Prank Text?

When it comes to acting, Li Ran could arguably win an Oscar.

His improvisation and performance successfully deceived Su Bingyao.

They say a man's secrets are all hidden in his phone, and that is absolutely true.

In fact, before stepping through the door, Li Ran had already considered the possibility that his future wife might check his phone.

If they were a loving couple, it would be fine.

But they were a couple whose relationship had fractured, held together only by the thinnest of threads.

He didn't know what the original owner had done, nor did he know why they had divorced in the first place; when he entered this Horror Instance, no memories had been imported.

Therefore, he had gone over every mistake a man might possibly make.

Divorce usually boils down to three things: values, emotions, or finances.

Finances could be ruled out first; there were no major issues with the household's economy.

As for values, after a day of observation, Su Bingyao's views were not at a level that was impossible to accept.

That left only the issue of emotions.

Emotions were more complex; Li Ran had been single since birth and wasn't qualified to judge, but he felt that infidelity was definitely at the top of the list for marital breakdown.

Li Ran had to be cautious with every step he took.

The task [Repair the Broken Family] was actually a test of extremely minute details.

Especially for Su Bingyao, who was in a sensitive period right now, any detail could lead to the widening of their emotional rift.

Thus, Li Ran had put in plenty of effort into the areas where men are most likely to err.

First, he changed the six-digit lock screen password to a more romantic number—131420.

It represented "I will love you for a lifetime."

It was a set of numbers that was romantic, loyal, and would make any woman fall for it.

Details reveal character; small things show the heart.

Afterward, he deleted all the strange chat logs on the original owner's phone, including group chat histories.

He even deleted names in the contact list that seemed prone to wild speculation.

As for what kind of person the original owner really was, he couldn't define him based solely on chat logs.

After all, men are lustful—it would be abnormal if they weren't—so there would inevitably be some little secrets on a phone.

At the doorway, he had already deleted many of the phone's "stains," yet Su Bingyao still managed to find a trace of evidence.

"Cherry Blossom Elephant in the Forest"?

What the f*ck?

It was a deeply hidden group name, and it was only when Su Bingyao questioned him that he realized what it was.

In his past life, he had once circled a certain street corner three times without daring to go in.

Therefore, he had some deep knowledge in this area.

The avatars in the group were exactly as he had expected: all names of high-end luxury goods.

He had told the truth; he hadn't lied.

As for that string of "A" followed by numbers, any man would understand it at a glance.

He hadn't lied either; the person really was just promoting new products.

As for why there were no beauties appearing on his Douyin feed?

Heh, you don't even know how to set content preferences?

However, Su Bingyao's final question left Li Ran stunned.

"Did you cheat on me?"

Cheat?

Cheat with whom?

His information flow suffered a momentary gap.

(Hint: That day, she received a text message from a stranger. The content: "I am pregnant with his child; the position of Mrs. Li must be vacated for me.")

(Hint: This text message was not sent by a woman, but was a prank by a classmate of Li Ziyang.)

(Warning: If you tell the truth, she will not believe you, and you may instead be in mortal danger. It is recommended to deflect for now, then capture the prankster to provide testimony; only then can you clear your name.)

Holy crap!

Sent by Li Ziyang's classmate?

This prank is practically lethal.

If things went wrong, a family could be destroyed because of it.

Li Ran was deeply shocked, unable to believe that such a young child could be so calculating.

He suddenly associated this with the drawings Li Ziyang had described, depicting the bullying and harassment he faced at school.

This was no small issue; it was even threatening their marriage.

It seemed he would have to find some time to properly teach those brats a lesson.

For now, he had to muddle through the situation.

Li Ran kept his expression unchanged, acting as if he had lost his soul, and muttered, "I did not cheat."

"Ha!"

Su Bingyao let out a cold laugh, fuming, "I will ask you one more time: did you cheat, and with whom? You better give me an honest confession!"

She practically shrieked that last sentence.

Terrifying scales emerged on her face, and even her pupils transformed into ghastly snake eyes.

Facing Su Bingyao, who had suddenly spiraled into a monster, Li Ran felt no fear.

A prank text message had kept her awake for countless nights, leaving her restless and distraught.

She had questioned her husband before, but he had either denied it or evaded the topic, even accusing her of being unreasonable.

Over time, their affection had been worn down to nothing.

Their marriage had reached its end.

Divorce was a last resort.

In truth, neither side was at fault.

The fault lay with that prank text message.

He had to drag that mischievous brat out into the light!

But for now, he had to appease Su Bingyao and soothe the pain in her heart.

"I did not cheat, and I have not cheated with anyone," Li Ran replied to Su Bingyao with a mechanical expression.

