Life after divorce was not as wonderful as Fang Bingwen had imagined.

His colleagues at school avoided him like the plague, as if associating with him would tarnish their reputations. Even the leaders no longer valued him as they used to, only telling him to settle his personal matters first, as opportunities would eventually arise.

Now, he didn’t even dare walk on the campus paths because all the students stared at him with strange looks. Some even came up to ask whether he had plotted to marry Ye Qiu for her money. No one believed him when he said otherwise.

Work was unsatisfactory, and when he returned home, there was no hot meal waiting for him. The house was a mess. After being a hands-off shopkeeper for so long, he finally realized how much Ye Qiu had contributed to the home.

In the past, as soon as he came home, Ye Qiu would warmly greet him, take his shoes, put away his bag and coat, and have comfortable clothes ready. He only needed to rest a while before enjoying a meal that suited his taste.

But now, the house was chaotic, the kitchen was cold, and after a day of setbacks, he had to clean up, tidy the house, and cook. Even when the meal was ready, Xiaoqing and Xiao Xu showed little interest.

He had managed on his own with Xiao Xu before, but couldn’t understand why having Xiaoqing around made him feel more exhausted. Isn’t love supposed to be willingly given? Why did he sometimes feel irritated?

Especially when Xiao Xu wouldn’t do his homework and Xiaoqing didn’t care, he felt even more helpless and drained. When prestigious tutors were around, and Xiao Xu had the motivation to compete with Ye Qiu’s nieces and nephews, he never worried about Xiao Xu’s studies.

But now? With his current salary and status, he couldn’t afford those prestigious tutors again. He thought Xiao Xu would be self-disciplined, but after being with Xiaoqing for a few days, he got hooked on online games and somehow became extremely arrogant.

Xiaoqing often said that both she and he were smart, so Xiao Xu couldn’t be that bad. Maybe hearing this too often, Xiao Xu no longer loved learning as before.

Fang Bingwen worried for a long time about Xiao Xu’s studies, but no matter what he said, the mother and son didn’t care. He finally understood the frustration and bitterness Ye Qiu felt when her efforts in the family went unnoticed.

The key issue was that he was also troubled by matters in the laboratory recently, leaving him with no focus to educate Xiao Xu. He just hoped to get through this period, planning to educate Xiao Xu properly once he had the energy.

Reaching this point, Fang Bingwen didn’t blame anyone. He was the one who gave up on Ye Qiu, and he was the one who promised to love and make up for Xiaoqing genuinely. He couldn’t ask Xiaoqing to do household chores for him.

But people get exhausted. Every quiet night, he recalled Ye Qiu’s goodness. After all, when she was around, he didn’t have to worry about anything, unlike the exhaustion he felt now.

Song Qing didn’t notice anything wrong with Fang Bingwen, merely assuming that his experiments were going smoothly and that he was enjoying life with food, drink, and outings to shop.

Although Fang Bingwen wasn’t wealthy, he had been an associate professor for several years, earning a decent salary. Plus, for the past year or two, Ye Qiu had covered household expenses, so he indeed had some savings.

When Song Qing moved in, Fang Bingwen gave her his bank card. After remarrying, she had experienced wealth for a brief period. When that man went bankrupt and they divorced, she found it hard to adjust. Now, she found some solace in Fang Bingwen, and the money on the salary card was enough for her to spend for a while.

On the other hand, while Fang Bingwen was anxious, Fang Xu indulgent, and Song Qing momentarily satisfied, Ye Qiu’s life was truly flourishing. Since getting married, she hadn’t been this carefree.

She no longer had to pretend or serve anyone. She slept in as long as she liked, and after getting enough sleep, she’d do some live streaming or go shopping. In her spare time, she went abroad for shopping sprees. Anyway, she didn’t lack money, and everything was on her terms.

It was only then that netizens realized she wasn’t as uneducated as she claimed to be. 𝚏𝗿𝗲𝐞𝐰𝚎𝕓𝐧𝚘𝘃𝗲𝐥.𝐜𝚘𝕞

She knew several foreign languages and could communicate fluently without a translator. Her fashion sense and ability to mix and match clothes and accessories were impeccable. Some netizens even remarked that it was a loss she wasn’t a beauty influencer.

She was generous, often holding raffles in her live streams, occasionally taking her audience to places that wealthy people frequented, which made her increasingly famous.

In the past, she spent money attending fashion weeks. Now, brands were sending her invitations, and her fame was no less than that of celebrities. Idling was also idle; when she saw small studios on the brink of closure, she invested, becoming a revered figure in the circle akin to a God of Wealth.

Seeing she wasn’t depressed, the Ye Family finally felt at ease and turned a blind eye to her investments. Anyway, it was just small amounts of money. Losing them wouldn’t matter, as long as she wasn’t thinking recklessly.

But sometimes, when luck strikes, nothing can stop it. Truly, two of the small studios Ye Qiu funded took off, with one series becoming a hot item among celebrities.

The more glorious Ye Qiu’s life was, the more envy festered in Song Qing. They were both women, Ye Qiu was supposedly good for nothing, clearly a loser under her, yet why was she living so much better?

Initially, Song Qing concealed her emotions, but gradually, Fang Bingwen sensed something was off and felt emotionally drained. He had already made his choice, so why did Song Qing still compare?

They were entirely different people, what was there to compare?

"Let’s remarry!" This was Fang Bingwen’s thought after much deliberation. He felt Song Qing was overthinking, perhaps she’d settle down after remarriage.

"Remarry? At this time?" Song Qing was astonished, her eyes widening.

Fang Bingwen was taken aback and softly asked, "You don’t want to?"

Perhaps perceiving his surprise, Song Qing quickly composed herself, saying with grievance, "It’s not that I don’t want to, just not at this time."

"What do you mean by ’this time’?"

"Can’t you consider me a bit more? You just divorced Ye Qiu not long ago, and if I remarry you now, wouldn’t it confirm that I interfered between you two? Plus, your experiment is at a critical stage now, how can you give me a grand wedding?"

"Xiaoqing," Fang Bingwen’s expression was somewhat troubled, "I may not have enough money for a grand wedding."

"That’s why you should wait until your experiment is successful!" Song Qing responded matter-of-factly.

"What if it isn’t successful?" he ventured to ask.

"How could it not be? You’re so smart, I believe in you." Song Qing said confidently, but Fang Bingwen’s heart sank, unsure whether to tell her that he didn’t even have permission to enter the lab.