Chapter 1: A New Life Begins

【Host has activated the Check-In System. Complete check-in tasks at the system-designated locations to receive random rewards.】

【Check-in task issued: Please proceed to the bus stop west of the Changchun Street intersection, board Route 44 Outer City Loop bus there, and return to the starting point to complete the check-in.】

Staring at the system that had suddenly appeared, Qin Yun was completely dumbfounded!

……………………………………

After a full week of grinding through the project, it still fell through in the end. Looks like this time, he's been marked for the axe!

Qin Yun rubbed his face, trying hard to snap himself awake, but staring at the code on the computer screen still felt somewhat blurry.

At this hour, the sky was just beginning to brighten, and the morning mist outside the office building had yet to disperse.

He tidied up briefly, too lazy to keep staying at the company, and left the office straightaway. By the time he'd squeezed onto the subway and gotten home, it was already nine in the morning.

This was the two-bedroom place he and Song Ya were paying the mortgage on together—of course, "together" was a manner of speaking; in reality, he was the one paying it all.

The moment he opened the door, a mess strewn across the floor inside hit him head-on.

Unopened delivery boxes were piled on the sofa, last night's takeout containers sat on the coffee table, bottles and jars from the vanity were rolling everywhere, and even the slippers by the entryway were scattered—one here, one there.

Sometimes he truly couldn't understand how a great beauty like her could let the house get so utterly chaotic.

At that moment, Song Ya was sitting in front of the vanity, touching up her lipstick in the mirror, her tone airy and casual.

"You're back. This afternoon I'm going to the hot spring resort with my besties—two days and one night. Remember to tidy up the house, and transfer last month's salary to me while you're at it."

Qin Yun's hand, mid-shoe-change, paused: "Last month's project bonus hasn't been paid out yet. I've set aside the mortgage payment and emergency funds on my end. Can I hold onto last month's salary for now?"

His monthly salary was twenty-five thousand. After the mortgage, daily expenses, and what he handed over, he pinched pennies every month, trying to keep a little cushion for himself against hard times.

But what Song Ya wanted wasn't that—it was present-day comfort, present-day appearances, present-day never having to swallow her grievances.

Sure enough, Song Ya set down her lipstick, turned around, the smile gone from her face: "Qin Yun, can you stop being such a buzzkill? My besties' husbands never nickel-and-dime over petty cash like this. It's not like I'm spending recklessly—just going out to relax for two days. Is it really necessary? And how much I hand over each month, we agreed on that when we got married."

"It's not that I won't let you go," Qin Yun pressed his throbbing temples, "I just want to tell you—the project I was in charge of fell through. The company's splitting up teams next week: either transfer to a field role or take the severance and leave. I need to hold onto some money. I can't keep spending it all like before."

The moment those words landed, the color drained from Song Ya's face entirely.

She stood up, looking at the man before her whose eyes were full of exhaustion, and there was no tenderness in her voice, only dissatisfaction: "So what you're saying is you're about to be unemployed? Qin Yun, we've been married three years. What did you say before we got married? I'm not asking you to make me rich, but you can't even give me the most basic sense of security. How are we supposed to live going forward?"

"I'm trying my best!"

"Trying?" Song Ya let out a laugh, tinged with mockery. "Your plan is save money, save money, save more money? Following you, I don't even dare buy the things I like, I have to calculate every time I go out—this is the life you've given me?"

Qin Yun didn't argue any further.

He walked into the bathroom, closed the door, and shut out the sounds from outside.

The man in the mirror hadn't shaved; the whites of his eyes were bloodshot. His face shape bore a few parts of Andy Lau, his brows and eyes five parts of Tony Leung, his mouth three parts of Tom Cruise.

Back at BUPT, he wasn't some heartthrob adored by all—just an ordinary engineering guy who could play ball, write code, and was steady and dependable. Of course, it was also thanks to his looks that he'd managed to win over Song Ya.

