On the day of the divorce, I became Qin Shao's darling.

Upon hearing the phrase "leaving with nothing," Su Daqiang and his daughter were defeated once again.

Su Linlin turned to her father and asked in a low voice, "Dad, what should we do? My brother said this lawyer is very capable. If they take this to court, my brother might really lose everything..."

Su Daqiang was so angry that his face turned red and his neck bulged. Hearing his daughter's words, he exploded even more, waving his hand and shouting, "Impossible! Absolutely impossible! Why should all the property go to her?"

Qin Jiamo said expressionlessly, "Because your son is at fault, and because your son committed domestic violence."

"You—you all…" Su Daqiang was so angry that he couldn't speak, clutching his chest with one hand, his face contorted in pain.

Lin Xiwei remembered that he had been smoking and drinking for many years and had serious cardiovascular problems. Seeing this, she was worried that something might happen to him, so she kindly advised Su Linlin: "Take your dad back and let him take good care of himself. The court will make a fair judgment on my matter with your brother."

"Lin Xiwei, you've been our Su family's daughter-in-law for four years, are you really going to be so heartless? Even if my brother is wrong, can't you be a little more forgiving and magnanimous?"

Su Linlin helped her father up and looked at Lin Xiwei, then began to play the victim, attempting to morally blackmail her.

Lin Xiwei directly exposed her: "You don't need to morally blackmail me. I'll treat your brother the same way he treats me—the child is sick, and he won't give a single penny. Who's more heartless here?"

"But you still got a million, didn't you!"

"That was given to me by your brother's mistress. It was a buyout of your brother's marriage, essentially a 'ransom' for him. When the child was sick, your brother wouldn't give a penny, but when the mistress asked for money, your brother gave her a million."

Lin Xiwei deliberately spoke in a clear voice, determined to make sure that all the onlookers around could hear the truth of the matter, so that no one would spread rumors.

"Tell me, who's more heartless?" she threw the question back at me. "If you were me, would you still be standing here calmly? You would have already turned the world upside down by now, wouldn't you?"

Su Linlin pursed her lips, her face turning pale and then flushed, and hesitated several times before finally speaking.

As soon as Lin Xiwei finished speaking, the attitude of the surrounding onlookers changed.

"Turns out, the guilty party accused him first. What a scumbag!"

"Exactly! No wonder the marriage rate is so low these days—there are just too many scumbags like this! Girls don't believe in love anymore!"

"The key point is that the scumbag's family is also bizarre."

"Of course, that's why they say 'birds of a feather flock together'."

Su Linlin clenched her fists in anger, turned around and snapped at the gossiping family members: "What nonsense are you talking about? It's none of your business!"

"Hmph, can't you speak out when you see injustice? Weren't you just shouting 'Let everyone judge this'? Now we're helping you judge this!"

An older woman, with a smug look on her face, confronted Su Linlin directly.

Another person chimed in, "Is there even a need to discuss this? Even a blind person can see you're wrong! Utterly wrong!"

Su Linlin was furious and started arguing with them.

But those older women weren't going to be outdone, and they all chimed in with their own opinions.

Su Linlin was no match for his insults and quickly became furious.

"Dad... let's go, let's go back and think of something else." She took Su Daqiang's arm, like a lost dog.

Su Daqiang was feeling unwell and didn't have the strength to shout, so he could only nod and walk outside with his daughter's help.

The older women continued to grumble and curse them until they entered the elevator and disappeared.

Lin Xiwei watched this scene, unable to describe her feelings.

I felt both angry and amused.

She took a slight breath, turned to look at Qin Jiamo, and her eyes showed gratitude again: "Attorney Qin, you've saved me from trouble once again, thank you."

Qin Jiamo: "I'm your lawyer, it's my job."

After the group of middle-aged women finished scolding the Su family father and daughter, they stopped in their tracks when they returned to Lin Xiwei.

They looked at each other, exchanging glances.

Lin Xiwei looked at them and roughly understood what was going on.

Finally, an older woman stepped forward, smiled apologetically, and said hesitantly, "Um... I'm sorry, what we said just now offended you..."

"But we didn't say those things; it was your nanny who spread them around."

"Yes, yes, your nanny said that you and this lawyer Qin have... that kind of relationship, and that your son is lawyer Qin's, and that you are currently going through a divorce with your husband and want to take your son back to your family..."

She also said that your face was disfigured today because your husband found out about your affair, which is why he abused you.

The older women were all very straightforward, and they quickly explained the "source" of the rumor.

Lin Xiwei became increasingly alarmed as she listened.

She had always trusted Sister Hong, but she never expected that at the critical moment when Junjun was sick and she needed help the most, Sister Hong would betray her.

She had just heard her son say those things in the hospital room and thought that Sister Hong was just saying it casually in front of the child.

She had planned to remind Sister Hong tomorrow.

who knew...

It seems this person cannot be kept alive.

Faced with the frankness of the older women, Lin Xiwei smiled kindly and said, "Thank you for telling me all this. I know what to do now."

The older women smiled and looked at Qin Jiamo with the expressions of mothers-in-law looking at their sons-in-law.

"This lawyer has such a good temperament, are you married?" The brave middle-aged woman asked first.

Qin Jiamo's expression was already cold, but upon hearing these words, his expression became even more solemn.

Lin Xiwei was feeling down, but she couldn't help but laugh when she heard this.

"Auntie, he's single, but don't even think about playing matchmaker. He's got no shortage of girls throwing themselves at him, but he doesn't like any of them."

Lin Xiwei explained on Qin Jiamo's behalf to avoid him feeling embarrassed or offending anyone with his words.

Qin Jiamo glanced at her, didn't say a word, clearly disdaining to pay attention to her, and turned to leave.

The older women immediately surrounded Lin Xiwei, asking, "Then why doesn't he like her? Doesn't he like girls?"

"Or does he already have someone he likes?"

"Is his family well-off?"

Lin Xiwei was speechless and explained, "I've only known him for a little over a week, so I don't know him well."

After saying this, Lin Xiwei quickly made an excuse that no one was taking care of her child and slipped away before the older women could ask any more questions.

When she returned to her ward, she was taken aback.

Qin Jiamo didn't go to Madam Qin's ward, but instead came to see Junjun.

She closed the door and walked over.

When Junjun saw his mother return, he quickly looked up and asked, "Mom, are you alright?"

Lin Xiwei smiled and said, "Mom is fine, thanks to Uncle for coming."

Junjun immediately looked at the man beside the hospital bed, "Uncle, thank you so much! You're truly our guardian angel!"

Qin Jiamo's lips curled slightly, a rare smile appearing on his face. "You certainly know how to coax people."

Lin Xiwei had something to ask Qin Jiamo, so she told her son to go to sleep quickly.

Qin Jiamo got up and went out, and she turned around and followed behind.

Once outside the ward, Lin Xiwei asked in a low voice, "Was Su Yunfan detained for fifteen days?"

"Yes, fifteen days of administrative detention and a fine of 2000 yuan are already the maximum penalty," Qin Jiamo explained calmly.

Lin Xiwei nodded: "As the boss suddenly disappears for fifteen days, his company is indeed in chaos. No wonder Su Linlin is so anxious."

"What, are you getting soft-hearted?"

"No..." Lin Xiwei shook her head, looked at him seriously and said, "I want to tell you that I don't want the house under his and my name anymore, and I hope to get cash instead."

Qin Jiamo remained calm, unsurprised that she had this idea.

"You only own this one property. If you give it up, where will you and your child live?" This was the first question Qin Jiamo thought of.

Lin Xiwei sighed and said softly, "I can pack my luggage and leave it at my friend's house. I'll be staying at the hospital overnight for a while, so I don't need a place to stay for the time being."

Fortunately, Chu Qing lives alone in a rented apartment, so she can temporarily leave her luggage there.

Even if I want to buy a house, I'll definitely have to wait until the divorce case is settled.

We'll have to see how well Junjun recovers. She might not have time to work on this for three to five months and will have to live in the hospital.

Qin Jiamo hesitated briefly, then looked at her intently: "I have some vacant properties under my name, which I can use for temporary purposes."

Lin Xiwei raised her eyelashes, quite surprised.

"This...this isn't quite right, is it? You've already helped me enough."

"If you don't need it, then forget it. I was just mentioning it casually."

After saying this, Qin Jiamo turned and left.

Lin Xiwei sensed that he seemed angry, and subconsciously called out to him, "Hey, wait a minute!"

Qin Jiamo stopped and turned back, her expression neither cold nor warm.

Lin Xiwei stepped forward, glanced at him, and inexplicably thought of the time she had dirtied his car at noon, causing her face to flush red again.

"Um... I've been too busy lately to look for a place. Since you're available, I'll rent your place. Thank you."

After saying the last two words, she bowed deeply.

Because she genuinely felt that Qin Jiamo had truly helped her a great deal, she had no way to repay him and could only express her gratitude with a bow.

But Qin Jiamo frowned, "Your bow makes it seem like you're sending me away."

"..." Lin Xiwei looked up when she heard this, and stared in disbelief.

Qin Jiamo, however, had already left.

Lin Xiwei watched his retreating figure, wondering to herself: Did he agree to rent or disagree?

That night, Lin Xiwei suffered from insomnia again.

The thought of firing Sister Hong gave her a headache.

Although she has parents, in this situation, it would be the safest arrangement to have the elders come to the hospital to take care of the child.

But her parents didn't care about her or their grandson at all.

They only care about their son and financial gain.

If we let my mother help take care of Junjun, it would be like asking for trouble, and she would only suffer a lot of frustration for no reason.

But if we hire a caregiver, we don't know if they are reliable, and we don't know if Junjun will accept it.

After all, the child is too young and will be somewhat resistant to strangers.

Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

The next morning.

Lin Xiwei looked at her face first after getting up.

After applying the ointment the doctor gave me yesterday, the redness and swelling on my face subsided a bit, but the bruising was worse than yesterday.

She had intended to cover it up with makeup, but the powder puff hurt when she patted her face, so she gave up in the end.

Before I even left the bathroom, I heard Sister Hong's voice from outside.

Lin Xiwei paused, her gaze turned cold, and she turned to open the bathroom door.

"Miss Lin, I'm here. You can go to work now." Sister Hong said naturally when she saw her, unaware of what had happened.

Lin Xiwei said directly, "No need, I'll settle your salary, you don't need to come anymore."

Hong Jie's face froze in shock. She stared at Lin Xiwei for a few seconds before asking, "Why, why?"

"Why do you think that is?" Lin Xiwei asked back, while taking out her phone to transfer money to her.

"Miss Lin, I don't understand..."

"The money has been transferred to you."

Lin Xiwei waved her phone to indicate that her salary had been paid, and then spoke frankly.

"You told the family members and caregivers on this floor that I had an extramarital affair, that Junjun was an illegitimate child, that I had an affair with Attorney Qin, that I wanted to return to my ancestral home with my child, and that I was being abused by my husband because he found out I was cheating..."

She listed Hong Jie's "crimes," feeling both angry and cold inside.

"Considering you've been quite responsible in taking care of Junjun these past few years, I won't pursue the matter further. You can leave now."

As Hongjie listened to her words, her expression grew increasingly tense.

As soon as Lin Xiwei finished speaking, she quickly explained, "Miss Lin, I was just chatting with them casually, I didn't mean anything by it."

"You don't need to explain, just leave." Lin Xiwei thought about it all night and realized she couldn't keep her any longer.

"Ms. Lin, I was wrong... I shouldn't have gossiped. Please let me stay. Look, Junjun is sick, and you have to go to work and fight the lawsuit all by yourself. You simply don't have time to take care of the child. Where are you going in such a short time—"

"Sister Hong, you can leave now," Lin Xiwei interrupted her, calmly reminding her again.

Junjun sat on the bed, looking at his mother blankly, then at Aunt Hong.

"Mom..." he called out softly, a little scared.

Lin Xiwei walked to her son's side, hugged him, and gently comforted him, "It's okay, Mom will find you a new nanny who will treat you even better."

"Miss Lin, I—"

"Sister Hong, if you don't leave, I'm calling the police. Defamation and spreading rumors are punishable by law." Lin Xiwei, holding her son, turned to look at her, her tone resolute.

