Chapter 37 Whoever refuses to leave, their whole family dies.

Not long after Chen Zhuo boarded the high-speed train, his phone rang.

It was a call from the Company's legal department, stating that the Jiangning County government had temporarily implemented a policy to gradually shut down some kaolin mining operations in order to facilitate the protection and development of the ancient architectural complex.

The suspension of the mines would directly affect the Company's supply contracts, and the Company also held a small portion of equity in the mines.

Therefore, the Company required him to attend the mining shareholders' meeting held at the county government office that afternoon, led by the Culture and Tourism Bureau, and sign a supplementary agreement on behalf of the Company.

Chen Zhuo agreed without much thought.

It was past twelve by the time he got off the high-speed train. He hailed a taxi and went home first.

When he arrived home, it was lunchtime. At the neighbor's doorway, Tan Xiaolei was standing there talking loudly on the phone.

Seeing Chen Zhuo, he hung up and gestured toward Chen Zhuo's house with his chin. "They've been making a scene all morning, demanding you sign."

Chen Zhuo forced a smile. "Is my mom okay?"

"She's fine. I helped persuade them a bit, but you need to take charge of this matter." Although it wasn't appropriate to interfere in someone else's marital affairs, Tan Xiaolei viewed Chen Zhuo like a younger brother.

The two families had been neighbors for decades. While Chen Ang's family had spent much of that time living in Bin City, after they moved back seven years ago, the two families had kept in close contact.

In the living room, his parents sat to one side, silent.

Chen Zhuo went over and sat next to his mother. His gaze landed on a document on the coffee table. He picked it up and confirmed it was a divorce agreement.

Flipping to the back and seeing the name Li Xue signed there, he didn't hesitate. He took out a pen and began to sign his own name.

"Xiaozhuo, do you want to reconsider? If there's an issue, just talk it out. If you divorce, what will you do about Jingjing?"

It was Qu Suping speaking. She was simply worried that the child would grow up in an environment lacking maternal love.

Her actions couldn't be judged simply as good or bad, but she didn't know that her interference was repeatedly causing her son to fall into self-conflict.

Chen Zhuo and Li Xue had been in a free-choice relationship. Back then, one loved money, and the other loved beauty.

Before the Chen family went bankrupt, Li Xue was a good wife and a good daughter-in-law.

But after the bankruptcy, everything changed.

Facing the gradually increasing pressure of life, Li Xue began to pressure Chen Zhuo, followed by cold violence, and eventually, frequent outbursts that left the whole family in turmoil.

Every other word out of her mouth was about how Chen Zhuo had tricked her into marrying down, and how his bankruptcy had dragged her into the mud.

She completely forgot that back then, she had accepted nearly 500,000 in bride price and gold jewelry, and she didn't remember that the milk tea shop was only able to open because Chen Zhuo had worked from dawn till dusk to earn the money.

"Mom, stop talking. You know what she's like, don't you?" Chen Zhuo didn't want to say more and signed his name directly.

Chen Zhonghui hadn't spoken the whole time. If this had been seven years ago, he would have summoned the authority of the head of the household and used his own methods to resolve this matter.

But times had changed. He was no longer the "General Manager Chen" he once was. His son's unhappy marriage made him blame himself, so he chose silence.

Silence was also the protective color he had added to himself over these seven years, and at the same time, a cage that trapped him.

Seeing that their son had already signed, Chen Zhonghui and Qu Suping exchanged a look, sighed, and got up to return to the backyard.

In the living room, Tan Xiaolei, who had been smoking to the side, finally showed a look of relief.

After Chen Zhuo signed, he went over and sat down, smiling as he said, "That was close. Almost let this woman live a good life."

Chen Zhuo handed the agreement over. "Isn't she going to have a good life from now on?"

Tan Xiaolei took it and started reading. The house was split in half, the car belonged to the man, the 260,000 in savings went to the woman, Li Xue was not responsible for debts, and the child, Chen Yijing, went to Chen Zhuo, with her paying no child support.

