Chapter 6 — Lac Lac's Sunny Day

Your Honor, these are the documents proving that my client, Miss Qing, is the legitimate heir to her father’s estate, alongside the corresponding share transfer agreements and asset verification statements. Based on these legally binding terms, the converted domestic monetary value of these shares amounts to approximately...

Attorney Wang paused briefly, lifting his gaze to calmly state a staggering figure. The sheer magnitude of the sum sent a collective wave of sharp gasps rippling through the public gallery. Hang collapsed heavily back into his seat, his eyes glazed and vacant, while his lips moved in a feverish, incoherent mutter.

No... this is impossible... how could her family possibly... how could they possibly possess such staggering wealth...

Lian’s eyes bulged in absolute horror, her breath catching so violently she nearly fainted on the spot. I looked down at them, feeling no base thrill of revenge, only a profound, heavy sorrow now that the dust had settled. Their boundless greed, supreme ignorance, and suffocating shortsightedness had driven them to obliterate their own lives with their own hands. I cast one final, detached glance at Hang.

Hang, did you even know? If you and your family had ever extended even the slightest shred of respect to me, to Joy, and to my family, this vast fortune would have been classified as an appreciation of my personal assets acquired during the course of our marriage. By law, you might very well have been entitled to a considerable share of it.

But now...

A profound, weightless smile touched my lips.

Because of the severe defamation perpetrated by you and your mother, which inflicted profound emotional trauma upon me, I am pursuing maximum compensation for damages.

From this monumental sum, you will not receive so much as a single penny.

I turned around, facing the judge with a steady, resolute gaze as I spoke clearly:

Your Honor, my closing statement is complete.

The trial held no further surprises.

The heavy wooden gavel struck home, its crisp, decisive echo resonating through the solemn courtroom like a death knell, shattering the final, delusional fantasies of Hang and Lian. The verdict delivered was precisely as expected. Hang remained completely motionless. He stared fixedly at me, the lingering fury entirely gone from his eyes, replaced only by a hollow, deathly silence born of absolute devastation. Perhaps only at this definitive moment did he truly comprehend what he had sacrificed. It was not merely a wife, nor simply a family. It was an entirely new life, a future of boundless potential that had once been within his grasp, only for him to forcefully cast it away with his own hands. I did not grant him another glance, turning alongside Attorney Wang to exit the courtroom.

Stepping out through the courthouse gates, the once-gloomy sky had somehow cleared. Golden sunlight pierced through the parting clouds, casting a warm, gentle radiance over my skin. I drew in a deep, cleansing breath. The air tasted of pure, untethered freedom.

Three days later, my phone vibrated gently against my palm. It was a screenshot sent by my younger cousin, Manh. The image displayed the extended family group chat that I had abandoned long ago. A formal letter of apology from Lian was pinned to the very top of the conversation, acting as a public badge of humiliation. Every single word within the statement had been vetted by the court, written in formal, austere prose overflowing with profound remorse. Yet, to me, each line read merely like watching the clumsy, pathetic penitence of a desperate clown.

I, Lian, hereby offer my most sincere and unreserved apologies to Miss Qing and her late father, Mr. Qing, for previously disseminating baseless fabrications regarding Miss Qing within this group chat... My words and actions inflicted severe harm upon Miss Qing’s reputation and emotional well-being. In particular, my disrespectful remarks directed toward her late father were utterly reprehensible, stemming from my own profound ignorance... I deeply reflect upon my grievous errors and voluntarily submit myself to all corresponding legal consequences...

Moments later, Manh sent a voice message, her tone dripping with unconcealed glee.

Cousin, do you have any idea? After she posted that, the entire family chat went dead silent! All those elderly aunts and uncles who used to chime in to support her nonsense didn't dare let out a single peep! Word is that she cries at home every single day now. Hang is wandering around like a hollow shell—he's lost his job, lost his wife and child, and lost the house. Now he, his mother, and his sister's family are all crammed back into that tiny, dilapidated old apartment they used to live in, screaming at each other from morning till night. Even Lily got into a massive, earth-shattering row with her husband over all this. It serves them right!

I replied with calm detachment:

I know.

With that, I deleted the screenshot. Everything was finally over. Their world remained a chaotic storm of flying feathers and barking dogs, while mine had blossomed into a tranquil, unruffled sea.

I utilized a portion of the inheritance to establish a modest charitable foundation dedicated to supporting young girls with artistic talent who faced severe financial hardships. The fund was named "Joy's Sunny Days." Joy now possessed a brand-new piano, far superior to the old one she had left behind. Every single day, she practiced a melody. The sweet, resonant notes drifted freely through our new home, which was forever bathed in warm, luminous sunlight.

Occasionally, she would pause, lifting her bright little face to look up at me and ask:

Mommy, will we ever see Daddy and Grandma again?

I squatted down to her eye level, gazing directly into her innocent eyes, and answered with absolute earnestness: