Chapter 7 — One Sentence Scares Away the Whole In-Law Family

Ever constant Hang collapsed heavily into the chair, his gaze utterly shattered, his lips moving in a frantic, incoherent murmur.

No... it is impossible... how could her family possibly... how could they possibly possess such an immense fortune...

His eyes rolled back in sheer disbelief, threatening to render him unconscious right there on the spot. I looked down upon them, yet within my heart, there was no twisted sense of sweet revenge, only a profound, echoing sorrow now that the dust had finally settled. It was their own boundless greed, their staggering stupidity, and their narrow-minded myopia that had driven them to demolish the very foundations of their own lives with their own hands. I offered Ever Constant one final, lingering look.

Ever Constant, did you know? If any of you had ever spared even the smallest fraction of respect for me, for Little Luo, or for my departed family, then under the cold eyes of the law, the appreciation value of this fortune accumulated as personal property during our marriage might well have meant a portion still legally belonged to you.

But now...

I smiled, feeling a weight lifting from my soul, so impossibly light.

Because the malicious defamation orchestrated by you and your mother has inflicted severe psychological trauma upon me. Consequently, I shall demand a substantial, heavy sum as compensation for emotional distress.

From this wealth, you shall not receive even a single copper coin.

I pivoted on my heel, facing the honorable judge, and spoke with absolute, unwavering clarity:

Respected Judge, my concluding statements are complete.

The trial had long since ceased to hold any lingering shadows of surprise.

The gavel descended, its crisp, decisive echo resonating sharply through the solemn, towering courtroom. It sounded precisely like a death knell, shattering the final, fragile illusions clung to by Ever Constant and Lian. The verdict held no shocks. Ever Constant remained completely motionless, his unblinking eyes fixed entirely upon me. There was no remaining fury burning within those pupils, only a vast, desolate emptiness—the quiet devastation of total annihilation. Perhaps it was only at this exact, irreversible moment that he truly comprehended the magnitude of what he had thrown away. It was not merely a wife, nor simply a family. It was an entire, pristine future—a brand-new life that had once been entirely within his grasp, yet which he had furiously shoved away with his own arrogant hands. I did not bestow upon him even another sideways glance, turning instead alongside Attorney Wang to stride out of the courtroom. When we stepped beyond the grand doors of the courthouse, the once-heavy, overcast sky had somehow cleared; golden rays of sunlight pierced effortlessly through the dense layers of cloud, casting a deeply comforting warmth across my skin. I drew in a long, shuddering breath. The air tasted unmistakably of sweet, unadulterated freedom.

Three days later, my phone buzzed violently against the palm of my hand. It was a screenshot forwarded by my younger cousin, Meng. The image captured the family group chat from which I had long since excised myself. A formal letter of apology penned by Lian had been pinned firmly to the very top of the message thread, serving as a monument of public humiliation. Every single sentence within that letter bore the rigid, sterile stamp of legal review; the phrasing was severe, formal, and dripping with heavy, forced remorse. Yet to my eyes, every word resembled nothing more than the clumsy, desperate antics of a pathetic clown performing a humiliating confession.

I, Lian, hereby offer my most profound and sincere apologies to Ms. Qing and her late father, Mr. Su, regarding the entirely fabricated and malicious falsehoods I previously disseminated concerning Ms. Qing within this group chat... My reckless words and disgraceful actions have inflicted severe, irreparable damage upon the personal reputation and psychological well-being of Ms. Qing. In particular, my deeply disrespectful remarks directed toward her late paternal relatives were utterly ignorant, erroneous, and reprehensible... I harbor endless remorse and stand completely prepared to bear all resulting legal consequences...

Immediately following the screenshot, Meng fired off a rapid voice memo, her voice practically vibrating with uncontained schadenfreude.

Cousin, do you even know? The moment she dropped that message into the group, the entire chat went dead silent! All those meddlesome aunties and gossiping relatives who used to chime in to back her up? Not a single one of them has dared to squeak a word since! Word has it she does nothing but sit at home weeping her eyes out day and night. Ever Constant is walking around like an empty ghost—he’s lost his job, lost his wife and child, and lost his home. Now the best they can do is cram themselves back into that cramped, dilapidated old apartment alongside his mother and his sister’s chaotic family, screaming at each other from dawn until dusk. Li has also been locked in endless, screaming matches with her own husband over this mess. Honestly, it is purely, wonderfully satisfying!

I replied with calm detachment: I am aware.

After sending the text, I permanently deleted the screenshot. The chapter was fully closed. Their world remained a chaotic storm of barking dogs and squawking chickens, while mine was an expanse of tranquil, glass-like seas. Using a portion of my rightful inheritance, I established a modest charitable fund dedicated specifically to supporting young girls possessing genuine artistic talent yet trapped within impoverished family circumstances. I named the foundation Qing's Bright Blue Sky.

Little Luo now owned a brand-new piano, vastly superior to the one we had left behind. Every single day, she would sit before the glossy keys and practice her melodies. The clear, resonant notes drifted sweetly through our newly acquired, sun-drenched home. Occasionally, she would pause mid-song, lifting her small, bright face to look up at me.

Mom, will we ever see Dad and Grandma again in the future?

I crouched down, meeting her gaze levelly, and spoke with profound earnestness:

Perhaps we shall, perhaps we shall not. But regardless of what comes to pass, Little Luo, you must always remember that your world is vast, and your future stretches out endlessly before you. Some people are merely brief, fleeting interludes in the grand symphony of your life. What is past must remain in the past. You must forever look ahead, because the landscape awaiting you further down the road grows only more magnificent.

Though she seemed to understand only half of my words, she nodded thoughtfully, a bright, carefree smile returning to her lips as she turned back to her music.

That very weekend, I accompanied Little Luo to the quiet hillside cemetery to pay our respects to my father. I tenderly brushed away the fallen autumn leaves resting atop his headstone, gently placing down a fresh bouquet of crisp white chrysanthemums—his absolute favorite.

Dad, everything has finally been settled.

I murmured softly into the quiet air.