Five years without pregnancy means you're too weak; I remarried a powerful man and had triplets

Shen Zhiyi felt as if she had fallen into an ice cellar, the water so cold it was almost freezing her blood.

She incredulously broke free from Xu Jing's embrace, her brows furrowed tightly, her breath trembling: "Mom... what are you saying?"

She thought her mother was the only piece of driftwood, but she never imagined that this driftwood was made of iron, cold, hard, and about to crush her feet.

Xu Jing, however, was not annoyed. Instead, with a kind of loving "you will understand eventually" quality, she gently smoothed the stray hairs at Shen Zhiyi's temples. Her tone remained gentle, but her reasoning became increasingly clear:

"Zhizhi, Mom knows you're confused right now because of anger. But think about it calmly. After divorcing Xu Zhesheng, you're a divorced woman who's only been taking care of his housework and editing behind the scenes all these years. Although you've been diligent, your income is worlds apart from Director Xu's. What will you rely on to support yourself in the future?"

She picked up her water glass, took a sip, and spoke as if discussing today's vegetable prices rather than her daughter's life:

"Although Ah Zhe made a mistake, out of consideration for our past relationship, he agreed to the 500 million villa and promised to send that woman abroad after the child is born. These conditions are more than enough. What you should do is to maintain the dignity of a legal wife and use some gentle methods to win back his heart, instead of acting impulsively."

"Soft...methods?"

Shen Zhiyi murmured to herself, feeling as if her blood had turned completely cold.

She finally understood.

In her mother's eyes, she was not a person, but an appendage who needed to rely on the title of "Mrs. Xu" to survive.

That 500 million villa was the price for buying out her dignity.

She always thought of her as coming from a "scholarly family," but deep down she believed more than anyone else in the principle of "highest bidder wins."

She looked up at the home where she had grown up, and at the plaque on the wall that read "Harmony in the family brings prosperity in all things," and felt nothing but irony.

The so-called "not bowing down for five pecks of rice" was because those five pecks of rice were too little.

Now it's 500 million, enough for her parents to comfortably persuade her to swallow the thorny rose.

"What if I can't do it?"

Shen Zhiyi's voice was hoarse, yet unusually calm, "What if I insist on getting a divorce?"

The air inside the room suddenly froze.

The gentleness on Xu Jing's face vanished instantly, leaving only a rational, almost cold, decision.

She exchanged a glance with Shen Ji, but there was no pity in her eyes, only anger at the damage to the "family's reputation".

"Shen Zhiyi,"

Xu Jing called her by her full name, her voice still low, but each word sharp as an icicle.

"We've spoiled you too much. We let you choose your major, and we let you marry him, and now you can't even tolerate this little thing? You want to drag the Shen family down with you and make a fool of yourself?"

She stood up, looking down at her daughter, and said, word by word, "Zhe is right. You can't have children, so he found someone to have one for you. That's already showing consideration for our past relationship. If you don't appreciate it and insist on a divorce..."

She paused, then uttered the verdict she had already prepared in her mind:

"From this moment on, the Shen family no longer has a daughter like you. If you step out of this door, never come back for the rest of your life!"

It was a resounding statement.

Shen Zhiyi's last glimmer of hope was shattered by those words.

She suddenly found it somewhat amusing.

She naively believed that she could find solace at home after suffering injustice.

It turns out that the love given by parents always comes with a condition: you must conform to their standards of respectability.

Tears rolled down her cheeks silently, but she didn't wipe them away.

She slowly stood up, without crying or arguing, but simply looked deeply at her parents, as if trying to etch their images into her very bones and then forget them completely.

"Okay, I understand."

She turned around, her movements swift and decisive.

She stopped explaining and begging for mercy, because in this logic of "family interests above all else," her suffering was insignificant.

As they reached the door, Xu Jing's voice came again, carrying a final sliver of advice:

"Zhizhi, let me say one last thing. Putting aside the Shen family's reputation, just considering Xu Zhesheng's current wealth and status, if it weren't for your childhood friendship, how could you possibly be able to reach his level now? You'd better think carefully about what you're doing."

Shen Zhiyi did not stop walking, and not even her back swayed.

Xu Jing's words, along with the stale air in the old house, were left behind by her.

Walking down the alley where she grew up, the setting sun cast a long, lonely shadow of her.

For a fleeting moment, my former self, embodying the virtues of "gentleness, kindness, respect, frugality, and humility," leaped out and questioned her:

Should we really tolerate it? Should we learn from those women of ancient times, serving tea with both hands and accepting the mistress and the child?

She stopped and looked at her pale but clear-eyed reflection in the glass window. Suddenly, she tugged at the corners of her mouth and revealed a resolute, cold smile.

The fault lies not with me, but with this cannibalistic world.

I did nothing wrong; they are the ones who need to reflect.

She straightened her back, dragged her suitcase, and walked into the twilight without looking back.

This time, she was neither anyone's daughter nor anyone's wife; she was simply Shen Zhiyi, a woman determined to live for herself.

"Zhizhi!"

Twenty minutes later, a red car stopped in front of Shen Zhiyi. Tan Gui was in such a hurry that she forgot to take off her white coat.

Upon seeing Shen Zhiyi, he quickly got out of the car, took her pale-faced body to the passenger seat, put her suitcase in the trunk, and then returned to the car.

"Did you have a falling out with your parents?"

Seeing that she looked unwell, Tan Gui carefully chose her words and asked.

Shen Zhiyi nodded somewhat blankly. She wanted to repeat what Xu Jing and Shen Ji had said to Tan Gui, but she just couldn't bring herself to say it.

She really didn't know how to say those words.

Tan Gui probably knew about their family situation, and only sighed softly before slamming a hand on Shen Zhiyi's shoulder: "Alright, I know! They don't agree to your divorce, right?"

"It's alright! That's how the older generation is. They always think that marriage is for life and they simply don't understand the thinking of our generation now."

"Besides, Xu Zhesheng is the one in the wrong, so why should you tolerate it?"

"Bestie, don't worry, I'll always support you! Why should you put up with this? You're rich and beautiful. If it weren't for that Xu Zhesheng, the men chasing you could line up all the way to France! Why should you put up with this humiliation!"

"Come on, sister, a new bar just opened in Lane Nine. I heard there are a lot of handsome guys over 1.8 meters tall there. I'll treat you to a good time today! Let me show you that you, Shen Zhiyi, are doing really well without Xu Zhesheng!"

Shen Zhiyi was amused by Tan Gui's indignant expression, but as she laughed, she felt a pang of sadness in her heart. However, she forced herself not to cry in front of her best friend.

He simply nodded emphatically: "Okay, it's a deal, we're drinking until we drop tonight."

"Of course! I'm not your useless ex-husband; I keep my word!"