Wen Ying soon learned of Fang Ping’s decision.
After being infuriated into fainting by her shameless husband and wavering son, Fang Ping woke up in the hospital.
She lay there for two days, refusing to speak to anyone.
Pan Li’s tactics to force Duan Quanchang to decide were aggressive. Instead of arguing, she strolled across the street from the provincial TV station with her prominent belly, scaring Duan witless.
Now, Duan Quanchang was begging Fang Ping for a divorce.
Her son was also urging his mother.
Two days later, Fang Ping spoke again, agreeing to the divorce but rejecting Duan Quanchang’s property division plan. “No need to transfer the marital assets to our son. He’s just started working. Getting so much money at once could make him forget his own name.”
This response surprised both father and son.
Fang Ping’s son hesitated, disappointment evident, but then thought, his mother always doted on him. As the only child, the money would eventually be his. For now, it was just in her care.
Remarriage? Even her son knew that was unreliable.
With his father involved with another woman and expecting another child, he was no longer dependable. The son would rely on his mother, immediately siding firmly with Fang Ping.
Duan Quanchang stayed silent.
Fang Ping sneered, “Didn’t you say you’d remarry me? What’s to worry about if the money goes to me? I see you’re just lying.”
At the bedside, Duan Quanchang swore he’d remarry. Fang Ping turned her face away.
“You keep the apartment from your work unit. The other houses and shops go to me, along with the bank savings. Agree to that, and I’ll divorce.”
Duan Quanchang’s heart stirred.
Fang Ping was only taking the visible marital assets, the clean portion, about a third of their total wealth.
The other two-thirds, Duan Quanchang had carefully hidden, stored as cash, invested in companies, or registered under others’ names.
He found it amusing.
Fang Ping’s rigid personality, still acting superior at this point?
It suited him perfectly.
Giving everything to Fang Ping? He wouldn’t agree.
Taking only a third, outsiders unaware of his hidden wealth would think he left the marriage with nothing, doing right by Fang Ping.
As for Pan Li, Duan Quanchang wouldn’t marry her immediately. He’d wait until she gave birth and the divorce with Fang Ping faded from attention, then marry her.
Marrying a woman with a child was normal. If outsiders speculated, he’d deny the child was his, claiming it was a stepchild. No one could prove otherwise.
Ultimately, such matters stayed private unless reported. If Pan Li didn’t report, a big blanket could cover the scandal.
Would Fang Ping report him? The thought briefly crossed Duan Quanchang’s mind, but seeing Fang Ping and their son talking warmly, his suspicions eased.
Reporting him wouldn’t benefit Fang Ping.
They couldn’t remain spouses, but their son tied them.
Parents always consider their child’s future. A deputy director father could greatly help their son’s prospects.
And Fang Ping herself benefited from his position. Her lack of tact made her popular at the music academy because of his status.
Duan Quanchang was generous. “Since we’ll remarry eventually, you can have the work unit apartment too.”
This time, Fang Ping didn’t refuse.
But she insisted on hiring a lawyer.
The divorce agreement was drafted last year when she caught Duan Quanchang cheating, signed by him. Under family pressure, they hadn’t gone to the civil office. The divorce just needed formalities.
A lawyer was to ensure the agreement was airtight.
Property transfers were tedious, and while Fang Ping once didn’t care, she now lacked the energy.
Rongcheng’s circle was small, with few renowned lawyers.
Fang Ping, through connections, hired Du Li.
Du Li had a feud with Zheng Zhihe’s mentor, having represented Han Qin in a lawsuit against him.
As Zheng Zhihe’s rival, Du Li was always targeted by him. Knowing your enemy ensures victory, so Zheng Zhihe kept tabs on Du Li.
When Du Li took Fang Ping’s divorce case, Zheng Zhihe was the first to know.
Xiao Ni was second, and Wen Ying third.
Why did Senior Brother Zheng’s news reach her through Xiao Ni?
Something felt off.
Wen Ying blinked. Xiao Ni met her gaze unapologetically. “Why look at me? I thought you’d want to know.”
Du Li was Zheng Zhihe’s rival.
Fang Ping had been Yuan Fenghui’s rival.
Xiao Ni found the coincidence juicy and shared it with Wen Ying as gossip.
The speaker meant nothing, but the listener took it seriously. Wen Ying wasn’t treating it as gossip.
Fang Ping proposed divorce to Deputy Director Duan?
Pan Li’s bomb had finally exploded.
But Wen Ying and Xie Qian, expecting a massive blast, found the fallout small. Wen Ying, disappointed, complained to Xie Qian, “Didn’t expect Duan to be so capable, calming Professor Fang down.”
“Money solves many problems. With love gone, Professor Fang would grab the money. Didn’t Xiao Ni say? Fang got all the marital assets. That’s a decent outcome for her.”
Xie Qian thought, decent? It was too good.
So good it felt unreal.
First, Duan Quanchang, willing to leave with nothing, wasn’t madly in love with Pan Li. He had no choice but to divorce, suggesting her unborn child was a key threat, but not necessarily the ultimate weapon. There were likely other factors.
Second, Fang Ping took the money, Pan Li rose with her pregnancy, and Duan navigated the crisis unscathed. The trio’s drama seemed to end, but Xu Mei’s resentment hadn’t been vented.
Xie Qian thought it over and said, “This isn’t over.”
Wen Ying shrugged. “Let them sort it out. As long as they’re too busy to team up with Hu Man, I don’t care.”
She’d once wanted to see Professor Fang humbled and had at the airport.
Catching her husband cheating, Fang Ping didn’t divorce. Wen Ying knew she was someone “lenient with herself, strict with others.” Not her type, so why bother?
After selecting the short-story entries for the writing contest’s fourth round, Wen Ying’s judging duties ended. Final rankings would be decided by reader votes, with Wen Ying, Zhang Guangzhen, and Elder Fu no longer involved.
What rank would Song Chan get?
Hard to say.
Wen Ying only knew the contest helped Zou Weijun discover promising authors. *Spark* magazine soared, Tianjiao found intriguing stories, and the contest added fire to the literary scene, exceeding its goals.
Everyone gained, including Wen Ying.
Writing the Jiuding series, she’d scrapped several starts due to overthinking. She hadn’t noticed her growth until writing *Galaxy and You*’s novel version, realising her progress.
Reviewing contest entries expanded her native vocabulary. Some entrants’ stories lacked originality but offered insightful detail techniques, inspiring her. Like a sponge, her four months as a judge were like a writing masterclass, absorbing valuable knowledge.
And Elder Fu.
To Wen Ying, he was more than a database.
Judging with him meant discussing entries. His every critique was gold. Even Zhang Guangzhen couldn’t miss them.
Elder Fu wasn’t a database, but a literary treasure. His knowledge and insight, a casual remark, sparked deep thought in Wen Ying.
She learned not just to review manuscripts, but to examine herself.
Writing *Galaxy and You* was too smooth.
So smooth, Wen Ying doubted herself.
Was writing such simple novels too unchallenging?
Xie Qian saw her struggle, subtly fanning the flames, praising her. “You’re not short of money now. Earning more or less isn’t the point. You need to create better work. Your rival isn’t other youth fiction writers, but yourself. Of course, your school grades can’t slip either.”
