Chapter 40: The Idiot Daughter

Although Bai Jing had previously told Wang Shanshan that she did not want her share of the family property, how could she truly mean it?

If she didn't take it, what would she eat, what would she drink, and how would she live her life in the future? The only reason she said that, much like Wang Shanshan, was because she believed Huang Jianren’s parents would never agree to provide a letter of forgiveness for a mere 800,000. As long as that money remained untouched, half of it would still be hers; she was just paying lip service, and in reality, nothing would change.

But things were different now. Cao Kun and the others had successfully negotiated the deal, and the other party had agreed to provide the letter of forgiveness for 800,000. This meant the 400,000 that belonged to her was about to vanish.

If this had happened earlier, Bai Jing would have refused without a second thought. Are you kidding? If the house was gone and the money was gone, they would have nothing left. With just her and Wang Shanshan, what would they eat, where would they live, and how would they survive? Furthermore, what about Wang Shanshan’s university tuition, living expenses, and housing costs? In the past, Bai Jing would never have agreed because there were far too many practical factors to consider.

But now, she no longer wanted to worry about those things. She only wanted to sever ties with her past self and welcome a new beginning. Especially when it came to Wang Shanshan—she was fed up with that moronic daughter of hers! Sacrificing all the family savings to save her father? Fine! What filial piety! A model daughter indeed! Bai Jing wanted to ask: once the house and savings were gone, where was she, the mother, supposed to live, and what was she supposed to eat? She was filial to her father, but what about her mother? She just ignored her and left her to fend for herself!

Since her daughter had reached such a point, there was nothing left for her to be reluctant about. A daughter like this was not worth keeping anyway! In any case, Bai Jing would no longer tolerate Wang Shanshan sucking the life out of her. She never wanted to have any connection with those two Wang family members ever again. It was better to be decisive and cut all ties! Moreover, she wanted to see what this idiot daughter would do next. University was starting soon; since she had taken all the family’s money to save Wang Yifu, where would she get her living expenses, tuition, and board? Surely she wouldn’t still expect her mother to pay?

Sorry, it was all gone! Not a penny left! Her maternal love for Wang Shanshan ended today, once and for all! From this day forward, she was Bai Jing living for herself, no longer the Bai Jing living for others.

As these thoughts crossed her mind, it felt as if her Ren and Du meridians had been opened; her body felt light, and her mind was clear. She smiled at Cao Kun and said, "Xiao Kun, you are absolutely right. This is indeed a chance to make a clean break with my past. Although I may live in hardship because of it, to find myself and embrace a new life, I think it is all worth it."

"So, here is to my brand-new life. Cheers!"

Seeing Bai Jing raise her glass of water in place of wine, Cao Kun gave a brilliant smile and raised his own glass.

"Cheers!"

...

Three o'clock in the afternoon.

Cao Kun and Bai Jing arrived at the home of Bai Jing and Wang Yifu. Initially, Bai Jing had planned to sell the house first, gather the 800,000, and then seek out Huang Jianren’s parents for the letter of forgiveness. However, Cao Kun couldn't afford to wait that long. In this current downturn of the real estate market, houses were not easy to sell. It was quite possible that the house wouldn't sell for half a year. To avoid any complications arising from delays, Cao Kun simply made a phone call and summoned Huang Jianren’s parents directly. Instead of selling the house, they would transfer the title directly, and combined with the cash Bai Jing had on hand, it would cover the 800,000.

"Mr. Huang, you’ve seen the condition of the house. It’s a property with a good layout, and you can check the market price online yourself. So, using the house as payment—is there any problem with that?" Cao Kun acted like a real estate agent, leading Huang Jianren’s parents on a tour of the apartment.

Upon hearing this, a bitter smile involuntarily appeared on the faces of Huang Jianren’s parents. If anyone else had asked this, they would certainly have refused. Because the property market was in a decline, there was a gap between the market price and the actual transaction price. A house listed at a market value of 600,000 or 700,000 might only sell for 500,000 or 550,000. No one would agree to such an obvious loss. However, since the person asking was Cao Kun, they really couldn't say no. After all, they had just engaged in a shady transaction with him at noon; it hadn't even been a full day. If they didn't give him face now, and he decided to flip the table, the losses would be even greater.

"Haha, no problem, no problem." Having already pocketed 2.2 million, a few tens of thousands didn't matter much. Huang Jianren’s father smiled stiffly and said, "Houses are basically just money these days. Transferring a property is much the same as paying cash; the only difference is that selling a house is slower, while using it to settle a debt is faster."

Cao Kun nodded. "Mr. Huang, do you think this, combined with the savings my Aunt Bai has, will cover the 800,000?"

"This..." Huang Jianren appeared troubled. He muttered for a moment before finally looking at Bai Jing. Of course, he wasn't looking at her with lecherous intent; his eyes were fixed on the gold earrings, the gold necklace, and the gold ring she was wearing. He had to give Cao Kun face, but he didn't want to be a complete fool. The house and the savings barely reached 800,000, so he had to try to make up the difference.

Bai Jing was not a fool; seeing where the man was looking, she understood immediately. Without a word, she took off her gold earrings, gold necklace, and gold ring and handed them to him.

Huang Jianren weighed them in his hand, estimating them to be worth about ten thousand or so, and nodded. "Fine, I’ll reluctantly count all of this as 800,000. Let’s go, I’ll go issue the letter of forgiveness for you."

A letter of forgiveness wasn't something you could just write on a scrap of paper; it was best done under the supervision of the public security authorities. Since the document had to be submitted to the police anyway, they might as well go to the station to draft it and leave it there once it was done.

...

Four o'clock in the afternoon.

Huang Jianren’s parents left the police station first. With the letter of forgiveness signed, the case was effectively closed for them; they only had to wait for the court’s verdict on Wang Yifu.

Cao Kun and Bai Jing remained at the station. Their trip wasn't just about the letter of forgiveness; it was also about Bai Jing severing ties with Wang Yifu. However, they couldn't see Wang Yifu directly, so they had to entrust their lawyer to convey the message. The lawyer they had hired was the same one from last time, and he had already gone in to communicate with Wang Yifu.

"Xiao Kun, what should I do if Wang Yifu refuses to divorce me?"

The house was gone, the savings were gone, and even her jewelry was gone. To make a clean break with her past, to reclaim herself, and to find a new beginning, Bai Jing had paid every price imaginable. Now, only the final step remained: divorcing Wang Yifu. If he refused, it would be truly agonizing!