Chapter 61: Bringing Humiliation Upon Oneself

"Why is it you? Where is Nan Li?"

It was clearly Nan Li who had made the phone call, yet the person who showed up was Zhou Chen. Cai Jujing's expression instantly turned extremely ugly.

She used to have a rather decent impression of Zhou Chen, but after one incident after another—especially with her daughter losing her job and being subjected to online harassment, all because of Zhou Chen and Nan Li—she naturally could not muster a pleasant look for him.

Dropping his usual politeness, Zhou Chen said in a cold tone, "Li Li is busy today, so I came in her stead."

"I don't want to talk to you. I'm leaving," Cai Jujing said, making a move to stand up.

Zhou Chen, however, said coldly, "Then you need to think this through. If you refuse to talk today, you might never get another chance, and any possibility between you and Father will truly be gone."

"What did you say? What qualifications do you have to speak to me like that?"

Cai Jujing immediately sat back down, questioning Zhou Chen with an expression of intense dissatisfaction. "Matters between Old Nan and me are not for an outsider like you to point fingers at."

Zhou Chen shrugged. "That's true. As far as you're concerned, I am indeed an outsider. But don't forget, my wife is the old man's biological daughter. Really, if you want to compare, their relationship is much closer than yours ever will be."

"Tian Yulan called and asked Li Li to invite you back. I think she is overthinking and being utterly ridiculous. I can answer for Li Li: don't dream about it."

Cai Jujing's complexion turned very grim. "Don't push people too far! What kind of skill is it to bully an old woman?"

"An old woman?"

Zhou Chen let out a disdainful, cold laugh. "Weren't you an old woman when you made a huge scene at my house? Weren't you an old woman when you caused a scene at Li Li's company? How is it that right at this moment, you suddenly become an old woman? Let's drop the pretense. I am not Father; I don't buy this act of yours. If you want to make a scene, feel free to try. But before you do that, you might want to consider your daughter's fate. If it really comes down to a fierce showdown, the two of you combined are no match for me."

Ignoring Cai Jujing's utterly unsightly expression, he had lost all patience for this old mistress and would no longer show her any courtesy.

"You can take this as a threat—I don't care. However, I am here today to solve problems. If you don't want to talk to me, you can just sit there and listen."

"I heard you want to divorce Father?"

"That has nothing to do with you. This is a matter between Old Nan and me, and it doesn't need your management," Cai Jujing said coldly.

Zhou Chen nodded. "You're right, and I don't want to manage it either. But since your daughter came looking for us, I'll sit down and hash it out with you properly."

"You say you want to divorce Father. Fine, even if you actually do divorce, what do you think you can get out of the division of property?"

Cai Jujing said with confidence, "I've been a wife to Old Nan for over a dozen years. Even if we divorce, I am entitled to half of the assets."

"Tsk tsk, you really came prepared, haven't you? You've already made plans to divide the property."

Seeing Zhou Chen's face full of irony and mockery, Cai Jujing trembled all over with anger, feeling that she had suffered a profound humiliation.

Not giving her a chance to speak, Zhou Chen continued, "I understand your thinking. You believe that if you divorce, you can get half of the property, and then you can take that fortune to live with your daughter. With money, your daughter won't look down on you, right?"

Though Cai Jujing did not speak, her expression said it all. For an uneducated old woman, she simply believed that as long as she had money, her daughter would want her and take care of her. To a certain extent, this logic barely held up.

"Pardon my bluntness, but your daughter might be filial, do you think Yan Peng will share the same thought? A day or two might be fine, but over time, what do you think Yan Peng's parents will think? By then, not only will it be difficult for you, but it might also put your daughter in a tight spot. In the end, only two outcomes will emerge: either you leave alone, or you leave together with your daughter."

Cai Jujing turned pale under Zhou Chen's words. Although she lacked education, she had experienced various days of living under someone else's roof when she was young. Therefore, despite loathing Zhou Chen, deep down she did not think he was just trying to scare her; she knew it was genuinely possible.

"Secondly, I need to correct a common misconception of yours. You think you can get half of the property upon divorce? That's a daydream. Although you've been married to Father for many years, the only assets you are entitled to divide are those acquired *after* you got married. You won't get a single penny of pre-marital assets."

