My Mother-in-Law and I Became the Internet’s Hottest Power Couple

Zhang Tian felt a lump in his throat and took a long moment to find his voice again. "It's not a big deal. It's fine."

Xu Chaoyang’s expression was grim, while Li Jia, who had been upset earlier, now snapped, "What nonsense are you talking about? Why would you want a divorce?"

How ​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌‌‌​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​​​‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​​​​​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​​​​‌​​‌‌​‌‌​​‌‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌‌‌​​‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌​​​​‌‌​​​​​​‌‌​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​​‌​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌‌​​​‍could Zhang Lin say such a thing? As her daughter-in-law, Li Jia knew her best—Zhang Lin had no temper, always obedient, doing whatever she was told.

How could she suddenly bring up divorce?

Li Jia angrily retorted, "And you think you can take Little Yi with you?"

Xu Chaoyang cut in, "Mom, can you please say less?"

Was this really the time for such talk? Xu Chaoyang insisted, "I won’t agree to a divorce."

"I don’t understand why this has to turn into an argument," Zhang Lin said, sitting down while cradling her belly. If she had made this decision earlier, she might not have kept this child.

But now, it was already five months along.

Time had flown by—seven years had passed in the blink of an eye. She had lived this kind of life in the Xu family, always believing she was lucky to have married Xu Chaoyang. He had been the first person to extend a hand to her.

But was it really luck? Or misfortune?

She had thought other mothers-in-law could be like Yu Wanqiu or Du Wanzhou—or at the very least, like Aunt Zhao, who devoted herself wholeheartedly to her grandchild.

But Li Jia? All she did was belittle her.

"You’ve always prided yourself on being an intellectual, looking down on me, an 'entertainer,' haven’t you?" Zhang Lin took a deep breath. "Shouldn’t my divorce from Xu Chaoyang be exactly what you wanted? Why that look on your face? Did you think it shouldn’t be me who files for divorce? That your son should be the one to dump me instead?"

She steadied herself. "I will fight for custody of my child. I’ve been the one taking care of Little Yi all this time, and I have my own income."

Even Zhang Tian, a grown man, felt his heart twist painfully at the scene.

Younger people might not know, but back when Zhang Lin and Xu Chaoyang got married, it had been a sensation in the entertainment industry.

A fairytale wedding, costing 150 million, with flowers, a pristine white wedding dress, and blessings from countless tycoons.

Netizens often called Jiang Lan a "Cinderella marrying into wealth," but the real Cinderella was Zhang Lin.

Her mother had passed away early, her father was an alcoholic with violent tendencies, and her family was extremely ordinary.

She had thought marrying Xu Chaoyang would bring her a better life—but this was the reality.

Zhang Tian had originally invited Zhang Lin to the show to give viewers a glimpse of the dynamics between a wealthy mother-in-law and daughter-in-law, and also because Zhang Lin wanted to make a comeback.

Who knew Li Jia and Xu Chaoyang would turn out to be such scoundrels?

Xu Chaoyang couldn’t accept it. He kept repeating, "I won’t divorce."

Li Jia clutched her chest, unable to speak, as if someone had stabbed her in the lungs, coughing uncontrollably.

Just as Zhang Lin had said—she couldn’t accept it. Her grandson couldn’t go to Zhang Lin. Even if they divorced, it had to be Xu Chaoyang who initiated it.

How dare Zhang Lin be the one to bring it up?

Xu Chaoyang insisted, "I won’t divorce. I haven’t cheated, haven’t done anything wrong. You can’t leave me."

Zhang Tian had security escort Xu Chaoyang out.

Li Jia wanted to leave too, but the show still had to be filmed. She could walk away—but only if she paid the penalty for breach of contract.

Li Jia snapped, "Then why doesn’t she have to pay for wanting a divorce?"

