The Secret of Second Marriage

Juan said, "I wasn't asleep. I was just chatting with my boyfriend. Man, what's wrong? You sound unwell. Did you cry?"

"Juan, I have good news for you, I'm divorced."

I say.

Juan instantly understood what I meant, as if she had heard explosive news and said to me: "Really? How come it was so fast? I thought you and that scumbag were going to be fighting in court for a long time, but I didn't expect him to agree to divorce so quickly."

Is it because of the other woman pressuring you? He cheated on you during your marriage; he wronged you first. Did he leave you most of his assets?

"No, I was left with nothing."

I say.

Juan was stunned and shocked, but she still said to me cautiously, "Man, how could you be so confused? You've been with him all this time. Your youth isn't money, and aren't the 10 years of housework you've done worth money too?"

How could you give all the money and the house to your ex-husband Xue Fan? Now look what's happened, he took the money to find a mistress and married her in a grand ceremony, while you're left crying outside with your daughter.

How could you be so foolish? Don't you know that men are unreliable? For us women, the only thing we can truly rely on in our later years is money…”

I smiled bitterly and said, "Juan, you have no idea how scumbag my husband is, how cunning and ruthless he is. It's not that I don't want to fight for the property, but that I'm not as ruthless as him."

Xue Fan kidnapped my daughter and threatened me, saying that if I didn't agree to leave with nothing, he would sell my daughter to the mountains and I would never see her again.

For me, my daughter is my last hope in this world; I cannot lose her.

"Man, that scumbag is really ruthless. Don't be too sad. Your husband, that beast, will regret losing such a good wife like you sooner or later."

I don't think that mistress is innocent either. She's young and pretty, and she's definitely hooking up with your husband for money.

She definitely won't stay quietly and obediently with an old man like your husband for the rest of her life. She might run away with your money one day, and then your husband will be in big trouble.

Juan sighed and comforted me.

I said, "Juan, well, actually I've long since given up on my ex-husband. That kind of scumbag isn't worth any of my lingering feelings..."

But... do you really think Mr. Jiang is right for me? He's a successful man, the boss of a big company, always entertaining clients, traveling by plane, and surrounded by beautiful female staff at hotels.

He said he's only ever loved me in his life, and has only slept with me in the past few years. He hasn't had any other women in his life. If this happened to you, would you believe it?

I say.

Juan said, "I don't believe it. This couldn't possibly happen to me, and I wouldn't be that naive."

We are mature women in our 30s, not 17 or 18-year-old girls who can be easily fooled by men's sweet words.

I don't know much about Mr. Jiang, but the entertainment industry is really messy. How many of those wealthy bosses can resist the temptation of a confidante?

He says he loves you now, but he might change his mind in a few years. Why is President Jiang treating you so well? What is he after?

I heard that his company earns hundreds of millions a year, and he is a genuine second-generation rich kid whose family are big shots in the business world.

But he wouldn't go so far as to cheat you, would he? At most, he'd just have some fun with you at the end, and he wouldn't give you a formal commitment. Man, you don't need to overthink it. Anyway, President Jiang isn't married, and you haven't discovered any other female confidantes around him.

Let's take it one step at a time. Oh, by the way, I saw that you've gained over a million followers on Douyin. Why not take this opportunity to do some self-media, film some videos, and sell some products? Give yourself a backup plan.

"If you and President Jiang really do break up in the future, you won't be in such a sorry state."

"Um"

I said, "I always feel that Mr. Jiang has a secret. He said he likes me, he said he loves me, and I feel like I'm about to fall for him... I really deserve it. I met a scumbag like my ex-husband, and now I've met a Mr. Jiang. Do you think he won't be like my ex-husband, hiding his true feelings?"

Do you think he only loves me? Does he even have a shred of genuine affection for me?

"Let's not talk about that now. Did you take any precautions during your one-night stand?"

Suddenly, Sister Juan lowered her voice and asked me a very important question.

I racked my brains for a long time, and all I could remember was that I hadn't done anything wrong at the time, but afterwards I took birth control pills.

I said, "It should be fine. I probably won't get pregnant with President Jiang's child."

Sister Juan said, "Man, we've been friends for almost ten years. I want to advise you, you absolutely must not let yourself get too love-struck."

I know that your ex-husband's infidelity and divorce have hit you hard, and you may not be able to get over it right away, so you're looking for a lifeline.

President Jiang is just such a lifeline. But never get yourself involved; once a woman falls in love, she's doomed.

You should focus on your career, make money, and manage your media accounts and followers well. Once you have money, fame, and confidence, you'll be ready.

Youth waits for no one. If you break up with President Jiang, please find a good person and live a stable life, okay?