Scales sprouted one by one across Su Bingyao's smooth forehead, her limbs began to snake-ify, and even her features began to resemble a terrifying white serpent.

Soon, Su Bingyao transformed in her rage into a horrifying, ghastly creature!

This was the first time Li Ran had seen Su Bingyao in her pure white giant serpent form.

"Say it again?!"

The giant white serpent's gaping maw was pressed directly against Li Ran's face.

Li Ran could even clearly see the serpent's writhing esophagus and its chilling fangs.

If not for the prompt from his golden finger, and if he weren't truly innocent, he would have been scared out of his wits by this scene.

"I did not cheat, and I have never betrayed my wife."

This time, Li Ran answered sincerely, even though he looked as if he were under hypnosis.

The husband had answered the three questions about cheating truthfully.

Even under threat and intimidation, the husband had not shown a shred of panic.

Could it be that I really misunderstood him?

Su Bingyao slowly returned to human form; her husband's sincere answer had made her doubt herself.

One had to know that her husband was in a hypnotic state, and in this state, it was impossible to lie.

But then, what was the deal with that text message?

Could it really have been a prank?

Who would be bored enough to send a message like that?

She had always imagined a tea-sipping, arrogant mistress gloating in the shadows.

But her husband's answers had truly left her at a loss.

It seemed she had received an answer, yet it felt as if she had gained nothing at all.

"Fine, I will not ask about this matter again."

Thinking this, Su Bingyao snapped her fingers at Li Ran.

Li Ran's eyes gradually regained focus and light, and he feigned confusion, "Strange, wasn't I supposed to be cooking?"

Seeing her husband scratching the back of his head, looking dazed and foolish, she felt both angry and amused.

"Go on and cook," Su Bingyao said.

"I've prepared boiled fish with pickled cabbage for my wife today; I guarantee you'll love it."

Li Ran smiled and walked toward the kitchen, but halfway there, as if remembering something, he turned back and took something from his hand.

"This is for our son."

After handing the item to Su Bingyao, Li Ran went into the kitchen to get busy.

In Su Bingyao's hand was a wooden rocking horse toy; the horse was lifelike, grinning with its tongue lolling out, quite vivid and amusing.

"This is a wooden donkey, isn't it?"

Su Bingyao beamed, tilting her head slightly to gaze at her husband's back in the kitchen.

Perhaps I really should trust him.

A husband who works to support the family, cooks, dotes on his wife, and cares for his son—could such a man really cheat?

Su Bingyao questioned herself in the depths of her heart, questioning that text message from before.

If the message was a prank...

"Good heavens!"

Su Bingyao covered her mouth, her eyes widening.

If it were a prank, her husband had been branded with a baseless accusation, yet he hadn't uttered a single word of complaint, silently enduring it for so long.

But would anyone really send such a prank text?

Su Bingyao truly couldn't fathom it; the mere thought of that message left her with a splitting headache every day.

But if her husband really did have an affair, and she was truly pregnant with his child...

No, that wasn't right.

"We are divorced in name, so if there really were a mistress, shouldn't she have jumped out to seize the spotlight by now? Yet, why hasn't she?"

Thinking of this, Su Bingyao suddenly felt that the text message was highly suspicious.

When she first received the message, she had replied and even called the number back, but it was like a stone cast into the ocean—there was no response at all.

Moreover, the divorce had been her idea; her husband had only agreed to it because he was so infuriated he had lost his composure.

Now that she had calmed down and carefully recalled that period, her husband had indeed been driven to his wits' end by her, to the point where even his work had suffered.

Today, even though his work performance was clearly poor, he still maintained a positive attitude every day, coming home to keep her and their son company without a single complaint.

"Su Bingyao, you must calm down. If there were no issues with your husband under hypnosis, then the problem lies with that text message. Before the matter is investigated clearly, you must not doubt your husband again, let alone cause trouble for his work."

"That's right, his work must be hindered, yet he has never complained, bearing it all alone."

"Even in this state, he is still thinking of me and our son."

Su Bingyao took a deep breath; through this hypnosis session and her husband's behavior, she had figured out many things.

With this thought, Su Bingyao stood up and walked toward Li Ziyang's room.

Li Ziyang was doing his homework with a gloomy expression.

"This is what your dad bought for you."

She handed the wooden horse toy to Li Ziyang.

"Dad bought this for me?"

Li Ziyang was very surprised. He took the wooden horse, played with it for a moment, and was amused by the funny toy: "Dad bought a wooden donkey, didn't he?"

"You finish your homework first; your dad is cooking."

"Alright, I'll finish my homework before dinner."

It was rare for Su Bingyao to see a smile on her son's face. Feeling deeply gratified, she closed the door and walked toward her own room.

She took a bank card out of an exquisite little box in the second drawer of her right-hand nightstand.