Jiang Lijin opened their emails one by one. The content was identical, with blatant humiliation woven between the lines.
They were willing to pay a one-time compensation of 50,000 star coins, on the condition that she voluntarily waive all rights to the division of post-marital property, permanently leave the Capital Star, and never mention her marriage to the three of them in public.
Jiang Lijin frowned. In the original owner's memory, her three husbands, as S-grade beastmen, all possessed considerable social status and wealth. Only 50,000 from each? And demanding no division of marital assets? Were they trying to dismiss a beggar?
She immediately closed their emails and searched for the relevant laws of this world on her optical computer. After a short while, she began typing a reply.
To: Rex, Kieran, Arden
Subject: Reply regarding the "Draft Agreement on the Dissolution of Marriage"
Sirs:
I have received your correspondence.
Upon review, the compensation plan you proposed falls significantly short of the obligations required under the current interstellar legal framework.
According to Article 47, Paragraph 3 of the Interstellar Marriage Law, a female has the right to 30% of the joint marital property upon divorce.
Based on publicly available information (source links attached), your annual incomes over the past three years are as follows:
Rex Walker (Heir of the Walker family in the Fourth Galaxy): Average annual income of approximately 1.2 million star coins.
Kieran Noah (Heir of the Noah family in the Seventh Galaxy, Colonel of the Third Legion of the Federal Military): Average annual income and investment returns of approximately 3.5 million star coins.
Arden Flame (Class-A Registered Hunter of the Starfield Free Mercenary Guild): Average annual commission income of approximately 800,000 star coins.
Calculated accordingly, my minimum legal claims are as follows:
...
Furthermore, according to the Special Protection Clauses for Divorced Females, the stipulation requiring a female to "permanently leave the Capital Star" constitutes an "unreasonable restriction on a female's right to free migration" and requires special approval from the Female Protection Association.
According to the Personal Information Protection Law, the demand to "never mention the marriage" may infringe upon a female's right to freedom of speech, and I suggest it be amended.
Jiang Lijin typed the final period, double-checked everything, and clicked send.
The optical computer let out a soft swish sound, indicating the email was sent successfully. She suddenly felt an aching emptiness in her stomach. Standing up, she found half a bottle of water left on the nightstand. She unscrewed the cap and gulped down two mouthfuls of cold water.
Just as she set the bottle down, a rush of heavy, urgent footsteps echoed outside the door, followed by an unceremonious pounding.
"Jiang Lijin! Open the door!" It was Arden's voice. She could feel his fury even through the door panel.
Jiang Lijin slowly walked back to the bed and sat down, ignoring him.
"I know you're in there, your optical computer shows you're online." Arden pounded two more times, making the metal doorframe vibrate. "What the hell did you just send?"
"Arden." Kieran's much calmer voice sounded from outside, carrying a tone of restraint. "Stop pounding on the door."
"Did you not see that email?" Arden's voice rose. "She calculated our incomes! And cited laws? A mere C-grade like her—"
"Shut up!" Kieran scolded in a low voice. After a pause, he spoke to the door, "Jiang Lijin, we need to talk."
Only then did Jiang Lijin get up and walk to the door. Without opening it, she spoke through the panel, "Talk about what? The email was clear enough."
"Where did you get those figures?" This time it was Rex. His voice was kept very low, but his suppressed anger was palpable. "And the legal citations—who taught you that?"
Jiang Lijin laughed. "C-grades can use the internet too. As for the income data, you three are prominent figures. What can't be found online?"
Silence fell outside the door.
"The amount you're asking for is impossible," Rex said stiffly. "Military allowances, family trusts, and commission fees—most of these do not fall under joint marital property."
"Then let's hand it over to the Empire's Marriage Administration and let them decide," Jiang Lijin said breezily. "The Female Protection Association provides free legal aid anyway. I can apply to freeze a portion of your assets for preservation until the verdict comes down. As for me, I'm just a C-grade with nothing but free time. I can wait. But I wonder if you three can afford to drag this out for six months or a year?"
In truth, Jiang Lijin had no confidence in her own bluff. If it really dragged on for a year, she might starve to death first. But she didn't care; she was going all out.
"Are you threatening us?" Arden gritted his teeth.
"Just stating the facts." Leaning back against the door, Jiang Lijin stretched out her slender fingers and examined them out of boredom. "You were the ones who tried to send me packing with a measly fifty thousand."
Kieran suddenly spoke up, his voice closer to the door. "Jiang Lijin, you were never like this before."
Jiang Lijin's movements paused.
"We've been married for three years, and you barely knew how to use an optical computer," Kieran said calmly. "Yesterday you were asking me how to apply for an increase in your monthly living allowance, and today you can accurately cite the marriage law. Why?"
Hearing this, Jiang Lijin lowered her eyes. The original owner truly was a pushover. Thrown into this absurd marriage by the Mainframe's matchmaking, she hadn't dared to rebel. Instead, she had lived in constant fear for three years, her memories filled with scenes of cautiously trying to please them...
Were they... suspecting her?
"People change," she said, her voice slightly hoarse. "Especially when they're pushed to the brink."
The people outside seemed choked by her words, and silence reigned for a good while.
Finally, it was Kieran who broke the silence. "Fine, we will draft a new agreement. The compensation amount is negotiable, and the requirement to leave the Capital Star can be dropped, but you must sign it as soon as possible."
"Agreed," Jiang Lijin replied swiftly. "But I need to see some sincerity first."
"What sincerity?"
"Transfer ten thousand star coins to my account right now."
There was no sound from outside. A few seconds later, the old-fashioned optical computer on the desk vibrated. Jiang Lijin walked over to check it; her account balance had jumped to 10,032 star coins.
Immediately after, footsteps sounded outside the door, gradually fading away.
Jiang Lijin waited until it was completely quiet before opening the door a crack to look out. The corridor was empty; those three bastards had finally left. She closed and locked the door, letting out a long breath, her legs feeling a bit weak.
Not daring to delay, she used the newly arrived funds to place an order at the cheapest 24-hour convenience store on the Star Network community: ten tubes of basic nutrient solution, a bag of synthetic bread, and a bottle of the cheapest painkillers. She hadn't felt it earlier due to the tension, but now the cramping pain in her stomach was becoming increasingly obvious. She even specifically set the delivery address to "toss in through the window of the third room on the second floor."
She didn't dare spend too much money, as she wasn't sure how long this tug-of-war with those three would last. If she was kicked out halfway through, she would need a little money to protect herself.
Half an hour later, a small drone flew up to the window and tossed a package inside.
She picked up the package, sat on the bed, and first unscrewed the painkiller and drank it. Only when the sharp cramps in her stomach slowly eased did she open a nutrient solution, tilt her head back, and take a gulp.
She almost spat out the mouthful. It was absolutely disgusting, tasting just like spoiled bitter melon juice! She quickly tore off a piece of bread and stuffed it into her mouth to wash the taste away, only to discover that the synthetic bread tasted like soggy cardboard...
But she had no choice right now. If she didn't eat, she would go hungry, so she forced herself to swallow it down.
She looked out the window. The artificial moon of the prime planet had risen, its cold white light filtering through the glass and spilling across the floor.
