Bang——!!
A loud explosion echoed as the villa’s deliberately slightly-ajar reinforced door was kicked open violently by Gu Yan.
“Lin Chu! You worthless woman, get out here!!”
Gu Yan stormed inside, followed by Lin Wan, whose face was twisted with malice. Both of them had come prepared with a full arsenal of insults, ready to humiliate the “bankrupt” woman to their heart’s content.
But the moment they saw the scene inside, all their words got stuck in their throats.
Dead silence.
This… this was the two-hundred-million-yuan hillside mansion?
No crystal chandeliers. No expensive mahogany furniture. No Italian imported leather sofa that Lin Chu once loved.
What greeted them instead were instant noodle cups scattered all over the floor, empty wine bottles, and damp, moldy paper balls. On the walls were grotesque red words written in crooked paint:
“PAY YOUR DEBTS”
“A LIFE FOR A LIFE”
The air was filled with a disgusting sour stench, like a homeless encampment.
And in the center of the living room, on a single torn, filthy mattress—
Lin Chu sat cross-legged, wearing a yellowed T-shirt, her hair a complete mess like a bird’s nest. She was surrounded by coins and loose change, muttering to herself:
“One yuan… two yuan… still short five million… still need five million to win it back…”
“Lin… Lin Chu?”
Gu Yan stared in disbelief, instinctively taking a step back.
“What… what happened to you?”
At the sound of his voice, Lin Chu suddenly looked up.
At first, her eyes were dull and empty.
Then, in an instant, they erupted into a terrifying, feverish madness.
“Honey?! Is that you, husband!”
Like a starving dog seeing meat, she crawled out of the trash pile and lunged forward, grabbing onto Gu Yan’s pant leg.
“Honey, you’re finally here! Do you have money? Quick! Lend me 2 million—no, 5 million!”
She clung tightly to his expensive suit pants, smearing tears and snot all over them.
“I’ve figured out the casino pattern! Just give me another five million and I can win back all twenty billion I lost tonight! Really! Believe me!”
“Get off me! Don’t touch me with your dirty hands!”
Gu Yan reacted like he had been electrocuted and kicked her shoulder hard.
“Ah!”
Lin Chu screamed and rolled back into the trash pile, then grabbed a few coins and giggled foolishly.
“Money… all money…”
Seeing this, Gu Yan and Lin Wan were completely convinced.
This woman was finished.
She had gone insane from gambling.
“Lin Chu! Wake up!”
Gu Yan angrily brushed his pants as if infected, “The bank already called me! They said you owe five billion! You even lost the money from selling the company?!”
“I lost… I lost it all…”
Lin Chu knelt on the ground, crying heartbreakingly.
“They said loan sharks will chop my hands… husband, help me! Sell your city apartment! Or your car! Help me pay the interest, please! I don’t want my hands cut off…”
“Pay interest? You wish!”
The moment Gu Yan heard she was targeting his property, all hesitation disappeared.
“This trash—don’t touch it for even a second!”
He took out a document from his briefcase and slammed it onto her face.
SMACK!
Several A4 sheets scattered into the trash pile.
In the dim light, the bold title was clearly visible:
DIVORCE AGREEMENT
“Sign it!”
Gu Yan pointed at the paper and shouted, “I’ll let you off easy since you’re already ruined. Sign it, and all your debts are yours alone. It has nothing to do with me!”
Lin Wan covered her nose and sneered:
“Do it properly, sister. Don’t drag us down with your own death. Sign quickly.”
Lin Chu trembled as she picked up the document, her face full of despair (peak acting):
“Divorce…? Husband, you’re abandoning me at a time like this?”
“Enough nonsense! Sign it or not?!”
Gu Yan’s eyes were cold and vicious.
“If you don’t sign, I’ll report you for fraud and make you rot in prison!”
“No! Don’t send me to jail! I’ll sign… I’ll sign!”
As if terrified by the word “prison,” she sobbed and shakily grabbed a broken pen from the floor.
“I’ll sign… just… can you lend me 100 yuan for food…”
She cried while signing at maximum speed.
Even deliberately writing shakily and letting tears fall onto the paper.
Scratch scratch scratch—
Final stroke.
Gu Yan almost snatched the document away immediately.
He checked the signature, and once confirmed, a victorious smile finally spread across his face.
“Hahahaha! Good! Very good!”
He carefully stored the agreement like it was a life-saving talisman.
Looking down at Lin Chu, his eyes were now filled with pure disdain.
“Lin Chu, I used to think you were just stupid. Turns out you’re completely insane.”
“Forget borrowing money—never again!”
He straightened his tie and kicked aside a noodle cup.
“Let’s go, Wanwan. This place stinks.”
“Exactly. Smells like poverty.”
Lin Wan linked arms with him and spat on the ground:
“Sister, this villa will be seized soon anyway. If you ever pass by begging, remember to take a detour.”
The two of them left as if they had shaken off a piece of trash, rushing into their BMW.
Vroom—!
The car roared away, disappearing down the mountain road in a cloud of dust.
They fled so fast, as if afraid she might chase them for that “100 yuan.”
The villa door remained open. Wind blew through the trash.
The next second after the car disappeared—
The crying stopped abruptly.
Silence.
The “madwoman” on the floor slowly stood up.
Elegant movements. Clear, sharp eyes.
She casually brushed her messy hair behind her ear and dusted off her clothes.
The madness was gone completely—replaced by an icy, abyss-like calm.
“Acting really is tiring.”
Lin Chu walked to the window and looked at the BMW disappearing into the distance.
“Gu Yan. Lin Wan.”
“Congratulations. You’ve successfully escaped my ‘hell.’”
“But…”
She glanced at the glaring sunset.
“The outside world… is the real hell.”
She turned around and looked at the ruined living room.
The annoying people were finally gone.
The legal ties were cut.
No more moral coercion. No more debt shackles.
“System, cleaning mode.”
There was no system, but with a thought, she stored all the garbage into a forgotten corner of her space (to be used as future “ammo” for zombies).
Then she retrieved the luxury sofa and wool carpet from her space and restored the villa.
Everything returned to pristine condition.
As if the “haunted house” never existed.
Lin Chu sat on the sofa, poured a glass of red wine, and gently swirled it.
“If I remember correctly…”
She glanced at the clock.
July 15th is about to arrive.
“Seal the gates. The show is about to begin.”