A Prank Text?

When it came to acting,

Li Ran might just have deserved an Oscar.

His quick thinking and acting had fooled Su Bingyao.

They said a man's secrets were all in his phone. That was absolutely true.

Actually, before he came in, Li Ran had considered the possibility that his future wife might check his phone.

That would have been fine if they were a happily married couple.

But they were a couple whose relationship had fallen apart, held together by only the thinnest thread.

He didn't know what his predecessor had done, or why they had divorced in the first place. When he entered the Strange Instance, no memories had been transferred to him.

So he thought through all the mistakes men might make.

Divorces came down to three things: differing values, emotional problems, or money.

Money could be ruled out first. This family had no major financial problems.

As for their values, after observing Su Bingyao for a day, he could tell hers weren't so extreme that they'd be impossible to accept.

That left emotional problems.

Those were more complicated. Li Ran had been single his whole life and had no qualifications to comment, but he thought infidelity was unquestionably the leading cause of marital breakdown.

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

The task [Repair the Broken Family] was really a test of the tiniest details.

This was especially true with Su Bingyao, who was so sensitive right now. Any little thing could widen the rift between them.

So Li Ran had taken great care with all the things men might get wrong.

First, he'd changed the six-digit lock-screen passcode to the more romantic number 131420.

It meant, "I'll love you forever."

It was a romantic, loyal string of numbers that could make any woman's heart melt.

The little details revealed a person's character; small actions showed what was in their heart.

After that, he'd deleted all the strange chat logs on his predecessor's phone, including the group chats.

He'd even deleted some contacts with names that might invite suspicion.

As for what kind of person his predecessor had been, Li Ran couldn't judge based on chat logs alone.

After all, men liked looking at beautiful women. It would be abnormal if they didn't. So a man's phone was bound to hold a few little secrets.

Before he'd even reached the door, he'd already deleted a lot of the "incriminating evidence" on the phone. Yet Su Bingyao had still found a few clues.

Cherry Blossom Elephant in the Forest?

What the fuck?

It was a group with a deeply hidden name. Li Ran hadn't realized what it meant until Su Bingyao questioned him.

In his previous life, he'd once circled the same street corner three times, too scared to go in.

So he knew a thing or two about this sort of thing.

Just as he'd expected, the group members' profile pictures were all named after high-end luxury brands.

He'd told the truth. He hadn't lied.

As for that string that started with an A and had some numbers after it, any man would understand at a glance.

He hadn't lied about that either. The person was just promoting a new product.

And why couldn't he find any beautiful women on Doushou?

Heh, did you people not know you could set your content preferences?

But Su Bingyao's last question had left Li Ran completely stumped.

"Did you cheat on me?"

Cheat?

With whom?

His thoughts had hit a sudden blank.

(Hint: That day, she received a text from an unknown sender. It read: I'm carrying his child. You have to give up your place as Mrs. Li.)

(Hint: The text wasn't sent by a woman. It was a prank pulled by one of Li Ziyang's classmates.)

(Warning: If you tell her the truth, she won't believe you, and you may even put your life in danger. It's recommended that you dodge the question for now, then catch the prankster and have them testify. That's the only way to clear your name.)

Holy shit!

It was sent by one of Li Ziyang's classmates?

That prank could ruin lives.

It could destroy a whole family.

Li Ran was shocked. He couldn't believe a child so young could be so devious.

He suddenly thought of the drawings Li Ziyang had described, showing himself being bullied and picked on at school.

This was serious. It had even brought their marriage to the brink of collapse.

Looks like he'd have to find some time to teach those little brats a lesson.

For now, he just had to get through this.

Li Ran kept his expression unchanged, mumbling as if his soul had left his body. "I didn't cheat."

"Ha!"

Su Bingyao let out a cold laugh, furious. "I'll ask you one more time. Did you cheat? Who did you cheat with? Tell me the truth!"

Su Bingyao practically screamed the last sentence.

Terrifying scales appeared on her face, and even her pupils turned into horrifying snake eyes.

Faced with Su Bingyao suddenly losing control and turning into a monster, Li Ran wasn't afraid.

One prank text had kept her up night after night, leaving her anxious and distressed.

She'd questioned her husband, but he'd either denied it or avoided the subject. He'd even accused her of making a fuss over nothing.

Over time, their feelings had worn away until nothing was left.

Their marriage had reached its end.

Divorce had been a last resort.

In truth, neither of them was at fault.

The prank text was to blame.

He had to find the little brat who'd pulled the prank!

