Chapter 1 — Yin-Yang Contract

My sister-in-law, Angelica, a third-tier celebrity, abruptly burst into my room.

"Sign this."

The object she flung directly at my face was a pre-printed divorce agreement, bearing my husband’s signature at the bottom. At that moment, I was nursing my son, who had just turned one month old, and her sudden intrusion startled me immensely.

"What are you doing?"

Angelica let out a cold laugh and raised her phone. On the screen was a photo of me feeding my child in the mother-and-care room. The camera angle was maliciously deceptive; at first glance, it made it look as though I were deliberately exposing myself in public.

"Guess what would happen if I sent these pictures to the entertainment reporters, accompanied by the headline: 'Wealthy Young Madam Behaves Indecently, Engages in Obscene Acts in Public'—wouldn't you and your son become the laughingstock of the entire internet?"

The malice in her eyes was so intense it practically overflowed.

"Sign it immediately and get lost, or I will utterly ruin your reputation."

I looked at her face, twisted by jealousy, and quietly pulled my clothes back into place. I did not touch the agreement; instead, I picked up my phone, dialed my brother's number, and switched it to speakerphone.

"Brother, your wife is telling me to sign divorce papers and get out, or else she’ll post pictures of me breastfeeding online."

There was silence on the other end for a few seconds before my brother’s impatient voice rang out: "Angelica is only joking, don't mind her. She's been under a lot of pressure lately, just be the bigger person and humor her."

"A joke?"

I let out a soft laugh and then hung up the phone. Right in front of Angelica, I sent a message to an unfamiliar number: [The fish has taken the bait, you can pull in the net now. Sending an extra grand gift: Angelica, ID number XXXX, evidence of tax evasion over the past three years.]

1

Seeing me hang up, the look of smug triumph on Angelica's face grew even more pronounced.

"Did you hear that? Even your own brother told you to give way to me."

She reached out and shoved the divorce papers toward me once more, the edge of the paper grazing my son's cheek as he lay in my arms. The baby let out a loud, wailing cry that echoed sharply in the room. My heart constricted violently. Yet Angelica acted as though she heard nothing, merely frowning in annoyance. "So noisy." She leaned in close, her bright red manicured nails coming dangerously close to my nose.

"Lin Van, do not mistake yourself for someone of consequence. Lu Jingchen is abroad right now, completely powerless to help you. And since your brother is firmly on my side, you are nothing more than a solitary target abandoned by the world."

"Sign the papers, leave this place with empty hands, and I might still spare you a shred of dignity."

I lowered my gaze, gently patting my son's back to soothe him. My voice was a soft whisper, sounding as much like a lullaby for the child as it was a question directed at her.

"Leave with empty hands?"

"Naturally."

Angelica lifted her chin in supreme arrogance, her once camera-perfect face now contorted with greed and contempt.

"Who do you think you are? If not for the fact that your face bears a passing resemblance to Lu Jingchen’s lost first love, do you honestly believe you could have ever married into the Lu family?"

"You are nothing more than a substitute, yet you actually deluded yourself into thinking you were the true mistress of the house?"

Every single word felt like a poison-tipped needle, piercing repeatedly into my heart. I knew that Angelica had always harbored a bitter jealousy toward me. She had harbored feelings for Lu Jingchen for years, a fact well-known among the social elite. Yet, Lu Jingchen had never once bestowed a glance upon her. Conversely, my brother, Lin Shuo, had fallen head over heels for her, fighting with our entire family in pursuit of her, catering to her every whim until he finally managed to win the beauty over. Even so, after marrying my brother, Angelica's gaze had never once wavered from my husband. She believed that I had stolen everything that rightfully belonged to her. Consequently, from the very day she stepped foot into the Lin household, she had regarded me as a thorn in her side and a festering flesh. The baby in my arms was still crying, his face flushed bright red. My heart ached profoundly, and I could only hold him tighter against my chest. I raised my head, looking directly at Angelica with a chilling composure.

"Does the agreement state that I voluntarily waive all marital property?"

"That is correct."

"So the real estate, the stocks, and the investment funds registered under both my name and Lu Jingchen's name—I won't get a single penny of them?"

"You aren't entirely brainless, after all." The corners of Angelica's lips curled into a victorious smile.

I stared at her for a moment before abruptly asking, "And what about you? What do you want?" Angelica froze, clearly not expecting me to ask such a question. The next second, she burst into a mocking laugh, as if she had just heard the most ridiculous joke in the world.

"What do I want? Lin Van, has terror addled your brain? Naturally, I want you to get as far away from here as possible."

She paused, casting a sweeping glance around my bedroom before her eyes finally locked onto the jewelry box sitting atop the vanity table.

"However, seeing as you are being so cooperative, I suppose I shouldn't be entirely heartless."

She strode over, flung the jewelry box open, and picked up a sparkling diamond necklace.

"This 'Heart of the Ocean' necklace was won at auction by Lu Jingchen for you, wasn't it? Fifty million?"

She clicked her tongue and held it up against her own neck.

"A substitute is always a substitute; even when wearing something so exorbitantly expensive, it fails to exude any true elegance."

"This piece—I'm taking it."