Chapter 17
A few months ago, she was worried about being betrayed by her husband, losing her stable home, possibly having to shoulder a huge mortgage alone, and having to raise her son alone. All of these were heavy burdens.
She was nervous and anxious, but she never thought of backing down.
Now, her courage has been rewarded.
After Chen Li and Lin Ying were disgraced, she received an unexpected surprise.
The surge in traffic from trending topics these past few days has brought her immense wealth.
"Thank you for your appreciation, Sister Jin." Li Chi'an raised his head, a sincere smile appearing on his lips. "I was originally planning to find a job after this was over."
"Why look for a job? You have talent and you have a lot of online traffic now. Hurry up and take advantage of this opportunity to earn as much as you can." Jinjin is a smart and capable woman who is nearly forty years old. She is also a divorced single mother and can empathize with everything Li Chian has suffered. "We women have money, career, and children. Good days are ahead."
"I will organize it carefully and try to finish the new book as soon as possible." Li Chi'an was still unable to calm down. "I will ask for your guidance when the time comes."
"Just do your best, give it your all. I believe you can do a great job." Jin Jin patted Li Chi'an's hand, her eyes full of appreciation and encouragement. "The number of views on topics about you online has already exceeded one billion. Do you know what that means?"
She lowered her voice, “This means you are no longer just a writer, but a socio-cultural phenomenon.”
"Your courage will encourage many women who suffer unequal treatment in marriage. So, live well, work hard, and become a role model for society, bringing positive energy to women and giving more women the courage to break free from the shackles of a bad marriage and bravely fight for their rightful interests."
“I will, Sister Jin.” Li Chi’an felt a surge of intense emotion welling up in his chest.
After seeing Jinjin off, Li Chian stood on the balcony, gazing at the city view outside the window.
She had just rented this high-rise apartment, which is only one kilometer away from Xiyuan, last week. It has a wide view, excellent natural light, and faces the sea.
There's a large balcony relative to the house, where a huge bougainvillea is in full bloom, carefully tended by the previous owner. Besides the bougainvillea, other flowers are also planted on the balcony, such as snow lilies, dracaena, and spider plants...
There was also a lemon tree. When she brought her son in to move in, there were five lemons on the tree. Chen Zui, the youngest child, secretly picked two of them, leaving three still hanging on the branches, continuously supplying the house with the aroma of lemons.
The house she used to meticulously decorate and maintain is now listed for sale on the platform. She's given the house and herself a six-month deadline: if it sells for a suitable price within six months, she'll sell it; if not, she'll turn it into a bed and breakfast and become an asset.
In short, it will become a thing of the past, just like her bleak marriage.
Her phone vibrated; it was a bank notification that money had been deposited into her account. The string of zeros brought tears to her eyes.
Li Chian took a deep breath and dialed the number of the mortgage bank manager.
During the phone call, she discussed early repayment with the other party and also agreed on a time.
She definitely wouldn't give the money to the bank now, but she felt more confident after consulting with everyone. Everything was going in the direction she wanted, even better than she expected. She was waiting for Chen Li to return to China.
Fifteen minutes later, when she hung up the phone, the weight on her shoulders seemed to disappear all at once.
With the money she has, she can reduce her mortgage to a level where she has no financial worries.
It must be said that a life without debt carries far less of a burden on one's mind.
Turning around, she continued packing her luggage. When she opened a small suitcase, she saw a photo inside. It was a family photo taken when her son was in kindergarten, and Chen Li was in it.
This photo was clearly taken by the son.
Click—that was the sound of the door opening from the outside.
"Mom, I'm home."
Li Chi'an sat up slightly, turned her head and watched her son take off his shoes and run towards her. She immediately reached out, hugged her son and kissed him, "So sweaty, where did you go to play?"
Chen Zui, the youngest child, snuggled in his mother's arms for a long time.
Behind him, Li's mother, with a loving smile, carefully placed his schoolbag, water bottle, and hat on the cabinet. "He came back from playing with his classmates at Jingshan Park. It's so late, and Li Hao should be going home, but he won't leave."
After moving to this house, Li Chi'an asked his mother to come and help, mainly to pick up and drop off his son.
"Did you have fun playing with Li Hao?" Li Chi'an asked with a smile, gently rubbing his son's head.
"I'm so happy, Mom! You know what? Li Hao has a really big sword. His mom bought it for him when she went to Lushan for a trip." Chen Zui, the youngest child, gestured excitedly. "His older brother has one too!"
