Chapter 1 Can We Not Get a Divorce First?
Thump, thump, thump—the sound of leather military boots clicking on the wooden planks of the stairs! Each sound seemed to strike her heart, and Shen Rong's heart pounded rapidly.
She buried her head in the blanket, tensing up to listen to the sounds outside. The sounds were getting closer and clearer.
They came up, their footsteps stopping outside the door.
The next moment, the doorknob was turned, making a slight sound.
Shen Rong breathed softly, bit her finger, and silently chanted, "Don't come in, don't come in."
Prayer had no effect. The man pushed open the door, his movements becoming more restrained, and the heavy footsteps were absorbed by the carpet.
Shen Rong could feel a gaze fixed on her, a gaze that seemed to be furrowed and carrying a hint of impatience and boredom.
He heard rustling sounds coming from inside the room. He opened the cabinet and started rummaging through things.
Shen Rong sensed something was wrong with the noise and secretly lifted a corner of the blanket.
The first thing that catches the eye is an open wicker trunk on the table, filled with things; clearly, he's packing his bags to move.
Shen Rong, on the verge of death, was startled awake!
The wardrobe door was opened, and the place where his clothes used to be hung was empty.
Shen Rong panicked a little; Lu Lin was really leaving!
Overcome with fear and embarrassment, she jumped out of bed, somewhat bewildered, and asked knowingly, "What...what are you doing?"
Lu Lin lifted his eyelids, his eyes cold and his tone flat, as if he were talking to a stranger: "The divorce agreement has been drafted. If you have no problems, sign it. I will arrange for a public announcement in the newspaper in a few days."
Shen Rong's heart sank. It had come to this. This dramatic scene had indeed arrived!
She picked up the agreement beside her. The conditions listed on it were all biased towards her, and the villa was even left to her. It was bought by the Lu family elders when they got married, so as not to wrong Miss Shen.
But these are not what she wants.
Shen Rong's hands trembled; she panicked.
Before she could finish reading it, she tore it in half. Not satisfied with that, she tore the rest of the paper into scraps.
He started acting like a scoundrel.
"What are you dissatisfied with?" Lu Lin frowned and stood up to look at her.
He was tall and imposing, his shadow looming over her like a mountain. Fragments of memories flashed through Shen Rong's mind, and she took a step back in fear, gripping the edge of the table tightly with both hands.
Seeing her looking so alarmed, Lu Lin gave a self-deprecating smile and stopped in his tracks: "You can name any other conditions you want."
Shen Rong mustered her courage to look at him, swallowed hard, and tentatively stated her request: "Then... could we not get a divorce yet..."
Seeing him frown, she nervously licked her lips and took a step back: "Let's not separate for now, how about we wait a while?"
She looked at him pleadingly.
Lu Lin frowned so deeply it could trap a fly, his expression displeased: "Chen Rong, what trick are you up to now? My patience is limited, and I don't have time to play along with you anymore."
After saying that, he ignored Chen Rong's pale face and his swaying figure, roughly closed the box, picked it up and left.
"I will have my lawyer draft a new agreement and send it to you. I hope you will stop doing anything pointless and sign it respectably."
He looked at her with a gloomy face, his tone carrying a warning and threat: "Don't make things too ugly and put both sets of elders in a difficult position."
Knock knock knock!
This time, he was going down the stairs, and perhaps because he was angry, his footsteps were heavier than before.
He's leaving! From now on, she'll be all alone in the world!
This was like the sky falling for Shen Rong! The string in her heart snapped, and without even putting on her shoes, she rushed out barefoot and ran downstairs. The stairs were slippery, and she almost fell, but she didn't care.
If a fall could make Lu Lin stay, that would be wonderful.
Lu Lin opened the door, and a fragrant breeze wafted in from behind. Soft arms tightly hugged his waist, pressed against him, as if afraid that he would run away if they loosened their grip even slightly.
A muffled sound came from behind, and if you listened carefully, you could hear a slight tremor.
"Lu Lin, please don't go. Don't leave me alone. I'm scared. I was wrong. I apologize. Just don't leave me. I'm so scared."
Lu Lin pried her hands away, and Shen Rong clung to him, as if afraid of being left behind.
She cried so hard, pleading with him not to leave. Even the most hard-hearted man would have softened.
The maid peeked around nervously, not knowing what had happened.
Lu Lin sighed, put down the box in his hand, and told her to stand up straight.
Perhaps his heart wasn't made of iron, but of diamond; otherwise, how could his words be so cold?
“Chen Rong, things have come to this, so let’s not talk about this anymore. Let’s part amicably. Zhang Ma and the others aren’t leaving, so you don’t need to be afraid.”
Shen Rong looked at him with teary eyes, her face filled with despair and hopelessness.
"Then why don't you stay?" Shen Rong didn't care about saving face at all; all she wanted was to keep Lu Lin here. She was willing to kowtow to him.
