply replied, “Hmm.”

[This girl is so quiet. She didn’t speak ill of Luo Yihui, but fortunately, Lu Manning’s son revealed everything. I sent him to Zhu City to manage the new project so he wouldn’t harm Ji Zhao. Ah, I can protect my son while I’m alive, but what will happen when Dan Feng and I are gone in a hundred years?]

Ji Jinmao’s eyes suddenly lit up, and he smiled like a fox. He moved closer and said, “When Ji Zhao returns, you could help him adapt? You have a kind heart, and you could communicate with him.”

Zhao Xiangwan took a small step back.

Ji Jinmao was indeed a sly fox. What did he mean by Ji Zhao “following” her? Ji Zhao was a famous genius painter in the oil painting world, pioneering the hyperrealistic style and selling a painting for 100,000 yuan. He was also the only son of Ji Jinmao, the wealthiest man in Xing City. If something went wrong, how could she bear the responsibility?

Zhao Xiangwan shook her head: “I’m just a student.” She had morning exercises, classes, training, and studies to attend to. How could Ji Zhao possibly keep up?

Ji Jinmao smiled knowingly: “Don’t worry, I have a way.”