Chapter 1

My mom was obsessed with the grovel-and-win-her-back arc.

After finding out my dad was cheating, she decisively held a press conference to cut ties with him.

“A man who can’t control himself? I wouldn’t even take him if he were handed to me.”

My dad cried and begged her to stay, even promising that he would leave all his assets to me.

My mom was so angry she went red in the face and slapped him hard.

“Late love is worth less than grass.”

“Don’t insult me with your dirty money. Even if we starve outside, we won’t take a single cent from you.”

I quickly grabbed my mom’s sleeve and whispered, “Mom, don’t go too far. Be careful or you’ll really let the mistress move in.”

My mom slapped my hand away hard, looking absolutely certain.

“You don’t get it. This is only the first step in the grovel-and-win-her-back arc!”

The reporters at the press conference all applauded.

“As expected, the legal wife has backbone.”

“This kind of grace? The mistress could never compare. Look at Bai Lin acting all coy and seductive. One look and you can tell she’s trouble. She must have seduced Chairman Chen first.”

Bai Lin was holding her son, looking like she could collapse any second. She lifted her head with a pitiful expression.

“I didn’t. I’ve known Chairman Chen for twenty years. I’ve never seduced him.”

The moment Dad saw Bai Lin’s tears, he couldn’t sit still anymore. He rushed forward and put an arm around her shoulders.

“Bai Lin isn’t the mistress. We love each other.” Dad swept his gaze around the room, his eyes carrying a warning. “I don’t want to hear a single rumor about her.”

“As for you and me, let’s part on good terms. From now on, I’ll still fulfill my duties as a father, and I won’t shortchange the child.”

The two of them clung to each other like a perfect couple.

The reporters quickly changed their tune and started praising them as soulmates who were meant to be, talking about a broken mirror being made whole again, and even questioning whether my mom was the real mistress.

My mom shrieked in fury.

“Eric, you bastard. I was your first love. Don’t think you can whitewash cheating. Scumbag men and trash women should be locked together forever.”

“My daughter was born after ten months of pregnancy. She has nothing to do with you, so mind your own business.”

My mom slammed the signed divorce agreement into Dad’s face, then grabbed my arm and dragged me outside. Like a victorious rooster, she strode through the crowd while proudly holding my hand.

I struggled hard to break free, but she was using all her strength, and my hand was even getting red from how tightly she was holding me.

As she walked, she kept looking back, hoping Dad would come chasing after us. But to her disappointment, the person who came wasn’t Dad. It was Bai Lin and her son.

Bai Lin was a completely different person from before. No longer meek, she blocked our way with a haughty look.

“Don’t think I don’t know what you’re up to. You’re loudly saying you don’t want the money so people will think you’re noble, while secretly collecting evidence to file a lawsuit and get a share of the assets.”

“A verbal promise means nothing. Unless you sign this.”

Bai Lin handed my mom a sheet of paper, and I hurried over to take a look. It was a property waiver.

“Mom, don’t sign it.” Panicked, I grabbed it, crumpled it up, and threw it away.

Bai Lin laughed cruelly and waved her hand.

Her son, Jason, smiled and handed me a whole stack of them. “If you want more, I’ve got plenty.”

My mom looked at me and hesitated for a moment.

“What? Where did all that backbone go from earlier? The part where you swore you wouldn’t take a single cent? Did you feed it to the dogs?”

Seeing my mom hesitate, Bai Lin panicked too and deliberately poked at her.

My mom’s eyes instantly turned red. She snatched the pen and was about to sign.

“Don’t think I don’t know you’re only with him for the money. When he finds out your true colors, I’ll be waiting to see how badly you end up.”

I was so anxious I felt like an ant on a hot pan and lunged at her to stop her. “Don’t sign, don’t sign!”

After signing quickly, my mom slammed the paper into Bai Lin’s face. “Get lost!”

Then she slapped me hard and glared at me.

“Who cares about his dirty money? You’re my daughter. Have some backbone.”

Bai Lin and her son happily took the waiver and went back inside.

We had completely lost our chance at a massive fortune. I hung my head and walked forward in a daze, feeling like I might as well be dead.

My mom couldn’t sense my low mood at all. She kept talking excitedly behind me.

“Xia, don’t rush. Your dad was hiding around the corner spying when you signed just now. He was looking at us with so much reluctance in his eyes.”

“Mom was just putting on a show. The first step of the grovel-and-win-her-back arc has to be a clean break.”

“Your dad definitely saw Bai Lin’s vicious face. He’ll get sick of her soon and kick her and her son out. Then he’ll kneel and beg us to come back. Don’t worry.”