Reborn as the Villain's Wife, I Shine in 80s-Chapter 501 - 485 Live News with Li Shimei (4)

"And you said you wanted a divorce, but you just sent fifty bucks back and thought you could erase all the debts you owed our family? How is that even possible? Not to mention, divorce is just your one-sided wish—I completely disagree! If you were sincere about the divorce, if you truly understood gratitude, you wouldn’t have just sent fifty bucks. My son and I almost starved to death on the streets!" Zhang Ying accused tearfully, enunciating every word.

Li Yibai, now famous across the country for his novels, couldn’t possibly be without money. Yet he sent just fifty bucks to try to secure a divorce, a glaring sign he didn’t care at all about the mother and son. If that’s how he treated them, why should she grant his wishes for a divorce? He married into their family; he would remain her family’s person for life. He could forget about fooling around with other women!

During this period, Zhang Ying worked at Tian Sangsang’s factory, interacting with skilled individuals, which significantly changed her perspective.

Indeed, Li Yibai initially thought that giving fifty bucks to a country woman he looked down upon was already generous. He also assumed that this humble and honest village woman wouldn’t dare confront him and would endure everything quietly. Yet he hadn’t anticipated how much she had changed—now fierce and venomous, a far cry from her former shy and clumsy self. If he had known things would become this troublesome, he would have sent more money at the time. Being called heartless wasn’t too catastrophic, but being labeled ungrateful? Who would dare associate with him in the future?

Zhang Ying sneered, "Don’t even talk about taking care of your son! Ask Xiaozhi, does he even recognize you as his father?"

Xiaozhi looked at Li Yibai with eyes full of unfamiliarity and shook his head decisively. His attitude was heartbreaking. A child’s eyes never lie. His emotions were pure and untainted.

"I haven’t seen him in years," Xiaozhi said.

Li Yibai, a man who never placed much importance on family bonds, naturally felt no warmth toward his son. Even so, hearing these words from his own child still infuriated him to the point of near collapse!

"What nonsense are you spouting!" Li Yibai suppressed a surge of rage and demanded, "When did I only give you fifty bucks? Have you run out of money and now want to extort me? I’m not broke—I would never just send fifty bucks!" Admitting he sent just fifty bucks would utterly ruin his reputation, especially with so many people watching.

Indeed, there were many pairs of eyes on him. The audience, who had once admired Li Yibai, now looked at him with contempt. Sending only fifty bucks in a divorce settlement—how stingy could he be? And wait, the woman insisted they weren’t even divorced yet. If they weren’t divorced, then his relationship with Jia Wenxiu was blatant infidelity! Earlier, some in the crowd had admired the supposed chemistry between Li Yibai and Jia Wenxiu, but now it seemed more like they were a shameless pair. He had played them all like fools! Their hearts were heavy with disappointment, unable to believe the author they admired in literature was so despicable and irresponsible in real life. Especially the women in attendance, who were seething with anger and disgust toward him.

Witnessing this drama, Ye Binyi couldn’t help but want to burst out laughing. Her previously stifled heart now felt immensely relieved. Li Yibai and that fox spirit truly were two of a kind—penny-pinching to the core. This public lecture turned out to be an unexpectedly delightful event for her, as if she had taken a miracle cure.

"Li Yibai refuses to admit he only gave me fifty bucks, but luckily, I still kept the letter he sent at the time, even the envelope. Otherwise, I’d never be able to prove the injustice, even if I jumped into the Yellow River," Zhang Ying declared without fear of him playing tricks. She took a letter from her bosom and handed it to the principal nearby: "Principal, please read this aloud. Let the faculty and students bear witness. Li Yibai is ungrateful and undeserving of everyone’s admiration—he’s nothing more than a hypocrite."

What? Li Yibai’s eyes widened in shock, his heart racing. What was wrong with this woman? She had kept even the letter? Could it be that he, a time traveler, would meet his downfall because of a supporting character? No way—he was obviously the protagonist!

"Who knows if that’s real or fake!" Li Yibai tried to snatch the letter. "Let me see!"

The principal, intrigued by the letter, had initially taken Li Yibai’s side. However, after hearing the woman’s accusations, he too began questioning Li Yibai’s character and refused to hand him the letter.

Both Li Yibai and Jia Wenxiu stared intently at the letter. With so many eyes present, they dared not act rashly and could only stand there, frozen in place.

"Zhang Ying, this is Li Yibai. I’m doing well now and have found someone at the university. She’s prettier than you, gentler than you, and more educated than you. You are neither beautiful nor bold and are nothing but a crude, rural woman. How dare someone like you aspire to be with me? Let me be honest with you: I’ve never liked you. Being with you is revolting to me. Stay obediently in the countryside and don’t come looking for me. Even if you find me, I won’t want you. Here I’m filing for divorce, whether you like it or not. Also, the fifty bucks I’m sending is our breakup fee. Don’t bother me again after this."

These words, brutal and cutting, outright humiliated his long-suffering wife—a typical scoundrel’s rhetoric. Despite his claims of sending more than fifty bucks, the letter clearly stated it was only fifty, with not an extra penny mentioned.

The crowd collectively drew in sharp breaths. This... this... how could anyone say something so vile? How could such a morally bankrupt person have written works like *Heroic Legend of the Condor Heroes* or *Return of the Condor Heroes*? The disparity was truly jaw-dropping.

The principal recognized Li Yibai’s handwriting. The letter, with its yellowed paper, clearly wasn’t recent. The envelope bore Li Yibai’s return address at East Sea Film Academy, dated earlier this year, complete with a postal stamp, leaving no room for doubt.

The principal even passed the letter to some of Li Yibai’s former professors, who confirmed it was his handwriting. They let out collective sighs of disappointment, remarking how they never imagined Li Yibai could be this kind of person.

At this moment, Li Yibai’s face was as pale as a sheet, livid and humiliated.

Suddenly, the doors of the lecture hall were pushed open. A group of people entered from outside, including some from the cultural bureau and a screenwriter from Hong Kong. The screenwriter shook the principal’s hand and said, "Hello. I’m a screenwriter from the TVB script competition in Hong Kong. We recently received a script submission from your school by Li Yibai. The script is quite unique, so I’d like to ask him a few questions. Would that be alright?"

Li Yibai’s heart reignited with hope.

He was confident in *Shanghai Beach*—could these people have come for the rest of the script? This was his chance to turn things around, to reclaim the image he had just lost!