The male supporting character was actually myself.

To put it bluntly, what do those people have to do with you?

They take your money to support their father, stepmother, and half-siblings, making them live a life of luxury, and their children still bear their father's surname and their own surnames. They even sweep their ancestors' graves during holidays. What do you get in return?

When I married you, there was no dowry, no car, no house, no proposal, no diamond ring, and no honeymoon. Your money, including your salary card, is all in your mother's hands. Now you want to take my card, and I have to ask her for living expenses.

That's money I earned, why should she have the right to control it?

That's my home, why should she have the right to interfere?

Don't give me that nonsense about your mom being good at managing money. If she were really that good, would she have gotten married four times?

"Yu Chuchu, you've gone too far!"

"The ones who are going too far are you, Dong Muqian, and your mother! You keep saying how filial you are, but why didn't you bring your mother to live in Lingnan City before you got married? Why don't you, her own son, cook for her and wash her feet? Instead, you expect me, her newlywed wife, to do it. So your filial piety is all talk; you are not filial at all!"

If you were truly filial, you would have rented her a small, fully-furnished apartment with an elevator long ago, instead of making your elderly mother sleep with you in a cramped space!

Don't tell me it's to save money. I know you've been secretly taking on a tutoring job outside, charging two hundred yuan per lesson!

Renting a small room costs at most six hundred a month, and three hours' rent is enough. Why did you secretly keep this from your mom? What are you trying to save up for?"

Dong Muqian's phone was cleverly kept off speakerphone, but Yu Chuchu deliberately raised her voice so that every word she said would reach Liu Yingxiu's ears, who was eavesdropping right next to the phone.

Her triangular eyes immediately filled with suspicion as she scrutinized her son, whose face showed some tension. "Is what she said true? A fully furnished apartment with an elevator for such a low price?"

Chapter Nine: Not Worth Harvesting

"What nonsense are you spouting!" Dong Muqian gritted his teeth in anger. "I'm doing all this for you!"

You envy others who get married with cars, houses, dowries, and diamond rings. Is it my fault that I don't have any? I worked so hard to get out of the mountains. Who wouldn't want to live in a mansion, drive a luxury car, and have a grand wedding?

I want to too!

What's wrong with my mom sleeping in the same bed? Isn't it all to save money?

Besides, back in our hometown, there's only one kang (heated brick bed) in the dead of winter, and three generations of our family still squeeze together to sleep. Is it wrong for my mother to help us adapt to city life in advance so we can raise our children in the future?"

Yu Chuchu laughed in exasperation, "Your mother came here to help?"

Oh, so you're going to help me eat, watch TV, and make me kneel down to greet you when you get off work, wash your feet, and change your slippers, right?

Since your mother came here, she hasn't even folded the blankets or swept the floor. I've done all the housework myself! Is this what you call helping? I think she's just helping to squeeze money out of us to subsidize her kids!

Will you help us raise our children in the future?

"Mr. Dong Muqian, your mother sleeps with you every night, but I, your new daughter-in-law, sleep alone. Where did this child come from? Was it born to your mother?"

"Me? You son of a bitch, Yu Chuchu, you shameless slut! It's your ancestors' graves that are emitting auspicious smoke if you can marry my son! What kind of bullshit are you spewing? Your mother is the one who had a child with her own son..." Liu Yingxiu jumped up and down and cursed when she heard her say that. Dong Muqian felt that something was wrong. Yu Chuchu was too fierce today.

He hurriedly pushed his mother out and locked the door, letting the old woman rant and rave in the hallway. Dong Muqian adjusted his strategy and gently advised, "Chuchu, you are a university teacher, how can you say such disgusting things?"

"You're a university professor too. You and your mother did such disgusting things first, and now you won't even let people talk about it?"

"Can we talk this out properly? Let's not be angry or say hurtful things, and let's clarify our issues."

Yu Chuchu took simple notes on the script her younger brother had prepared on a piece of paper, and replied in a gentler tone, "Okay, since we're going to start arguing, let's begin from the beginning."

First, let me ask you, from the time we met in freshman year of college, through our sophomore year, and up until today, after we're married, have I ever taken advantage of you?

"No." Dong Muqian decided to retreat as a strategic move.

Clearly, something happened today that made her suddenly realize something, but the two of them are already married, so the only way to continue the PUA and brainwashing is to win her back and make Yu Chuchu unable to leave him.

My mother definitely needs to be sent back to her hometown for a while.

First, she is inherently lazy and gluttonous, and she will not give up knowing that she can afford a better living environment.

Secondly, Yu Chuchu is right. We can't let Mom manage the money anymore, otherwise she'll give it all to those poor folks back home to be good people, and she'll end up with nothing!

Thirdly, and most importantly, since her mother, living together, couldn't calm her down, she had to take a small step back and coax Yu Chuchu back, urging her to get pregnant and have a baby as soon as possible. If one wasn't enough, she'd try two, trapping Yu Chuchu with no room to back down, then seizing the initiative in public opinion, and she could completely turn things around!