Sister Hong paused, hesitated for two seconds, and as she turned to leave, she suddenly turned back and said, "Miss Lin, there are some things I've been holding back for a long time."

Lin Xiwei stared at her coldly.

Sister Hong said, "I've lived with your family for several years, and to be honest, your husband is pretty good. He gives you so much money every month, and you use it to support your family without him saying anything. Now he's just cheating on you, but if you coax him a little, he'll come back to you. Why did you have to go to court and make things so tense?"

Lin Xiwei laughed and didn't argue, only replying, "Sister Hong, then I wish your husband would cheat on you, and you can try to appease him more."

"You! You're so vicious!" Sister Hong was instantly enraged and turned to slam the door as she left.

Lin Xiwei held her son, her thoughts briefly drifting away.

Her experiences over the past two weeks have given her a new understanding of human nature.

It turns out that no matter how decent or kind some people are normally, once a conflict arises or their personal interests are affected, they will turn into a despicable person and even constantly lower the bar for humanity.

This applies to couples as well.

This applies even to the relationship between employers and nannies.

"Mom..." Junjun watched Aunt Hong leave, looked up at his mother, and after a while, called out softly.

Lin Xiwei snapped out of her daze, looked down at her son, and smiled gently.

"What's wrong?"

"Mom, why did you send Aunt Hong away?"

"Because she did something to hurt us."

Young children may not understand the sentence at all, but after their mothers explained it, they nodded and accepted it.

Lin Xiwei quickly pulled herself out of her jumbled thoughts and focused only on when the caregiver would arrive.

She had asked the nurse early in the morning to inquire about caregivers, and the nurse said that they were easy to find.

She was in a hurry to get to work, and after waiting for a while without anyone coming, she had no choice but to pick up Junjun and get out of bed, preparing to go out together to ask the nurse.

As soon as the ward door opened, Qin Jiamo's assistant, Han Rui, walked in.

"Assistant Han, so early?" Lin Xiwei asked in surprise when she saw him, holding her child.

Han Rui smiled politely: "Miss Lin, where are you going with the child?"

Lin Xiwei paused for a moment before explaining, "I fired the nanny and wanted the nurse to help me find a caregiver. I'll go ask."

Han Rui frowned and looked at Xiao Junjun in her arms.

"The child is so young and sick, isn't it a bad idea to leave him with a stranger?"

Lin Xiwei knew this was wrong, but she had no other choice.

"Let's give it a try," Lin Xiwei replied, then proactively asked, "Did Assistant Han need something?"

"Oh, Attorney Qin asked me to give you this set of keys."

Remembering his purpose for coming, Han Rui took out a set of keys and handed them to Lin Xiwei. "This is a property under Qin Lu's name. It's fully furnished and equipped with appliances. You can just move in with your luggage."

Lin Xiwei stared at the key, her eyes widening in surprise.

"This..." She opened her mouth, but didn't know how to respond.

Qin Jiamo made a casual remark last night, and then he left with a cold face. She thought that was the end of it.

To my surprise, this morning, they sent their assistant to deliver the keys.

"Thank you, please thank your boss for me." Lin Xiwei paused for two seconds before smiling and taking the keys with one hand.

Han Rui smiled meaningfully, "I reckon the boss would prefer you to thank him in person."

"What?" Lin Xiwei was so caught up in the joy of having a place to live that she didn't quite hear what Han Rui said.

Han Rui was too embarrassed to repeat himself, so he handed the items over and turned to leave.

Lin Xiwei belatedly realized something and quickly looked up.

But Han Rui had already turned the corner.

This……

They didn't even mention how much the rent is!

Junjun hugged her neck and asked in his childish voice, "Mommy, are we moving?"

"Okay." Lin Xiwei continued walking towards the nurses' station with the child in her arms. "We're going to move to Uncle's house."

"Great! We can live with Uncle now!" Junjun suddenly cheered, his little face beaming with excitement.

Lin Xiwei looked at her son and corrected him with a smile: "No, baby, we live in Uncle's empty house, not with Uncle."

"Then why don't we live with Uncle? He likes me so much, he would be so happy to see me every day."

