“All right, the three copies of the agreement are finished. Take a look. As the witness, I’ll keep one, Lin Jingwen you’ll keep one, and Dongle’s mother will keep one.”
Teacher Wang handed the documents to Lin Jingwen and Huang Juan.
“Thank you so much, Teacher Wang. You’ve really gone out of your way!” Lin Jingwen said gratefully after reading them. She immediately signed all three agreements. The moment she pressed her fingerprint, she felt as though a chain binding her had been broken.
Such relief! She was finally free!
After everyone else signed, Lin Jingwen carefully folded her copy and tucked it neatly into her pocket.
“Teacher Wang, let’s leave together,” Lin Jingwen said with a smile.
“Third daughter‑in‑law, you’ve come back home, and since Dongle isn’t yours to raise anymore, where do you think you’re going?”
Seeing her about to leave, Zhang Lanxiang quickly called out, her voice sharp and urgent.
“I’ve already said—I want to divorce Li Anping. I’m not throwing a tantrum. I’m completely serious!”
Lin Jingwen’s face was cold as she spoke to Zhang Lanxiang, and also to Li Anping and the rest: “Other than coming with me to file for divorce, none of you should ever come looking for me again!”
“All of you begged me to come back—it’s really annoying. I will never return to serve you again. I only want to curse you away!”
“Lin Jingwen! You—” Li Anping was so angry he wanted to scold her.
“Shut up! I don’t want to hear a word from you!” Lin Jingwen snapped, pointing at Li Anping. Then she immediately turned to grab Teacher Wang’s arm, urging: “Teacher Wang, let’s go quickly. It’s getting late. If we don’t leave now, your family will start worrying about you.”
“Alright, alright, let’s go.”
Teacher Wang was still shaken by Lin Jingwen’s sharp words and fierce momentum. Pulled along by her, she quickly nodded and followed her out.
Without thinking, Zhang Lanxiang rushed after them. Her mind was filled with one thought: she had to tie Lin Jingwen up, stop her from leaving, lock her inside the house!
If she locked her in the room, Lin Jingwen wouldn’t be able to go out and talk about divorce or spread bad words about Anping.
One meal a day would be enough—just keep her alive.
Once Anping secured the house and obtained his promotion to associate professor, then they could divorce her and throw her out!
“What do you think you’re doing! You want to detain me, lock me up?” Lin Jingwen saw Zhang Lanxiang chasing after her, immediately turned around, glared, and shouted loudly: “I dare you! Teacher Wang is right here!”
Lin Jingwen deliberately raised her voice so that the neighbors could hear. Sure enough, Old Man Wang from next door immediately came out, shouting: “What’s going on now? Why all the noise again?”
“I…I…” Zhang Lanxiang’s scheme was exposed, and Lin Jingwen’s fierce glare startled her badly. Her face turned pale.
“Oh my, in this day and age! Auntie, you can’t break the law! Even if it’s family business, locking someone up is wrong!”
Teacher Wang quickly spoke up, stepping in front of Lin Jingwen protectively.
“Lin Jingwen, stop talking nonsense! How could Mom possibly want to lock you up? She just came out to see you off!”
Li Anping rushed out of the house, immediately saying, “You’re the one with a dirty mind, always thinking the worst of people. You suspect others of being as vile as you are!”
Criticizing Lin Jingwen came naturally to Li Anping—he spoke without hesitation.
“Teacher Wang, let’s go!” Lin Jingwen didn’t bother arguing with him. She gave him a cold glance, then pulled Teacher Wang along to leave.
Their bicycles were parked outside. They mounted them and quickly rode away from the family compound.
“Oh my goodness, I feel like today’s home visit was absolutely nerve‑wracking.”
After leaving the compound and riding some distance, Teacher Wang couldn’t help but sigh.
“Teacher Wang, thank you so much for tonight.” Lin Jingwen sincerely expressed her gratitude.
Without Teacher Wang speaking up, the adoption relationship would never have been dissolved so easily.
In front of outsiders, she was still considered Li Dongle’s mother—responsible for his food, clothing, daily needs, and studies. In short, responsible for everything.
Whenever Li Dongle misbehaved, it was seen as her fault, and she would be blamed by everyone.
“Sigh, you’ve really had it tough. To firmly decide on divorce—that takes a lot of courage.”
Teacher Wang was two years older than Lin Jingwen. She herself had elderly parents to care for, three children at home, school work, and a husband to look after. She understood Lin Jingwen’s struggles. If she had been stuck with such in‑laws and a stepson, she too would have found life unbearable.
“Now that Dongle is back with his biological parents, you don’t have to worry about him anymore. Li Anping is a university lecturer; he seems reasonable enough. Once you have a house, you can move out. Why must you insist on divorce?” Teacher Wang asked curiously.
“Li Anping has always kept his first love in his heart. Now she’s back, and she’s brought his biological son with her. Continuing this marriage is meaningless. Sooner or later, he’ll divorce me anyway. I’d rather take the initiative.”
Lin Jingwen explained calmly.
Teacher Wang was silent for a moment, then sighed. “They’re a complete family now, with love and a child. In that case, divorce really is better than dragging things out.”
“As long as you understand, Teacher Wang.” Lin Jingwen smiled. “You saw it yourself—they want to tie me down, make me their servant. If you hadn’t been there today, I wouldn’t have dared to come back alone. I was afraid they’d lock me up in a room and never let me out.”
“As long as you understand, Teacher Wang.” Lin Jingwen smiled. “You saw it yourself—they want to tie me down, make me their servant. If you hadn’t been there today, I wouldn’t have dared to come back alone. I was afraid they’d lock me up in a room and never let me out.”
“Of course they wouldn’t.” Teacher Wang replied, though remembering Zhang Lanxiang’s vicious expression made her own words feel hollow. Even she knew it sounded unconvincing.
Lin Jingwen just smiled faintly and dropped the subject.
When the two were about to part ways, Lin Jingwen asked where Teacher Wang lived, saying she wanted to visit in a few days to thank her properly.
“No need to be so polite, I didn’t really do much,” Teacher Wang quickly waved her hand, refusing.
“Ah—oh right! This morning, when I left home, I packed a few pieces of chocolate. I was busy all day and forgot to eat them.” Lin Jingwen hurriedly pulled them out of her pocket, finding the chocolates had softened and become misshapen from the warmth and pressure.
“Teacher Wang, don’t mind the shape. Take them home for your children, and taste the chocolate that caused all this trouble. That way, the investigation has a proper beginning and end, and is more thorough.”
Lin Jingwen pressed four pieces of chocolate into her hand, smiling as she spoke.
“Hahaha, alright then, I won’t be polite.” Teacher Wang laughed at her words, amused, and accepted them with a smile. “Thank you.”