"My Best Friend is right. I could have had a better life, but I've been living this frugal, futureless existence for you. I've wasted five years of my youth on you. Women only have so many five-year periods. Women have it tough, and they should pursue a better life."
"It's your Best Friend again. You believe everything she says. Ever since your Best Friend showed up, our lives haven't been good for a single day."
"My Best Friend is looking out for me."
"I think your Best Friend just can't stand seeing us happy."
"I want the divorce. The five years we've been together have been a mistake. It's not the life I want, and you can't give me happiness. Please don't blame my Best Friend."
A coffee shop near the Civil Affairs Bureau.
Li Xingran, dressed in an expensive dress, pulled the divorce agreement from her GUCCI bag and pushed it towards Liang Canwen, who was wearing a cheap T-shirt.
"I've drawn up the divorce agreement. We've been in Modu for five years, with no car, no house, just that small barber shop to make a living. And we have a three-year-old daughter. I'm leaving with nothing. You love our daughter so much, you can have her. Sign it, and we'll go get divorced immediately."
Liang Canwen didn't take the divorce agreement. Instead, he looked out the window at the Mercedes-Benz S600 parked on the side of the road, and sneered.
"Your Best Friend is really something, she's already found you a new man. You don't even want your daughter anymore, just to live a better life?"
"My daughter can't lose me, she can't lose her father!"
"You sound so righteous."
"Liang Canwen, are you saying all this because you want money? Tell me how much! I'll give it to you, as long as you sign the divorce papers."
"No rush, let's wait a little longer."
"Wait for what?"
Liang Canwen looked at his wife, who was so eager to divorce him and run into the arms of a rich man. He wanted to slap himself. I spent 300,000, and I married this kind of woman?
Liang Canwen was a hairstylist, a "Tony" as they're known, with a small barbershop located beneath an old, run-down building in Modu.
Before marriage, he worked sporadically, earning just enough to get by, carefree and without a care in the world, planning to remain single and live a life of freedom.
Five years ago, he met Li Xingran, a recent college graduate looking for a haircut before a job interview.
Through their conversation, he learned she was a junior from the same university. Li Xingran was from out of town, while Liang Canwen was a local and, as a senior, they connected. After several encounters, they started dating, and Liang Canwen abandoned his vow to "never marry and live free," and they got married.
Back then, Liang Canwen believed in love.
Liang Canwen originally owned a house, but years ago, his parents were conned into using the house as collateral for a loan to invest. The investment failed, and they couldn't bear the burden, so they committed suicide, leaving Liang Canwen only the barbershop.
After the wedding, Liang Canwen completely changed his previously lax work ethic. Relying on his excellent skills, he worked in the shop from the moment he opened until he closed, completely focused on making money. Especially after his daughter was born, Liang Canwen worked even harder. After closing the shop at night, he would deliver takeout, just wanting to earn more money to provide a real home in Modu for his wife and daughter.
He was tired, but Liang Canwen was happy because he had his wife and child, a warm home. Everything was worth it for them.
It wasn't until Li Xingran's best friend from university came to Modu that problems began to arise within the previously harmonious and warm family.
Later, his wife changed.
First, there was a change in his wife's social media posts. The posts shifted from sharing photos of their child and their happy little family to...
"Don't bow your head, or your crown will fall; don't cry, or those worthless men will laugh."
"Men earn money to spend on women; a man unwilling to spend money on you doesn't love you."
"Women must marry a man who treats them like a princess."
"Women bound by marriage are unhappy; women should live for themselves."
Every day, his wife and her best friend would discuss these things about how women should be.
Her best friend's words were gospel to her, and she transformed from a good wife into a pretentious, materialistic little fairy, corrupted by the dazzling lights of Modu.
The final outcome? Liang Canwen discovered that his wife had become wealthy, having hooked up with a rich man.
I've been cuckolded!
A few days ago was their daughter's third birthday. Their daughter made a wish – that her parents and she would always be together.
After blowing out the candles, the first words out of Li Xingran's mouth were: "Liang Canwen, let's get a divorce."
And then, she got up and left.
