Boss Pang did not tell anyone. He first went to his in-laws’ residence in the city.
This was an old neighbourhood.
Mrs Pang had purchased it five years ago. The reason was that her parents were getting older. Living in the city would make medical care more convenient.
Five years ago, property prices in Shanghai were extremely low. Buying a retirement home for her parents would not cost much. For other sons-in-law who had succeeded, buying a retirement home for in-laws would not be a big deal.
Boss Pang was reluctant.
The house was bought, but the name on the property deed was Boss Pang. The elderly Zhang couple only had the right to live there, not ownership.
This house was the small one Boss Pang had originally planned to give Mrs Pang in the divorce!
Boss Pang drove over excitedly but found no one.
He asked neighbours and learned that the elderly Zhang couple had not been seen going out for two days. Someone else said the two elders had returned to the countryside.
Since Boss Pang made his fortune, it was always the in-laws who proactively visited him. Boss Pang had not returned to the countryside to visit his in-laws for a long time.
Unable to find his in-laws at the city residence, Boss Pang had no choice but to steel himself and head to the countryside.
Since he was coming to make peace, Boss Pang specially returned to the villa to pick up two boxes of dried sea cucumber and abalone.
The two-plus-hour drive made Boss Pang a bit angry.
These two old folks really did not know how to enjoy blessings. They clearly had a house in the city. Why run back to the countryside?
So troublesome!
Boss Pang was stingy with his wife but very generous with himself. There were several luxury cars in the garage. Casually picking one to drive back to the countryside would be very impressive.
It had rained last night. The road was still wet today. Boss Pang’s luxury car got splashed with mud spots. When he pushed open the door and stepped out, his designer leather shoes also got muddy.
“Damn bad luck!”
Boss Pang cursed. Looking up again, the old Zhang family house had a large padlock on the door. No one was home either.
A villager carrying a hoe passed by. Boss Pang found him somewhat familiar and called out “fellow villager” repeatedly.
The villager stopped, turned to look at Boss Pang, and chuckled. “Pang the second, you big shot forget things easily. You do not even recognise me anymore?”
Boss Pang looked carefully. Still familiar, but he truly could not recall the name.
The villager carried his hoe and walked away. Before leaving, he even spat at Boss Pang.
Boss Pang was furious.
A muddy-legged peasant. So what if I do not recognise you?
Soon, Boss Pang discovered it was not just one villager ignoring him. As he trudged through the mud to the village shop, all the villagers looked at him with strange expressions.
“I want to ask if you have seen my in-laws. The Zhang family up ahead.”
Boss Pang offered cigarettes. No one took them.
A woman with a waist thicker than a bucket cracked melon seeds while gossiping. “Pang the second, which Zhang family? Zhang Liqun’s? Oh my, you are about to marry another woman, yet you still have the face to call them in-laws?”
A group of villagers laughed.
They chimed in, teasing Boss Pang.
Someone asked if Boss Pang’s new wife was pretty.
Others said no matter how pretty, she could not be prettier than Zhang Liqun.
When young, Zhang Liqun was the village beauty. Even without marrying into the Pang family, she could have married elsewhere.
Marrying into the Pang family, her husband claimed to have made a fortune, but Zhang Liqun enjoyed no blessings.
In hindsight, better to have married someone else!
Boss Pang suddenly realised. No wonder he had eaten two closed doors in a row. It turned out his in-laws knew about the National Day banquet.
After knowing he had little chance of winning the lawsuit, Boss Pang no longer wanted divorce. Now he refuted confidently. “Misunderstanding. All misunderstandings. There is no such thing. Liqun will always be my wife. I could never marry another woman!”
The melon-seed-cracking woman snickered. “Oh, remarrying on National Day this year is fake? Then keeping a mistress and having two sons with her is also fake?”
“That is definitely real. The older one is already a teenager.”
“Yes, yes. Sent abroad to study.”
“Why did Pang Jinglong not study abroad?”
“Heard he treats the wild woman very well…”
These foolish villagers clung to Boss Pang’s dark history. They gossiped among themselves, sidelining Boss Pang, the person involved.
Boss Pang was nearly furious to death.
Mocked by a few peasants for half a day without even getting information, Boss Pang simply trudged back through the mud to the Zhang family gate.
He decided to wait in the car. Wait one hour if not, then two. He refused to believe he could not wait for the elderly Zhang couple to return.
In the past, the elderly Zhang couple never received such treatment. Now it concerned hundreds of millions in assets. Boss Pang had to wait.
His stomach growled. Still no one.
He regretted not bringing fruit instead of sea cucumber and abalone. At least he could snack now.
After waiting who knows how long, Boss Pang finally saw two familiar figures.
The elderly Zhang couple had gone to work in the fields.
Seeing a car parked at the gate from afar, the two elders did not think of their son-in-law.
After all, even their daughter Zhang Liqun took taxis when going out. They themselves had never ridden in son-in-law Boss Pang’s luxury car.
Boss Pang suddenly jumped out of the car, startling the two elders.
