Chapter Preface: The story belongs to a fictional fantasy world, and any similarities are purely coincidental
"Tang Wan, let's get a divorce."
The otherwise harmonious breakfast atmosphere froze with Jiang Fan's words. He looked at his wife sitting opposite him, or more accurately, his employer, his boss, a woman who held his destiny in her hands.
Jiang Fan and Tang Wan were married, having been husband and wife for three years.
Tang Wan chose to marry Jiang Fan while waiting for someone to return, while Jiang Fan needed Tang Wan's help to escape the danger of imprisonment.
Fraud, embezzlement, and fabricating academic credentials.
These three charges were enough to keep him in prison for most of his life.
Three years ago, Jiang Fan's family faced a major crisis. His mother fell ill and was hospitalized. To save a few hundred yuan in cooperative medical expenses each year, she stubbornly refused to pay, but suddenly being hospitalized in the intensive care unit made the already financially strained family's situation even worse.
The money from selling their house was just a drop in the bucket compared to the exorbitant medical bills. When the old man prepared to sell his kidney for money, Jiang Fan refused and told him to hold on for another month; he would get the medical expenses.
Leaving the hospital, Jiang Fan forged his academic credentials and applied for a position in the planning department of Changxiang Group, claiming to have years of experience in project planning. With his eloquence, he successfully joined the department. In the subsequent half a month, he learned about the current challenge facing Changxiang Group.
The department store under Changxiang Group had been operating at a loss for years, and yet it couldn't be abandoned. Competitors were waiting for Changxiang to give up on the department store business. Jiang Fan had discovered this early on, and he joined Changxiang specifically for this project. After half a month of hard work, he came up with a plan specifically tailored for the department store.
When the plan was submitted to the planning department manager, it made the manager frown. The plan seemed to be a good proposal. At this point, Jiang Fan made a request: the plan could be fully attributed to the manager, even under the manager's name, on the premise that he would participate in the project.
The plan was sent for risk assessment and eventually presented at a high-level management meeting.
Perhaps Jiang Fan was lucky, or maybe the high-level management couldn't find any other way to salvage the department store. The project commenced, and the planning department manager received praise. He also expressed his gratitude to Jiang Fan by giving him a hush money of ten thousand yuan.
Jiang Fan didn't refuse the money and prepared his next plan after sending it to his father.
Afterward, Jiang Fan used various methods to embezzle public funds to pay for his mother's medical treatment.
His mother was healthy and discharged from the hospital. Just when Jiang Fan was preparing another way to cover up the hole of four hundred thousand yuan, the matter was exposed.
The police came to the company to investigate Jiang Fan. Faced with charges of fabricating academic credentials, defrauding Changxiang Group, and embezzling public funds, Jiang Fan gave up defending himself. At the same time, the legal department of Changxiang Group also filed a lawsuit against him.
Meanwhile, the manager of the planning department also revealed that the plan was made by Jiang Fan.
After confessing everything at the police station, Jiang Fan was imprisoned and awaited the court hearing. He waited for a month. Just when Jiang Fan was despairing, he suddenly learned that the legal department of Changxiang Group had withdrawn the lawsuit, claiming that everything was a misunderstanding and they would not pursue any responsibility from Jiang Fan.
Jiang Fan was confused when he left the detention center. When a red Alfa Romeo Quadrifoglio stopped in front of him and he saw Tang Wan, the vice president, in the driver's seat, Jiang Fan understood that this beautiful president had solved his troubles.
Jiang Fan considered himself handsome, but he wasn't arrogant enough to think that he could captivate the favor of this beautiful president of Changxiang Group.
"Get in the car!"
Tang Wan's voice was as pleasant as her name.
Tang Wan's first impression was that she was slender. Her height of one meter seventy-two was very outstanding among women. Her standard oval face made her superior to the beauties with popular internet celebrity faces. Tang Wan didn't give people a sense of being stunning; instead, she gave people a feeling like being bathed in the spring breeze.
Her pair of slender legs didn't bring amazement but visual impact.
After getting into the car, Tang Wan handed him a contract.
"I want to make a deal with you now. It might sound ridiculous, but you'd better listen to me. If you agree, I will not only make the legal department withdraw the lawsuit but also help you repay the debt of four hundred thousand yuan. If you refuse, I will send you back to prison."
Jiang Fan frowned and looked at the big words on the contract.
Marriage Contract.
After a brief look, Jiang Fan frowned and replied,
"You and me getting married? You want me to become your bodyguard for these three years while you wait for your childhood sweetheart to return from studying abroad?"