Lu Lin felt conflicted. Anyone who didn't know the situation would think she cared a lot about him. She used to be such a proud person, always dressed up meticulously whenever she went downstairs, and always paid great attention to her image. When had she ever seen her so disheveled, begging for help in such a humble manner?
With his disheveled hair, messy bathrobe, and bare feet, Lu Lin was momentarily stunned. Could someone really act like that?
For some unknown reason, he felt even colder inside.
"Go put on your shoes first. It's still quite cold inside. Be careful not to catch a cold."
Of course, he still had to leave, but the two of them could have a good talk, Lu Lin thought.
Shen Rong thought he was moved by her, so she pressed her advantage, bursting into laughter through her tears, and tentatively asked, "So you're not leaving?"
Just as he was about to speak, the shrill ring of the telephone rang.
The maid, Gui Chun, jogged out of a small side room on the first floor to answer the call.
"Hello, Lu residence!" Neither of them spoke; only the maid, Gui Chun, spoke.
A moment later, Guichun put down the receiver: "Madam, Mr. Kang is calling and wants you to take the call."
Shen Rong inwardly cried out that something was wrong!
He quickly turned around, but Lu Lin had already picked up the suitcase and left without looking back. It was drizzling outside. He threw the suitcase into the car and got into the driver's seat.
Shen Rong immediately chased after him, but it was too late; he only caught a mouthful of exhaust fumes.
She cried for nothing! She was dejected, as if the sky had fallen. She was so close to succeeding.
Gui Chun came over to hold an umbrella for her, while Zhang Ma carried a coat in one hand and a pair of cotton shoes in the other: "Madam, it's cold today, put these on quickly, or you'll catch a cold."
"Where will he go?" she murmured, her eyes vacant.
The couple assumed the husband and wife had quarreled and tried to reconcile them, saying, "The husband must have gone back to work. If you say a few more gentle words tomorrow, he'll be back. Husbands and wives don't hold grudges overnight."
"Let's go back inside quickly, you'll easily get sick if you get caught in the rain." Besides, Madam hasn't been feeling well these days.
Gui Chun reminded her, "Madam, Mr. Kang is still waiting for your call."
Shen Rong's eyebrows shot up. It was that damned phone call! Lu Lin was almost moved!
She stormed to the phone, grabbed the receiver, and uttered a single, forceful word: "Get out!"
He hung up decisively.
Zhang Ma put the slippers down again: "Madam, please put your shoes on."
Seeing Shen Rong's heartbroken appearance, she sighed: "You and your husband can talk things out. Why did you have to make such a fuss? If you ask me, Madam, you are a woman, with a delicate body. Why do you have to be like this?"
"We women are not like men; this world is a cannibalistic place!"
Zhang Ma started talking about her views on fate again, but Shen Rong didn't have time to listen anymore. She went upstairs and rummaged through the jewelry box and safe in her room.
She had to check how much she had, but all she found were some jewelry and a small amount of cash.
If I remember correctly, Lu Lin had always entrusted her with managing his money, so there's no reason why he only has this little bit.
She bit her finger, looking around the room, somewhat confused. Where could she be hiding?
Since she can't keep people, money will do; in this chaotic world, money always provides an alternative. Where will she keep the money? In modern times, she'd definitely put it in a bank!
Shen Rong's eyes lit up. Right, a bank! How could she forget? Her father was a banker.
The rummaging through drawers and cabinets was too noisy, and Zhang Ma was worried that she would do something foolish, so she quietly went upstairs.
"Madam, what are you doing?" she exclaimed in surprise.
The house is in such a mess, things have been thrown all over the place.
Could it be that the husband has left, and the wife is leaving too? This is such a mess, there's not even room to step.
Upon hearing her voice, Shen Rong's eyes lit up. She found a ribbon and tied up her carefully maintained curly hair, asking her hopefully:
"Zhang Ma, do you know where the family's savings book is?" Afraid that she wouldn't understand, Shen Rong gave a simple explanation: "It's the slip that the bank gives me when I deposit money."
Zhang Ma paused for a moment, then pointed to the tin box on the dressing table and said, "Hasn't Madam always kept it there?"
Shen Rong couldn't believe it. She had already looked at that passbook. There was only three hundred yuan in the account. No, that was all she had.
If I remember correctly, Lu Lin earns 300 yuan a month in salary alone, not including the household allowances from both families for the young couple.
Roughly calculated, he can earn at least four or five hundred yuan a month, which is equivalent to one or two years' income for an average family.
How much money does she have! There's only this much left.
Shen Rong was devastated. She lay sprawled on the bed, looking utterly hopeless, as if she were doomed.
"Aunt Zhang, I need some peace and quiet," she said weakly.
