Chapter 43 Part 2

Take Yang Zhiqi, the real “master” among them. He was busy re-explaining the rules to everyone around him, but in his own even more obscure and convoluted language—

Little Zhao furrowed her brow as she listened, while Li Weiwei rolled her eyes nonstop and dragged Kris away by the shoulder.

Lin Xu kept nodding along, and the quick-witted Ke Jiujiu was already studying her iPad, figuring out the most cost-effective way to draw cards.

Shen Li and Qian Xingzhi were luckier; they were sitting farther away.

Mainly because before Yang Zhiqi could start his spiel, Qian Xingzhi had kicked the wheeled chair Shen Li was on, giving it a light shove.

Shen Li jumped in surprise. When he frowned and turned back to look, he saw Qian Xingzhi with an ashen, cold expression, looking thoroughly displeased. Qian Xingzhi then dragged his own chair even farther from the camera.

Shen Li got it instantly.

“You didn’t check the task details?” Shen Li tilted his head, his breath brushing Qian Xingzhi’s ear.

Qian Xingzhi lowered his gaze coldly, his knuckles white from gripping so tight. “I did. Someone tampered with it at the last minute.”

“Tampered?”

Qian Xingzhi let out a cold laugh. “There were no red or blue cards originally. The questionnaire didn’t tie to red cards either, and it was guaranteed to be anonymous.”

Shen Li was sharp. With just a moment’s thought, he said, “So they suddenly added that scoring weight section too?”

“Yes.”

Shen Li did some quick mental math: 4 groups × 2 people = 8 red cards.

If Group A draws Group B’s red card and solves it → that solution’s score gets multiplied by 0.5 automatically.

Viewers could just watch for all the ×0.5 scores to pinpoint the red cards’ owners—and now, with the 0.5x and 2x multipliers, the audience could reverse-engineer which group each red card came from.

Shen Li was no fool; he didn’t need Qian Xingzhi to spell it out to grasp how serious this was.

Qian Xingzhi should have had full control over the show’s segments. Who would dare make last-minute changes like this?

And for what?

“Was it Cao Sheng?” Shen Li asked keenly.

“…He doesn’t have that kind of authority.” Qian Xingzhi glanced impassively at the camera and flashed a provocative smile before whispering to Shen Li, “It was probably Li.”

Shen Li’s frown deepened. “That head director?”

“Yeah.”

“But didn’t you pick him yourself?”

Qian Xingzhi’s throat bobbed slightly. After a long pause, he said, “I’ve suspected him from the start. He might be connected to that drowning case from three years ago. Now I think he’s a mole for WCC—that’s why I chose him.”

Shen Li’s eyes sharpened, and he was about to press for more details on Qian Xingzhi’s suspicions or any plots he might have uncovered—

But the words died under Qian Xingzhi’s razor-sharp gaze.

Shen Li whipped his head around!

A camera was wobbling toward them from afar, the cameraman panting as he called out:

“Ah! Director Cao says you two are too far apart—the viewers can’t see your protest! He wants to add a camera here.”

Shen Li stayed silent, glancing at Qian Xingzhi to see what he thought.

Qian Xingzhi’s face was frosty. He let out a haughty laugh and looked over indifferently. “Sure, go ahead. Film right here.”

Qian Xingzhi pointed to his left side. “This half of my face looks better.”

Shen Li: …

【Whew, finally got a camera on them! [Party][Happy]】

【Aaaah, these two faces are perfect for the camera—I wouldn’t even dare photoshop them that much in real life! They’re just naturally that gorgeous! Why do they keep turning away from us?!】

The oblivious viewers were thrilled with the new camera angle and dove back into speculating about the duo’s divorce reasons.

The next second, not only did Qian Xingzhi not stop the camera from filming his iPad—he suddenly turned to Shen Li and said two words out of nowhere:

“Give money.”

Shen Li’s brow furrowed, completely lost on what Qian Xingzhi was playing at: ?

“I’ll draw cards.”

“…Don’t you have your own?”

Qian Xingzhi looked arrogant, utterly unreasonable. “I want to spend yours.”

【6】

【When can I say that to my partner with that kind of confidence?】

【What’s up with Qian Xingzhi? One minute this, the next that—has he seen a doctor?】

But Shen Li lowered his eyes without another word. He checked his own device.

And transferred 19,000 to Qian Xingzhi.

After the transfer, he had 110 left.

Qian Xingzhi tapped to accept.

No hesitation from either.

【Shen Li, dude, I… [Meltdown]】

【Screwed… you… I… him】

【Qian Xingzhi asks for money, and Shen Li just hands over his entire daily wage plus all his savings?】

【Dude, be precise—he still has 110 left.】

【Basic catastrophe, not total wipeout [forced smile]】

The next moment.

Qian Xingzhi opened the interface and started drawing on his iPad.

Like a pro whale spender.

He drew 38 times in two minutes, burning through all 19,000 of Shen Li’s freshly transferred funds.

Then he picked 6 cards from the pile of “Conflict Cards”—ones he seemed happy with.

2 red, 4 blue, all in uniform system font, formatted the same.