When they met again, it was now, with a divorce agreement in hand.
"Liang Canwen, don't think that by dragging this out, I won't divorce you. Your pathetic little barbershop doesn't make any money. Face reality, you can't give me happiness."
Beep beep beep~
Liang Canwen's WeChat buzzed. A message popped up. Liang Canwen frowned as he picked it up, but upon seeing the contents, his brows finally relaxed, revealing a relieved smile: "Alright! Let's get divorced!"
"You agreed so quickly. Did you find someone else?"
Li Xingran snatched Liang Canwen's phone. She looked at the content:
[Modu Medical University Forensic Science Identification Center] Ads by Pubfuture Pubfuture Ads [Paternity Test Report]
[Client: Liang Canwen]
[Date of Request: June 10th, 2402]
[Purpose of Request: Is Liang Yanyan the biological daughter of Liang Canwen?]
[Analysis: The 19th STR gene of D8S1179 is a genetic marker of humans, following Mendel's laws of inheritance. Combined applications can be used for professional identification, with a non-paternity exclusion rate of 0.99999999989]
[Test Result: Liang Yanyan is the biological daughter of Liang Canwen.]
Li Xingran finally understood what Liang Canwen had been waiting for: the paternity test results.
"Liang Canwen, you actually had a paternity test done on your daughter?"
Liang Canwen stood up, hands in his pockets, looking down at the woman he had thought he would grow old with: "Just in case. I don't want to be a fool. You never know what someone is really like. Who knows if you've been unfaithful recently or before our daughter was even born?"
"My Best Friend was right. I should have left a man like you a long time ago and found someone better."
With that, she stormed out.
Liang Canwen found it amusing. What was she even angry about? She was the one who cheated on him. Was it too much for him to get a test done? That damn Best Friend, who had been encouraging Li Xingran to divorce him, had disappeared these past few days.
There were many people divorcing at the Civil Affairs Bureau. After waiting in line for an hour, the two of them got divorced. They received their divorce certificates and walked out.
"Liang Canwen, I advise you to find a real job. That lousy hair salon of yours doesn't make much money and can't give your daughter the life she deserves. Think about it!"
Li Xingran turned and walked out of the Civil Affairs Bureau, opening the back door of the Mercedes-Benz S600 and getting inside.
A man in a suit embraced Li Xingran, deliberately pinching her snow-white thigh in front of Liang Canwen.
This was Wang Cheng, the man she was having an affair with, and the owner of a company. He had a wife, so Li Xingran, who had been clamoring for financial independence, had become a mistress.
Wang Cheng whispered, "Let's go to the hotel to celebrate."
Li Xingran knew he was saying it on purpose in front of Liang Canwen and felt ashamed.
"Xiao Li, drive to the Shangri-La Hotel," Wang Cheng said.
The Mercedes-Benz S600 carried the lovey-dovey couple away.
[Society is a bitch, only flirting with the rich.]
[Ding! Save the Man System loading successful]
"System? Is that you?"
Save the Man System?
Yeah, men live too tiring lives, they need to be saved.
Name: Liang Canwen Age: 28 Height: 183 Appearance: 72 (Note: Once the school heartthrob, once Yanzu, now tormented by marriage, if this continues, you, Liang Canwen, the former Yanzu, will become Su Daqiang)
Spirit: 60 (Marriage has worn down your edges, taken away your former confidence, extinguished your entire spirit, and gradually dimmed your light, making you ordinary.)
Liang Canwen took out his phone and looked at himself. He'd worked himself to death for that mother and daughter these past few years. He was only 28, yet he was almost a mini version of Su Daqiang.
Her eyes had lost their previous sparkle.
[Money nurtures people.]
[The richer a man is, the more handsome, charming, and radiant he becomes.]
Wealth: 92,127
Skills: None
Special: None
[Daily cash reward: 1,000]
[Level up experience: 0/10,000 yuan]
[Spending money can level up the daily cash reward and has a chance to obtain reward cards.]
[The last question, do you believe in love?]
"Love? Bah! Even dogs wouldn't want it!"