The Wen family had made up their minds to teach Wen Li a lesson.
Not only would they refuse to give her any share of the family property, they also demanded that she apologize—otherwise, they would sever ties with her.
With the most important thing already in hand, Wen Li left the Wen household decisively and without hesitation.
She had already given them a chance. Since they didn’t cherish it, she wouldn’t blame herself for being ruthless.
The moment she stepped out of the house, Wen Li’s tears began to fall, making it obvious she had been wronged.
It happened to be after work hours, and many people saw her.
“Lili, what’s wrong?”
“They bullied you again?”
Wen Li’s eyes were red, like those of a pitiful little rabbit.
She shook her head. “No.”
“No? Then why are you crying? Don’t lie to us. Your own parents and brother always play favorites—we all know that.”
Wen Li said softly, “It’s not that they’re biased… it’s just that the matter is too sordid…”
As if she suddenly realized something, Wen Li pressed her lips together and stopped speaking.
The word sordid instantly stirred everyone’s curiosity.
Someone asked, “What did they do? Don’t be afraid. Say it boldly—we’ll back you up.”
Wen Li looked utterly embarrassed to speak.
“I… I’ll go home first.”
Everyone knew Wen Li was a well-behaved, gentle girl. There was no way they were letting her leave like this.
If they didn’t get to the bottom of it, the curiosity would drive them crazy.
“Just tell us quietly. We promise we won’t spread it.”
Wen Li looked conflicted.
One middle-aged woman anxiously swore, “If I tell anyone, may my mouth rot!”
Wen Li hurriedly said, “Don’t curse yourself. I trust you.”
The woman grabbed Wen Li’s hand and pulled her into a corner. Several other aunties followed with perfect coordination.
Someone lowered her voice. “I’ll keep watch. I won’t let anyone else hear.”
Wen Li’s tears fell again. “They want me to get a divorce.”
“What?!”
Everyone was stunned. “Why on earth would they want a divorce when things are fine?”
In these times, divorce was rare.
A divorced woman would be gossiped about endlessly.
Was the Wen family sick in the head, doing something so immoral?
Wen Li’s eyes were red. She bit her lip and said in a mosquito-like voice, “Wen Tiantian… wrote a letter to Qingqing’s father. It wasn’t mailed, but I found it.”
As she spoke, Wen Li took out the envelope.
Even though no one had seen the contents, everyone believed her.
The looks they gave Wen Li were filled with sympathy.
She was clearly the factory director’s biological daughter, yet she was suppressed everywhere by Wen Tiantian.
Now even her husband had caught Wen Tiantian’s eye.
What a sin.
Wen Li continued, “I was pushed too far and slapped Wen Tiantian once. They said they’d cut ties with me and give my share of the family property to her.”
“As for money, I don’t care. After all, they didn’t give me a single cent when I got married. Didn’t I still manage to live my life?”
Looking lost, Wen Li said, “I don’t have a family to rely on anymore. Do I have to give up my husband too before they’ll be satisfied?”
Everyone present was dumbfounded.
Falling for your brother-in-law—was that something to be proud of?
The Wen family didn’t even try to hide it and actually forced Wen Li to divorce.
Besides, Wen Tiantian wasn’t as pretty as Wen Li. That male comrade probably wouldn’t even fancy her.
This family was seriously ill!
One elderly aunt said angrily, “If she wants to be a stepmother, she can marry an old widower. What kind of nonsense is it to interfere in your marriage?”
“She deserved that slap! She did it on purpose—anything you have, she wants to steal. We’ve disliked her for a long time. Only your natal family is blind enough to treasure her.”
“Anyone who interferes in someone else’s marriage is shameless!” another woman snapped. “If I’d been there, I’d have slapped Wen Tiantian for you.”
“You absolutely must not divorce. Otherwise, you’d be handing your husband over to Wen Tiantian for free. No wonder she never got married—I thought she had high standards, but it turns out she was eyeing other people’s men!”
