SBCEJM -Chapter 24 A Heaven-Sent Fortune Finally Landed on My Head!

Qi Yanran turned around, the hem of her skirt tracing a resolute arc as she left without looking back.

Feng Zexuan pushed her elder brother’s wheelchair and silently followed after her.

The noblewomen who had just enjoyed the spectacle to their hearts’ content also dispersed in twos and threes, satisfied smiles still lingering at the corners of their lips.

The once-noisy street fell quiet in the blink of an eye, as though nothing had ever happened.

Inside the vast study, the silence was so deep one could almost hear dust settling.

Thud.

Xiao Lin’s knees gave out, and he collapsed to the ground.

The thin divorce letter landed right by his feet, the handwriting painfully glaring.

His mind was in a daze.

How… had he ended up like this?

Once upon a time, he had a gentle and lovely wife, intelligent and adorable children, and a peaceful life others envied.

But at some point, everything had changed.

His graceful wife had become increasingly successful in business, rising to fame until everyone praised her as “Half the City Qi.”

Meanwhile, he remained nothing more than the live-in husband of the Qi family, a failed scholar who could never pass the imperial examinations.

The light in her eyes grew brighter and brighter.

The people around her became more and more outstanding.

But he was like a frightened turtle, retreating deeper into his shell, terrified of the world outside.

Without realizing it, he had worn away his own sense of self, his temper, and even his opinions.

From a husband-in-name-only who married into the family, he had completely degenerated into a true parasite dependent on his wife.

His mentality had utterly collapsed.

He began to feel jealousy.

Then resentment.

A voice inside him told him countless times not to compare himself to her.

That was the woman he deeply loved.

Her glory should have been his glory too.

But he could not suppress his heart.

The vines called jealousy sprouted from the darkest corners of his soul, growing wildly day and night, wrapping tightly around his pitiful self-esteem until it rotted away completely.

He felt suffocated.

Oppressed.

And so, after yet another failed examination, he chose to run.

He staged a flawless fake death and hid himself away in the mansion across the street.

Watching through the crack in the window as his wife lost herself in grief for him, he actually felt a twisted, sick satisfaction.

It was a silent form of revenge.

As if saying:

Look. So what if you’re capable? In the end, you still suffer heartbreak over me.

He drowned himself in that voyeuristic comfort.

And just like that, ten years passed.

But now…

The world he had painstakingly built for himself—the world where he could cowardly hide in peace—had collapsed.

The woman who had once been his entire world no longer wanted him.

A divorce letter…

She had actually divorced him!

The thought struck him like a bolt of lightning, leaving him utterly shattered.

And divorcing him also meant that Uncle Fu would never again secretly deliver those five hundred taels of “life-saving money” at the start of every month…

Panic overtook him.

Complete panic.

For the first time, he realized in horror that without Qi Yanran, he didn’t even possess the ability to survive!

Why had he ruined his own life?

Such a wonderful life.

Such a loving wife.

Such adorable children…

He had destroyed it all with his own hands.

He…

Really deserved to die.

Perhaps before long, he would starve to death inside this cage he had personally built for himself.

An unprecedented terror and regret turned into icy lumps of lead, sinking heavily into his organs and dragging him toward an endless abyss.

Meanwhile—

In order to catch Xiao Lin today, Feng Zexuan had climbed walls and crawled through tunnels. Her brand-new moon-white brocade robe was inevitably stained with dirt and damp mildew.

Her cleanliness obsession had already reached its limit. She no longer had the mood to enjoy any more gossip, and the moment she left the estate, she immediately pushed her brother’s wheelchair, eager to rush home as fast as possible.

“Lord Feng, please wait.”

At the entrance of the alley, a cool and elegant figure leaned against the railing.

It was Qi Yanran.

She had clearly been waiting there for quite some time. All emotion had been washed from her voice, leaving only calmness.

Feng Zexuan stopped and met her gaze.

Qi Yanran stepped forward and gave her a solemn bow.

“Thank you for today’s matter.”

Straightening up, she pulled out a thick stack of silver notes from her sleeve and handed them over directly.

“If Lord Feng had not warned me, I, Qi Yanran, would have remained deceived for the rest of my life. These one hundred thousand taels are only a small token of gratitude. Please accept them.”

Feng Zexuan’s pupils contracted sharply.

One hundred thousand taels?!

【Holy crap! Holy craaaap! One hundred thousand taels! This sister really knows how to handle things! I’m rich ahhhhh!】

Her face remained calm, but her hand was already twitching eagerly as she prepared to accept it.

“Cough…”

Feng Zekai, seated in the wheelchair, suddenly coughed softly and looked at her with faint disapproval in his eyes.

That cough acted like a sudden brake.

The hand Feng Zexuan had stretched halfway out abruptly changed direction and awkwardly rubbed her nose instead.

“Ah… th-this is too generous… It was merely a small effort. Madam Qi really needn’t do this.”

Though she spoke politely, her heart was bleeding.

【Ahhhh my moneyyyy! Brother! My dear brother! Why are you coughing?! Do you know how many delicacies this stack of banknotes could buy?! How many shops and estates in the capital?!】

【System! Quick! Turn back time! I want to take back what I just said!】

【Stop yelling already, Host.】The system commented lazily. 【Your brother’s just one of those people who suffer because they care too much about saving face.】

A vein on Feng Zekai’s forehead twitched almost imperceptibly.

Little sister!

Could your inner monologue be even slightly more restrained?!

Qi Yanran watched the handsome top scholar before her. His face radiated righteous integrity, yet his inner thoughts were the complete opposite, making the corners of her lips curl upward involuntarily.

This Lord Feng truly was an interesting person.

“This is not repayment.”

Her tone allowed no refusal as she pushed the silver notes closer again.

“This is me buying peace of mind for myself. Buying a second half of my life free from deception. If Lord Feng refuses, I will never feel at ease.”

【A way out! She’s giving me a way out! This sister really knows what she’s doing!】

Feng Zexuan immediately seized the opportunity, clearing her throat and putting on a reluctant expression that said, Since you insist, refusing further would only seem impolite.

Then, with lightning speed, she reached out and snatched the thick stack of banknotes.

“Since it is Madam Qi’s peace of mind, then I shall respectfully accept.”

【Hahahaha! System, I’ve finally made it! This heaven-sent fortune has finally smashed right onto my head!】

Feng Zekai raised a sleeve to cover the corners of his mouth, which were twitching uncontrollably.

Seeing her accept the money, Qi Yanran finally seemed to relax, genuine warmth surfacing in her eyes for the first time.

“Lord Feng is truly an interesting person.”

She bowed once more.

“Today, the Qi family owes you a favor. In the future, if you ever require assistance, so long as it does not violate morality, the entire Qi family will brave fire and water for you.”

“Easy to say, easy to say.”

Feng Zexuan stuffed the banknotes into her robes like precious treasure, moving so quickly it was as if she feared Qi Yanran might regret it. Then, after cupping her hands in farewell, she immediately pushed her brother away at top speed.