"Juan, I'm fine. You're right. I should focus on my career now and not think about such nonsense."

I say.

I suddenly realized that my relationship with Mr. Jiang has only just begun to blossom. I don't know where it will lead in the future, but at least he's treating me well now, so I shouldn't worry about it anymore.

I took a shower, went back to my room and went to sleep. Looking at the unfamiliar bedroom, the air conditioner and the curtains, everything felt incredibly strange to me.

I never imagined that, at over 30 years old, I, a woman, would still have to struggle to make ends meet with my daughter, renting a place and living a life of dependence on others.

Scenes of my ex-husband and I together flashed through my mind. When I first graduated from university, I was there for him through hardship, living in the cheapest basement, with a simple bed, a windowless room, and a damp floor.

I accompanied him through 10 years of struggle in this city, but in the end I was left with nothing and moved out with my daughter, only to be left with endless emptiness and loneliness.

To escape this poisonous emptiness and loneliness, I had a one-night stand with President Jiang, not just once, but several times.

But now I understand that no matter how much I struggle, no matter how much I teeter on the edge of despair, I cannot change the fact that it has already happened.

My home is gone, my husband whom I loved for ten years, the person I once trusted most, is now a beast in human skin.

I drifted off to sleep.

The first thing I did when I woke up the next morning was to check how much money was left in my wallet.

I still have 30 yuan in my card, which is my secret stash of money that I've kept for the past 10 years. Other than that, I really have nothing.

Mr. Jiang paid my rent for a year.

The houses here are extremely expensive; the monthly rent is as high as 8000 yuan.

I used to live the life of a wealthy housewife without car loans or mortgages. Although I lived a frugal life, I had never dealt with such a big economic crisis before.

From this moment forward, I am a divorced woman.

My money has to cover the nanny's salary, my daughter's school fees, tutoring fees, utilities, food, and other expenses.

Moreover, I can't rely on President Jiang forever. I don't want to be a burden to him, nor do I want him to look down on me.

I started dealing with some of my old gold and silver jewelry, as well as some bags. I took these things to the second-hand market and sold them all at bargain prices, getting back less than 10 yuan.

I logged into my Douyin account and restored all the previous videos, but I still hid the apology video because I didn't want to apologize anymore.

I suddenly realized that there's no point in fighting with a scumbag like my husband.

Forget it.

I want to focus on being a successful self-media creator.

Many fans on Douyin have been asking me about my situation, whether I need help, and whether I am safe now.

I replied to them that I was divorced.

Netizens encouraged me to raise my child well, stay away from that scumbag, get out of the shadows, and start a new life.

I am very grateful for the heartwarming words from netizens.

I told them I wanted to start a self-media platform and asked for their advice.

A netizen named Rainbow After the Rain messaged me, saying, "Manman, I am the owner of a hotel in Tibet. Like you, I have also experienced betrayal in my marriage. I chose to get a divorce and used all my savings to open a hotel in this city in Tibet."

I saw what happened to you, and I want to help you.

I'd like to invite you to our beautiful Tibet to film a promotional video for our hotel. I'll give you a 10 RMB "GG fee" for it. What do you think?

Please consider my suggestion. This way, you can relax by traveling and stop thinking about unhappy people and things.

On the other hand, this is a great opportunity for collaboration. We have a professional filming team on our side. Sister Manman, welcome!

At first I thought it was a scam, but soon I received a call from a beautiful woman who said her name was Lan, the Lan of orchid.

She said, "Manman, you're over 50 years old this year, you can just call me Sister Lan. Like you, my husband and I started from scratch, and I didn't have my first child until I was over 30."

But I never expected that while I was pregnant, my husband would be seeing other women.

He checked into a hotel with his mistress and even sent the photos to my phone, which made me so angry that I miscarried.

Later I divorced him, traveled to many places, and eventually opened a large chain of hotels in Tibet. "Come on over, if you don't want to film anything, just come and have fun, it's on you!"

"Thank you, Sister Lan."

I say.

Sister Lan sent me the name of her hotel company and her own personal information.

Her hotel has a beautiful name—Forget Love Chain Hotel.

Forgetfulness.

What a beautiful name.

I've decided to take this opportunity to go on a trip to Tibet...

I washed my face and brushed my teeth in the morning before taking my daughter to school. I felt a little dizzy, which was a result of the hangover.

On the way, I asked my daughter, "Would you like to go on a trip with Mommy? Mommy might be going to Tibet for about two weeks for work..."

Tangtang, the daughter, shook her head and refused.

She said, "Mom, I'm scared. I don't want to go far away. I just want to stay in the familiar city. Mom, if you have to work, I'll stay at Kexin's house. She's my best friend."

I said, "Okay."