The Foolish Wife Turned Scheming After Her Recovery - Chapter 36

Chapter 36: “Then I’ll Save It for When We Get Married”

“What are you doing here?!” Yu Xiulan’s face turned red as she glared toward the door. She was about to get up, but Yu Ling quickly pressed her down by the shoulder, keeping her in place while she stared warily at the man standing at the doorway—Yu Zhujun.

Yu Zhujun looked around at the room full of women and slowly pieced everything together. Earlier that day, after finishing a round of cards, one of his card buddies told him they’d spotted Yu Yao in the city. He hadn’t believed it at first, but came rushing from the town late at night just in case.

And sure enough, that damned girl was here.

“Save it! I’m here to find Yu Yao!” he barked, shooting a vicious glare at Yu Xiulan before turning to look Yu Yao up and down. “I called and texted you, but you didn’t respond at all. You really think you can just ignore your father, huh?!”

“Now give me 100,000 yuan. I’ll leave as soon as I get it!”

Yu Zhujun’s voice was loud, and his shouting in the hallway would easily disturb the neighbors on the same floor. Yu Yao kept her hand on the doorknob, her face cold as she tilted her chin slightly and said, “Wait downstairs. I’ll be right down.”

Not wanting to create a scene with her just yet, Yu Zhujun threw out a few foul curses and then turned and walked downstairs.

After she closed the door, Yu Xiulan immediately rushed over and grabbed Yu Yao’s arm. “Yao Yao, he’s been asking you for money all this time?!” Her eyes were red, either from rage or fear.

Yu Yao didn’t answer. She simply looked down at her mother’s face, the visible scar on her temple—a mark left by Yu Zhujun back when Yu Yao was little. She reached out and gently patted the back of her mother’s hand to comfort her. “It’s just small amounts. It doesn’t matter.”

What else could Yu Yao do? If she didn’t give Yu Zhujun money, he’d just go harass her mother and sister. Her younger sister was in her final year of high school—it was a crucial time. She couldn’t let Yu Ling raise a knife against Yu Zhujun again.

Sacrificing Yu Ling’s entire life for a piece of trash like him simply wasn’t worth it.

Yu Xiulan knew her daughter had money, but she didn’t want her to hand it over so easily after working so hard alone in Yanjing. She opened her mouth to say something more, but Yu Yao raised a hand to stop her.

“Mom, don’t worry. He’s not getting the money for free. You’re coming down with me.”

Yu Xiulan hesitated but eventually nodded.

Lu Zhili didn’t fully understand what was going on, but the moment she saw Yu Zhujun, she instinctively became alert. She didn’t like this man—she could feel the malice radiating off of him.

Yu Yao pulled a document from her bag and walked over to Lu Zhili, giving her a reassuring smile. “Zhili, I’m going downstairs for a bit. You and Yu Ling stay in and watch TV. I’ll have her put on The Little Mermaid for you.”

“I don’t want to. I want to go with you.” Lu Zhili frowned, unwilling. She knew very well that the real-life ‘princess’ was more important than any princess on TV.

Yu Yao leaned close and whispered in her ear, “Yu Ling really hates Yu Zhujun. She even slashed him with a knife before. I’m afraid she’ll lose control again. Can you stay and watch over her for me?”

Shocked, Lu Zhili stared at Yu Ling, then turned back to Yu Yao with reluctance before nodding. “Okay then, but be careful. If he tries to hurt you, just yell my name—I’ll come right away.”

“I will. Thank you, Zhili.” Yu Yao smiled, patting her hand before turning to Yu Ling. “Take care of our guest.”

Yu Ling didn’t look great either and mumbled a soft, “Mm.”

With that, Yu Yao took the documents and left with Yu Xiulan.

“Mom, just do as I say. Don’t ask questions, don’t say anything. After today, we’ll be free of that scumbag for good.”

Yu Xiulan opened her mouth but said nothing in the end, just nodded quietly.

Night had fallen. Yu Zhujun stood under a streetlamp, smoking. When he saw Yu Yao and Yu Xiulan appear at the stairwell, he immediately stubbed out the cigarette and looked excited. He knew his daughter—if she said to meet downstairs, it meant she had the money. If she didn’t, she’d never have agreed.

Under the streetlamp, Yu Yao handed him the documents. “There are two documents here—one is a divorce agreement, and the other is a property transfer.”

“You divorce my mom, keep the house back home, and we give you 100,000 yuan. But you are never allowed to disturb them again.”

Yu Zhujun grinned as he looked at the documents, not taking them seriously at all. He thought his daughter was just a naive fool. Did she really think a divorce certificate would get rid of him?

Dream on.

“Aiya, your mother and I have been together since we were young. How can you force us to divorce like this?”

“You don’t agree?” Yu Yao cut in. “Then I’ll take them both away. You’ll never find them again. The house back home is in her name—I’ll sell it, and you won’t get a single cent. Think carefully.”

“You—!” Yu Zhujun ground his teeth but ultimately picked up the pen and signed both documents.

Yu Xiulan stood behind Yu Yao, her daughter’s tall figure blocking every hateful glare from her husband. After all these years, she had still failed to protect her children properly.

After signing, Yu Zhujun handed the documents back. Yu Yao reached out to take them, but Yu Xiulan grabbed them first. Her eyes were red—she had so much she wanted to yell at him, to curse him with—but remembering what Yu Yao had said earlier, she held it in.

Yu Xiulan signed the divorce agreement, but Yu Yao stopped her before she could sign the transfer.

