"Xia Chen, the two of you should divorce. Right now, you don't deserve Qingxue."
"You're nothing more than a fresh college graduate. Our Qingxue, however, is the president of a listed company, controlling billions in funds and determining the fates of countless workers. And you? What do you have? You have nothing."
On an evening, in one of the villas on the eastern side of Biya Pavilion, a man and two women can be found. One of the women is serene and frosty, her face expressionless, her gaze indifferent to others.
The woman is stunningly beautiful, with fair skin, beautiful looks, and hair flowing like a waterfall. What's most impressive, however, is her enchanting face! Despite her beauty, her aura is deterring, keeping others at bay from a mile away.
This woman is no ordinary one, her name is Lin Qingxue. Aged just 23 years, she is the current head of the Qingxue Group in Donghai City. She's seen as the epitome of perfection by countless men, but also as a majestic ice queen.
Beside this girl is another woman, equally elegant and attractive, but there is an air of superiority about her, especially in her contemptuous, scoffing gaze towards Xia Chen. Her name is Lin Xiaoya, she is Lin Qingxue's aunt.
The man is Xia Chen, a recent college graduate of average talent, and of the same age as Lin Qingxue.
One might think that their marriage was a cruel joke from the heavens. It was only due to the acquaintanceship of their fathers. Xia Chen himself is not sure about the depth of that relationship. All he knows is that he was destined to marry this girl, an arrangement both fathers consented to.
Originally, he believed marrying such a beautiful girl would be like having a pie fall from the sky. However, life rarely turns out to be that simple.
"So is this what you think too?" Xia Chen took a deep breath, staring intently at the woman in front of him. Yes, she is extremely beautiful, surpassing even the stars on TV. She is regarded as the number one beauty in Donghai City. Countless wealthy and influential men covet her, their capabilities are unimaginable.
Xia Chen knows that he doesn't deserve Lin Qingxue, and she has never loved him. Yet, it's not that he is particularly infatuated. However, his grandfather made him a promise and even threatened him; that's why he married Lin Qingxue.
When Lin Qingxue noticed Xia Chen's anger, she furrowed her brows slightly, a trace of guilt in her heart, but after a moment of silence, she said, "I'm sorry. Here is five million dollars, it is a compensation to you. With this money, you should be able to find someone better."
Hearing this, Xia Chen gave a self-mocking smile, "Five million, that's not a small amount."
"Xia Chen, don't push your luck. Just divorcing could earn you five million, possibly an amount you may not be able to earn in your lifetime," said Lin Xiaoya arrogantly, disdain and disgust evident in her eyes. To her, Xia Chen was a beggar, a commoner.
"Ha ha ..." The usually silent Xia Chen burst out like a volcano, his face stern as an angry lion, shocking Lin Xiaoya. She didn't expect this usually quiet young man to be so fierce. "Your Lin family is too bullying," he blurted out.
"We've been married for just one month. Yet, these past few days, your kin, they all come here to shame and humiliate me. I admit, your Lin family is wealthy and influential, and I, Xia Chen, am still lacking in comparison. But I'm young, I'm 23 years old. If your family could achieve such feats, who are you to say that I can't rise above my circumstances?"
Lin Qingxue pursed her lips, filled with guilt. She didn't want it to be so either, and she felt sorry for Xia Chen. But truth be told, she had no feelings for him. Their marriage was built upon the foundations laid by their parents. Over the course of this month, she had been observant, witnessing how Xia Chen was always silent, seldom communicating with her.
More often than not, he would leave early and return late, never once troubling her or demanding anything of her. That was why Lin Qingxue had thought to compensate Xia Chen with money. However, in Xia Chen's eyes, this was nothing more than a blatant insult.
Xia Chen retorted coldly, "Auntie, I respect you as an elder, thus I address you as 'auntie'. But remember this, today's me will be tomorrow's you. The humiliation I endure today, I will reclaim it all one day."
Lin Xiaoya was furious. She was superior, even within the Lin family. When had anyone ever dared to talk back to her like this? Her voice was sharp as she warned, "You? You could live another century, and still not catch up to our Lin family, still not be worthy of Qingxue. In this lifetime, the gap between you and Qingxue is as vast as the gap between the sky and the ground."
“Auntie!” Lin Qingxue felt that Lin Xiaoya had gone too far and couldn’t help but interject. Lin Xiaoya finally stopped, not continuing.
Xia Chen chuckled, shaking his head slightly. He looked at Lin Qingxue and paused before saying, “If you want a divorce, then let's get a divorce. Go ask Uncle Lin for the household register. As long as you can get it, I'll divorce you.”
