Chapter 0058 Divorce

The move was already done, it was a done deal, and Ruyi would be starting school in a couple of days, so they couldn't go through the hassle of moving out again. He Caiyu laid it all out: "Yes, he's Xingxing's dad. You don't want him to do the work, but you can at least offer money, right?" She then plopped down on the sofa, deliberately patting her shoulders and rubbing her legs: "These old arms and legs of mine, it was so hard to move them all, I can't do anything else..."

Then she said to Ruyi, "If you really don't want to, then go live at school. Xingxing, Sister Li, and I will stay here." Sister Li was the live-in nanny they had arranged three days ago. He Caiyu arranged for the interview to be held at her original home. She chose Sister Li because she was clean, simple, and gentle. At the time, she felt that God had been kind to her and that she had found such a high-quality nanny.

Looking back now, there was no good luck involved; it was clearly a deliberate arrangement by someone with ulterior motives.

Ruyi was truly furious but couldn't vent her anger. Chen Yan must have known she wouldn't dare to be angry with her aunt, so he secretly turned her aunt to be his spy while she wasn't looking. It's unclear whether Hao Jing was bribed by Chen Yan; even if not, it's probably soon.

He Caiyu advised, "Stop being so stubborn. Do you really want Xingxing to be without her father's love? It's alright now, but what about when she can walk and recognize people? Can you still stop her then? Don't think children are innocent and naive. Sometimes they can be quite materialistic. Chen Yan is so rich and dotes on her. Maybe Xingxing will really love her father more in the future. Instead of worrying about these things, you should focus on your studies, make a name for yourself in your field, and be a mother that Xingxing can be proud of. That way, she'll love you more..."

With He Caiyu's assistance, Chen Yan secured a halftime victory. Meanwhile, the divorce proceedings between Chen Yan and Zhao Nanyue began. Zhao Nanyue was absent due to unforeseen circumstances, with only Chen Yan and their respective lawyers present. The divorce was a done deal, and the focus of the dispute between the lawyers was the division of property.

Chen Yan and Zhao Nanyue had been married for over two years. Before the marriage, Chen Yan transferred all his shares in Renxin to his parents. Even so, during their marriage, he made several investments in his own name, reaping substantial profits. Although he had used some methods to transfer the assets beforehand, he still had to consider the legality of the transactions, and Zhao's legal team was not to be underestimated. Including various fixed assets, the total amount was 120 million yuan.

The assets of companies under Zhao Nanyue's name have been frozen and will be used to repay her father's debts; these are not considered marital property. The only assets that can be considered marital property are Zhao Nanyue's competition prize money and advertising income from the past two years, totaling over 20 million yuan. Chen Yan estimates that the amount is even greater, and Zhao Nanyue must have concealed some of it. This means that even after her release from prison, as long as she doesn't squander it, with the share Chen Yan has given her and her assets, both overt and covert, she and her mother can live a life of comfort and ease, more carefree than most people.

But it didn't matter anymore; he had no intention of going to extremes, he just wanted to get the verdict as soon as possible.

The couple's joint assets amounted to 150 million yuan, which were divided in two. The legal facts were clear, the lawyers for both parties reached an agreement, and the judge announced the verdict in court, supporting most of the plaintiff Chen Yan's claims.

Originally, it would take 10 working days to receive the divorce decree, but Chen Yan couldn't wait any longer. After the court hearing, he approached the judge and earnestly explained his purpose. The judge, of course, knew his identity and was willing to do him this favor. After all, it was just a small favor for him, and promised to send him the decree before the end of the workday the next day.

Chen Yan expressed his sincere gratitude and shook hands with him.

That evening, he asked Uncle Zhang to take him to Guanlan No. 1, taking a long detour. He took a shower as soon as he got home, and afterward lay on the bed in the master bedroom, staring at the ceiling. The thought of Ruyi living upstairs filled him with excitement.

His aunt messaged him, saying that Ruyi already knew everything was arranged by him, but still moved in, which meant that his strategy of having his aunt act as a lubricant had worked.

Ruyi has been tricked by him, and she's probably cursing him in her heart right now. He shouldn't go up there and make a fool of himself.

The thought of his beloved sleeping upstairs filled Chen Yan with a warm, sweet feeling, like biting into a roasted sweet potato in the dead of winter. It was a world of difference compared to how he felt when Ruyi was first discharged from the hospital.

He couldn't help but admire himself for being able to shorten the distance between himself and Ruyi from half of Lancheng to just one ceiling. So, how far away would it be if they could share a room and sleep in the same bed?