Everyone talked over one another, cursing Wen Tiantian for being shameless and calling Wen Father, Wen Mother, and Wen Zhiyuan fools.
If they liked raising other people’s children so much, why not raise all the kids in the family compound?
“Cutting ties is fine. Your in-laws are powerful anyway. As long as you have more children and secure your position, it doesn’t matter whether you have a natal family or not.”
“If they like favoritism so much, they shouldn’t look for you when they’re old. You’ll have peace and quiet then.”
“We’ll keep an eye on Wen Tiantian for you. If she dares do anything inhuman, we’ll report her for sabotaging a military marriage!”
Everyone spoke at once, comforting Wen Li.
Seeing that the effect was achieved, Wen Li knew when to stop.
She wiped her tears. “I’ve thought it through now. Some things can’t be forced. This family doesn’t have room for me—so I’ll leave. Even if I’m scolded as unfilial, I won’t come back.”
With that, Wen Li turned around and left.
Her steps were firm and resolute.
Those who watched her go felt even more sympathy for her.
“She’s clearly the biological daughter, yet she’s squeezed out by the adopted one and can’t even go home. How pitiful.”
“At least it’s better than before. Now that she’s married, she has somewhere to go. Think about a few years ago—when she was wronged, she could only swallow it. That was real misery.”
“Wen Tiantian is rotten to the core—always grabbing everything. Isn’t she afraid of choking herself to death?”
“Her parents are really muddle-headed, leaving the family property to an outsider. When they’re old, I don’t believe Wen Tiantian will take care of them.”
“…”
Before long, the news spread everywhere.
No one was surprised that the Wen family didn’t give Wen Li a share of the property.
After all, she wasn’t favored.
But Wen Tiantian setting her sights on Wen Li’s husband—and the Wen family forcing Wen Li to divorce—that was utterly shameless.
As the rumors spread like wildfire, Wen Father felt people’s gazes turn strange when he returned home.
But he couldn’t bring himself to ask.
He could only ask Wen Mother whether something had happened.
Wen Mother poured everything out like beans spilling from a basket, recounting what Wen Li had done when she came home.
“If Zhiyuan hadn’t come back in time, I might have been hit too! She was completely outrageous!”
The three of them hadn’t gone out, so they didn’t know people outside were pointing fingers at them behind their backs.
At this moment, they were still angry at Wen Li.
As soon as Wen Father heard it, he had a bad feeling.
“She must be spreading nonsense outside. Go out and ask around.”
Wen Mother curled her lips. “I don’t want to mention her right now. It’s annoying.”
Wen Tiantian felt uneasy, afraid she’d become the subject of gossip.
But she didn’t dare ask.
She was afraid of being pointed at.
Wen Zhiyuan didn’t take it seriously. “Ignore them. A bunch of long-tongued women who love gossip.”
No matter how pitiful Wen Li pretended to be, it was useless!
As long as she didn’t apologize, she could forget about coming back to this family!
Changing the subject, Wen Zhiyuan asked, “What about that letter?”
Wen Tiantian lowered her eyes. “I never meant to steal Wen Li’s man. I was just writing it for fun.”
This was essentially an admission that she liked Xu Zhouye.
Wen Zhiyuan and Wen Mother’s expressions changed slightly. No wonder Wen Li had been so angry earlier.
Sensing their attitude, Wen Tiantian silently shed tears. The side of her face swollen from Wen Li’s slap looked shocking.
This trick never failed.
Wen Mother shot her son a look. “Tiantian has good taste. It’s normal for her to like Xu Zhouye. From now on, no one is allowed to mention the letter again. Let it pass.”
Wen Zhiyuan opened his mouth, then finally said, “That’s true. If Wen Li hadn’t interfered, the one who married Xu Zhouye should’ve been Tiantian.”
Being able to marry into the Xu family depended on the Wen family’s prestige.
Wen Li should have been satisfied.