【Am I the only one thinking… what a baller way to draw cards…】

【Did Qian Xingzhi deliberately draw their own cards? Or just pick six he liked?】

【Definitely theirs—the multiplier’s higher.】

At that moment, on camera, Qian Xingzhi’s brow arched slightly. With a push of his long, slender hand, the iPad slid toward Shen Li with unmistakable finality.

Viewers zoomed in on the screen: a blue-bordered card, topic related to “financial” issues.

Shen Li frowned faintly, while the netizens who’d screenshotted it earlier lit up with excitement:

【Matches! That’s the one I grabbed a blurry shot of! The words line up!】

【Huh? They really have money problems?】

【Disagreement on finances? Insists on separate accounts for salary and assets… Given these two’s wealth levels… Qian Xingzhi’s the one who doesn’t wanna pool it, right?】

【Upstairs, still running a 16G brain on 512G waves? This is Qian Xingzhi calling out Shen Li!】

Shen Li had actually heard Qian Xingzhi mention this before, but he’d never realized Qian Xingzhi cared so much—

After all, if they kept finances separate, Qian Xingzhi could invest the capital freely. In a divorce, no need to split 50-50—that benefited Qian Xingzhi.

Shen Li knew Qian Xingzhi thought it felt too distant, but he’d never imagined Qian Xingzhi…

Was mad enough to want a divorce over it?

“Sorry,” Shen Li said after a moment’s thought, his lowered voice sounding almost gentle. “…I just didn’t want to take advantage of you.”

Qian Xingzhi seemed to have anticipated Shen Li’s response, as if he’d prepared for it in advance:

“Then when you spent half a year’s wages on a new PC case for me—was that me taking advantage of you?”

Shen Li: …

“Or the summer job money—two thousand earned, nineteen hundred to get Xiao Lihua a prosthetic leg. Was that you taking advantage of me?”

Shen Li: …

Qian Xingzhi seemed to have his solution ready:

“Don’t want to take advantage? Simple,” Qian Xingzhi said. “If we remarry, just put all your earnings with me. You’re generous anyway.”

Shen Li paused, blinking faintly. Two seconds later, he agreed:

“Okay.”

No extra words.

【…】

【…】

【Speechless, guys. What show am I even watching?】

【”Fans Breaking Down?”】

【Real talk: even if Qian Xingzhi used Shen Li’s money back in school, he definitely earns way more now. Why’s he grubbing his wife’s measly wages?】

【He’s taking Shen Li’s money, but Shen Li needs cash? He’ll just ask. No more yours-mine—family pot. Assuming the money-manager’s trustworthy, that is.】

【TBH, plenty of families keep money separate, even reliable ones. My parents did it for 40 years.】

【Aaaah so sweet! Feels like they’re about to go get remarried!】

【Don’t hype yet—check the next one: debt responsibility conflict? Doesn’t wanna share debts?】

【Not weird. Some couples can share joy but not hardship.】

【But is this Shen Li’s issue?】

Shen Li’s voice carried a hint of confusion and bewilderment as he moved right on to the next detail that concerned him more: “‘Company on the brink of bankruptcy liquidation.’ Seven years ago… you went bankrupt?”

Qian Xingzhi coughed. “Nearly.”

“So back then, you wanted the divorce because…”

“Not entirely,” Qian Xingzhi restrained the urge to rub his nose and gave a precise figure. “About 45% of it.”

Shen Li narrowed his eyes in confusion, seeming to accept the answer while trying to process it bit by bit. His frown only deepened, though, with no immediate reply.

The barrage exploded in frustration on his behalf:

【Did I guess wrong again?! I thought Shen Li bailed cuz Qian Xingzhi was going broke!】

【Whoa! Little Li looks totally clueless!】

【Shen Li’s just a pretty face—what would he know?】

【So Qian Xingzhi thought he was gonna go bankrupt, didn’t wanna saddle Shen Li with debt, so he filed first?】

【Where do you find a guy like that?! …Feels like an idol drama!】

【Dream on—your hubby’s right here @ (some absurd funny blogger)】

Shen Li’s scrutinizing gaze swept over Qian Xingzhi’s handsome face—picky, cautious, with a touch of authority—as he asked:

“Really?”

“Of course.”

“Then why didn’t you tell me when we divorced?”

“…Didn’t want you worrying.”

“…Really 45%?”

Qian Xingzhi’s stern face was etched with sincerity. “Of course.”

Shen Li’s narrow, cool eyes narrowed further as he fixed them on Qian Xingzhi, his expression unusually grave.

He seemed to scrutinize Qian Xingzhi for a full ten seconds or more. Whether it was a test or a warning, his gaze carried a hint of disappointment, as if he had no desire to continue the topic. He rubbed his aching brow.

【The two of them talking is like acting in a movie, but I don’t get artsy films. Next time, can they do a skit instead?】

【It feels like although my bro still has that icy expression… he seems more lifelike than before. I can’t quite put my finger on what’s different. Is it because he’s with Shen Li?】

“Next one.”

Shen Li said.

Qian Xingzhi raised no objection. His eyes swept over the whirring camera, and with a casual flick of his finger, he drew out a red card and slid it toward Shen Li.