Zhang Ma's lips twitched. The lady must have been greatly shocked, as she was now so unconcerned about her image. But she still respected the lady's decision and gently closed the door.
As soon as Aunt Zhang left, Shen Rong turned around, bit the corner of the pillow, and screamed loudly.
what to do!
Lu Lin seemed determined to divorce her, and her family had already severed ties with her, so they might not care whether she lived or died, let alone provide financial assistance.
War will break out outside soon, and she won't be able to protect this house. When the war sweeps across the country, she has no skills and will not be able to survive in the chaos.
Are we going to follow the path of Kang Wenbai?
Shen Rong shuddered at the thought of the outcome in her dream; she might as well be dead!
Two streams of tears flowed down my cheeks. God, you can't do this to me!
Time travel is one thing, transmigrating into a book is another, but you can't just throw me into such a chaotic world!
There are wars everywhere, and people are dying everywhere. How many episodes can a piece of trash like her survive? Please tell me.
She thought, "I might as well die." She wrapped the belt around her neck several times, but in the end, she didn't dare to use it too tightly. She couldn't bear to die!
Better to live a miserable life than die a good death; she couldn't give up, there must be another way.
Gui Chun knocked gently on the door: "Madam?"
"What is it?" The wife's voice sounded strange.
Gui Chun knew what was going on, but dared not ask: "Mr. Kang called again, asking you to make sure to call him back. He is very concerned about your situation and wants you to tell him if you have any difficulties!"
"Tell him I'm dead, and tell him not to call!" If it weren't for this bitch, she wouldn't have ended up like this.
Gui Chun was shocked. Why wasn't his wife answering Mr. Kang's calls anymore?
Gui Chun naturally didn't dare to relay her words directly, and didn't know what she said. Before long, her and Kang Wenbai's mutual friends also called.
It's obvious at a glance that Kang Wenbai asked him to do it.
Shen Rong covered her ears: "I won't answer, I won't answer!"
Gui Chun and Zhang Ma exchanged a glance, feeling helpless. They could only try to smooth things over for their wife themselves. It wasn't surprising that she was in a bad mood; the couple had really argued this time, and her husband had even packed his suitcase and left home. It couldn't be...
No, they don't want to lose their jobs.
The phone rang again. Before Gui Chun could answer, Chen Rong rushed out from upstairs, leaned over the stairwell, and ordered, "Unplug the phone line, lock the door, and if anyone comes looking for me, tell them I'm dead, just died, and that they'll notify you before you can hold a funeral!"
He left those words behind and rushed into the house, slamming the door shut.
The wife has suffered a huge shock and has gone mad.
She wasn't driven mad by the shock; she genuinely wanted some peace and quiet to clear her head and find a way to survive!
The timing of her transmigration was awkward. The original owner had fainted, and she was still in a daze when that happened. She watched helplessly as things unfolded, unable to stop it at all.
Originally, I thought, "Let's just get a divorce. I'm an independent woman of the new era. I can't live without a man!"
But a dream she had a couple of days ago slapped her hard twice.
I dreamt that I was in a book, but in the book, I wasn't even a proper female supporting character; I was just a cannon fodder character in the control group.
After divorcing Lu Lin, a man of similar social standing and promising future, she quickly remarried Kang Wenbai. But as it turned out, the original owner's judgment was poor; Kang Wenbai was no good, and the two were equally bad at making a living.
Her quality of life kept declining, and the people she loved turned against each other. In the end, she was abandoned by Kang Wenbai. She drifted among several male confidants, but none of them led to anything. Her reputation was ruined, and she was ostracized and isolated by social circles. She was unemployed, penniless, and addicted to opium. Because of her status as the eldest daughter of the Shen family and Lu Lin's ex-wife, there were naturally some shady older men who were interested in her. She completely fell into depravity and lost all her former pride. As long as there was money for her, she would even be a mistress.
But even mistresses have a limited career span. When they get older, no one wants them anymore. In short, their ending is truly tragic!
Shen Rong didn't want things to end like this. She knew that the root of everything was this Kang Wenbai, what a worthless genius, without any morals, all he knew was how to seduce lonely young women.
When she transmigrated, the original owner of this body was in the middle of a scheme orchestrated by her lover and her friends, who were egging her on to agree to a divorce.
Damn it, what a bunch of scumbags, so despicable!
He incited another man's wife to have an affair, saying things like pursuing happiness and enjoying love, and asked Lu Lin to help this pair of lovebirds get together!
This is outrageous! This is going to kill her! Shen Rong pulled the blanket over her head, thinking, "I might as well be dead. What am I going to do now?"
Alright, now that Lu Lin has agreed to the divorce, the original owner has slipped away, and she's taken the blame.
With no money and no power, how could she survive in this chaotic world where she knew no one?
Did I commit some terrible sin in my past life? The more Shen Rong thought about it, the more wronged she felt.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
