Return to 88: Starting from Marrying My Sister-in-law

However...

Faced with these things he handed over.

Zhao Xiaowan didn't seem happy at all; in fact, her expression became much uglier than when she first arrived.

"Are you here to ruin our marriage too?"

"You're a bad person too..."

sneer.

disappointment.

To Lu Yang's surprise, the woman uttered those words.

Numbly, she picked up the IOU that Lu Yang had pushed towards her, the string of zeros on it jumping wildly in front of her eyes—eight hundred million yuan.

"Hehe... Eight hundred million, that's a lot of numbers..."

She expressed her disdain for the money with a sharp laugh.

He waved the IOU in his hand.

Just as I was about to tear it off.

Lu Yang's icy voice came from across the room: "Sister-in-law, I advise you to calm down. Sign it, the money is yours, you and Brother Xiao are even, and we can part ways amicably. Otherwise, if you insist on getting the shares in Xiao Jun's hands, you're going against all the investors behind Little Prodigy. I guarantee you won't achieve your goal. You won't get the money, and you won't get the shares. Why bother?"

This wasn't a threat, but a statement of facts. If the woman on the other end was truly being unreasonable and unable to see reality, Lu Yang was even prepared to deal with the Zhao family as well, completely removing them from the list of shareholders of the Little Prodigy.

Don't think this is difficult. As long as the other major shareholders can reach an agreement, such as Century Group under Lu Yang's name, Pengcheng State-owned Assets Supervision and Administration Commission, Goldman Sachs Capital, Nande Group under Mu Qizhong, etc...

It's safe to say that the Zhao family wouldn't even dare to put up a fight, because any resistance would further enrage these major shareholders, and what awaits the Zhao family might even be the destruction of the entire Zhao Group.

In Lu Yang's view, smart people should make smart choices.

But things took an unexpected turn once again.

Zhao Xiaowan did not consider the perspective of her maternal family's Zhao Group, nor did she consider the financial gains and losses from her own point of view.

Yes.

This is a lot of money.

Enough for a woman to live on for a lifetime, no, even eight lifetimes would be enough.

I don't know how many gigolos I could support. It would probably exhaust her. If she changed one every day, no, even if she supported 10 at the same time, she still wouldn't be able to spend all the money.

So what's left for me in the end? Nothing but endless emptiness!

This isn't money.
It was clearly a ticket to buy out the rest of her life, to kick her out of the Xiao family's giant ship. With this exorbitantly priced IOU, she would have to say goodbye forever to her prestigious status as "Mrs. Xiao" and to the son she had given birth to at the cost of her health.

"Mr. Lu!"

Zhao Xiaowan suddenly grabbed Lu Yang's arm, her fingertips icy cold, her voice filled with desperate pleading, oblivious to the painful pressure of her expensive watch digging into her skin.

"Please! Please plead with Brother Jun for me! I can't get a divorce! I really can't!"

Tears streamed down her face, ruining her delicate makeup.

"I was wrong! I know I was wrong! I was just... just too lonely! What woman like me doesn't need someone to rely on? Why is it that it's perfectly acceptable for you men to have a life of debauchery outside, while we women are doomed if we make one wrong step? This is not fair! I don't agree with it, I don't agree with it..."

So this was her truest thought.

She clutched her lower abdomen in pain with her other hand, where the path that had once led her to the heart of the Xiao family had now become a shackle binding her.

“My body… was ruined after giving birth… I can never have another child! Mr. Lu, think about it, if we get divorced, the children… I won’t even get visitation rights! Xiao Jun won’t let go! What’s the use of all this money then? Just sitting in an empty villa, growing old and rotting away, dying without anyone to talk to?”

The immense fear made her voice shrill.

"I swear! I swear I'll break up with Atao completely! I'll block that fitness coach right now and never see him again! Please help me... I beg you, Brother Jun, for the sake of the child, for the sake of all these years of marriage... give me another chance!"

She clung to Lu Yang's wrist and refused to let go no matter what.

The face is ferocious.

At times, she almost pleaded, hoping that Lu Yang could help her.

Lu Yang's eyes remained unfathomable, like the surface of a frozen lake.

He slowly and decisively withdrew his arm, his voice completely flat: "Sister-in-law, I will convey your message, but..."