Back then they said they'd save up together, buy a little car, drive out on weekends to the surrounding areas—no need to travel the world, just steady and secure.

But steady and secure—too hard to come by.

His phone buzzed in his pocket. It was a call from HR.

Qin Yun took a deep breath and answered, his tone calm: "Hello, Brother Wang."

"Ah-Yun, let me give it to you straight," his supervisor's voice carried a note of helplessness. "With this round of restructuring, your whole team is being cut. Severance will follow national regulations—consider it more than fair. Field work definitely isn't your thing; I suggest you take the severance and go. With your skills, you won't have any trouble finding your next gig."

"……"

Sure enough, this outcome was something he'd half-expected. With the company's performance sliding again and again, a middle manager like him at the firm was bound to be a likely target for the knife.

This was the most ordinary, most real thing: a project dying on the vine, layoffs, packing up and leaving.

"Understood. Thanks, Brother Wang." Qin Yun hung up, his heart heavy with a hollow ache.

He walked out of the bathroom, not silently tidying up the house like before.

Song Ya was still packing her own luggage, still muttering: "Hurry up and transfer the money to me, I can't afford to be late… Oh, and next week is my dad's sixtieth birthday—did you get the gift I told you to prepare?"

Qin Yun said helplessly, "Those official-hat walnuts you mentioned cost a hundred and fifty thousand. Where am I supposed to get that kind of money?"

"I don't care. Last time for my dad's birthday you only sent a few bottles of liquor. But look at big sister's husband, little sister's husband—what they gave wasn't tens of thousands. This time it's his sixtieth. Even if you won't think of yourself, you have to think of me. My parents raised me, it wasn't easy. I have to…"

"Song Ya."

Qin Yun's voice rose a little, forcibly swallowing down his impatience: "I give you fifteen thousand every month. After all these years you must have saved up something, right? If you're dead set on buying it, dead set on going out to play, can't you just use your own money first?"

"Why should I… That's my money." Song Ya said, displeased.

Qin Yun shook his head, having long known this would be the outcome, and turned toward the door: "If that's how it is, you want me to conjure it out of thin air?"

"You… what attitude is that? If you're out of money, just ask your mom for some… your mom lives alone, she doesn't need the money anyway."

The moment those words left Song Ya's mouth, Qin Yun felt his throat tighten, and a string stretched taut in his chest for so long snapped with a crack!

He wheeled around abruptly, his gaze icy, startling Song Ya.

But the next instant, Song Ya felt her own reaction had made her lose face, and immediately shouted: "What? Am I wrong? When we got married, your family only gave two hundred thousand in bride price. Look at big sister's husband—two million, plus a villa. And you…"

At this moment, Qin Yun felt a sense of loss like never before. His icy gaze gradually dimmed, his lips trembled slightly, and looking at Song Ya, all the pent-up frustration in his chest finally transformed into a calm voice.

"Song Ya, let's get a divorce."

Song Ya's expression was visibly stunned, a flash of panic crossing her eyes, instantly replaced by embarrassed fury: "You… what did you say?"

Qin Yun repeated calmly once more: "Let's get a divorce."

Song Ya instantly became furious beyond control: "Fine, divorce! Let's divorce then! Who's afraid of whom? A three-legged frog is hard to find, but two-legged men are everywhere. Go pack your things right now, take your stuff and get out."

Without a word, Qin Yun walked into the bedroom, pulled over a suitcase, his fingertips touching the cold handle. Looking at this place he'd lived in for four years yet barely had any real belongings of his own, his heart felt like a wasteland, not a shred of reluctance.

Just as he raised his hand to start gathering his clothes, a pale-blue virtual panel suddenly appeared out of thin air before him—

【Host has activated the Check-In System. Complete check-in tasks at the system-designated locations to receive random rewards.】

Then, a world map appeared on the panel, with many light points flickering across it.

【Check-in task issued: Please proceed to the bus stop west of the Changchun Street intersection, board Route 44 Outer City Loop bus there, and return to the starting point to complete the check-in.】