The divorce comeback system arrived right after I was born.

Sun rises and sets, cold comes and heat goes.

The leaves of the sycamore trees outside the window turned yellow and then green again, and the cicadas' chirping went from sparse to noisy.

Time is like sand slipping through your fingers; it passes by unnoticed.

In the blink of an eye, my six years of elementary school have come to an end.

That summer, the air was so hot and humid it felt like a sauna, and cicadas were screeching desperately in the trees.

Chen Zhigang had just received his junior high school admission notice, and before he could even enjoy this summer vacation without homework, his family's world collapsed.

"Chen Jun! You bastard! Give me back my money!"

A piercing wail instantly shattered the afternoon tranquility.

The living room was a complete mess.

The fruit plate that was originally on the coffee table rolled to the ground, with apples and pears scattered everywhere.

Zhang Guifang's hair was disheveled, and her usually neat bank uniform was now wrinkled. She was holding a feather duster in her hand, pointing at Chen Jun, who was huddled in the corner of the sofa, and trembling all over.

"That's all our family's savings! A whole 150,000 yuan! That's money for Chen Zhi's college education! And you just lent it to that bastard like that?"

Chen Jun held his head, looking as if he had aged ten years in an instant. Two buttons were torn off his polo shirt, which he usually cherished.

"Guifang, let me explain... Old Zhao said it's just a temporary measure, he'll pay it back next month..."

"Fundraising my ass! They've already absconded with the money! The police have opened a case! And you're still dreaming!"

Enraged, Zhang Guifang slammed the feather duster against the back of the sofa, raising a cloud of dust.

"How could I have married such a good-for-nothing! I told you from the start that old Zhao was a sly, shifty-eyed scoundrel, but you wouldn't listen! You insisted on acting like a big shot! Now look what's happened, all the money's gone, and the three of us are going to starve!"

Chen Zhi leaned against the bedroom door frame, twirling a ballpoint pen in his hand, quietly watching this scene.

Is this the butterfly effect?

In his past life, his father was even more terribly deceived by this "Old Zhao." He not only lost all his savings but also accumulated a mountain of debt, and he even almost had to mortgage his house.

In this life, because he had tricked his father into buying a computer and then gave all 100,000 yuan to Lao Chen, the family's cash flow was more abundant. The amount of money his father could be swindled out of was almost half less than in his previous life, when his father had borrowed a large sum of money.

But it's enough to cause serious damage.

In Jiangcheng at this time of year, 150,000 yuan could cover the down payment for a small apartment.

Chen Jun buried his head in his knees and let out suppressed sobs.

"I'm so sorry... I'm so sorry to our son..."

"Cry! All you do is cry! Will crying bring the money back?"

Exhausted from cursing, Zhang Guifang slumped into a chair, covered her face, and burst into tears.

The air pressure inside the room was so low it was suffocating.

Chen Zhi sighed.

He has enough money in his pocket right now, not to mention 150,000, he could even take out 1.5 million.

Bitcoin has been experiencing a remarkable surge recently.

But he couldn't give it.

We can't give it to them right now, at least not at the moment.

My dad is too easily influenced and takes loyalty to an extreme.

If we don't teach him a lesson he won't forget, he might get scammed by some other "Old Li" or "Old Zhang" again in the future.

This lesson should be etched into his very bones.

As for money...

Chen Zhi touched his chin.

It's definitely not feasible to just hand it over directly. As a senior bank teller, Comrade Zhang Guifang is very sensitive to the source of funds.

If she said she made money from cryptocurrency trading, she'd probably drag her to the hospital for a brain scan the next day, or have her money confiscated and "kept" for safekeeping.

We need to find a legal way.

The scalpers outside the lottery center who buy winning tickets are a good option.

In a couple of days, I'll go and try to win a second or third prize ticket, buy it at a high price, and then bring it home saying I was lucky to win.

This script is perfect.

The crying inside grew louder and louder, giving one a headache.

