Chapter 1

At the kindergarten gate, Lin Wanqiu’s phone showed 7:48 a.m., September 2, 2019.

She stared at the date, cold sweat soaking her back. Her son, Zhou Ning, clutched her clothes, his little backpack swaying on his shoulders.

“Mama, I don’t want to go in…”

Wanqiu crouched before her four-year-old son. Looking into his tear-reddened eyes, she could barely steady her shaking hands.

She knew that face so well. On this day in her previous life, she had coaxed him into kindergarten just like this. When she returned home, her husband, Zhou Jianguo, handed her a resignation letter. The company was cutting staff, he said; her position would soon be eliminated. She might as well take the opportunity to stay home and concentrate on their child.

She hesitated all night. In the end, she signed.

From that day on, she received a household allowance instead of a salary. Little by little, her savings went toward family expenses. She was persuaded to sell the small apartment she’d bought before marriage because “our son needs a better school district.” Every bit of the proceeds went into the down payment on a larger home registered in Jianguo’s name.

Ten years later, outside the Civil Affairs Bureau, she was handed a divorce agreement.

The wife voluntarily relinquishes all property. Custody of the child belongs to the husband.

Jianguo stood before her, beside his coworker Xu Qingya, who was seven months pregnant.

His face was expressionless.

“Wanqiu, you haven’t worked or earned anything for years. The court would award custody to me anyway. Stop fighting it.”

That day, as she left the bureau, a truck hauling soil ran a red light and struck her, throwing her through the air.

The scene before her suddenly came back into focus.

Ning was still tugging at her clothes. His kindergarten teacher had approached with a gentle smile.

“Don’t worry. We’ll take good care of Ning.”

Wanqiu drew a deep breath and steadied her voice.

“Ningning, I’ll pick you up at four. Be good and eat your lunch, all right?”

Gently but firmly, she eased his hands away and watched the teacher lead him, crying, into the classroom.

As she turned, she took out her phone and moved forward three pages in the calendar.

On September 15, Jianguo would say the company had arranged a team-building trip. He would be away for three days.

In fact, he and Qingya would spend those three days in a couples’ hotel in the city.

In her previous life, she had known nothing.

This time, she would obtain every card transaction, every location record.

Her phone vibrated.

Jianguo had messaged her.

“Wanqiu, is Ningning in class? I’ll leave work early today. Let’s have a proper talk.”

She stared at the message. Her smile turned cold.

“All right. I’m taking half a day off too.”

At ten a.m., she sat in the company break room opposite her manager, Zhao Min.

“Resign?” Zhao frowned. “Wanqiu, you’ve just finished that major project. The quarterly bonus is about to be paid. If you leave now, you won’t receive your full year-end bonus either.”

Wanqiu gripped her cup, her fingers trembling slightly.

“Ms. Zhao, I didn’t say I wanted to resign. I wanted to ask whether the company could investigate if someone forged a resignation letter in my name.”

Zhao paused.

“What do you mean?”

“My husband will try to persuade me to resign tonight.” Wanqiu spoke slowly. “If I refuse, he may try something else.”

Zhao was silent for a few seconds, then set down her coffee.

“Wanqiu, has something happened?”

She shook her head.

“Not yet. But I need to confirm that the company can provide certified copies of my employment contract, salary statements, and social insurance records whenever I need them.”

“Of course.” Zhao looked at her. “But you’re worrying me.”

Wanqiu stood and smiled.

“I just want to make sure I still have options.”

At three p.m., she left work early. Instead of going straight home, she turned into the law office on the corner—a place she hadn’t entered in thirteen years.

In her previous life, she had learned of it a month before the divorce.

She had gone to ask about dividing their property. After reviewing her circumstances, the lawyer had sighed.

“Mrs. Zhou, you have no job and no proof of income. The property acquired during your marriage is all in your husband’s name. He has also borne most of your child’s education expenses over the years… It will be very difficult to get the outcome you want.”

This time, she would close every gap before anything happened.

She pushed open the door. The young receptionist looked up.

“Hello. Do you have an appointment?”

“I’d like advice about marital property,” Wanqiu said. “Preferably from a female lawyer.”

Twenty minutes later, she sat opposite a woman in her thirties.

Her name was Jiang Xiaofei. She spoke concisely and decisively.

“Mrs. Zhou, I understand your situation.” Jiang noted several points in her notebook. “First, you currently have steady employment and income. That is your biggest bargaining chip. Under no circumstances should you resign.”

