Former Wife

Su Jiang checked the game time. It was already close to midnight.

He clicked to trade with Mop God of War and put up a set of Adventurer's Guild rare standard equipment (Lv.10), the basic gear and ordinary skill books dropped in the dungeon, as well as all his Gold Coins and Silver Coins. To him, the only use for those things was selling them.

Mop God of War was stunned and hurriedly asked, "How did you get this equipment? And did you farm all these Gold Coins by yourself? Did you rob a dragon or something? Or did you hold up the Adventurer's Guild?"

"Neither. I just completed a quest," Su Jiang replied vaguely. Meta World did offer rewards for first clears, but it would not make a grand announcement to the entire world. Instead, whenever someone cleared that dungeon, they would see the name of the first player to do so.

At present, aside from Su Jiang, no one else had cleared it, so nobody knew the dungeon had already been conquered.

Su Jiang had wanted to share the dungeon strategy too, but no players could currently inflict such an absurd slow on monsters, so he decided against it.

Mop God of War looked completely baffled. "What kind of quest gives rewards this ridiculous? Don't tell me you're the game company's favorite son?"

Su Jiang resisted the urge to roll his eyes. "Alright, I'm going to sleep. Are you buying or not? If you are, tell me the price."

"I'm buying, of course. With this set of standard equipment, my brother can definitely clear the dungeon."

Su Jiang neither agreed nor disagreed with Mop God of War's words. A single set of Lv.10 rare equipment was enough to force their way through, but it would demand extremely skilled execution.

Soon, Mop God of War finished calculating the value of the trade. "The current market exchange rate is one Silver Coin for eighteen yuan. Six Gold Coins and 118 Silver Coins come to yuan. For the Lv.10 rare equipment, my brother said he'd buy it for a hundred thousand yuan. As for these basic items and ordinary skills, we'll take them all for ten thousand yuan. That makes a total of ."

"Any objections to that price?"

Su Jiang opened his mouth. A set of rare equipment for a hundred thousand yuan? Was he crazy, or did they have more money than they knew what to do with?

Of course, Su Jiang could not say what he was thinking. He worked hard to maintain a calm expression and said, "No problem. Let's do it."

"Alright."

Mop God of War moved quickly. Once the trade was complete, 120,000 yuan was swiftly transferred into his virtual account.

Su Jiang immediately logged off and withdrew the money into his bank card.

"Ding..."

"SMS notification: Your account ending in 2688 received yuan at 22:43 on September 23, 2023. Current balance: .5 yuan. (China Merchants Bank)"

"Making a hundred thousand a day—awesome! The money from selling equipment and Silver Coins is enough for me to buy twenty thousand Gold Coins over the next six months!"

After working for ten years, including his other accounts, Su Jiang currently had around 900,000 yuan in liquid savings. That included the compensation from being fired, mainly reserved for mortgage payments and daily expenses. He also had 800,000 yuan in fixed deposits for emergencies. Altogether, he had less than two million yuan.

Making a hundred thousand yuan in a single day had Su Jiang so fired up that he wanted nothing more than to log in and farm several sets of rare equipment to sell to that big sucker.

Forget it. Even though he no longer needed to work, Su Jiang still did not want to disrupt his regular routine.

He checked the contents of another text message.

While Su Jiang had been playing, Lin Jing had replied.

It contained only a simple time and location.

Tomorrow at ten in the morning, first-floor coffee shop, Hesheng Plaza.

"Heh, I thought you'd leave me hanging for a few days before replying."

Su Jiang sneered, then washed up and went to sleep.

The next morning.

Su Jiang arrived at the coffee shop.

Lin Jing was already seated by the window. She wore a fitted white dress, her long hair flowing around her shoulders. Her eyes seemed to hold a trace of sorrow as she watched people come and go outside.

One or two single young men in the shop were restless, seemingly wanting to go over and ask for her WeChat.

Heh.

Su Jiang had once been fooled by that Jiangnan beauty act of hers. Only after marriage had he discovered her true nature: she was all bark at home.

