Chapter 9: Leaving Empty-Handed

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On his way home, Lin Hao suddenly sensed something was amiss.

Sun Qian’s behavior seemed overly familiar, and earlier that afternoon, Director Ma had just given him a stern warning, clearly showing support for his subordinate. Yet by evening, Sun Qian had betrayed him, even revealing the background of Director Ma, which made no sense.

The most important quality for a secretary is discretion—knowing what to say and what to keep to oneself.

Since Ma Bo had recommended Sun Qian, it was undoubtedly a favor born of recognition. For such a leader, it seemed unlikely that Sun Qian would confide in someone he’d only known for a few hours about his background and inside information.

Even for maximizing personal gain, it wouldn’t go that far. On one side was an intern secretary; on the other, a powerful Director of the General Office with a formidable background. Any fool would know which side to choose.

Cold sweat suddenly broke out all over Lin Hao’s body. Was this a test from Director Ma?

If so, what was he trying to accomplish? For the first time, Lin Hao deeply felt the terrifying and unfathomable nature of the Provincial Party Committee compound.

When he returned home, he saw Xu Qian’s family neatly seated in the living room, seemingly waiting for him.

His brother-in-law, Xu Qiang, suddenly stood up, pointing at Lin Hao and cursing.

“You bastard! How dare you come back? Don’t you know how long we’ve been waiting for you?”

Xu Qian’s father, Xu Tiezhu, smoking a cigarette, looked at Lin Hao with displeasure. “No skills, a bad temper, and now you dare to demand a divorce? Kneel and apologize to us, write a guarantee, and maybe we’ll let you keep living here.”

“Did you hear me? Get over here and kneel!” Xu Qiang arrogantly placed his foot on the table.

“My daughter really had the worst luck in eight generations marrying a poor nobody from the countryside like you—no money, no ability, and now you dare to ask for a divorce? You and your ungrateful parents are all ingrates,” his mother-in-law, Yang Fen, rolled her eyes, dripping with contempt in every word.

But those words ignited Lin Hao’s fury. He grabbed a cup from the table and smashed it violently on the floor.

“Shut up!”

Lin Hao’s roar stunned everyone. He had always been compliant before—how could he suddenly lose his temper like this?

Xu Qian hesitated, then stepped forward and shoved her face in front of Lin Hao’s.

“What’s wrong? You want to hit me? Come on, show the neighbors how capable you are! You can’t handle things outside, so you come home to vent on your wife. Let everyone see what a man you really are! Come on, if you don’t hit me today, you’re a coward, a damn turtle, born from me!”

Lin Hao could never have imagined Xu Qian could be so shameless. She was caught cheating, yet she acted as if she were justified.

“I was blind to fall for a poor loser like you. Look at Xu Fei, Brother Xu, and then look at you. And you even dared to hit him! If I had married Xu Ge, I’d already be a rich lady. I wouldn’t be...” Xu Qian went on and on, openly mentioning the adulterer.

“Smack!”

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The sharp slap echoed through the room, leaving everyone stunned. No one expected Lin Hao to actually hit someone.

“I’ll kill you for hitting my sister!” Xu Qiang charged forward, but before he could reach him, Lin Hao slapped him hard on the head and kicked him to the ground.

He had wanted to endure, to divorce peacefully and take revenge later. But this family was pushing him too far, even insulting his parents. If he could tolerate that, he wasn’t a man.

Besides, it was Xu Qian who shamelessly demanded this; he was only meeting her request.

“Oh my God! The son-in-law hits the brother-in-law, hits his wife! What sin has my family committed to deserve such a thankless wretch?” Mother-in-law Yang Fen collapsed to the floor, wailing.

“How dare you hit me, Lin Hao! Curse your ancestors, how dare you hit me!” Xu Qian covered her face, full of disbelief, and cursed furiously.

“Smack!”

Another sharp slap silenced Xu Qian completely.

She couldn’t understand how Lin Hao had become a stranger in just two days. Before, she endured his insults and beatings; now he was so violent and unreasonable.

Xu Qian felt wronged instantly, tears welling in her eyes as she bit her lip and looked at Lin Hao.

Xu Tiezhu sat down, clutching his chest, pointing at Lin Hao. “Alright, alright, you’ve grown a backbone, gotten cocky, dared to strike. Didn’t you beg me with tears to let my daughter marry you? Why would I waste a glance on such a loser? Call the police, I don’t care about your future anymore, you have to go to jail!”

“Lin Hao, what’s gotten into you? You never hit me before. Was everything a lie?” Xu Qian softened, sensing the situation slipping away.

“Sis, can’t you see? This man is just pretending. Now he can’t keep it up and his true nature shows,” Xu Qiang snarled nearby.

“Xu Qian, how can you say that? Don’t you know what you did? Dare you let your parents find out about your affair?” Lin Hao looked at them coldly, feeling utterly disappointed. How had he ever fallen for such a woman? He must have been blind.

Yet their expressions did not change, as if they had known all along.

“On what grounds do you accuse my sister of cheating? Do you have proof? Did you see it with your own eyes? If not, you’re just spreading rumors!” Xu Qiang shouted.

Yang Fen started yammering again, “My daughter is outstanding and beautiful. Having admirers is normal. You should thank your lucky stars you married her. You’re useless and couldn’t keep her, and now you blame her? Are you even a man?”

Facing such shamelessness, Lin Hao didn’t want to argue; it would only make him seem stupid. You can’t bark back at a dog.

“Xu Qian, stop acting. Aren’t you tired? Just tell me—how do we get a divorce?” Lin Hao was done wasting words. He just wanted the divorce to avoid future trouble.

Hearing this, Xu Qian wiped her tears and took the divorce agreement from her bag, handing it over.

“If you want a divorce, just sign.”

Lin Hao smiled. So she had been preparing for this moment all along.

But when he saw the agreement, he laughed bitterly at her shameless demands.

She wanted him to leave the house with nothing. How could she have the nerve to ask for that?

“Are you crazy? The down payment on this house was paid by my family. I’m still paying the mortgage with my provident fund. Why should I give it to you?”

“You think you’re suffering? My daughter dated you for so long, slept with you so many times—is that just for nothing? Even if you were with a prostitute, how much would that have cost over the years? It’s already generous to make you leave with nothing, and you still complain?” Yang Fen snapped, hands on her hips.

“Fine, the house is yours, but not the savings. That sixty thousand was painstakingly saved by me; otherwise, no deal. Besides, I’m still under investigation by the anti-corruption commission. If I get fined, we’ll see who really loses,” Lin Hao said coldly, beginning a psychological battle.

“Who are you trying to scare? Even if you’re under investigation, what does that have to do with me? Why should you take my house and savings?” Xu Qian said defiantly.

“Who knows if it’s dirty money? There are so many things in the basement. You never know,” Lin Hao replied with indifference.

“Lin Hao, you’re shameless. Fine, I guess I was blind to mistake you for someone decent. Take the savings, and we’re done,” Xu Qian said, perhaps scared by his words and unwilling to drag it out.

After redrafting the agreement, both signed.

“Alright, remember to go to the civil affairs bureau tomorrow afternoon,” Lin Hao said, waving the agreement, then packed his clothes and things and left without looking back.

“Pfft, what a piece of trash,” Xu Qiang spat after Lin Hao left. The family began calculating their losses, feeling they had lost a lot.

But thinking of their daughter soon climbing higher, they became excited again. To them, being Xu Fei’s mistress was better than being Lin Hao’s wife.