After quickly figuring out his strategy, Dong Muqian said affectionately, "I know you're a good girl, and I truly love you. It's just that I'm too poor, please don't look down on me, okay?"

“I have never looked down on you for being poor, because I also come from a rural area and my family conditions are even worse than yours. After all, you have your mother to help you, while I have to take care of my younger brother in addition to myself.”

If I were someone who only cares about wealth and status, I would have accepted the advances of a rich and handsome man and married into a well-off family long ago, instead of wholeheartedly following you, supporting you, and marrying you even though we couldn't afford to rent a house and had to live in a staff dormitory.

So don't say I've changed for money. I, Yu Chuchu, have never been a greedy person.

Now answer my second question: After getting our marriage certificate, we treated our colleagues and classmates to a meal, and everyone tacitly gave us monetary gifts. How much did you receive? How much did I receive?

"Adding the 20,000 yuan your brother gave you and the extra red envelopes from your roommates, you have a total of 48,000 yuan; I only have 18,000 yuan. Chuchu, why are you calculating this? These are all favors we'll have to repay sooner or later..."

Yu Chuchu coldly reminded him, "Don't interrupt, just answer the question. Did you give all this money to your mother?"

"Yes! But she's keeping it for us, for when we buy a house..."

"When did you hand over your extra earnings from tutoring and your salary card to your mother?"

"I gave my salary card to my mom as soon as I started earning money. It wasn't easy for her to raise me, so I should repay her! I wanted to save the tutoring money for you as a surprise, but I haven't..."

"One last thing, I'm also going to take the doctoral entrance exam and pursue a doctorate."

Dong Muqian's face turned pale with anger, and he suppressed his rage as he retorted, "Didn't we agree on this before? How are we supposed to live together if we're both pursuing doctorates? You can't just act impulsively; you have to consider the specific circumstances."

Think about it, even if everything goes smoothly with the PhD entrance exam and the PhD program, it will still take four or five years. During that time, neither of us will have much income, so how will we have the money and time to raise a child?

By the time you finish reading, you'll be thirty. You can then work a stable job, save money, and prepare for pregnancy. Why get married so early and make yourself an older mother?

Having a child at such an advanced age increases the risks for both you and your child!

A family is a team, especially a small family like ours with little financial resources, which needs to work together even more.

"You have a stable job, get pregnant and have a baby while you're young, and my mom and I will help take care of the child. By the time I finish my PhD, the child will be old enough to go to kindergarten, and my income will be higher, enough to quickly make a down payment on our own house. Isn't that a good thing?"

"You're quite calculating. I'll earn money to support the family, including you, your mother, and your half-siblings, and I'll also get pregnant, give birth, and raise my own children. All you have to do is pursue a PhD and improve yourself."

Once you graduate with your doctorate, you'll have children, a high-paying job, and a good reputation in your hometown.

You contributed nothing to our marriage except for the baby, and you did nothing but live a perfect life. You even kicked me aside when you saw I was old and faded. My salary wasn't as high as yours, I had no one to help me, and I couldn't even get my hands on the kids.

"If you marry a young, beautiful wife, you'll get all the advantages while I suffer all the hardships. Of course you'll think that's great!"

Seeing that his scheme had been exposed, Dong Muqian felt a little embarrassed.

Before he could even think of a rebuttal, Yu Chuchu had already gathered enough evidence and was too lazy to waste any more words with him. "Your mother always says I'm not good enough for you, and I think she's right. How could someone as stupid as me be worthy of your cunning and scheming intelligence?"

"Dong Muqian, settle the accounts regarding the wedding gifts and return them. Let's get a divorce."

After saying that, she hung up the phone and ignored Dong Muqian's repeated calls, putting her phone aside and refusing to answer.

The little white cat stood on the north-facing balcony, gazing at the last row of staff dormitories at Lingnan University in the far distance. It couldn't help but wag its fluffy tail and sigh, "Host, this protagonist's halo isn't working. It can't even cover this short distance and lower its intelligence. Tsk tsk tsk, it's really not worth taking advantage of."

Chapter Ten: A Terrifying World Setting

"What should we do next?" Yu Chuchu asked anxiously, her brows furrowed. "Given Dong Muqian's temperament, he will never agree to a divorce easily, and he will definitely not be willing to give back the money his mother has swallowed."

How can I get rid of these two people?

Jiang Chen recalled the original owner's memories and realized that he hadn't paid any attention to marriage laws or similar matters in this mission world. He was probably too busy making money to think about such things.

"Shouldn't I be able to file for divorce?"

“No.” Yu Chuchu shook her head and sighed, “There was a news story a few days ago about a woman who was abused by her husband. She filed for divorce five times over six years, and she had all the evidence, but the judge refused to grant the divorce on the grounds that the relationship was not broken. In the end, she finally got a divorce under the pressure of the media and public opinion.

Six years! It was all wasted, and I was constantly living in fear.