Tang Wan's face looked slightly strange as she replied in a low voice,
"You're not qualified to be a bodyguard, but you're right. I do want to wait for him to return. I've discussed this matter with him. My parents don't like him and don't want me to be with him. They're forcing me to get married this year; otherwise, they'll take back my shares in Changxiang Group. Your task is to help me deal with my parents. Of course, if you need it, I can also perform to your satisfaction in front of your parents, if you need it. I won't keep you for too long. He will be back within three years at most."
Jiang Fan nodded slightly. He didn't feel honored to marry a top-tier beauty like Tang Wan; instead, he had a sense of disgust in his heart. Of course, Tang Wan didn't care about these feelings. She continued,
"For three years, you'll live in my house as a 'full-time wife' and be responsible for taking care of my daily life. But we'll only be a couple in name. After marriage, I'll live on the second floor, and you'll be on the first floor. If you have any other thoughts about me, and if any accident happens to me, the legal department of Changxiang Group will sue you. Additionally, I've investigated that your mother will need a lot of supplements after being discharged from the hospital, and I can provide them for you. Once we're married, if you propose a divorce within three years, you'll need to repay me ten times the debt I've settled for you, which totals four million yuan! Make a decision: sign or go back to prison."
"This woman is not as gentle as her appearance suggests."
Jiang Fan turned to look at Tang Wan.
"Getting the marriage certificate today? I might need to go home to get my household registration booklet."
"No need for such trouble. You just need to bring your ID and yourself. Also, your proposal is very good. The board of directors and my father have seen it and think it will change the current situation of the department store. The manager of the department store wants to thank you."
During these three years, Tang Wan took good care of Jiang Fan. When Jiang Fan's parents came to the city to visit him, she would warmly receive them and allow them to stay at home. Every holiday was spent at Tang Wan's house, and they would go back to Jiang Fan's house for the New Year. Jiang Fan and Tang Wan seemed to have gotten accustomed to this kind of life.
But now Jiang Fan had proposed a divorce, and there were still two months left before the three years were up.
Tang Wan put down her chopsticks and looked at Jiang Fan, asking with a frown,
"Have you thought it through? If you propose a divorce, you'll need to compensate me with four million yuan. You currently have only six thousand yuan in savings. I won't refuse four million yuan because of our three-year relationship. I can buy a new car with that money."
Jiang Fan smiled and nodded.
"Let's get a divorce. It won't look good if we divorce when he comes back. Thank you for taking care of me these three years. I'll find a way to pay back the four million yuan I owe you within a year."
"Continue with fraud? I admit you're very capable, but earning four million yuan in a year is impossible for someone like you. Do you know how much trouble your proposal for divorce will cause me? If you can't pay me back within a year, I'll send you back to prison."
Tang Wan's tone carried a hint of threat. She didn't want to get a divorce yet. Three years had made her accustomed to having a guy named Jiang Fan around.
Jiang Fan nodded and smiled again.
"Do you have time today? Shall we go and get the divorce proceedings done in the afternoon?"
Tang Wan's proud personality didn't give Jiang Fan any more chances. It didn't even take until the afternoon; within ten minutes of the civil affairs bureau opening, the two of them walked out. Tang Wan didn't even look at Jiang Fan and drove away, leaving Jiang Fan standing outside with a bitter expression in his eyes.
Before driving even 200 meters, a phone call made Tang Wan stop the car by the roadside. She took several deep breaths before answering the call. Just as she connected, a familiar yet strange voice came from the other end.
"Wanwan, why did he answer the phone yesterday night? I was originally very happy to tell you that I only have one month left before returning to the country. I've already booked the ticket. I wanted to tell you first, but after I finished speaking, he told me that you already knew! Could it be that you two have already..."
Tang Wan was slightly taken aback and asked with a frown,
"Lin Xuan, please get rid of the dirt in your mind! I left my phone on the first floor yesterday night. Is there anything else? I'm very busy."
Lin Xuan.
The only son of the chairman of Changxiang Group, and Tang Wan's childhood friend.
Tang Wan.
The only daughter of the second largest shareholder of Changxiang Group, who had liked the handsome and gentle Lin Xuan since childhood.
After hearing a woman's voice on the phone and then the call being quickly disconnected, Tang Wan suddenly felt that her childhood self must have had some issues, actually liking this wandering man. She quickly threw her phone back into the car and turned around to look at the man squatting on the steps of the civil affairs bureau, smoking. Tang Wan frowned and muttered softly,
"I didn't know he smoked."
This year,
Tang Wan was twenty-six years old.
Jiang Fan was twenty-five years old.