In order to create leverage for seeking peace, Chen Yan went through a fierce internal struggle and went to great lengths to do something else.

After graduating with a master's degree, Li Jinghao joined a top-tier law firm in Jingzhou as a lawyer. As a newcomer who had only been there for a year, his resources were divided up by the senior lawyers, leaving him as a low-level legal worker. He spent countless nights writing legal documents, merely doing the work for others.

The legal industry follows the 80/20 or even 90/10 rule. The lowest-ranking lawyers can only get scraps from those above. With soaring housing prices in Jingzhou, he goes in and out of the glamorous city CBD every day in a suit and tie, but at night he can only silently retreat to a dilapidated shared room in an urban village. The disparity between these two situations plunges him into deep pain.

Exhaustion became the main theme of his work, while his personal life was almost non-existent. He had almost forgotten his original dream of studying law, and he had also almost forgotten the girl who inspired him to have this ideal. Every day, he had only one thought: to work hard to make money, buy a car and a house, and make a name for himself.

But with no connections and no capital, how easy would it be for him to stand out in a city where talent is as plentiful as dogs? In fact, his handsome appearance is an asset in itself, but he simply couldn't bring himself to do something like selling his body.

When Chen Yan found him, the forgotten humiliation resurfaced, accompanied by a surge of anger stemming from inferiority.

Chen Yan asked him to meet, and he didn't want to go at first, but the other party sincerely apologized for the past on the phone, which gradually made his reluctance waver.

To prevent him from playing any tricks, Li Jinghao specially booked a table at a Western restaurant facing the street, where people would come and go, and he figured the other man wouldn't dare to do anything to him.

Compared to six years ago, Chen Yan is still handsome and eye-catching, but he is less flamboyant and more calm and reserved, exuding the charm of a mature man. It is clear that the ending of good and evil being rewarded in literary works is a lie. In reality, people like Chen Yan are living more and more exciting lives, which makes him feel particularly glaring.

Li Jinghao struggled to suppress the surging indignation in his heart and said coldly, "Tell me, how do you intend to compensate me?"

Under his shocked gaze, Chen Yan stood up and, in full view of everyone, gave him a proper bow.

"I was wrong before, I'm sorry."

After a long while, Li Jinghao composed himself and said sarcastically, "Who do you think you are? After doing that to me, you think you can just bend over and say sorry and I'll forgive you?" If he could, he would wish that Li Jinghao would lose everything, fall from the clouds to hell, and never be able to recover.

Unfortunately, fate is unfair. As time goes by, he still sits high in the clouds, wielding power and influence, while he is just a lowly lawyer struggling to make ends meet.

"Of course not." Chen Yan sat down again, took a check out of his wallet, and pushed it in front of him.

Li Jinghao wanted to maintain his pride, but his gaze seemed to have its own will, sweeping around uncontrollably.

Ten million RMB.

He couldn't believe it. With trembling hands, he picked up the check and looked at it again carefully. It really was 10 million.

Ten million yuan would allow him to buy a house in a decent location in Jingzhou outright, ending his nomadic life. He could use the remaining money for some investments, maybe even a small amount to buy an entry-level Audi… Money emboldens people, and combined with his profession, barring unforeseen circumstances, he could rise to the upper-middle class within five years…

The check lay quietly on the table, emanating a fatal allure to Li Jinghao.

Perhaps he should be angry, and immediately throw the check in Chen Yan's face to mock him for thinking he's so great just because he has a few stinking coins.

But what lies before Li Jinghao at this moment is not ten thousand, nor one hundred thousand, but a full ten million! Life is not a TV drama. Faced with a huge sum of money falling from the sky, no one can remain unmoved. In fact, for a moment, ecstasy may even overwhelm past humiliations.

Li Jinghao had roughly two years of legal experience since his internship, and he knew that Chen Yan wouldn't have a sudden change of heart for no reason. It was more likely that Chen Yan had to obtain his forgiveness for some reason.

Once he understood this, he straightened his back slightly, put on a cold expression, and began to bargain: "Do you think ten million can offset the humiliation and harm you have inflicted on me? Don't even think about me forgiving you!"

Li Jinghao became increasingly agitated as he spoke, eventually even believing his own words. However, Chen Yan, sitting opposite him, was a shrewd and astute individual who immediately saw through the greed hidden beneath Li Jinghao's mask. He smiled slightly, suddenly realizing how reckless and impulsive he had been, getting himself into such trouble for someone like Li Jinghao.

He concealed the disdain in his eyes and asked seriously, "How many do you want?"