He paused, his gaze sweeping over the wrist gripped tightly by the woman opposite him, and the crumpled IOU. "Don't get your hopes up too high, Brother Xiao... this time he's serious."

How difficult must it be for a man with self-respect to witness his wife's infidelity and have to accept being cuckolded?

The words "Don't have too much hope" were like a bucket of ice water, extinguishing the glimmer of pleading that Zhao Xiaowan had just begun to feel, leaving only a biting cold and a deeper sense of panic.

She stood up blankly, clutching the IOU that the man opposite her had warned her not to tear up.

When Lu Yang saw her like this, his eyes softened for a moment, but the softening quickly disappeared, replaced by coldness and indifference: "Sister-in-law, if you haven't thought it through yet, there's no rush. You can take these things back first, and call me when you've made up your mind. I'll have a lawyer accompany President Xiao to re-sign the divorce agreement with you."

Zhao Xiaowan ignored him and obediently put away the property certificate, car keys, and bank cards on the table. She also left a cold sentence: "I hate you. When you men cheat, you can just say it was just a fling and no one cares. But when we women cheat, we have to spend our whole lives atoning for it."

Although this statement is biased.

But for the couple, it seems that's really the case.

Xiao Jun's infidelity is countless, and if you add his visits to nightclubs and other philandering places, the count becomes even more impossible to determine.

But what does this prove?
Does this prove that a man can't be a germaphobe? Does it mean that he can't bear to watch his wife cheat on him, and even mentioning divorce is a mistake?

That's definitely wrong.

When Xiao Jun cheated on her, Zhao Xiaowan had the right to file for divorce, but she tolerated it. However, the price was that Xiao Jun agreed in advance to transfer his 10% stake in Xiaoshentong, which was worth a fortune, to the name of their child.

Conversely, now that Zhao Xiaowan has cheated on him and been caught red-handed, Xiao Jun naturally has the right to file for divorce.

Moreover, Lu Yang himself is a man, so he definitely has to consider things from a man's perspective; his stance can't be biased. He shook his head.

Lu Yang didn't say anything, just watched her leave.

He picked up his phone and called Xiao Jun: "Your wife has left. The matter is only half done. You have to decide the other half yourself... I'm still in the tea room. You can come in now."

Will Xiao Jun agree to postpone the divorce?
Lu Yang wasn't confident.

And I don't plan to go.

Although this is a good thing for the entire group, it is also the result that all the investors behind the child prodigy most wanted to see.

It couldn't be more ideal.

But this is ultimately a matter of a man's dignity. No one can tolerate being cuckolded unless they are willing to take the blame themselves.

What can Lu Yang do then?
Lu Yang will explain the whole story clearly, including the benefits involved, including whether his wife is remorseful and whether he should give her another chance, and whether accepting the cuckoldry, even if only temporarily, would resolve all the current troubles...

The choice, however, rests entirely with Xiao Jun, with himself.

Lu Yang wouldn't force it on him.

At the same time...

As Zhao Xiaowan left the teahouse feeling dejected, the panic in her heart was instantly ignited and magnified into a consuming flame when she returned to the Zhao family living room, which was filled with worldly anxieties and was considered "home."

"Little Bowl! So? What did that kid Xiao Jun say? What's the agreement? How are your money... and shares... going to be divided?"

Her mother's shrill voice lashed out at her, while her father puffed on his cigarette beside her, his cloudy eyes fixed on her. His gaze wasn't that of someone looking at his daughter, but rather like that of someone looking at a piece of fat meat about to fall into his mouth.

He originally did not approve of his daughter's divorce.

Having a son-in-law who is the president of a children's entertainment company would be more in line with the Zhao family's interests.

But now that the die is cast, all we can do is try our best to secure the greatest possible benefit for the Zhao family.

The two younger brothers eagerly surrounded them, their faces plastered with fawning and greedy smiles, chattering away:

"Sis, let's get a divorce! What's there to be afraid of! Your husband is so wealthy, even a little bit of his wealth would be enough for you to live on for ten lifetimes!"

"Exactly! Sis, you can live life to your heart's content. Would your husband ever mistreat his own son? When your nephew inherits the family business, you'll be enjoying the good life too!"

"Hey sis, if you ask me, once the money is in your hands, we can keep an eye on it for you, lend it out to collect some interest, or invest it in some safe projects... What would a woman like you know about these things? Don't get scammed!"

