“Before we talk, don’t you think you should give us back our clothes first?” Ye Zhiqiang huddled in the corner, trying to cover himself as best he could.

“Shameless, aren’t you? Shameless enough to do something like this?” Shu Jianyang gave them a cold glance. “Ten years ago, scum like you would’ve been executed on the spot.” He turned to the guy with the camera. “How’d the pictures turn out?”

“The fight was so wild I ran out of film!” the photographer said excitedly.

Ye Zhiqiang and Li Jiaojiao’s hearts sank. Shu Jianyang wasn’t exaggerating—if photos like this had come out ten years ago, they’d have been paraded through the streets in shame, or even executed in a crackdown. Even now, with the country more open, society was still very conservative. Those photos absolutely couldn’t be leaked.

Li Jiaojiao was even more terrified than Shu Jianyang. Her university wasn’t anything special, but it was still a proper degree. Without connections, she’d been assigned to a failing factory job. Many colleagues were trying to transfer out. She didn’t want to rot there forever with wages unpaid half the time—that’s why she’d latched onto Ye Zhiqiang.

If their affair was exposed, if those photos spread, she wouldn’t just be fired from the factory—she’d probably be expelled from her university record entirely. Her life would be over.

The more she thought about it, the more she trembled, hugging herself for warmth. Gone was any trace of the arrogance she’d shown the original Mrs. Ye.

They didn’t bother returning their clothes. One of Shu Jianyang’s men tossed them two bath towels from the bathroom, just enough to cover themselves. “Wrap up. Spare us the sight. Don’t want to give ourselves an eye infection.”

“In the end, this is really a family matter,” Ye Zhiqiang said carefully. “Third Brother, would you mind stepping outside?”

Shu Jianyang didn’t answer immediately. He turned to Shu Yan. He was only here to back her up—it was her call.

Shu Yan nodded. “Let that homewrecker go too.”

As Li Jiaojiao left, she gave Ye Zhiqiang’s arm a pleading little poke, eyes full of desperation.

“Don’t worry. Wait for me outside,” Ye Zhiqiang said. He fished a few hundred yuan out of his wallet—the only thing that hadn’t been confiscated. “Go ask a server to buy us some clothes.”

Shu Jianyang didn’t stop them. He just told Shu Yan, “I’ll be right outside. Just call if you need me.” He shot Ye Zhiqiang a sidelong look, making it clear the warning was meant for him too.

Once the others left, the room fell heavy and silent. Shu Yan dragged over a chair and sat, leaning back casually. “Not sitting down?”

Ye Zhiqiang took a deep breath. He knew he was at a disadvantage and didn’t dare act cocky anymore. He forced an awkward smile. “Shu Yan, did your cousin put you up to this so he can squeeze me for money in the divorce?”

He still couldn’t believe Shu Yan would dare confront him like this, let alone catch him in the act.

“It has nothing to do with my cousin. I asked him for help,” Shu Yan said, watching him with a cool, almost amused expression. “Ye Zhiqiang, you’re really set on divorcing me, aren’t you?”

If it weren’t for her face being the same, Ye Zhiqiang would have sworn the woman in front of him was a stranger.

“We met through a matchmaker and only saw each other twice before the wedding. What feelings could there be? Look, I know you’ve worked hard these years, looking after the house and the kids. That’s why I’m giving you the place you live in now. The savings too. If that’s not enough…” Ye Zhiqiang hesitated, then said heavily, “I’ll take the kids. It was my oversight before. I know it’s hard for a divorced woman with two kids to remarry. Without them, you’ll have the house and money—you can find someone better than me.”

He’d barely even seen the two children she’d had for him. Held the boy once or twice as a newborn, and that was it. No real bond. When Li Jiaojiao had worried that her future child would be bullied by step-siblings, Ye Zhiqiang hadn’t hesitated to say he’d leave the kids with Shu Yan. As far as he was concerned, he could just send money for their schooling—no need to trouble Jiaojiao. After all, her pregnancy was the “fruit of their love,” as she liked to say.

But now, with so much leverage in Shu Yan’s hands, he had no choice but to back down. Later he could just dump the kids on his parents in the countryside—it wouldn’t really affect him or Jiaojiao at all.

Sure, they’d met through an arranged match. But after so many years together, after she’d given him two children, wasn’t there at least some affection? In the countryside, who didn’t start their marriage that way and just keep going until they were old? In the end, it was simple: Ye Zhiqiang had gotten rich and thought he could do better than the plain old wife at home.

“Fine. I’ll divorce you,” Shu Yan said crisply, not bothering to drag things out. “But your terms? I don’t accept them.”

“What’s that supposed to mean? You think it’s not enough?” Ye Zhiqiang bit down hard, trying to look aggrieved. “You know contractors never have much cash on hand. It’s all tied up in projects, and I owe a ton for materials. Even my workers haven’t been paid in full.” He hesitated, then forced himself to say, “Look, how about this? I’ll swallow my pride and borrow what I can. If I really push it, I can scrape together another twenty thousand. Add that to our ten thousand in savings, that’s thirty grand. That’s three wan yuan! No one in your whole village has even cracked ten grand yet. You’d be the first.”

Shu Yan snorted inwardly. If she didn’t know exactly what he was worth, she might have been fooled. Thirty thousand to buy her off? He could keep dreaming.

“Divorce is fine. But you leave with nothing.”

Ye Zhiqiang jumped to his feet, stunned. “On what grounds?!”

“On the grounds that you cheated on me while we were married—and got someone else pregnant. Even if this went to court, they’d rule you get nothing. Ye Zhiqiang, I’ve got witnesses and evidence. Be smart and walk away empty-handed on your own. Otherwise? I’ll see you in court.”