"Does baby want it?" Li Chi'an took out a few tissues from the tissue box next to her son and gently wiped the sweat from his face and forehead. "If you want it, when you have your vacation, Mom can take you to Mount Lu and buy you a sword just like Li Hao's."
"Wow!" Chen Zui, the youngest child, jumped up excitedly. "Really, Mom? Are you going to take me to Mount Lu?"
"Yes, if you want to go, I'll take you." From then on, she and her son would be free and unrestrained, able to go wherever they wanted, no matter how vast the world was. "Do you know Mount Lu?"
"I know, I know, I know..." Chen Zui, the youngest child, was extremely excited. Like a puppy that had just received a toy, he ran around the still somewhat messy living room. "The sun shines on the incense burner, producing purple smoke. From afar, the waterfall hangs before the river. It plunges straight down three thousand feet, as if the Milky Way were falling from the ninth heaven."
"Oh my, our baby can even recite poems! That's wonderful!" Li's mother couldn't stop smiling as she saw her grandson's joyful expression.
Li Chi'an got up, went to the kitchen, poured a cup of honey grapefruit tea, and handed it to his mother. "Are you tired?"
"What's so tiring about taking on the most important task?" Li's mother drank more than half a glass of water in one gulp, clearly indicating that she was genuinely thirsty.
“There’s a pot in the kitchen.” Li Chi’an sat back down in the middle of the living room and started organizing his luggage.
Li's mother was a busy person. "What do you want to eat tonight? I'll cook."
"Zui Zui, what do you want to eat tonight?" Li Chi'an turned to ask his son.
"Angry silverfish omelet." Chen Zui, the youngest child, happily placed the order. "Grandma, no ginger, no chili, no garlic!"
"You don't even eat ginger?" Grandma Zui Zui was quite exasperated by her grandson's taste.
"I don't want it, it's too spicy."
"Where's the ginger spicy? It'll be too fishy without it." Li's mother promised to cook according to her grandson's taste, but she couldn't help but grumble a few times.
She's from Jiangxi, and her cooking style has always been fresh, fragrant, spicy, and rich in oil and sauces—she loves to cook whatever makes rice taste better, and her cooking is indeed delicious. But unexpectedly, when she came to her daughter's house, her superb Jiangxi cuisine skills had no place to be used.
My daughter and grandson ate too bland food.
"Add some ginger water in," Li Chi'an suggested with a smile.
Li's mother muttered, "You're telling him to eat the chili peppers slowly; he can't not eat any spice at all."
"Let him eat whatever he wants." The process of raising a child has also increased Li Chi'an's acceptance. "If he doesn't eat an extra dish now, his world will have a new dish when he grows up. Isn't that good?"
"Hmph, I think you've spoiled him." Li's mother didn't accept her daughter's twisted logic, but she didn't say that she had to force her grandson to eat anything; she just said it casually.
Li Chi'an watched his mother sit down to drink water, then got up and went to his room. He took out a bank card from a drawer in his bedroom and said, "Mom, this card is for you."
"Oh dear, here's the money, why are you giving it to me?" When Li's mother saw the card in her daughter's hand, she stood up excitedly from the sofa. "I don't want it, you keep it for yourself."
“I have it, Mom.” Li Chi’an grasped his mother’s hand, who was excitedly pushing him away. “I have money.”
"How did you get money? Even if you found a job, you won't get paid so quickly. Besides, you still have a mortgage to pay."
This money was a living allowance given to Li Chi'an after she told her parents and brother about her divorce when she went home last time.
150,000.
For her parents, that's already a lot.
But he gave it to her without hesitation.
In the matter of divorce, the support of her family and friends, as well as her self-confidence, were the foundation of her uncompromising stance.
After Li Chi'an told her mother that the editor had come to her house that afternoon to discuss collaborating on a new book and a reprint, her mother was so happy that she wiped away tears, saying, "My darling, this is wonderful."
She didn't take the card from her daughter's hand, but happily picked up her phone to share the good news of her daughter making money with her father and son.
Soon, Li Chi'an received messages from her younger brother and father in the family group chat. They happily sent her congratulatory messages and left comments:
"Younger brother: With a skill, you can do whatever you want, right? @Older sister"
"Dad: Keep the card for yourself, don't give it to your mom. Your mom and I have money to spend, and I can earn more."
...
Youhehui.
"Sorry, I'm stuck in traffic, I'll be late."