“Second, don’t sell property you owned before marriage, particularly that apartment. And don’t agree to add your spouse’s name to the title. Third…”

She looked up, her gaze sharp.

“If you suspect an affair, start gathering evidence now. Call logs, transfer records, hotel receipts, screenshots of conversations—the more detailed, the better. But remember: no unlawful methods and no violations of privacy. Collect only information you can obtain legally.”

Wanqiu tightened her grip on her bag.

“What if he tries to move the assets out of my reach?”

“What joint property do you currently have?”

“A house. I contributed three hundred thousand yuan from selling my premarital apartment toward the down payment. He contributed two hundred thousand. It’s in his name. He said it had to be because his company offered a housing subsidy.”

Her voice shook slightly.

“Only later did I learn that the subsidy didn’t require the employee to be the registered owner.”

Jiang’s pen stopped.

“Do you have proof of your contribution?”

“I still have the sale contract. The transfer records… I’ll have to check.”

“Check immediately.”

Jiang stood and handed her a business card.

“Mrs. Zhou, if you truly sense a problem in your marriage, begin preparing now. Many women end up with nothing after divorce because they soften, hesitate, and can’t bring themselves to act.”

Wanqiu took the card, her fingertips icy.

When she left the law office, it was nearly four.

She strode toward the kindergarten, rapidly ordering her thoughts.

In her previous life, Jianguo had cited “staff cuts” to persuade her to resign.

But his department had performed very well that year. There had been no layoff plan.

Only after accidentally hearing about it from a coworker had she learned that he’d invented the excuse to make her accept staying home.

If she refused to resign this time, what would he do?

Keep persuading her?

Bring in his mother to pressure her?

Or show his hand outright?

Parents were already gathering at the kindergarten gate.

Wanqiu stood among them, watching the children leave one by one, until Ning ran out with his little backpack and flung himself into her arms.

“Mama!”

She hugged him tightly and closed her eyes.

After the divorce in her previous life, she had been allowed to see him only twice a month, for two hours each time, at a place Jianguo chose.

Later, when Ning began primary school, he gradually stopped wanting to see her.

He called her a “useless mother.”

This time, she would never let anyone take her son away again.

When they arrived home, Jianguo was already on the sofa, looking at his phone.

Hearing the door, he rose with a mild smile.

“How did Ningning do today? Did he cry?”

“For a while. Then he was fine.”

She put down her bag.

“You said you’d leave work early. How are you home this early?”

“I asked my boss for time off.”

He approached.

“Wanqiu, I came home especially to discuss something with you.”

Here it was.

She went into the kitchen to pour water and spoke with her back to him.

“What is it?”

“The company’s been cutting staff. Our department is affected too.”

His voice was calm.

“HR called me in. They said your position might not survive. Rather than wait to be dismissed, you should resign now. You can still receive a severance payment.”

Wanqiu gripped the cup and slowly turned.

“Our department? I saw Ms. Zhao today. She said nothing about layoffs.”

He faltered slightly, then quickly recovered.

“Perhaps it hasn’t been officially announced. But HR has already made the list. I’m only thinking of you, Wanqiu. Leave now and concentrate on Ningning at home. My salary is enough.”

“Enough?”

She set the cup on the table.

“Jianguo, our mortgage is eight thousand yuan a month. Ningning’s kindergarten fees are three thousand. Add living expenses and money for social obligations. Is your salary alone enough?”

He frowned.

“We’ll economize. Besides, Ningning is so young. He needs his mother. You work overtime every day, and my mother looks after him. Don’t you feel you owe your son?”

Wanqiu looked at him and suddenly laughed.

“Let me ask you something. If I resign, will you have complete control over the family’s money?”

His expression changed.

“What do you mean?”

“Nothing more than that.”

She sat.

“I want to understand whether you’re asking me to resign for our child—or because it will make this household easier for you to control.”

“Lin Wanqiu!”

His voice rose.

“How can you think that of me? I’m your husband. Why would I hurt you?”

“Then tell me whether the company actually has a layoff plan.”

She held his gaze.

“I’ll go straight to HR tomorrow and ask. Don’t think I will?”

His face darkened completely.

For a few seconds, they faced each other.

Then Ning’s timid voice came from the bedroom.

“Mama, Papa, don’t fight…”

Wanqiu took a deep breath and went to pick him up.

“It’s all right, Ningning. We’re only talking about work. Play with your blocks for a little while. I’ll make your dinner.”

When she returned to the living room, Jianguo was gone.

His phone lay on the coffee table.

The screen was still lit.