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

"I didn't cheat. I didn't cheat with anyone." Li Ran responded to Su Bingyao mechanically.

Scales began to rise across Su Bingyao's smooth forehead, one after another. Her limbs started to turn serpentine, and even her face began to resemble a terrifying white snake.

Soon, Su Bingyao furiously transformed into a truly horrifying creature!

It was the first time Li Ran had seen Su Bingyao turn into a giant white serpent.

"Say that again?!"

The giant white serpent shoved its gaping maw right up against Li Ran's face.

Li Ran could even clearly see the serpent's writhing throat and savage fangs.

Without the Golden Finger's warning, and without a clear conscience, he would have been scared out of his wits by now.

"I didn't cheat, and I've never betrayed my wife."

This time, Li Ran answered sincerely, even though he looked as if he'd been hypnotized.

Her husband had answered all three questions about cheating honestly.

Even under threats and intimidation, he hadn't shown the slightest hint of panic.

"Could I really have misunderstood him?"

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

After all, her husband was under hypnosis, and people couldn't lie in that state.

But what was that text about?

Could someone have been pulling a prank?

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

She'd always imagined a brazen, smug mistress gloating in secret.

But her husband's answers had left her completely baffled.

It seemed as though she'd gotten an answer, but at the same time, she hadn't gotten anything at all.

"Forget it. I won't bring this up again."

With that, Su Bingyao snapped her fingers at Li Ran.

Focus and light gradually returned to Li Ran's eyes. He put on a confused expression. "That's strange. Wasn't I supposed to go cook?"

Seeing her husband scratch the back of his head, looking utterly bewildered and a little silly, she felt both annoyed and amused.

"Go on and cook," Su Bingyao said.

"I made sauerkraut fish for my wife today. I guarantee you'll like it."

Li Ran smiled and headed for the kitchen. Halfway there, he seemed to remember something and came back, holding something in his hand.

"This is for our son."

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

The Wooden Horse Toy in Su Bingyao's hand was carved from wood. The horse looked lifelike, grinning with its tongue lolling out, making it quite amusing.

"This is a wooden donkey," Su Bingyao said with a bright smile. She lifted her chin slightly and watched her husband's back in the kitchen.

"Maybe I really should trust him."

A husband who worked to support the family, knew how to cook, loved his wife, and cared about his son—would a man like that really cheat?

Su Bingyao questioned herself, and the text she'd received back then.

If the text had been a prank...

"Oh my God!"

Su Bingyao covered her mouth, eyes wide.

If it had been a prank, her husband had been branded with a crime he hadn't committed, and he hadn't uttered a single complaint. He'd quietly endured it all this time.

But would anyone really send a text as a prank?

Su Bingyao just couldn't understand. Whenever she thought about that text, the torment gave her splitting headaches.

But if her husband really did have a mistress, and she really was carrying his child...

No, wait.

"We're technically divorced now. If there really were a mistress, shouldn't she have come forward by now and tried to claim her place? Why hasn't she?"

At that thought, Su Bingyao suddenly felt there was something very wrong with the text.

When she'd received it, she'd replied and even called the number back, but it had been like throwing a stone into the sea. There'd been no response at all.

Besides, she'd been the one to bring up divorce. Her husband had only agreed because he'd been so angry that he'd lost his senses.

Now that she'd calmed down and thought carefully about that period, she remembered that she'd driven her husband to distraction. His work had even suffered.

Now, despite his poor work performance, he still came home every day in good spirits to spend time with her and their son, without a single complaint.

"Su Bingyao, you have to calm down. Under hypnosis, your husband is fine. That means the problem lies with the text. Until the matter is properly investigated, you shouldn't keep suspecting him, and you certainly shouldn't make things harder for him at work."

"Right. His work must be going badly, but he's never complained. He's been bearing it all alone."

"Even after everything, he's still thinking about me and our son."

Su Bingyao took a deep breath. After seeing her husband's behavior during the hypnosis, she had finally worked a lot of things out.

With that, Su Bingyao got up and walked to Li Ziyang's room.

Li Ziyang was doing his homework, his face dark with gloom.

"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 surprised. He took the Wooden Horse Toy and played with it for a while before its funny appearance made him laugh. "Dad bought a wooden donkey, didn't he?"

"Finish your homework first. Your dad's cooking."

"Okay! I'll finish my homework before dinner."

Su Bingyao was delighted to see a smile on her son's face for once. She gently closed the door, then headed to her room.

She took a bank card out of a delicate little box in the second drawer of the bedside table on the right.