Velvet Chains of a Tycoon

Two years ago, when Qin Jian purchased this apartment, the original property certificate was registered under the name of Liu Grandpa. However, after Liu Grandpa passed away, his estate was inherited by his two sons and one daughter. Since one of Liu Grandpa's sons was out of town at the time and couldn't return immediately, the transfer of ownership had to wait until he came back.

Around that period, Qin Jian and Du Xiaomei were preparing for their marriage. Du Xiaomei mentioned that a symbolic dowry of 30,000 to 50,000 yuan would suffice, but she insisted her name be added to the property title. Believing that marriage meant committing to a lifelong partnership, Qin Jian saw no harm in adding her name as a gesture of sincerity and readily agreed.

However, Du Xiaomei opposed taking out a loan, causing their discussions to reach an impasse. She made it clear that Qin Jian should ask his sister, Qin Ran, for the 500,000 yuan, arguing that since the issue stemmed from Qin Ran's actions, she should bear the responsibility.

Qin Jian hesitated to approach his sister for such a large sum. After all, she was still a senior in college—where would she get 500,000 yuan? Moreover, his sister and brother-in-law had recently married. Even if she felt comfortable asking him, her husband, being a salaried worker with a mortgage, wouldn't have the means to produce such an amount overnight.

Frustrated by Qin Jian's indecision, Du Xiaomei finally snapped.

"If nothing else works, we'll simply refuse to pay the compensation!"

"Refuse?" Qin Jian's eyes widened as he stared at her. "I own a house under my name—it's easy to trace. How could I possibly evade this?"

"We can file for a sham divorce," Du Xiaomei suggested, scrolling through research she'd spent the afternoon gathering on her phone. "We'll go through the legal process of divorcing, and during the settlement, you'll transfer the house to me while leaving with nothing. This way, you won't have any assets left. If the utility company sues, they won't find anything to seize, forcing them to drop the case."

Qin Jian remained bewildered. "So… to avoid this 500,000-yuan debt, I need to divorce you?"

"It's only a sham divorce," Du Xiaomei quickly clarified. "Just like many couples in Binhai City who fake divorces to buy second homes—we'll remain married privately. The divorce certificate is merely a formality to handle the utility company."

Qin Jian murmured uncertainly, "Is that really possible?"

"Of course," Du Xiaomei replied confidently, speaking as though she were a seasoned professional. "The statute of limitations for debt claims is three years. If you fail to pay within that timeframe, the utility company will run out of options. Once the three years pass, we can remarry without consequence."

Qin Jian fell silent. He wasn't sure about the legality of this plan, but reflecting on his limited education—he'd dropped out after middle school—he reasoned that Du Xiaomei, having attended junior college, likely knew more than he did.

"I'll ask Ran tomorrow and see what she thinks," Qin Jian said tentatively.

Du Xiaomei erupted in anger. "Why do you always rely on your sister for everything? Don't you have a mind of your own?"

"You told me to ask Ran for the money! Who else am I supposed to turn to?" Qin Jian shot back.

Du Xiaomei sighed reluctantly. "Fine. If your sister can come up with the 500,000 yuan, that would solve our problem."

Meanwhile, Qin Ran spent the entire night fretting over the 500,000-yuan dilemma. Had the clinic continued operating smoothly, she might have borrowed some funds from Liu Ming and Zhao Lin. But now, with the clinic struggling to stay afloat and both friends strapped for cash, borrowing wasn't an option.

Her classmates, even those from affluent families, didn't have much disposable income themselves. Besides, her closest friends came from modest backgrounds, while those from wealthier households weren't particularly close to her. And even if they were, it was their parents—not the students—who held the purse strings. What parent would lend 500,000 yuan to their child's classmate?

Qin Ran first thought of her cousin, Cheng Fei. Having grown up in her aunt's household due to her older brother working elsewhere to support her, Qin Ran shared a close bond with Cheng Fei, who was three years her senior. Though academically average, Cheng Fei worked as a receptionist at a four-star hotel.

After hearing Qin Ran's predicament, Cheng Fei shook her head sympathetically.

"Ran, it's not that I don't want to help, but I truly don't have the money. My grandmother is hospitalized for coronary heart disease and underwent stent surgery. We've exhausted our savings—over 50,000 yuan—and I barely have 5,000 yuan left."

Qin Ran understood her aunt's family faced financial strain too. Her aunt, uneducated, ran a small spicy hot pot stall at the night market, earning meager profits. Her uncle, once a construction worker, had fallen and injured his back, rendering him unable to work. For the past two years, he'd eked out a living driving an electric tricycle near the subway station. Meanwhile, Cheng Fei's younger brother, Cheng Yu, was in his final year of high school and required expensive tutoring.

What could she do? Where could she earn the money?

She posted a message in a part-time job group chat:

"Urgently need money. Are there any high-paying gigs available?"

Responses poured in almost instantly.

@Qin Ran: "The semester's starting soon—are you still looking for part-time work?"

@Qin Ran: "What's so urgent? Is someone in your family sick?"

@Qin Ran: "Consider being an extra—it pays 100 yuan a day, and you're sure to get hired."

@Qin Ran: "A real estate developer needs people for an opening event. It pays 100 yuan a day plus lunch. Interested?"

These offers were all low-paying. Just as Qin Ran prepared to leave the chat, another message popped up.

@Qin Ran: "Are you interested in tutoring? It pays 100 yuan per hour, two hours a day, twice a week—400 yuan weekly."

Before Qin Ran could respond, someone else chimed in.

@Tutor: "Where's the tutoring gig? If it's nearby, I'm interested."

Qin Ran sighed inwardly. Even if the tutoring position wasn't lucrative, it seemed unlikely she'd secure it. She exited the group and opened a translation platform app instead. With her strong English skills, she decided to take on freelance translation jobs rather than compete with classmates for menial tasks. On good days, a single translation project could earn her several hundred to a thousand yuan.

Meanwhile, Lu Sheng arrived at the G City branch office late in the afternoon. Deciding against returning to Binhai, he stayed in G City for the night. His marriage to Qin Ran was purely nominal; after resolving issues with Ren'an Clinic, he hadn't given her affairs much thought. In fact, he'd nearly forgotten about his marital status entirely—until his grandfather called.

When he answered the phone, he got straight to the point.

"Grandfather, I'm currently on a business trip in G City."

His grandfather's voice boomed through the receiver.

"I don't care where you are. Your mother is coming home this weekend, and you need to bring your wife for dinner."