The Shen family estate was located in the suburbs, but it still wasn’t close to the city center.
Taxis were hard to get here, and ride-hailing apps kept showing no available drivers.
Under the blazing sun, Jiang Yu walked along the empty road in flip-flops, looking like a wilted weed left under harsh sunlight.
Talking tough felt great in the moment.
But afterward came the “funeral-level consequences.”
Right now, she felt like she was the one being cremated under the heat.
As she trudged forward, head down, she even thought that if Shen Chengyan actually drove after her, she might just agree to go back and apologize to those “animals.”
But she was overthinking it.
Shen Chengyan was cold and heartless.
Even when they were dating, he never comforted her after arguments. When he was angry, he would simply block her.
How could he possibly come after her now?
Even if she melted on this road, she wouldn’t see his shadow.
Back then, during their relationship, she had always been the one putting in all the effort.
He was calm and reserved, rarely speaking. On dates, she was always the one desperately searching for topics, trying to keep the atmosphere alive, trying to connect with him.
Even when conflicts happened, she was always the one compromising.
This kind of unequal relationship was exhausting over time.
There had been moments when she wanted to give up.
But every time, she endured it.
Once, she really had considered ending things.
That day, he brought her to meet his parents.
Tang Yun learned about her family background and strongly opposed their marriage.
She used every possible method—threats, bribery, even starvation protests—and eventually ended up in the hospital after threatening self-harm.
Jiang Yu was terrified.
Afraid something might really happen to her future mother-in-law, she said on the way back from the hospital:
“Maybe we should just end it. Your mother really doesn’t like me. If we get married, there will definitely be conflicts between mother-in-law and daughter-in-law. You’ll be stuck in the middle…”
While driving, Shen Chengyan suddenly slammed on the brakes.
The car screeched to a stop in the middle of the road.
Ignoring the angry curses from the cars behind them, he turned to look at her.
His eyes were sharp and violent—something she had never seen before.
He said word by word:
“Just because of this little difficulty, you want to give up? I never thought about backing down, and you’re telling me you’re quitting? You keep saying you love me, that you like me—are your feelings this fragile? This unable to withstand pressure?”
That was the first time she had seen him truly lose his temper.
His usual cold silence before that suddenly felt insignificant in comparison.
Even though he was angry, Jiang Yu had actually felt happy that day.
She had always thought that Shen Chengyan’s indifference and distance meant he didn’t care about her.
But that outburst proved otherwise.
Her vanity had been deeply satisfied.
She thought—so this man actually did care about her. He was just reserved and didn’t show it.
Her hesitation was crushed, and she rushed headfirst into marriage without looking back.
But now, she was as powerless as she once was brave.
Back then, just a hint of concern from him had made her cling to it like a drowning person grabbing a lifeline.
But in truth, deep down, he had always been a very cold man.
He married her not because he loved her deeply—
but because she was obedient, well-behaved, and easy to control. The perfect wife candidate.
He probably never expected that such an obedient wife would one day resist him.
A sleek Ferrari stopped gracefully in front of Jiang Yu.
Zhong Shuangshuang was in the driver’s seat, wearing sunglasses, whistling at her.
“Hey beauty, fifty bucks—wanna get in?”
Cool air rushed out from the car.
The heat on her face slowly faded, and Jiang Yu felt like someone drowning who had finally resurfaced.
“Good looks, good body, good money—what’s the point?” she muttered. “Still a mama’s boy. Might as well go live with his mom.”
Zhong Shuangshuang cursed while driving. “Let them mother and son self-produce and consume each other. Don’t go harming others.”
Jiang Yu looked out at the rapidly passing scenery. “Compared to you, I feel like I’ve underperformed. Next time I go curse the Shen family, come with me.”
Zhong Shuangshuang immediately backed down. “I’m just a paper tiger—strong on the outside, weak inside. I wouldn’t dare say a word in front of them.”
Jiang Yu: “……”
Zhong Shuangshuang continued, “Actually, marrying an old geezer isn’t bad. At least there’s no mother-in-law drama. Hurry up and divorce him, I’ll introduce you to someone older—preferably one who won’t live long. Easy inheritance.”
Jiang Yu: “……thanks, I guess.”
She really was unlucky.
Not a single normal person around her.
Everyone was more absurd than the last.
When she got home, Jiang Yu finally noticed blisters forming on her feet.
She had walked nearly an hour in flip-flops. This body hadn’t endured such suffering in years.
Although Shen Chengyan was cheating and a mama’s boy, he was generous with money.
Sometimes when he was abroad, he would randomly call her in the middle of the night—acting like a madman—waking her up just to ask what gift she wanted.
She would name luxury brands casually.
But he would sound displeased.
“Your husband works hard for money. Can you stop treating me like an ATM?”
So she would play along.
“Okay then, I don’t want anything. I just want you to come home safe.”
He would scoff. “Please. You’re the one who likes these shallow things the most. Stop pretending.”
Every time, she was driven crazy by his mouth.
Once she couldn’t take it anymore and snapped at him:
“You’ve definitely got something wrong in your head. Don’t buy it if you don’t want to. Acting all rich like it’s such a big deal—are you insane?”
She hung up on him.
They didn’t talk for several days.
On the day he returned, she had almost cooled down and asked him what he wanted to eat.
Instead, she discovered he had blocked her.
She was so angry she cursed him at home.
But that night, when he came back, his suitcase was full of gifts for her.
No matter how angry she was, two suitcases of gifts were enough to soften her.
She apologized first, acted sweet, and soothed him for a week before he finally talked to her again.
Over the years, he had bought her countless things—just shoes alone filled an entire wall.
If she sold them all, she could probably get a decent amount of money back.
The next day, she contacted a second-hand luxury reseller to come and evaluate them.
After counting nearly a hundred pairs of shoes, the seller smiled and said, “Some of these are limited editions. They were impossible to get even at a premium back then. Are you really willing to sell them?”
Jiang Yu sighed. “My husband’s cheating. I’m moving assets. I don’t care if they’re limited or not.”
The seller looked like they had just heard juicy gossip. “Sis, I’m free this afternoon—wanna talk more? I also buy clothes.”
Jiang Yu: “……”
After signing the contract and receiving the payment, Jiang Yu went to the kitchen to make something to eat.
After thinking for a moment, she sent a message:
“After class, send me your bank card number.”