"You must be Doctor Wen, right? I saw what just happened. You were so brave!" The sales associate from the clothing store stared at Wen Ying with an admiring gaze. "If you like this outfit, I can let you use my employee discount. It’s 20% off! I don’t know how else to express my gratitude to you, Doctor Wen, so this is the least I can do."

The associate was wearing a black office-style uniform. She looked at Wen Ying with a smile, clearly a little nervous.

Her features were delicate, and among ordinary people, her overall appearance was quite striking.

She was a beauty by everyday standards; with a bit of makeup, she could easily rival any internet celebrity.

"Why do you need to thank Sister Wen Ying?" Zhang Wenliang didn’t understand.

’This has nothing to do with her. Is she really going to use her own employee discount for a stranger?’

’Selling clothes is commission-based. Is she willing to earn less for someone she doesn’t even know?’

The associate looked at Zhang Wenliang, her attitude much more detached. "You may not understand, but in many situations and places, women are the weaker party. In the past, I went through something very similar to that woman. But I managed to get out. I’m single now, but I feel happy and fulfilled in a way my marriage never made me feel.

"People used to question my decision, wondering why I’d give up the ’good life’ of a housewife to get a divorce and become financially independent. But they had no idea what my life was like at my in-laws’ house.

"They had a maid, but my mother-in-law set rules for me. I had to wake up at six every morning to prepare two different types of breakfast for my husband and mother-in-law. My husband liked Chinese-style, and my mother-in-law liked Western-style, so I had to learn how to make them all and have them ready early.

"I had to personally clean the bedroom every day. In the afternoon, I had to tend to the orchard and the garden—they called it a ’rich wife’s afternoon tea time.’ And at night, I had to bring my husband and mother-in-law basins of water to wash their feet.

"Everyone thought I’d married well. They all envied me, saying I’d married into wealth and become a phoenix. But I was exhausted every single day. I never dared to tell anyone how wronged I felt. The one time I mentioned it to my husband, my mother-in-law found out immediately and punished me according to her ’family rules.’

"After I got pregnant, I thought things would get better, but I was too naive. When my mother-in-law found out I was having a girl, she became even worse. She would verbally abuse me, saying I couldn’t produce a son. My husband acted as if he were blind to it all. Even the house staff knew my mother-in-law disliked me, and they treated me... well...

"They only gave me two thousand yuan a month for living expenses.

"After my daughter was born, I filed for divorce! I left with nothing and had to start over from scratch, but I was so happy. Looking back, I don’t understand how I endured that slave-like existence.

"My parents were ashamed that my divorce made them lose face, but they still gave me a little money to help out. No matter what, I’m grateful to them. And now, I’m self-reliant. I live a free, happy, and comfortable life I’ve never known before. I don’t have to walk on eggshells around anyone or worry about what they think. I eat when I want, sleep when I want, and spend my money how I want."

Zhang Wenliang listened to the sales associate’s story, completely stunned.

’How could people be so shameless?’

’No, a whole *family*?’

’And they sounded like a wealthy family, too!’

"Why did you have to leave with nothing? No matter what, you should have gotten a share of the family assets, right? Or at least some compensation. How could you accept that?"

"Of course I couldn’t accept it, but what could I do? When a woman marries into a so-called ’prestigious family’ without a powerful family of her own to back her up, she’s bound by all sorts of restrictions. Their family assets have nothing to do with me. They have ways to make it look like my husband has nothing to his name. Even worse, they could have left me with millions in debt. That’s just reality. I used to resent how unfair the world was, but complaining doesn’t change anything. It’s better to rely on yourself and fight for your own future!"

The woman smiled, and the emotion in her eyes showed that she had truly let go of the past.

"Now, I’m the top salesperson in the store. My monthly salary is more than enough to cover my expenses, and I can even save some. Last month, I was promoted to store manager. This life is so fulfilling, and it’s helped me find my true worth. This is what a woman should be doing. When I saw that woman earlier, it was like seeing my former self. But her choice..."

The sales associate shook her head. "Maybe everyone has something they can’t let go of. I can’t judge her. But she made her choice, and she has to bear the consequences. What I admire is Doctor Wen’s courage to stand up and say those things in public to encourage her. To me, that was like a ray of light suddenly appearing in a dark world."

Zhang Wenliang was a little dazed. He understood all the words she was saying.

’But a ray of light in a dark world? Is she really being that dramatic?’

If you’ve never been in the darkness, you can’t understand how terrifying it is.

If you haven’t seen the light after being in the dark, you can’t know how precious that light truly is.

But it was clear that Zhang Wenliang greatly admired this sales associate, who looked to be several years older than him.

"Forget the discount. Why don’t you come see me for a consultation instead?" 𝚏𝕣𝐞𝗲𝐰𝕖𝐛𝐧𝕠𝕧𝚎𝚕.𝐜𝚘𝗺

Zhang Wenliang was speechless. "..."

’Sister Wen Ying is always looking to drum up business, no matter where she is.’

"Doctor Wen, I’ve watched your livestreams. Do you think I have psychological issues now? I know I did in the past, but do I still have some hidden problems?" the sales associate asked, looking at Wen Ying with confusion.

’Do I really have a problem?’

"How much is the outfit? No discount."

"Four hundred and eighty."

"Scan the code."

After paying, Wen Ying looked at the sales associate. "Now it’s your turn to pay. Are you willing?"

The sales associate was genuinely curious, but she paid the one thousand yuan without hesitation.

To her, one thousand yuan was not a large sum.

She figured Doctor Wen probably wouldn’t trick her.

Seeing the sales associate pay so readily, Zhang Wenliang felt like the past few days had been surreal.

"Doctor Wen, what’s my problem?"

"Haven’t you been longing for a relationship of equals? Haven’t you been hoping to meet the right person to spend the rest of your life with?"

At this, the sales associate’s face reddened slightly. She was already thirty years old.

In the two years since her divorce, she had indeed met men who wanted to pursue her, but they always backed off after hearing she was divorced and had a child.

After all, she was no longer the naive young woman who could be easily deceived.

She was financially independent, owned a home and a car, and her monthly salary was enough to cover her loans.

Naturally, she wasn’t about to lower her standard of living to support a man.

"Doctor Wen, are you saying... I can still find someone?"

The associate’s voice trembled as she asked. When she watched the livestreams, she noticed that, without exception, none of the people involved had anything good happen to them. She had originally thought something bad was about to happen to her, too.

’I never expected it to be good news!’

She was still young, so she naturally held out hope for her future.

Just because she’d stumbled once didn’t mean she’d stopped believing in men and relationships altogether.