“9 a.m. tomorrow, at the civil affairs office. Once the divorce certificate is in hand, she’ll sign the transfer agreement.”

Yu Yao pulled out her phone and transferred 50,000 yuan to his account right in front of him. “The remaining 50,000 will be transferred after the divorce is finalized.”

“Now, you can leave.”

Seeing the notification of the money arriving, Yu Zhujun grinned again. “Yu Yao, you really are a good daughter. Alright, see you tomorrow.”

He turned and walked away without the slightest hesitation.

Only when his figure disappeared into the night did Yu Xiulan finally say, heartbroken, “Yao Yao, that house was left by your grandma for you and your sister. How could you just give it to him?!”

Yu Yao’s expression remained calm. She patted her mom’s shoulder. “Don’t worry, Mom. He won’t get anything.”

Yu Xiulan stared at her daughter, stunned by her icy expression, unable to say a word.

“Mom, take the documents upstairs. I’ll make a call and come up later.”

Once Yu Xiulan left, Yu Yao made a phone call.

“Hello? Little Yao~”

“Senior, I’ll leave the rest to you.”

The voice on the other end giggled, “Oh please, this is nothing! Don’t worry, I’ll take care of everything. Did you decide where to send him yet? Angola or Mauritius?”

Yu Yao chuckled. “The farther the better. As long as it’s not in the country, anywhere’s fine.”

The woman laughed, “Alright, alright. I got it. It’s getting late—I need my beauty sleep! I’ll regret it if I’m not glowing for next month’s wedding.”

“Then congrats in advance.”

“Haha, thanks! But you are coming to the wedding, right?”

“Of course. I’ll definitely be there.”

“Good. Just seeing your face will boost my energy.”

Yu Yao smiled and complimented her back. They chatted a while longer before she hung up.

She had met this senior back in college, though they hadn’t gone to the same university. They became close because of the guy Yu Yao once “dated” for half a day—he turned out to be the fiancé of this senior, whose relationship history was nothing short of a roller coaster. That they made it to marriage was truly a case of “every pot has its lid.”

…

Back at home, the dining table had been cleared. Yu Ling and Lu Zhili were watching a variety show on the couch, occasionally bursting into laughter.

Standing at the door, Yu Yao watched the scene. The cold wind from outside had chilled her to the bone, but now a wave of warmth spread through her whole body.

In that moment, she suddenly wanted to tell her family about her relationship with Lu Zhili—honestly and seriously.

Her breath caught, but she quickly shoved the thought back down.

Youthful passion might overcome everything, but she was no longer that young—and Lu Zhili’s situation was… complicated.

Even getting to be lovers had already been a rare and fortunate journey.

When they first got together, Yu Yao hadn’t expected things to last. She simply couldn’t bear to give up someone who loved her so wholeheartedly—because she had never experienced it before.

A relationship whose ending was already in sight didn’t need more complications. She would wait. Wait until she got tired of it, until Lu Zhili got tired too—then they would part ways.

Introducing her to the family now would only make the eventual breakup more painful.

Maybe because of Yu Zhujun’s visit earlier, both Yu Ling and Yu Xiulan looked preoccupied that night.

Yu Yao didn’t say much. Seeing that it was late, she pulled Lu Zhili along to wash up and go to bed.

She had originally planned to share a bed with Yu Ling that night and let Lu Zhili sleep alone in the guest room. Although Lu Zhili wasn’t happy about hiding their relationship, she still agreed without protest.

To her surprise, Yu Ling insisted she preferred sleeping alone and told Yu Yao to sleep in the guest room with Lu Zhili.

Seeing the mischievous look on her sister’s face, Yu Yao felt complicated emotions but agreed in the end.

…

The bedroom lights were off. The two lay flat on their backs in silence, staring up at the ceiling.

Once everything quieted down, Lu Zhili couldn’t help but start thinking about Yu Yao again. Even in her silly state, she could tell Yu Yao’s family situation was complex.

“Ah Yao, are you asleep?” Lu Zhili whispered, keeping her voice low.

Yu Yao wasn’t asleep. She was still thinking about that divorce agreement. She had prepared herself fully to deal with this—whether it took force or persuasion—but actually holding the document in her hands made the dark shadow of her family’s past suddenly seem… not so terrifying.

“No,” she replied.

“Did you really give him the money?” Lu Zhili placed her hands over her chest. “Did Auntie get mad? If she didn’t want you to give it to him, I could’ve done it for you.”

She turned her head toward Yu Yao, only able to make out her blurry profile in the dark. “I’m really rich, you know.”

Yu Yao laughed. That might’ve been the happiest laugh she’d had all night. “Don’t worry, I’ve got it handled. Your money’s safe.”

“Alright. Then I’ll save it for when we get married.” Lu Zhili smiled, eyes curved into crescents.

Right after saying it, she suddenly realized what she’d said and hurriedly corrected herself, “Ah! No, no—I mean when I get married. Not we! Not us!”

Yu Yao’s smile froze on her face. It wasn’t the first time Lu Zhili had mentioned wanting to marry her, but she still didn’t know how to respond.

She didn’t believe in love—it was too fragile to be relied on. So naturally, she didn’t believe in marriage either.

“Zhili.”

“Mm?”

“Do you want to know about my family?”

“Will you tell me?”

“It might take a long, long time.”

“That’s fine. If it’s about you, it won’t feel long at all.”

Yu Yao reached out and held Lu Zhili’s hand tightly. Perhaps sensing her unease, Lu Zhili turned to face her and clutched Yu Yao’s arm, holding her close to provide a sense of security.

“When I was five, my grandfather passed away…”