“You…” Lin Qingxue’s eyes widened in anger, but her flaming fury quickly deflated, like a punctured balloon. She knew that getting the household register from her father was a pipe dream—he would never allow her to divorce Xia Chen.
Xia Chen paused once more, then turned to Lin Qingxue again, saying, “As for this money, why don’t you keep it for yourself? Yes, I, Xia Chen, am poor, but I’m not poor enough to take this money.”
At that moment, Xia Chen stood up and slowly walked toward the entrance of the villa. He opened the door and left. Lin Qingxue's emotions were complex. After staying with him for a month, it was the first time she had seen Xia Chen in such a fury. Usually, Xia Chen rarely talked to her, and even seemed to ignore her looks.
After Xia Chen left the villa, he walked by the lake next to it. Looking at the calm lake, he couldn't help but smirk bitterly.
He was married to a breathtakingly beautiful woman—a situation that should have been the happiest thing in the world. But only Xia Chen knew that this woman did not love him. However, Xia Chen was not the type to cling to someone who did not want him. If it wasn’t for the fact that their marriage register was with Lin's father, which meant they lacked the necessary paperwork to get a divorce, he wouldn't have gone through this torment for a month. He was constantly ridiculed by the Lin family, especially Lin Xiaoya. This had made him so annoyed that he had even secretly called his father to discuss this matter. However, his father was opposed to the idea of a divorce, leaving Xia Chen with no choice but to accept his current situation.
What truly irked Xia Chen were the rest of the Lin family members. These were the people he truly found distasteful. However, he wasn't aware of the full extent of the matters concerning the Lin family. To some degree, the Lin father had always been fairly kind to him.
In fact, Xia Chen bore no grudge against Lin Qingxue. When the Lin family came to ridicule and mock him, it was Lin Qingxue who had helped chase them away, and thus spared him some of their contemptuous disdain. For Lin Qingxue, Xia Chen felt somewhat grateful, especially seeing that the beautiful CEO still had warmth in her heart. Yet, Lin Qingxue's actions today had touched his pride. Divorce was one thing, but he didn't want any of this money.
Originally, Xia Chen wanted to move out and thus avoid such harassment. But he couldn't move out, fearing the Lin father might launch a surprise visit any moment, which would cause both of them to face a storm.
As a result, the two had lived together for the past month. However, they rarely talked and never developed any substantive relationship. After returning home, they lived separate lives - he did his thing, she did hers, and neither interfered with the other. Xia Chen was quite satisfied with this.
"Ah, if only a celestial being could bestow an inheritance," he broods. "Even if there’s no inheritance, an assistant system would do as well. Then I wouldn’t be suspected of being a freeloader."
Xia Chen feels a little stifled. He comes from a small family; compared to the Lin family's wealth, he appears like a freeloader. But he thinks that being able to freeload in this day and age is an ability itself.
"Ding ding, as per host's wish, universal system matching in progress."
"Ding ding, system matching successful, host is granted a universal ride-hailing system."
"Shua!"
Xia Chen jumps at the sudden sound but due to his gutsy character, he quickly composes himself. "Who's there, quit with your tricks and show yourself," he demands.
The cold voice appears again in his mind, causing Xia Chen to frown. "I am the universal ride-hailing system. As for my origin, the host has neither the authority nor the qualification to know at present. You only need to know that I can assist you."
"A system?" Xia Chen sounds pleasantly surprised. Just earlier, he wished for either celestial inheritance or a system's possession. Now, surprisingly, a system has possessed him. The suddenness of it all leaves him bewildered.
Everything happened so suddenly, it feels like his wish has come true.
Suppressing the jubilation, Xia Chen attempts to remain calm. He knew the system wasn't a simple one, but exactly what it was, he had yet to find out.
Without delaying any further, Xia Chen asks, "Every system comes with a gift package. System, do you have this feature?"
"Yes!"
The system responded indifferently, "Beep beep, as it is the host's first time accessing the system, a big gift pack has been awarded to the host. May I ask if the host would like to redeem it?"
"Is there really a big gift pack?" Xia Chen's eyes lit up, and he quickly conveyed his wishes.
"Redeem it right away."
"Beep beep, the host has successfully redeemed the gift pack."
"Beep beep, congratulations to the host for acquiring a big gift pack. Would the host like to open it?"
"Open it, open it immediately." Xia Chen was excited. He didn't know what kind of system this was, but he was certain that his life was about to change.
"Beep beep, congratulations to the host for acquiring a skill and a Qiankun ring."
Upon hearing these two items, Xia Chen's eyes flickered involuntarily, filled with anticipation. He asked eagerly, "System, what kind of skill is this, and what is this Qiankun ring?"