Chen Zhi put the ballpoint pen in his pocket, pushed open the security door, and went out.

The hallway wasn't much cooler than the room; the stuffy wind was mixed with the smell of cooking oil from next door.

He walked to the window at the bottom of the stairs and lit a cigarette...

Oh wait, I'm still a primary school student, so I can't smoke.

He took a lollipop out of his pocket, unwrapped it, and put it in his mouth.

The sweet taste melted on the tip of my tongue, slightly easing my irritability.

"Chen Zhi?"

A cautious call came from behind.

Chen Zhi turned around.

The door to the next room opened a crack, and Lin Wanwan peeked out, her big eyes blinking.

The girl had just finished showering, her hair still wet and draped over her shoulders. She was wearing a Doraemon-printed pajama set and looked like a frightened little rabbit.

"What are you doing standing here?"

Lin Wanwan pushed open the door and came out, wearing a pair of pink pig slippers.

She glanced at Chen Zhi's doorway and could still faintly hear Zhang Guifang's roaring from inside.

"I heard everything."

Lin Wanwan walked to Chen Zhi's side and looked up at him.

A few years have passed, and the girl has grown quite a bit taller, almost taller than Chen Zhi. Her chubby little face has also matured, and she's starting to look like a beauty.

"What did you hear?"

Chen Zhi leaned against the windowsill and crunched the lollipop in his mouth.

"I heard Aunt Zhang say... all the money is gone."

Lin Wanwan spoke very softly, as if afraid of disturbing something.

She reached out and gently tugged at Chen Zhi's sleeve.

"Chen Zhi, don't be sad."

Chen Zhi raised an eyebrow.

sad?

He's currently plotting how to launder the money in his hands and teach his father a lesson; he has no time to be sad.

But in Lin Wanwan's eyes, Chen Zhi, with his back against the mottled wall, a plastic stick still in his mouth, looked particularly lonely in the dim corridor light.

He looks just like those melancholy male protagonists in TV dramas who have fallen on hard times.

Lin Wanwan's heart clenched.

She had never seen Chen Zhi look like this before.

This jerk is always so arrogant and domineering. He'll find all sorts of ways to bully her, steal her snacks, and copy her homework.

He looks so pitiful now.

"Really, don't be afraid."

Lin Wanwan took a deep breath, as if she had made up her mind.

She grasped Chen Zhi's hands with both of hers; his palms were warm and slightly damp.

"We're good friends, and no matter what happens, I'll help you! Even... even if your family is broke, I won't look down on you!"

Those clear, big eyes were filled with seriousness.

Just like when she was in kindergarten, she vowed to share all the candy with Chen Zhi.

Looking at her righteous and awe-inspiring appearance, Chen Zhi's mischievous side began to rise again.

This girl is too easy to fool.

It would be a shame not to tease her in this touching atmosphere.

Chen Zhi spat the plastic stick in his mouth into the trash can, turned around, and faced Lin Wanwan.

He lowered his eyes, his long eyelashes obscuring the smile in them, and adjusted his expression to make his features look as pitiful as possible.

"Wanwan."

His voice was low and hoarse, with a slight tremor.

"What's wrong?" Lin Wanwan became even more nervous, gripping her hand even tighter.

My family went bankrupt.

Chen Zhi sighed and looked up at the spider web on the ceiling at a 45-degree angle.

"We might have to sell the house too. My dad said we can't stay in Jiangcheng any longer."

Lin Wanwan's face turned deathly pale instantly.

"So...where are you going?"

"Going back to my hometown."

Chen Zhi sniffed, as if possessed by an actor.

"I'll go back to the countryside to farm and raise pigs. I can't go to school anymore; I have to help with farm work, feeding the pigs, cutting grass, and carrying manure every day..."

As he spoke, he secretly observed Lin Wanwan's expression.

Lin Wanwan instantly pictured Chen Zhi wearing a tattered cotton-padded coat, carrying two buckets of manure in the cold wind.