There was another woman who caught her husband cheating, but he still wouldn't be granted a divorce; and yet another man who discovered that the three children weren't his own and filed for divorce, but he still wouldn't be granted a divorce and even had to raise the other man's children!

Many people want a divorce but can't, and instead anger their partner, sometimes even losing their lives..."

Jiang Chen and the little white cat were dumbfounded. "Is this world really that scary?"

"What the hell? Does the marriage certificate in this mission world have a locked-in buff? Then why the hell do I get married?" Fluffy Meowed angrily. "I'm stuck with an irresponsible partner and can't escape this misery?"

Does the judge eavesdrop on people's conversations every day? How does he know the relationship hasn't been resolved?

Marriage is a matter between two people. The party who benefits will definitely drag their feet and be unwilling to divorce. Therefore, as long as one of them has sufficient reasons to file for divorce, the divorce should be granted. If it is dragged out to the point of death, will the judge make the victim pay with their life?

What a terrible mission world! The setting is so illogical!

If the script hadn't been such a poorly written ending to begin with, I would have reported it to the main system and had the scriptwriting team responsible for the world's background executed. This is an infringement on personal freedom! I never imagined that after weathering so many storms, we'd be tripped up by a simple divorce rule setting…”

The little white cat was still grumbling and complaining when Jiang Chen pondered for a moment and replied, "Follow the usual procedure. I'll contact a lawyer first thing tomorrow morning to consult, and file for divorce on Monday."

I'm considering whether you should quit your job and come with me to Senhai.

There are many excellent universities over there; I can easily afford to support your doctoral studies, and we can also stay away from that jerk and avoid him altogether.

"Resign?" Yu Chuchu hesitated for a moment, recalling the old woman's cursing earlier. She felt that she really needed to make a clean break and leave Dong Muqian and his mother's living area. By then, with the mountains and roads far away, no matter how many tricks they had up their sleeves, they wouldn't be able to cause any trouble.

"Alright then, I'll think about how to phrase it and I'll submit my resignation letter after dinner. But I still have classes to attend, so I definitely can't leave right now. I need to come up with a plan to avoid trouble from Dong Muqian and his mother."

"Is Dong Muqian secretly running a tutoring class in violation of regulations? When does he usually go? I'll hire a private investigator to get some evidence to keep in reserve, just in case."

"I only heard him mention it once. He doesn't run a tutoring class, but rather provides in-home tutoring. He seems to have five or six students with him. The students' parents pick them up and drop them off by car every Saturday and Sunday evening. I don't know the exact location."

The Education Bureau has very strict regulations in this regard.

It's generally accepted that university students earning extra money through tutoring is not a problem, but any employed teacher is prohibited from skirting the rules. However, even if evidence is gathered and exposed, at most it will result in a disciplinary action, which won't have a significant impact.

Jiang Chen nodded thoughtfully after listening.

The extent of its effect depends on what the other party did, how they did it, and under what circumstances it was revealed. Even if it's not very useful, it can still cause him some trouble and annoy Dong Muqian!

The little white cat volunteered, "Host, let me go take some photos! I promise to complete the mission perfectly!"

While Yu Chuchu went to the kitchen to get rice, he lowered his voice and waved his hand, saying, "We have recording equipment to monitor the whole process, so you don't have to go through the trouble of running around. We'll only send Assassin Cat out when there's a more important mission."

"Okay, meow~" The fluffy ball glanced at the prop's battery level. It was definitely enough for just filming an ordinary person, so it added in a low voice, "Host, the recording equipment needs to be charged with points. You can consider the specific situation. Anyway, I just need to eat, so I don't need to spend any extra money. It saves energy and doesn't shed. Just let me know when you need it!"

Jiang Chen rubbed the fluffy ball of fur, and it tilted its head back, making a soft, contented purring sound.

The siblings sat at a spacious and luxurious dining table, enjoying their meal and chatting happily about their future.

The small staff dormitory where Dong Muqian lived was tense and deserted.

Although Yu Chuchu was usually unhappy, under the brainwashing and pressure from Dong Muqian's various theories such as "tradition," "women take care of the home and men take care of the outside world," and "what women should do," she would rush back to cook three meals a day no matter how busy she was.

Their cooking was very simple. Since there was no kitchen or bathroom, they simply cleared out a corner of the cramped room, placed an old school desk, and arranged rice cookers, induction cookers, rice, flour, oil, seasonings, and other kitchen utensils. Usually, they would steam a pot of rice, and Yu Chuchu would buy some vegetables on her way home from school to stir-fry and make do with that.

Cooking indoors without a range hood means she can only open the windows for ventilation. Every time she finishes cooking, she smells strongly of cooking fumes, so she has to change her clothes and soak them in a basin of water to wash them later in the evening...

Yu Chuchu didn't come home today, and Liu Yingxiu ordered takeout for lunch and didn't cook dinner. There wasn't a trace of cooking in the house, and the mother and son sat on stools, staring at each other, hungry.