Lin Xiwei was thoroughly amused by her son's words: "You little rascal, you're quite narcissistic."

She had just arrived at the nurses' station with her son in her arms, and before she could find the nurse she had greeted that morning, the Qin family's butler arrived.

"Miss Lin, I've come to pick up my child for breakfast. The old lady said that if you have time, you can come and have breakfast with us."

Before Lin Xiwei could speak, Junjun swung his little legs in her arms and said, "Mommy, I want to go have breakfast with Grandpa and Grandma. I don't want a caregiver, I want to stay with Grandpa and Grandma..."

Just as Junjun finished speaking, the butler's phone rang.

After finishing the call, he immediately looked at Lin Xiwei and said, "Miss Lin, the old lady said that the child can stay with them, and there's no rush to find a caregiver."

Lin Xiwei was taken aback, but at the same time she realized that it must have been Han Rui who relayed the message.

She looked down at her son, gently touching forehead to forehead with the little guy, "As you wished, baby."

The injuries on her face were still very obvious. Not wanting to see the old lady, she handed Junjun over directly to the housekeeper.

The little guy waved goodbye to her cheerfully, said "Goodbye, Mom," and followed the housekeeper away without looking back.

Seeing this, Lin Xiwei felt a little disappointed.

Although she spoke to Chu Qing with a grand vision, saying that for the sake of the child's future, she would not prevent Junjun from associating with the Qin family, and would even accept Junjun's return to the Qin family in the future.

But seeing how readily her child had forgotten about her, she still felt a little sad.

After all, this was her precious little baby, whom she had endured so much suffering and pain to obtain, and whom she had cared for meticulously for almost three years.

……

Lin Xiwei returned to her ward, tidied herself up briefly, and then went to work.

When she arrived at the company, even though she kept her head down and tried to minimize her presence, her disfigured "two-toned face" quickly attracted the attention of her colleagues.

Everyone came to check on her, and she thanked them all, explaining that she had "accidentally fallen off her bike."

Not long after, Feng Zheqian also came to find her.

He stood in front of Lin Xiwei's workstation, stared at her for a moment, and frowned, saying, "Lin Xiwei, come to my office."

Lin Xiwei got up and followed, subconsciously brushing her hair aside to cover her injured face.

Upon arriving at Feng Zheqian's office, he asked bluntly, "What happened to your face? Did your scumbag husband beat you up?"

Because Feng Zheqian had inadvertently learned a few days ago that Lin Xiwei was going through a divorce, it was easy for him to make these connections.

Lin Xiwei smiled politely: "Manager Feng, this is a personal matter."

Feng Zheqian was clearly a little distressed. After a pause, he said, "I'll give you two days off. Go back and rest."

"Thank you, Manager Feng, but it's no need. My injury doesn't affect my work, it just affects my personal image," Lin Xiwei refused without hesitation.

She could roughly sense that Feng Zheqian had feelings for her, but she didn't want to accept them.

She still cared about this job, so she was unwilling to resign impulsively.

She hoped that after she made her stance clear, this senior from the same school would understand his place.

"Manager Feng, thank you for your care during this time, but I think it would be better if you treated me as an ordinary colleague. I think you understand what I mean."

Lin Xiwei's heart was racing and her expression was very unnatural as she said these words.

She thought about how Su Yunfan and Sister Hong had completely different attitudes before and after, and worried that if she rejected Senior Brother Feng's concern so bluntly, she would also see "another side" of this senior brother.

Even so, she still had to say it.

Otherwise, if people misunderstand or colleagues notice something, it will still cause a lot of trouble, and might even damage the reputations of both of them.

It's better to prevent problems before they occur.

Feng Zheqian looked at her, his expression uneasy for a while.

He gave an awkward, forced smile, then raised his voice: "Lin Xiwei, are you mistaken? We're alumni, even in the same department. It's normal for us to look after each other, right? What do you think it is?"

Lin Xiwei's expression was also a little awkward. She was racking her brains for a reply when her phone suddenly rang.

She took it out and saw it was Qin Jiamo.

"I'm sorry, Manager Feng, my son's hospital called, I have to answer it right away." She made up an excuse, answered the phone immediately, and turned to leave.