Chapter 109 Empty

But her tone suddenly turned somber, as if she had fallen from the clouds into an ice cellar.

"But... two months ago."

Her voice suddenly lowered, filled with suppressed pain.

“I looked through his phone.”

The air seemed to freeze instantly.

She bit her lip, her nails digging deep into her palms.

"Hotel check-in records... one by one, clearly documented. The same woman, the same hotel, for three consecutive months, always checking in late at night and leaving the next morning."

She raised her tear-filled eyes, her voice trembling.

“I took a screenshot and slapped it in his face, then confronted him and said I wanted a divorce.”

But he laughed.

Zhao Xueran closed her eyes.

He stood up, straightened his cuffs, and said casually, "If you dare to leave, your creditors will come knocking. Your company loans, credit card overdrafts, and mortgaged properties—the total amount owed exceeds fifty million."

Song Zhiwei's brows furrowed slowly, and her fingertips stopped on the table.

She'd seen this kind of thing far too many times.

In order to avoid property division during divorce, wealthy people often use shell companies to create fictitious debts and then transfer the debts to the wife's name under the guise of joint marital debts.

If the woman insists on divorce, she will not only receive no money, but may also be burdened with tens of millions of yuan in debt.

She looked up and gazed calmly at Zhao Xueran.

"You just said... your husband and that woman are really getting very close?"

Zhao Xueran looked up, tears welling up in her eyes.

“He said… none of this was true, he was just confused for a moment and couldn’t control himself. As long as I don’t mention divorce, he promises to cut all ties with that other woman immediately and never have any contact with her again.”

Song Zhiwei listened quietly, her brows furrowing slightly.

She gently bit her lower lip.

"The current situation is that you do not have a stable job or source of income. If you get divorced, the pressure on your life will increase dramatically. More realistically, given the man's financial situation and your current predicament, it is almost impossible for the court to award you custody of the children."

"I understand... I understand everything."

Zhao Xueran pressed her hands firmly against her temples.

“But I just can’t stand it, really, I can’t stand it for even a second longer. When I married him, it wasn’t because he was rich or because I wanted to climb up his social status. I genuinely believed in him and thought he would treat me well for the rest of his life. Who could have imagined that the man who once cherished me would now stab me in the heart like a knife?”

Song Zhiwei remained silent for a few seconds, then lightly tapped the table with her fingertips.

Finally, he raised his head and asked a serious question.

"So... are you really determined to get a divorce? Is there no room for negotiation?"

"right."

Zhao Xueran answered crisply and decisively.

"I've made up my mind."

Some wounds, once opened, can never be repaired with the utmost care, and can never be the same again.

The cracks will always be there, a reminder that you were betrayed and hurt.

She knew she had no money, no connections, and no social standing.

She's not even worth a single finger of that man.

But what if she were to spend the rest of her life wearing a fake smile, facing the person who deceived her feelings every day?

She preferred to end the marriage completely.

As Song Zhiwei looked at her, a sense of respect quietly rose in her heart.

A woman who, instead of breaking down under such a blow, is able to make a decision through tears.

She said slowly, "Actually, given the current situation, not getting a divorce for the time being is the safest option for you."

If only she could harden her heart and stop having any emotional expectations of that person.

This marriage could then become a cold and impersonal partnership.

She doesn't need to fight for custody of her children, nor does she need to worry about financial problems.

However, Zhao Xueran shook her head violently, her eyes instantly turning red.

"No... I really can't. Every time I see him, my stomach churns and I feel like throwing up. Just thinking about having to sleep in the same bed and share the same roof with someone who's a liar and betrayed me makes my heart burn like fire. I'd rather die than live like this for another day."

Song Zhiwei sighed deeply in her heart.

So she straightened up and her tone became serious.

"Since that's the case, I'll give you three options. Listen carefully and consider each one seriously."

"First, you must find a proper job as soon as possible, even if it's low-paying and the income is meager. The important thing is to have independent pay slips. Only with financial means can you legally fight for child custody; otherwise, the court will not support you."

"Second, don't rush into filing for divorce now. You can pretend to accept his attempt to win him back and show that you're willing to reconcile. This will lower his guard. Meanwhile, you can secretly investigate his company's financial records, including bank statements, fund transfers, and asset mortgages. Make sure you get to the bottom of everything."

"Third, do everything you can to collect evidence of his extramarital affair. Keep all the chat logs, transfer records, photos, videos, and even witness testimonies. Once these are submitted to the court, you can legally claim a larger share during the property division, at least more than half of the joint property, or even more."

Zhao Xueran listened and nodded slightly.

His eyes, which had been dull and lifeless, gradually began to light up.

She suddenly realized that things weren't hopeless; there was still a glimmer of hope.

"Attorney Song... thank you."

Her voice was hoarse, and she trembled as she pulled her phone out of her bag, her fingers still shaking slightly.

"Could I... add you on WeChat? That way I can contact you if I need anything in the future."

"OK."

Song Zhiwei gently opened the friend's chat window, hesitated for a moment on the screen with her fingertips, and finally typed a sentence carefully.

"Make sure he doesn't see our chat history. If he finds out you've hired a lawyer, he'll immediately be able to protect himself from you, and he might even secretly check your phone."

"I understand."

Zhao Xueran nodded vigorously, her eyes slightly red, but she forced a smile.

“I understand everything. He’s keeping a closer eye on me than a cat now. I even have to delete my online shopping records.”

After exchanging a few words, she got up and left.

Song Zhiwei stood by the window, watching her thin figure from behind, feeling a sense of emptiness in her heart.

But when a man's heart changes, he never needs to give any warning.

That evening, Jiang Mengxi called, her voice filled with excitement.

"Zhiwei, when are you coming home? Let's go get some barbecue, I want some ice-cold beer! If we don't eat soon, I'm going to grow mushrooms!"

Jiang Mengxi is an illustrator who spends all day at home drawing, sometimes sitting for the entire day, too lazy to even eat.

Her small apartment had piles of sketchbooks in the corners, pencil shavings all over the floor, and the windows hadn't been opened in a long time.

She felt stifled and wanted to go out for a walk and breathe in some fresh air.

"Okay, I'll come pick you up."

Without saying a word, Song Zhiwei turned the car around and turned the steering wheel.

The tires crunched over the fallen leaves at the street corner, making a soft rustling sound.

The two took a taxi to the most popular barbecue restaurant in the mall.