"Don't understand what that means? Then listen carefully. The house Father currently lives in is a pre-marital asset. That means whether you divorce or not, the house has nothing to do with you, and you won't get a single share of any real estate."

"What you can actually divide is limited to the money accumulated after your marriage. But when you got married, Father was already semi-retired. Up until now, after deducting daily expenses and living costs, how much savings do you think he has left? And how much could you possibly claim?"

The more he spoke, the more Cai Jujing shuddered. Her voice trembled as she said, "I don't believe what you're saying. I don't believe it."

"If you don't believe it, you can ask your daughter. You can ask her right now."

Zhou Chen remained unhurried. "Such a simple lie can be pierced with a single touch; I have no need to deceive you."

Cai Jujing's mind was buzzing. Previously, because of her daughter's predicament, she had quarreled fiercely with Nan Jianlong and had indeed entertained the idea of a divorce. Just as Zhou Chen said, if they truly divorced, she planned to take her half of the divided property and live with her daughter.

It was just that Zhou Chen's words directly shattered her illusions. Once divorced, she wouldn't be able to get much money at all. Without a substantial amount of money, how could she have the confidence to live with her daughter and son-in-law?

If it were before, it might have been different, but the crucial point now was that her daughter Tian Yulan had lost her job, had been subjected to online harassment, and had no choice but to move back in with her parents-in-law. Of course, it was impossible for Cai Jujing to follow her there.

"Old Nan can't live without me. I... I can choose not to divorce."

Zhou Chen smiled. "Right, you can choose not to divorce. But if you say Father can't live without you, then you are truly being far too self-absorbed."

"You've been with Father for many years and know how to take care of him, but what I want to tell you is that these kinds of things can all be solved with money. We can afford to hire nannies, caregivers, and doctors. As long as there is money, every problem can be solved."

Cai Jujing stiffened her neck. "Impossible! Old Nan won't adapt. He is used to me taking care of him."

"That's why I'm saying you really overestimate your own importance. At Father's age, what do you think matters most? It's family affection, it's children and grandchildren surrounding him. Do you really think you compare to Li Li, Huanhuan, and Chaochao in Father's heart?"

"To take a step back, we can bring Father home to take care of him ourselves, or even buy an apartment right across the hall to look after him. I'm sure Father wouldn't object at all. When that time comes, do you think he would choose to stay with us, or with you?"

Cai Jujing pressed her lips together, looking extremely flustered. Based on her understanding of Nan Jianlong, if Nan Li were truly willing to take him back, he would undoubtedly accept it gladly. And by then...

Watching Cai Jujing, whose mental state was already somewhat chaotic, Zhou Chen showed not an ounce of pity and continued to deliver blows.

"So, the notion of having Li Li personally welcome you back is an absolute impossibility—don't even think about it. As for whether or not to divorce Father, you need to figure that out for yourself."

"At your age, you should know very well: if it were a son's home, you might still have an excuse to stick around. But wanting to live with a daughter and son-in-law? Heh, I don't need to spell it out; you should understand. Compared to children, a reliable spouse is the only person you can truly depend on."

"I've said all there is to say. Now you have no other choice: either you go back yourself and live a proper life with Father, or you get a divorce and take that meager share of property to go live with your daughter; or else take your money to a nursing home. But life in a nursing home will probably be even harder. So, you must think it through carefully."

With that, Zhou Chen stood up. "Oh, right. What I said today might sound very harsh. If you can't accept it and want to make a scene or seek your own demise, I advise you to think carefully about that too. If you really do something like that, the only one who will end up heartbroken is your daughter. It won't have any impact on anyone else."

"That's that. I've said everything I came to say. If you've made your decision and still want a divorce, you can call us, and we will arrange the divorce between you and Father as soon as possible. If you don't want to divorce, but are expecting someone to escort you back, then you'll just have to go find your daughter. Looking for a graceful way down from us? Forget it."

"No matter what choice you make, don't bother us ever again, and don't let your daughter come either. Otherwise, I can't guarantee what extreme things I might do."

Though Zhou Chen's continuous remarks did not inflict any physical harm, their insulting nature was exceptionally high.

At this moment, Cai Jujing was completely dazed. Failing to even notice Zhou Chen leaving, she simply sat frozen in place, all by herself.