Lin Wanyi felt incredibly humiliated.
She tried to stop Liu Chunlan from spouting nonsense:
"Stop talking nonsense. Brother Liu isn't that kind of person."
"Then what kind of person is he? Lin Wanyi, you're getting a divorce. Why is an outsider tagging along?
"Tell me, tell everyone, what is he doing here?"
The people coming and going to run their errands stopped in their tracks to watch the drama unfold.
They all cast their gazes toward Liu Renzhi.
Lin Wanyi felt deeply guilty.
She kept explaining,
"It's not like that. Don't listen to her nonsense. It's not like that at all."
Liu Chunlan ignored Lin Wanyi and glared at Liu Renzhi:
"Shameless! Everyone, come and take a look. Look at this hypocrite.
"In reality, he's a homewrecker..."
"Mom!"
Wang Hao also felt embarrassed. He loudly reprimanded Liu Chunlan:
"Have you caused enough of a scene? Can you stop embarrassing me?"
Liu Chunlan paid him no mind. She continued to loudly curse at Liu Renzhi:
"Lin Wanyi hasn't divorced yet, and I haven't agreed to it. Don't even think about running off with my daughter-in-law."
The onlookers began to murmur among themselves.
Someone said to Liu Renzhi:
"You look like a refined gentleman, how could you do something like stealing another man's wife?"
"Exactly. Tagging along to someone else's divorce, this is a real eye-opener for me."
"It's laughable. Homewreckers are just shameless, whether they're men or women."
An older man looked at Lin Wanyi with malicious intent:
"Heh, truly unfaithful. Keeping one eye on the pot while eating from the bowl. Have you no shame?"
"Yeah, women these days are getting worse and worse.
"When getting married, they demand a house, a car, and hundreds of thousands in bride price. That's bad enough, but they can't even stay faithful after marriage.
"Just look at this..."
As he spoke, he patted Wang Hao on the shoulder:
"Brother, you've really suffered.
"Let me tell you, don't divorce her. Absolutely do not divorce her and let her get what she wants.
"Drag it out and make her suffer."
Wang Hao lowered his head in shame. Just as Liu Chunlan was about to say something else, Liu Renzhi spoke up first.
He looked at the man who had just spoken:
"You mentioned demanding a house, a car, and a bride price. But what if this woman asked for absolutely nothing?"
"Impossible!"
The man laughed loudly:
"Women today are incredibly materialistic. They'd sell themselves for millions if they could.
"How could she possibly ask for nothing?"
Liu Renzhi stepped up to stand beside Lin Wanyi:
"Wanyi, you tell them. Tell everyone.
"Speak out about your grievances and your suffering.
"Once you've said it and gotten the divorce, you'll be free for the rest of your life."
Lin Wanyi looked at Wang Hao:
"Wang Hao, all of that is in the past. Tell Liu Chunlan to leave.
"Let's not argue about anything anymore. Let's end this with some dignity."
Wang Hao didn't want this either, so he tugged at Liu Chunlan again.
But Liu Chunlan remained unmoved.
She continued to shout loudly:
"Let her speak! She's been married into our family for eight years and hasn't contributed a single thing. In the end, she even cuckolds you, and she's the one feeling wronged?"
"Yes."
Lin Wanyi suddenly exploded:
"In your eyes, I'm worthless. I'm a parasite in the house, a piece of trash entirely dependent on your son.
"Not only that, but I also cuckold your son and cheat on him.
"But if I am so shameless and so unbearable, why won't you let your son divorce me?
"Why are you here trying to stop our divorce? I'm asking you, why?"
"Yeah."
The onlookers were also confused:
"With a daughter-in-law like that, you should have your son kick her to the curb immediately.
"Why are you stopping the divorce? How bizarre."
"She must be lying, otherwise why would she be so agitated?"
"I..."
Liu Chunlan hadn't expected Lin Wanyi to ask this, and for a moment, she didn't know how to explain.
Finally, she bit the bullet and said:
"Because I have a kind heart. Because I don't want the child to grow up without parents. I'm doing this all for the child's sake."
"For the child?"
Lin Wanyi looked her straight in the eye:
"You say it's for the child? Liu Chunlan, don't you feel a guilty conscience?
"Aren't you afraid of getting struck by lightning for saying that?
"Since my daughter was born, you haven't given her a single smile.
"You despised her for being a girl. During my postpartum confinement, you didn't even help me hold her once.
"As soon as I got home from the hospital, I had to cook, wash clothes, and take care of the baby all by myself. You never helped me for a single day.
"Let me ask everyone here, under those circumstances, how was I supposed to go to work? How was I supposed to go out and make money?"
"Wow! That is truly outrageous."
A young woman who was there to get her marriage certificate said sympathetically:
"No matter what, she should have helped during the confinement period. If my future mother-in-law treats me like that, I will absolutely cut all ties with her.
"A grudge from the confinement period is never forgotten."
That older man was still talking:
"Even so, that's still no excuse to cheat and find a wild man."
Lin Wanyi shifted her gaze to him:
"You said I demanded a house, a car, and a bride price, right?
"Well, let me tell you, when I married her son, I didn't ask for a single penny in bride price.
"The house and the car are things we worked hard for after getting married.
"We've been married for eight years, and every month we give my parents-in-law two thousand each for living expenses.
"They haven't helped us one bit from start to finish. I ask you, what did I demand from them?
"What did their family sacrifice to marry me?"
"Ah, well, this, this..."
The older man stepped back awkwardly:
"If what you're saying is true, then you really have been wronged. But I stand by what I said: no matter what, you still shouldn't cheat."
Lin Wanyi wanted to continue speaking, but Wang Hao came over and pulled at her:
"Forget it, stop talking.
"We'll divorce. We will definitely get this divorce, okay?"
"Why shouldn't I speak?"
Lin Wanyi forcefully shook off his hand:
"I'm going to speak, why shouldn't I?
"Wang Hao, for all these years, I've never said much in front of outsiders. But what about your mother?
"In her mouth, I've never been worth a damn.
"She twists the truth and plays the victim. Today, I'm going to lay it all bare."
The more Lin Wanyi thought about it, the more wronged she felt.
Her eyes grew redder with her thoughts.
Liu Renzhi looked at her:
"Don't be afraid. Speak. Say it all and cast it aside. After this comes your new life."
Lin Wanyi nodded through her tears:
"I am not a local. Because of this, my in-laws felt I had no family to back me up.
"So they never treated me like a human being.
"I served the whole family without complaint for eight years. I had no grievances about that, as it was my own choice.
"But a few months ago, my father fell severely ill and my younger brother was getting married. I wanted to return to my hometown, but they did everything in their power to stop me.
"Even after my father passed away, they wouldn't let me go home to attend his funeral.
"What's worse, after I bought my plane ticket, they poisoned my daughter to force me to stay.
"I ask you, I ask all of you here.
"Can I still stay in a family like this? Should I continue staying here as their free nanny?"
"That's going way too far."
The older female clerk processing their paperwork was furious. She quickly stamped the official seal onto the documents.
She muttered in a voice only she could hear:
"Divorce. This marriage must end. I have to process these papers for you, and no one is going to stop me."