"Yes, yes, yes! Sis, take it easy. It's just a divorce! When you're rich, you can find any young man you want, you can change them every day. Anyway, you can't have children, so you don't need to keep much of your money for yourself, lest some gigolo swindles it all away. It's better to put it on us brothers. When you run out of money, just come to us..."

That last sentence was like a poisoned dagger, stabbing Zhao Xiaowan's deepest wound.

She can't have children anymore!
This secret is branded onto her like a mark, yet now her younger brothers are speaking of it in such a frivolous and ignorant tone!

She looked at her blood relatives—all they cared about were the company's shares, their brother-in-law's wealth, the illusion of 800 million, and how to divide it up and bleed her dry.

There was not a shred of concern for her situation, sorrow for her loss of her children, or pity for her future loneliness and despair.

A chill ran from the soles of her feet straight to the top of her head, making her even more terrified than by President Lu's indifference just now.

She clenched her fist tightly, her nails digging deep into her palm.

This marriage absolutely cannot end in divorce!
After the divorce, the 800 million yuan was not her lifeline, but an anchor that dragged her to hell!

She would be torn to pieces by this pack of hyenas called "family"!
"What do you want me to ask you?"

Zhao's mother shoved her, "Your two younger brothers didn't say anything wrong, so who are you trying to impress with that deadpan face? Where's your divorce agreement? Didn't you say it was already signed? Take it out now, let me see it for you... If it's not good enough, I won't allow it. You'll have to get my son-in-law to sign another copy... Otherwise, my grandson... I won't give him to him..."

It turns out that the Zhao family also possessed such a nuclear weapon.

Xiao Jun went on a business trip some time ago (and was fooling around with Mu Qizhong).

Zhao Xiaowan started an affair with her personal trainer at home.

At this point, the son became a burden.

This made the two of them tremble with fear.

She was also worried that her one-year-old son might see something he shouldn't have, and that he might accidentally tell her what he saw when her husband returned from his business trip. So she sent her son to her parents' house to have her mother take care of him for a while.

The result has remained unchanged until now.

Now that her affair has been exposed and her husband wants a divorce, it's even less likely that she'll send her son back until this messy situation is settled.

At first, Mr. Zhao didn't say anything, just smoked and watched coldly as his wife and two eldest sons pressured their daughter. However, seeing that his daughter remained unmoved and refused to show the divorce agreement to her family, he remained silent.

He immediately got furious.

She stood up and slammed her hand on the table, saying, "I see you've grown too big for your britches, you don't even listen to your mother anymore. Take it out, I'm telling you to take out the divorce papers... You think you can hide it from me?"

She sneered, "You're already divorced... I heard that besides the fixed assets, there are also shares in the prodigy's company, and my son-in-law also gave you a considerable portion of it."

As she spoke, she reached out her hand and said to her daughter, leaving no room for argument, "Take it out."

The Series C funding round for Little Prodigy, valued at over 10 billion yuan, is recognized within the industry. It was led by Goldman Sachs, an overseas investment firm. Xiao Jun previously held 18% of the total share capital. Even after the Series C funding round, the shares would not have been diluted significantly. Even a small fraction of that would amount to an astronomical figure!
Moreover, as a married couple, even if one party is stingy after a divorce, even if it goes to court, they shouldn't only get a tiny bit of the marital property, right?
If it were an ordinary woman, she might have been bullied by this son-in-law.

But how could the women of the Zhao family be compared to ordinary women?
In other words, his daughter was a disappointment; she cheated first and brought shame upon herself. As the head of the prestigious Zhao Group, he couldn't openly interfere in her divorce proceedings, especially since his daughter was unwilling... Otherwise, hmph...

Zhao Xiaowan trembled all over in front of her father.

Instinctively, he gripped the handbag in his hand. Inside were not only more than a dozen property deeds, but also keys to several cars parked in the villa's garage. More importantly... there was also an IOU with an alarmingly large number of zeros...

No.

It cannot be handed over.

She bit her lip: "Dad, what did you say? I don't understand."

Mr. Zhao glared at him: "What are you pretending to be confused about? Where's the share transfer agreement... Give me another power of attorney, from now on I will hold the shares of Little Prodigy in your hands on your behalf..." (End of this chapter)