"It really looks that way. Aside from half a house and a beat-up car, you're basically left with nothing. This marriage was practically poverty alleviation." With a click of his tongue, Tan Xiaolei withdrew his gaze from the agreement and looked at Chen Zhuo. "So, are you just going to let it go?"

"Brother Lei, do you think if she knew the real situation, would this divorce still go through?" Chen Zhuo looked at Tan Xiaolei very calmly.

Tan Xiaolei suddenly realized. "Don't even say it—actually, you're right. She'd have to cling to this place. Give her this little bit of money for now; there will be plenty of opportunities to get it back later. If you can't get it back, figure out a way to scam it out of her."

Chen Zhuo smiled slightly, the coldness on his face relaxing a little.

"So, what she's asking for now is indeed a lot, but in a month, she will come kneeling here, kowtowing and begging me to remarry her."

Tan Xiaolei chuckled and handed him a cigarette.

He was, of course, well aware of what Chen Zhuo meant. The bond between the two brothers, Chen Ang and Chen Zhuo, was not just empty talk.

"You're not going back to Bin City today, right?" Tan Xiaolei changed the subject.

"Tonight, your brother will take you out to have some fun, to celebrate. If you can wait a couple of days, I'll go with you."

Chen Zhuo shook his head. "I have a meeting at the government office this afternoon, and I have to go to the Company tomorrow. I'll head back after dinner."

"Alright then. I'll be based in Bin City in a couple of days, so there will be plenty of opportunities then."

"Are you sure you're going to work with my brother?"

"Staying at home all the time is pointless. I'll go to the big city and try my luck. Who knows, maybe I'll get rich too."

The two of them chatted idly until Qu Suping called them for dinner, which brought their conversation to an end.

Two o'clock in the afternoon, Jiangning County government office.

Chen Zhuo drove straight to the venue. Just as his car turned into the parking lot entrance, his gaze was drawn to a Mercedes G63 parked on the side of the road—it was white, and the paint was so shiny it reflected light.

Before his family went bankrupt, he had one too, only his was black.

After parking and getting out, having taken only two steps, he saw a woman standing by the door of the G63. It was Li Xue.

She was wearing a beige trench coat with her hair tied up, leaning against the car door and looking down at her phone, as if she were waiting for someone.

Chen Zhuo's footsteps suddenly stopped, and then he continued walking forward.

Li Xue looked up and saw him.

Her expression froze for a moment, then her eyebrows knitted together, and her tone was filled with obvious annoyance. "Chen Zhuo? Are you stalking me?"

Chen Zhuo stood three steps away from her. He didn't speak, just looked at her quietly, his gaze filled with scrutiny.

"What are you doing running to the government office? I'm telling you, I've already signed the agreement, don't come here making a scene." Li Xue was somewhat unaccustomed to Chen Zhuo's gaze.

Perhaps out of a guilty conscience, she shoved her phone into her bag and took two steps forward. Her voice, though deliberately lowered, couldn't suppress that air of self-righteousness. "I've spent so many years with you and ended up with nothing. Don't come pestering me; let's part on good terms."

"What did you end up with?" Chen Zhuo finally spoke. His voice wasn't loud, but it was steady. "You took the 500,000 in bride price, and I paid to open the milk tea shop. I gave you all the savings, you took half the house, and I took on all the debt. Think carefully again about what you didn't end up with?"

Li Xue's face changed for a moment, then returned to normal.

"Stop bringing up old scores. Those were all before the marriage; what you say doesn't count. Can't you, a grown man, have some backbone? Can you stop embarrassing yourself here?"

Her voice grew weaker the more she spoke, and her eyes unconsciously scanned the surroundings, as if she were terrified of being seen.

"Don't worry, I've always had backbone. I've signed the paper. Whoever doesn't divorce, may their whole family die."

This statement, which left no room for retreat, made Li Xue freeze. She stared at Chen Zhuo, and in a daze, she seemed to see the high-spirited energy of his youth.

What had given him this confidence?

Li Xue's eyes flickered. After forcing herself to calm down, she gritted her teeth and said, "Fine. Whoever doesn't divorce, may their whole family die."