Chapter 8 — My Sister-in-Law Is Not My Maid

It is not my mother… no, it is your mother-in-law. She discussed it with Zhuo Yuan, saying we should sell the apartment first to help me with my cash flow.

How much do you owe?

One million six hundred thousand. Not two million, your mother-in-law exaggerated.

He smiled bitterly.

Working on the construction project, the downstream clients fled, the final three payments could not be collected in succession, and the capital chain snapped.

Then why did you come to find me? Do you want me to sign?

No.

He shook his head.

I came to tell you that I can figure out this sum of money myself. I am already negotiating a loan with the bank, using the store registered in my name as collateral. There is no need to sell the two of you’s home.

I took a sip of my coffee and said nothing.

Sister-in-law, there is one more matter.

His voice dropped lower.

Yu Dong does not know that my business is having trouble. Your mother-in-law is hiding it from her as well. They told you it was to pay off my debts, but in reality…

He paused for a moment.

In reality, your mother-in-law also wants to take a cut from it.

What do you mean?

Selling the house for three million two hundred thousand and paying me one million six hundred thousand is enough. The remaining one million six hundred thousand, your mother-in-law wants to keep six hundred thousand for Yu Dong, calling it ‘child-rearing money.’ And the other one million…

He looked at me.

She wants to buy another small apartment for Zhuo Yuan, with only Zhuo Yuan’s name on the deed.

I set my coffee cup down on the table, my hand perfectly steady.

Can you prove any of this?

I have WeChat chat history with your mother-in-law. She told me to cooperate and play along with the act, saying the debt was two million to make your heart soften so you would sign. That girl is soft-hearted, just scare her a little and it will work. Once the money comes down, your share will be set aside by me, and the rest will be distributed. There was another message further down: After the sale is complete, I will tell Zhuo Yuan to buy another fifty-square-meter place, with only his name on it. So that Nian Shou cannot use the house to threaten us later. I read every single word, then handed the phone back to him.

Can you send me these records?

I can. But Sister-in-law, I have one condition.

Speak.

Do not let Yu Dong know I came to find you. She is already crumbling now that she is raising three children.

I looked at him for a moment:

Do you know about your affairs outside?

His expression shifted.

What affairs?

Wanda, last month, a certain young woman.

Fang Jin Chen’s fingers tightened. He lowered his head and remained silent for a long time.

She is the younger sister of a business partner. She helped me secure a capital connection. I treated her to a meal to express my gratitude, not the kind of relationship you think.

I did not press further. Believing it or not made no difference. This was not my marriage.

Just send me the chat logs. Everything else is a matter between you and Yu Dong.

He nodded, tapped his phone a few times. My phone buzzed, and I received a compressed file.

Sister-in-law.

As he stood up, he hesitated for a moment.

On behalf of Yu Dong, I want to thank you for taking care of her in the past, even though she never once said thank you to you.

I did not reply. After he left, I remained sitting in Starbucks for another half hour. I carefully reviewed the screenshots of the chat history twice, then forwarded them to Lawyer Chu.

Lawyer Chu, new evidence. The opposing party has malicious intent to transfer marital property, and there is also an element of deception.

Lawyer Chu replied very quickly:

This is absolutely crucial. With this evidence, the probability of the court granting a divorce is extremely high, and the division ratio will be immensely favorable to you. Nian Shou, your chances of winning are overwhelming.

I locked my screen and stepped out of the coffee shop. The evening breeze blew in, carrying the perfect coolness of early autumn. Suddenly, I thought of the summer three years ago, when I was pregnant and stood boiling pigs trotter soup for Tran Yu Dong, sweating profusely. Back then, I was truly foolish. Lawyer Chu officially filed the divorce petition and the application for property preservation with the court. The preservation order was approved swiftly, and three days later Tran Zhuo Yuan received the court notice, freezing the apartment so it could not be traded. That night he called seventeen times, not a single one of which I answered. Finally, he sent a very long text message. The main points were threefold: first, you have lost your mind; second, we are husband and wife, is there nothing we can negotiate instead of resorting to legal procedures; third, you are pushing me into a corner. I replied with a single sentence: If you have business, contact my lawyer, you already have the number. After that, he did not contact me for three days. On the fourth day, my mother-in-law stepped forward. Not a phone call, not a WeChat message, but she came directly downstairs to the Ho Truc company building to intercept me. At twelve-thirty noon, I went downstairs to buy a sandwich, and as soon as I stepped out the door, I saw my mother-in-law standing in the lobby, wearing a red padded jacket, her eyes swollen and the tip of her nose red. Beside her was another middle-aged woman I did not recognize.

Nian Shou!

The moment she saw me, my mother-in-law rushed forward.

You froze the apartment? Do you want our Tran family to die?

There were quite a few people moving back and forth in the lobby, and several young designers walking past turned their heads to look. I stood still without moving.