That's horrible!

That's so tragic!

Chen Zhi is so smart, how could he be assigned to shovel manure!

"No!"

Lin Wanwan suddenly screamed, her eyes instantly turning red.

"You can't leave! You can't go carry manure!"

"There's nothing I can do," Chen Zhi said, shrugging helplessly. "I don't have money for tuition, and I don't have money for food."

"I have money!"

Lin Wanwan let go of Chen Zhi's hand and turned to run home.

"Wait for me! Don't go! Please don't go!"

The two pink pig slippers made a series of rapid "pat-pat" sounds in the hallway.

Chen Zhi was stunned for a moment.

What is this girl trying to do?

Before he could react, the sound of rummaging through drawers and cabinets came from the next room.

Immediately following was a dull thud as something heavy fell to the ground.

Less than half a minute.

Lin Wanwan rushed out carrying a huge golden object.

It was a piggy bank.

Shaped like a golden pig, it is enormous, about the size of a watermelon.

That was a treasure that Lin Wanwan had saved up since she was a child. She wouldn't even let Chen Zhi touch it normally, saying it was her dowry.

At this moment, she was panting heavily, her forehead covered in sweat, as she carried the heavy golden pig in her arms.

"for you!"

Lin Wanwan rushed to Chen Zhi and shoved the golden pig into his arms.

Chen Zhi caught it instinctively.

Good heavens, it's incredibly heavy.

How many coins does this girl usually put in?

"this……"

Chen Zhigang wanted to speak and tell her that he was joking.

Lin Wanwan mistakenly thought he was hesitating, believing he was trying to protect his pitiful pride.

"Take it!"

Lin Wanwan panicked.

Seeing that Chen Zhi didn't move, she gritted her teeth and snatched the golden pig from his arms.

"You're not going to take it? Then I'll take it for you!"

After saying that, she raised the golden pig high.

Chen Zhi's pupils contracted.

"Hey! Wait! Don't..."

"Bang!"

A loud bang.

The golden pig slammed hard onto the cement ground.

Ceramic shards scattered, exploding into a golden flower in the dimly lit stairwell.

Time seemed to stand still at that moment.

With a crisp cracking sound, countless coins gushed out like a fountain, tumbling and tumbling all over the floor, bouncing merrily on the stairs.

Mixed among the coins was a large handful of crumpled banknotes.

Red 100-yuan bills, green 50-yuan bills, yellow 20-yuan bills...

There were even a few of those old-fashioned one- or two-cent notes.

Colorful banknotes were scattered like fallen leaves throughout the narrow passageway.

Lin Wanwan was panting heavily, her chest heaving violently, and her face flushed red.

She squatted down, grabbed a handful of banknotes haphazardly, and stuffed them into Chen Zhi's hand, not caring how much money it was.

"Here you go! All of it is yours!"

She looked up, tears welling in her eyes, but stubbornly refused to fall.

"This is all my money! I have plenty of money! Enough for your tuition! Enough for your food!"

"Don't go...don't go back to your hometown to feed the pigs..."

Finally, she couldn't hold back anymore and burst into tears.

"Chen Zhi, don't go... I don't want you to leave..."

Chen Zhi clutched the handful of warm coins in his hand, looking at the mess on the ground and the little girl crying her eyes out in front of him.

My heart felt like it had been hit hard by something.

The fleeting pleasure of the prank vanished instantly, replaced by an indescribable bittersweet feeling...and warmth.

This silly girl.

This is all her wealth.

They smashed it without hesitation.

In order to prevent him from "carrying manure".

Chen Zhi opened his mouth, but his throat felt a little blocked.

Looking at Lin Wanwan's tear-streaked face, he couldn't bring himself to say the words "I was just kidding" that he had prepared.

The motion-activated lights in the hallway went out.

Only the setting sun shining through the window illuminated the coins and banknotes scattered on the ground, reflecting a faint yet dazzling light.