I had just ended my stream and was about to handle the paperwork for the villa's ownership transfer when my phone started vibrating like crazy.
It was a request to co-stream from the platform.
The ID was "Baby Wanqing."
I raised an eyebrow, accepted the call, and, on a whim, started my stream again.
The screen split in two. Zhou Wanqing's tear-streaked face appeared, the background looking like a hotel room. Her hair was a mess, her makeup was smudged from crying, and she looked utterly wretched.
The chat room exploded instantly.
"Holy shit! The crossover of the century!"
"The main characters are fighting? Perfect timing!"
"This woman has some serious nerve, showing up again."
Before Zhou Wanqing could even speak, tears started streaming down her face. She choked back sobs, accusing me pitifully through the camera, "Mingqian, why would you do this to me? Don't our years together mean anything to you?"
I leaned back in my chair, watching her performance with detached amusement. My tone was as casual as if I were introducing a stranger.
"For our new friends in the audience who might not know, let me introduce you. This is my ex-wife, Ms. Zhou Wanqing."
I said the words "ex-wife" slowly and deliberately.
The expression on Zhou Wanqing's face froze. Then, she became even more agitated, practically screaming, "You're lying! We're not divorced! Lu Mingqian, you liar! That wasn't a divorce agreement you tricked me into signing!"
She shrieked, as if she had suffered the greatest injustice in the world, trying to win sympathy with her volume and her tears.
For a moment, the chat wavered.
"Huh? Tricked into marriage? No, tricked into divorce?"
"Spill the tea! There's more to this story?"
"I knew it takes two to tango!"
I watched her deranged-looking self on the screen and chuckled.
"Zhou Wanqing, we're adults. A signature is legally binding."
I leisurely pulled the divorce agreement from a folder, making sure to aim the last page—with her flamboyant signature—directly at the camera.
It was there in black and white, perfectly clear.
"The agreement states very clearly: marital assets, including the house and cars, go to me. Any personal expenses and debts you incurred are your own responsibility." I paused, looking at her pale face, and added, word by word, "Including, but not limited to, the two-million-yuan bag and the eight-hundred-thousand-yuan watch you bought with my credit card, and… all other outstanding debts."
That single blow completely shattered any hope she had of me playing the fool and paying her bills.
Zhou Wanqing's sobs stopped abruptly. She glared at me, her eyes filled with venom.
But I wasn't about to let her off the hook just yet.
I leaned forward slightly, closer to the camera, and asked in a soft, feigned tone of concern, "By the way, Wanqing, there's something I've always wanted to ask you."
"You said before that you were pregnant."
The moment the words left my mouth, the viewer count on the stream began to skyrocket.
Zhou Wanqing's pupils contracted sharply.
I watched the panic in her eyes and continued to slowly twist the knife. "If the baby were born," I mused, "what surname… would it take?"
"Would it be surnamed Lu, like me… or Lin, like Lin Jingxuan?"
Boom!
The chat room detonated.
"WTF WTF WTF! That's too much information!"
"The kid's not his?! I can't handle this tea, I'm stuffed!"
"Drama of the year! So Zhou Wanqing came crying to her ex-husband while pregnant with another man's child?"
"Don't jump to conclusions, OP. It could be… Boss Zhao's?"
Amidst the frenzy in the chat, countless malicious speculations and vile insults were hurled at Zhou Wanqing.
I savored the sight of her face turning from deathly pale to ashen, then to completely bloodless. It still wasn't enough.
I sighed, a knowing smile spreading across my face.
"But there's no point in talking about that now."
"Wanqing, take my advice. When you have a moment, you should really go to the hospital for a check-up."
I paused for dramatic effect, then, in a tone of mock pity, I slowly uttered the fatal word.
"Syphilis."
"After all, you know what Lin Jingxuan's private life is like. Just in case?"
The entire chat room fell deathly silent.
It was followed by an even more frantic flood of bullet comments. All sorts of vulgar words and emojis washed over Zhou Wanqing like a tidal wave.
She stared blankly at the screen, at the comments from the same people who once adored her but now seemed to want to tear her apart. Her eyes gradually lost their focus.
Her lips trembled unconsciously, like a puppet with its soul ripped out. She couldn't utter a single word.
Mission accomplished.
Watching her complete breakdown, I gave a satisfied smile.
Then, I closed the co-stream window and said nonchalantly to my camera:
"Alright, the freak show is over. Let's talk about something else."
"For instance… Mr. Lin Jingxuan, you've been hiding behind your screen watching for so long. Won't you come out and chat for a bit?"