Old Zhang frowned deeply. “What are you here for?”
Boss Pang forced a smile. “I came to see you. Dad, Mum, if you want to return to the countryside, why not say something? I could have the driver send you.”
Boss Pang reached for the hoe in Old Zhang’s hand. Old Zhang shifted aside.
The two elders were not flattered. They were frightened.
This was like taking the wrong medicine?
When Boss Pang presented the gift boxes of dried sea cucumber and abalone, Old Zhang finally exploded. “We do not want your things. Take them back. After divorce, we are no longer family!”
“Dad, Mum, I am not divorcing anymore. These past two days, the more I think, the more I regret. Liqun has been married to me for over twenty years, always managing the household. She is a good daughter-in-law to the Pang family and a good wife to me. I was truly possessed!”
The ground was too wet. Boss Pang hesitated but did not kneel.
He tried to speak emotionally.
At first, it was fake. Thinking of his wife Zhang Liqun taking half his fortune, Boss Pang truly squeezed out two tears.
He really regretted it!
Why propose divorce?
Truly possessed.
Was it not good to live as before?
Boss Pang was extremely remorseful. He slapped himself twice.
Old Zhang and his wife were bewildered.
From the looks, the son-in-law regretted proposing divorce?
Little Wen only instructed them to hide in the countryside and not stop their daughter Zhang Liqun from fighting the divorce case. She did not say what to do in this situation.
If possible not to divorce, that would of course be good.
Old Zhang recalled Wen Ying’s words and hesitated. “Not divorcing, will it be the same as before?”
Letting the mistress and illegitimate children bully others.
Letting the mistress and illegitimate children live luxuriously while skimping on their daughter and grandson.
Boss Pang swore oaths. “As long as Liqun agrees not to divorce, I guarantee to cut off completely from that woman. From now on, I will only recognise Jinglong as my son!”
The elderly Zhang couple fell silent together. Boss Pang felt there was hope.
To gain his in-laws’ trust, he immediately called the mistress on the spot, telling her to take the two sons and move out. Restore everything in the villa to how it was before Zhang Liqun left.
Remembering he had someone throw away his wife Zhang Liqun’s personal items left at home, Boss Pang roared for the mistress to bring them back.
The female secretary answered the phone utterly confused, not understanding what madness Boss Pang was in.
Everything was fine. Why tell her to move out with the two children?
In a rush, where to move?!
The female secretary knew Boss Pang had hired a divorce lawyer. She suspected this was the lawyer’s idea.
It must be.
To win the case.
If moving out was needed to win, she was willing.
But the old hag Zhang Liqun’s pile of junk had already been thrown away. Where to find it now?
“Old Pang, do not rush. Let me ask that person first…”
Old Pang was frantic. “Forget it. If gone, gone. When Liqun moves back, I will buy new ones. Important is you hurry and take the two children and move out. From now on, never appear before me and Liqun, understand? You and I are done. Marry if you want. If not, be someone else’s mistress. Whatever!”
“…”
Even knowing it was to win the case, the female secretary was still speechless.
If given another chance to go back to her youth and choose again, she would still not mind being a mistress.
But the female secretary would no longer be Boss Pang’s mistress because Boss Pang truly lacked class!
The classless Boss Pang hung up, looking eagerly at the elderly Zhang couple, saying he had truly driven the mistress away.
If the elderly Zhang couple did not believe, they could return to the city with him to see.
“When we get back, the house will definitely be clean.”
Boss Pang spoke, not waiting for the elderly Zhang couple to refuse. He half-pulled, half-dragged them into the car.
Watching Boss Pang’s luxury car drive away from the muddy road, disappearing at the village entrance, several villagers at the shop looked at each other.
“From the looks, no divorce?”
The melon-seed-cracking woman chuckled. “Better to take the chance to divorce. A dog that ate shit cannot change its habits!”
Divorce, of course, was extremely shameful in the countryside.
Like Zhang Liqun being bullied so much by her husband and in-laws was actually more shameful than divorce.
The luxury car left the villagers’ gossip behind.
The elderly Zhang couple had never ridden in such a luxury car. They were very restrained.
On the way back to Shanghai, Boss Pang kept promising a beautiful future.
He had wronged his wife Zhang Liqun these years. He must make up for it in the future.
No more letting his wife do household chores. Hire a nanny if needed.
Son Pang Jinglong had also been wronged. But luckily, it was not too late. Did not go abroad four years ago. Going now was fine.
“Jinglong has only one house under his name. Too few. Last month I saw a new development right by the Huangpu River. The view is truly great…”
Old Zhang looked at his wife.
Touched the genuine leather seats.
Looking at the foot mats dirtied by themselves, everything felt unreal.
Even more unreal was when the elderly Zhang couple were brought to the villa. The female secretary had truly taken the two illegitimate sons and disappeared.
The villa was in disarray. One could imagine how rushed the female secretary was when moving out.
Though not knowing why the son-in-law had a change of heart, the elderly Zhang couple felt the son-in-law truly no longer wanted divorce.
