Volume One, Chapter 16: Must This Marriage End in Divorce?

Wei Yan’er, however, wore a perpetually displeased expression. Without even greeting her grandmother, she burst out angrily, “Where’s Mom?”

Only then did Song Ying recall the commotion that had just occurred inside. She frowned deeply and pointed toward the room. “They’re all in there. I was just about to—”

Before the elderly woman could finish speaking, Wei Yan’er, clutching a limited edition LV handbag and stepping sharply in crystal-studded high heels, stormed into the room.

Yesterday, Wei Yan’er had been as busy as ever. Just as she was about to finalize the product selection parameters for her livestream, a local news alert suddenly popped up. At first, she only glanced at it casually and dismissed it quickly as usual. But in the next moment, she had the unsettling feeling that the news was about her father.

She hadn’t suspected anything was wrong at home and assumed it was some minor issue with her father’s company. Concerned, she went back to find the news report. If she hadn’t looked closely, it would have been fine—but the moment she opened it, Wei Yan’er was stunned. She never imagined that her mother, Lou Nanzhi, would appear in the news.

Frustrated and desperate, Wei Yan’er called Wei Guoxiong. Since childhood, she had always turned to her father for advice; he held the family’s financial power. Upon receiving the call from his eldest daughter, the blood-pressure-risen Wei Guoxiong seized the opportunity. Without mentioning any of his own misdeeds, he vented to Wei Yan’er about Lou Nanzhi’s recent behavior, laying it all out in detail, even embellishing slightly, hoping to use his children to pressure Lou Nanzhi into submission.

Listening to this, Wei Yan’er felt as if her heart was about to fail. Her mother—always gentle, hardworking, and kind—how had she suddenly become like this? She couldn’t continue working, so she had her assistant help her husband manage things for two days.

It was the peak of the autumn sales season, a critical time for traffic and exposure. If these family scandals were uncovered by her critics, it would be a severe blow to her livestream career—possibly costing her everything. No one knew how much effort she had invested in building her online image over the years. She couldn’t let her family’s troubles ruin her future.

Raised as the eldest daughter of the Wei family, her father had taught her to behave responsibly, to make concessions for her younger sisters. Although their living conditions were comfortable and all three sisters shared equally in resources, the emotional void and long-standing role of the eldest had forced Wei Yan’er to grow independent from a young age. As she matured, she yearned to break free from this family.

Though she never attended university, she met her husband at a technical school, a man who truly cared for and cherished her. Only then did Wei Yan’er understand what genuine love meant. Her chest heaved with emotion as she thought of this.

“Mom, at your age, dragging family matters into the news—isn’t that embarrassing?” she demanded.

Lou Nanzhi hadn’t expected her eldest daughter to return. Over the years, she hadn’t shown up for holidays or even her own birthday. Yet, because of this incident, she was reunited with Wei Yan’er. Upon seeing her, Lou Nanzhi thought her daughter would side with her, confront Wei Guoxiong, and support her decision to divorce.

But instead, the first words out of Wei Yan’er’s mouth were accusatory.

“That video wasn’t posted by me!” Lou Nanzhi naturally refused to take the blame.

Seeing his daughter return, Wei Guoxiong secretly rejoiced, knowing he couldn’t miss this chance.

“Lou Nanzhi, don’t deny it in front of the children. I’m a business leader—whether you argue or make a scene, I’m giving you face by coming to you. But you went and hired a second-rate actor to perform this farce. Not only did you wreck the new family car, but you also let the video go viral online. You can threaten me, but don’t drag the kids into this.”

Wei Yan’er grew even angrier at her father’s words. “Mom, if this weren’t coming from Dad’s mouth, I wouldn’t believe it. You barely ever leave the house—where on earth did you learn such despicable tricks?”

“Hmph! Yan’er, this is your ‘loving’ mother. Were it not for the strong foundations of our Wei family, you’d be ruined by her by now!” Song Ying added fuel to the fire.

Surrounded and attacked by her three closest relatives in an instant, Lou Nanzhi felt as if her heart were bleeding. But she was no longer the weak woman she once was; she had endured a lifetime of humiliation and had had enough.

Lou Nanzhi fixed her gaze on Wei Guoxiong. “Wei Guoxiong! You’ve been seeing a mistress behind my back, and she’s pregnant with twins. Did you have the courage to tell the children?”

Knowing her husband well, Lou Nanzhi was certain he hadn’t mentioned a word. Yet at this point, he still tried to make excuses.

Hearing this, Wei Yan’er’s pupils dilated. After a few moments, she regained her composure and looked slowly at the father she had always thought of as tall and mighty.

“Dad, is what Mom said true?”

Wei Guoxiong avoided her gaze. “Yan’er, in business, you sometimes have to play the game. I ran into an old flame while closing a deal, and under the influence of alcohol, things happened. But I regretted it afterward.”

Seeing her son struggling to explain, Song Ying hurried over to help her granddaughter understand. “But who would have thought that woman got pregnant! Our Wei family has always wanted a son—this is a gift from heaven. That lady is about your mother’s age, and our family is kind-hearted. How could we let this go?”

Wei Yan’er never imagined such a scandalous and worldview-shattering event could happen in her own family. She had thought that while she might not have received all the love from her parents, her career success was a small mercy. Yet now, after starting her own life, her parents had become like this.

For a moment, Wei Yan’er was at a loss for words. Her father’s infidelity was a grave mistake; her mother’s wish for divorce was understandable. But if this got out, wouldn’t her future be ruined by her parents’ actions?

As a public figure with some social standing, a harmonious family background was crucial.

Standing between her parents, Wei Yan’er struggled internally for a long time. Finally, gathering her courage, her voice trembling but her eyes fixed downward, she asked Lou Nanzhi, “Mom, do you really have to go through with this divorce?”