Ye Zhiqiang gaped at her, eyes wide. He couldn’t believe the clumsy, obedient wife he’d known had turned into this. Was it really the divorce talk that had pushed her over the edge? She was like a whole different person.

No—this had to be Shu Jianyang’s doing. That made sense. No way could someone who never even finished primary school know anything about “evidence” or “legal rights.” Shu Jianyang must have coached her. He was after Ye Zhiqiang’s company, no question.

“Yanyan, did Shu Jianyang put you up to this? He’s got bad intentions, can’t you see? He’ll use you to get my assets and keep them for himself. You’ll end up with nothing. And then how will you feed the kids? You don’t want our son and daughter to suffer, do you?”

Shu Yan shook her head, lifting her gaze to meet his. “You know exactly how many women you’ve fooled around with since we got married. I kept quiet for the kids’ sake. But now I see you don’t even want your own children. Tell me—why should I trust you about anything? So listen carefully: no matter what you say, we’re divorcing. And you’re leaving with nothing.”

The original Shu Yan might have believed his lies. This Shu Yan didn’t believe a single word.

“Then I’m not divorcing.” Ye Zhiqiang glared at her, voice low and vicious. “Happy now?”

He’d actually been willing to leave her a house and some money out of consideration for the two kids she’d given him. But clearly, he’d been too soft. Don’t want to divorce? Fine. Let’s see who outlasts who.

Shu Yan let out a short laugh and stood up. Her voice was calm, even faintly amused. “You’ve got it backward. It’s not you divorcing me—I’m divorcing you. This marriage? It’s over. The property and kids stay with me. You can take your precious Jiaojiao, or whatever her name is, and get as far away as you can.”

“Shu Yan, don’t push it too far.” Ye Zhiqiang’s face twisted. She looked like a stranger to him.

“Too far?” Shu Yan sneered and pulled a few document envelopes from her bag, throwing them at him.

“Those are photos of you and Li Jiaojiao together. That’s her medical report from the hospital. And today? We got plenty more lovely shots. Ye Zhiqiang, think carefully about your next move.”

The files on the table made Ye Zhiqiang’s entire body tremble. His face went red with fury, his eyes wild and dangerous. “What exactly do you want?”

“I’ve said it many times now. You leave with nothing. You and Li Jiaojiao can both get out.” Shu Yan met his murderous stare without flinching. “Oh—and I’ve already had your assets investigated and notarized with a lawyer. Try to hide anything? That’s fraud on top.”

“Shu Yan, I’ll kill you!” he roared. No way was he leaving with nothing. He’d earned that money—why should he hand it over to this fat cow?

“Third Brother!” Shu Yan called out as she stepped back quickly.

The door slammed open as Shu Jianyang kicked it in.

Ye Zhiqiang, who’d been about to lunge, froze. He took a deep breath, trying to get his fury under control.

“Done talking?” Shu Jianyang asked, eyeing him like a predator. He looked ready to attack at the slightest signal from Shu Yan.

“I’ve said everything I need to say.” Shu Yan’s posture and voice were almost identical to Ye Zhiqiang’s that day when he’d tried to force her to sign the divorce papers. Even the cold, commanding tone was the same. “You have three days to decide. If you don’t, I’ll make the decision for you.”

Ye Zhiqiang’s fury burned bright again—but seeing how outnumbered he was, he could only grit his teeth and swallow it down.

“Third Brother, let’s go.” Shu Yan loved seeing Ye Zhiqiang look like he wanted to kill her but couldn’t do a thing about it.

Downstairs, she turned to Shu Jianyang with a smile. “I really owe you and your guys today. Lunch is on me—I hope you’ll all do me the honor.”

“Sure. Let’s head somewhere else.” Shu Jianyang agreed easily. They went to a restaurant not far from the hotel, where he led them straight to a private room on the second floor, clearly familiar with the place.

“The owner here is a great cook. We eat here a lot.” By “we,” he obviously meant people at his level. His men, on the other hand, looked around the nicely decorated private room with thinly disguised excitement—it was their first time somewhere like this.

Shu Yan noticed and made a mental note, slightly amused.

After they’d eaten their fill, Shu Yan handed out red envelopes to everyone who’d helped that day, each with a hundred yuan inside—a respectable sum in 1992.

“Uh… Third Brother?” the men hesitated, looking at Shu Jianyang.

“Take it.” Shu Jianyang didn’t stop her. “And keep an eye out for my cousin in the future.” He knew exactly how much money Ye Zhiqiang had. Once they divorced, this little cousin of his would be a millionaire. A few hundred yuan was nothing in comparison.

“Third Brother, do you think Ye Zhiqiang will agree to leave with nothing?” Shu Yan asked, a bit worried.

“Not that easily.” Shu Jianyang gave a knowing laugh. Men understand men. Ye Zhiqiang had fought hard for his business—he wasn’t going to just hand it over.

“Well, whether he wants to or not, he’ll have to.” Shu Yan hesitated before adding, “I think I’ll avoid going home for the next few days. Maybe I can stay at a hotel near you?”

Ye Zhiqiang had started as a labor subcontractor and now ran his own construction company, with plenty of rough men under him. In this business, fights over contracts weren’t rare. For someone from the countryside to get this far, he couldn’t be softhearted. If he really got desperate, Shu Yan wouldn’t put it past him to have her kidnapped and photographed in some compromising situation, then use that to blackmail or discredit her.

She’d already thought about that. When she left home today, she’d taken her ID and bankbook with her. Staying somewhere near Shu Jianyang was just safer. No matter how vicious Ye Zhiqiang might be, he wouldn’t dare make a move on his turf.

“Good idea.” Even if she hadn’t suggested it, Shu Jianyang would’ve told her not to go home for now.

“Thank you, Third Brother.”

=^_^=