Outside, she played the role of a melancholy, gentle, and polite Jiangnan woman. At home, she acted like a lunatic, going crazy at every turn.

Lin Jing was exceptionally skilled at changing faces and putting on an act. Who knew how many people had been deceived by her pretty but hollow appearance?

Su Jiang truly did not want any further contact with that lunatic.

When Su Jiang had discovered her affair, his first reaction had not been anger or heartbreak, but relief. At least he finally had a proper reason to divorce her.

It was just that there was nothing he could do about Su Yu. Even though Lin Jing was at fault, Su Jiang could never win custody of Su Yu.

Because Su Yu had been less than a year old at the time.

The lawyer had also said that children under the age of two were generally awarded to the mother, and since Su Jiang often had to work overtime, the chance of Su Yu being awarded to him was practically zero.

Thus, Su Jiang could only give up helplessly and pay an appropriate amount of child support every month, as ordered by the court.

Why did Su Jiang still have to give her money when she was clearly the one at fault?

Su Jiang did not know either.

It was the court's ruling. He could only comply.

"I think a qualified ex-husband should be like he's dead. Other than providing child support, you shouldn't interfere with our lives."

The moment Su Jiang sat down, Lin Jing spoke.

Before Su Jiang could say anything, Lin Jing sneered again. "Or do you regret it? Do you want to remarry me? Then again, you're already thirty-five—damaged and worn-out. What woman would want an old man like you?"

Fuck!

What was this old woman even thinking? Even if she took good care of herself and looked young, she was still thirty-five. Where did she get the confidence to think he wanted to get back together with her?

She was completely insane!

Lin Jing's words left Su Jiang thunderstruck, but for Su Yu's sake, he chose not to provoke her and changed the subject.

"I heard you found yourself a new boyfriend recently?"

Lin Jing's expression instantly darkened. "Did you send someone to follow me?"

Su Jiang knew that if he answered poorly, she would start shrieking like a banshee.

She had always been like this. If he went drinking or had barbecue with friends, the moment a woman showed up, she would investigate everything thoroughly. Yet when she went to bars or parties, asking a single question would make her lose her temper.

Su Jiang was sick of it inside, but he put on a concerned expression and said, "No. A friend told me."

That was a lie. He had only just hired someone to investigate her.

The moment Lin Jing heard that, she assumed that after all this time since their divorce, Su Jiang was still keeping tabs on her because he wanted to remarry her.

She said smugly, "Hmph, it has nothing to do with you anyway. I won't get back together with you, so give up on that idea."

This woman...

Su Jiang resisted the urge to mock her. Then, an idea occurred to him. He decided to play along, putting a disappointed look on his face as he said, "Alright. Since we have no chance of getting back together, can you let Su Yu stay with me for a while? Su Yu and I have barely even seen each other."

Without a second thought, Lin Jing blurted out, "Dream on."

In truth, she also found Su Yu troublesome. Not only did she often have to go to the hospital, but recently there had been paperwork to handle and vaccinations to get. It annoyed her to death and made her feel as though she had no freedom at all.

Her life was not meant to serve Su Yu.

But just to disgust Su Jiang, Lin Jing had no intention of giving Su Yu back to him.

Su Jiang thought for a moment, then put on a helpless expression. "If that's the case, then fine. I might be going abroad soon. There's nothing in this city worth missing for me anymore. I might not come back."

Lin Jing: "?"

"What do you mean? You don't want to pay child support anymore?"

Lin Jing abruptly looked up, and the smug ease vanished from her face without a trace.

"Once I settle abroad, domestic laws won't be able to control me." Su Jiang did not answer directly, but his meaning was obvious.

Lin Jing was not stupid either. The fact that she had managed to keep stringing men along without getting herself into trouble showed that she had some intelligence. She just liked to go crazy from time to time.

"You want custody of Su Yu?"

"Yes."

"Hehe..."

The refusal on her lips turned into a twitch. For the sake of child support, Lin Jing forced herself to calm down.

"Su Yu's custody cannot be given to you..."

As long as she retained custody, she would hold the initiative.