When Gao Yinxi sent the message, Li Chian was trying on clothes in the mall.
After replying to the other party's message, she put her phone back in her bag and continued wearing the dress she had just taken to the fitting room.
After putting on the dress, she pulled back the curtain and walked out of the fitting room. Without even looking up, she asked, "Does it look good?"
"Beautiful." Instead of the expected female voice, I heard a familiar, smiling male voice.
Li Chi'an turned around in surprise and saw a young man dressed casually leaning against the service counter, carrying a woman's designer handbag.
“At that time.” She paused for a moment, then smiled. “What a coincidence.”
Her fingers unconsciously gripped the hem of her skirt, the silk fabric slipping through her fingertips. As she turned, a patch of snow-white back was revealed, which, against the backdrop of the dark green silk dress, resembled the pristine white snow on a pine tree in winter—flawless white jade, delicate and vibrant green.
"What a coincidence." Yu Shi smiled and approached, his admiring gaze taking in her. "This dress suits you very well."
Li Chi'an didn't notice the scenery behind him. As he turned around, he was completely seen by the young man in front of him. The young man's deep eyes flickered, and his voice was two degrees lower than usual.
"You came here to go shopping with your girlfriend?" Li Chi'an hurriedly straightened her skirt.
I was about to die; who knew I'd run into him here?
Taking advantage of her cousin waiting outside, she left the zipper of her dress undone, but unexpectedly, instead of seeing her cousin, she encountered the unfamiliar Yu Shi.
He was, after all, a woman, and since he rarely wore such figure-hugging dresses, Li Chi'an suddenly felt a surge of heat creep up her cheeks.
"I don't have a girlfriend," Yu Shi replied instinctively. "I'm shopping with my mom today."
He shook the woman's handbag in his hand; the designer logo gleamed under the light, as dazzling as the young man's handsome face. "She's changing clothes inside and asked me to help her with her bag."
"Your mother?" Li Chi'an blinked, glancing sideways at the fitting room the young man was pointing to. "Inside?"
"Yes, my mom."
Li Chi'an's voice became softer, and Yu Shi's voice also became softer.
"Why are you out shopping alone?" Perhaps it was Li Chi'an's sudden cautiousness that amused Yu Shi, and he couldn't help but lean closer to her and ask softly, "Ms. Li, the newly popular online writer, aren't you afraid of being recognized by netizens if you dare to go shopping alone?"
Li Chi'an crossed his arms, took a step back, raised an eyebrow at the young man who looked on with amusement, and said, "Teacher Yu, would you like me to go downstairs to the supermarket and buy two pounds of sunflower seeds so we can keep eating them?"
"I'll treat you to some melon, but no melon seeds, I'm afraid they'll make me feel hot." Yu Shi straightened up slightly, a playful look appearing in his deep eyes.
This guy seemed pretty proper the last two times, why is he so unlucky today?
Li Chi'an tilted his head, a sharp glint in his eyes, "My performance is good, isn't it?"
Some people are as pitiful as little rabbits, but when they get angry, they're like little kittens.
Yu Shi immediately raised his hands in surrender, saying, "I'm sorry, I was wrong, I didn't mean to."
Li Chi'an pursed his lips, "Knowing I'm helpless, you still laugh at me."
She's clearly a mother of a six-year-old, but she looks like an unmarried girl.
She must look young and have clear eyes.
Of course, honest and sincere people are inherently lovable.
Yu Shi's eyes flickered for a moment, "I wasn't laughing at you, really."
"Are you sure you're not laughing at me?" Li Chi'an raised an eyebrow.
“Really,” Yu Shi assured sincerely. “I was praising you; you’re very brave.”
Yu Shi had thoroughly learned about the gossip surrounding Li Chi'an during this period, and also figured out why she had looked so miserable the first two times he saw her.
"Hmm." Li Chi'an raised his pointed chin, a hint of pride showing on his fair and delicate face. "What else can you do? Grit your teeth and endure it when you're bullied?"
My goodness, that haughty look makes her even more like a kitten.
As he watched, he suddenly burst into laughter, his chest trembling with laughter.
Li Chi'an laughed, looking completely bewildered.
Just then, the curtain of the fitting room was pulled open, and a woman with a good figure walked out wearing a gray suit dress.
"When I was little." Her voice was gentle, and her fair and elegant face was smiling, with only a few crow's feet at the corners of her eyes revealing her age.
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