Lin Jing snorted. "If you give me ten thousand yuan every month in Su Yu's name as child support, I can temporarily place Su Yu with you."

Su Jiang's heart suddenly thumped several times.

His original bottom line had been thirty thousand yuan. He had figured that if she refused, he would use money to force the issue.

No, when they divorced, Lin Jing knew he earned fifteen thousand yuan a month. She probably did not know that although he had remained in the same position after the divorce, his salary had long since more than doubled.

This ten thousand yuan was probably the limit she had guessed on her own.

He had thought she had suddenly found some conscience. Instead, she opened her mouth and went straight for his bottom line.

Su Jiang did not agree too quickly. He had to put on a complete act. Only after pretending to think seriously for a moment did he say, "I agree."

With a contemptuous expression that said she had him by the weakness, Lin Jing chuckled. "I'll bring Su Yu over tomorrow. Remember to transfer the money next month, sweetheart~"

After reaching this temporary agreement, Su Jiang calmly watched Lin Jing leave.

Only after her figure disappeared did Su Jiang relax. As long as she sent Su Yu over, everything else could be discussed. In any case, she should forget about ever seeing Su Yu again.

Years of dealing with her had taught Su Jiang never to show a smug expression in front of this woman. Especially as her ex-husband, he was not allowed to live better than the man she had chosen to abandon.

For those who think this is ridiculous, have you never dated a girlfriend? For those who think Lin Jing's character is ridiculous, have you never seen what a girlfriend looks like when she's angry? Even if you've never eaten pork, you've seen pigs run, right? I know good girls exist in this world, but the one the protagonist met is not one of them.

The following is an explanation of the plot. Don't say I'm legally ignorant—I looked it up online:

① Child support is legally required. Even if Lin Jing raised it to ten thousand yuan, Su Jiang would not dare object. If this were brought to court as extortion, Su Jiang would still be at a disadvantage, because his salary had already risen to thirty-five thousand yuan. It was different from when they divorced. The law stipulates that when salary rises, child support rises too. Su Jiang simply had not increased it, and since Lin Jing thought his job and salary had not changed, she never looked into it.

② If it really went to court, all Lin Jing's lawyer would need to say was that Su Jiang had concealed his salary and that the child support he paid was insufficient to cover Su Yu's living expenses and school fees. Su Jiang would instead become the one who had failed to fulfill his obligations.

③ Even someone without a job must pay child support, though the man can negotiate with the woman. A woman like Lin Jing would never agree, so forget it.

④ Unless the child is over eight years old, judges tend to place greater weight on the mother's wishes in divorce cases. If the child is under two, there is a 90% chance the child will be awarded to the mother, unless the mother does not want the child or suffers from a serious illness or mental disorder and cannot provide a better environment for the child's growth.

⑤ When the two divorced, Su Yu was only six months old. Su Yu is now five.

⑥ Lin Jing merely likes using tantrums to solve problems. She has not been diagnosed with any mental illness, and she is quite skilled at acting. Outsiders think she is a virtuous wife and loving mother, and that her divorce from Su Jiang was entirely Su Jiang's fault. Su Jiang is an honest, dutiful programmer and would not explain such things.

⑦ This is the last time the protagonist sees Lin Jing. The next time they meet, Lin Jing will have become a box.

⑧ This is not a wish-fulfillment novel, yet it is also a "wish-fulfillment" novel. The protagonist was practically a water heater in his previous life, so his personality definitely has flaws. Don't come looking for ruthless decisiveness here.

⑨ There are plenty of books on Tomato. Transformation fiction is already a niche genre. Those willing to read can read; those unwilling can leave. Let's part on good terms.

There are so many legal experts in the comments that I'm speechless. (Sweating yellow bean)

An aside: honestly, I also hope the laws you people talk about can work in reality. Unfortunately, laws are dead, but judges are living people, and living people have positions. I won't say who the judicial system currently favors.

And people keep bringing up public order and good morals—things that do not even exist in reality (helping an elderly person who fell, false accusations on the subway, marital rape). It is perfectly normal for them not to exist in a novel either...