Zhang Tian pulled out the contract. "It’s written here in black and white—only if a divorce during filming leads to a breakdown in the mother-in-law and daughter-in-law relationship does it count as a breach. How has Zhang Lin violated anything?"

The strained relationship between you two is entirely your own fault, isn’t it?

Li Jia was left speechless. This segment wouldn’t make it into the final edit, but with so many people watching, the humiliation was real.

Li Jia retreated to her room to lie down.

Aside from Yu Wanqiu and Jiang Lan, everyone else was still in the villa. Aunt Zhao clicked her tongue. "Shuyun, don’t you think—"

Chen Shuyun tugged at Aunt Zhao’s wrist and whispered, "Mom, say less."

Aunt Zhao reluctantly shut her mouth. She loved gossip and lively chatter, but she wasn’t completely oblivious—she knew when to speak and when to hold back.

Chen Shuyun felt uneasy. Li Jia didn’t want Zhang Lin to work, and Aunt Zhao didn’t want her to work either. The only difference was that the Xu family was wealthy, while theirs wasn’t.

If Aunt Zhao hadn’t changed, maybe she would have considered divorce too.

Her son was about to take his college entrance exams. Once that was over, she’d have nothing holding her back.

Seven years of marriage—so many ties, so many entanglements. Love, children… For Zhang Lin to dare to divorce, she must have incredible courage.

Especially now, while pregnant. Who would want their child to grow up without a father? Little Yi was only seven. If things hadn’t been truly unbearable, why would she choose this path?

Shen Xingyao couldn’t help but sigh. She felt heartbroken. Zhang Lin had left the industry just as she was starting out. Zhang Lin had been an outstanding senior, and she had been happy to see her return to acting. But divorce…

Zhang Lin smiled. "Why the long faces? Isn’t this something to celebrate? I’m free now. Congratulate me."

Shen Xingyao forced a smile that looked more like a grimace and bent down to hug Zhang Lin. "Yes… congratulations!"

Zhang Lin said, "Really, there’s nothing to be sad about. I’m happy."

The worst of the pain was long past—the days of enduring Li Jia’s bullying, the verbal abuse, the times Xu Chaoyang sided with his mother.

The sweet moments could never make up for that suffering. After the divorce, she would still have her children. She had her acting income. Even if life was hard, she wouldn’t let her child suffer.

Shen Xingyao nodded. "I’m happy for you."

Du Wanzhou didn’t know what to say. She and Li Jia had never been close—Li Jia had always looked down on her anyway. Why did things have to turn out like this? A young couple’s life shouldn’t be meddled with by the mother-in-law. Did she think she was still living in the Qing dynasty?

What a mess. Now Xu Chaoyang refused to divorce, and the child would grow up in a broken home.

And if Zhang Lin insisted on divorce, would Xu Chaoyang end up following her around without any real claim?

Du Wanzhou didn’t want to think about it anymore. Things were fine as they were. She had finally found a daughter-in-law she truly liked—if she wanted to work, let her work. They just had to stay happy.

Even so, the villa remained heavy with tension.

When Jiang Lan returned home from work, she sensed the strange atmosphere. Zhang Lin, who lived on the first floor, had ordered takeout—special meals for pregnant women. No more cooking from Li Jia.

After some hesitation, she decided to speak to Yu Wanqiu. "I’ve decided to divorce Xu Chaoyang. Once filming ends, I’ll file for custody of Little Yi. This wasn’t a spur-of-the-moment decision. As for Li Jia… let’s just finish these last three episodes peacefully."

Yu Wanqiu nodded. "I know a good divorce lawyer. I’ll send you her contact."

Zhang Lin smiled. "Thank you."

Jiang Lan didn’t know what to say. It felt sudden, yet not entirely unexpected.

Back on the fourth floor, Yu Wanqiu took vegetables from the fridge to make a salad. "Marriage isn’t the same as dating. When two people are in love, it’s just about them. If it doesn’t work out, they can break up. People say marriage can end in divorce too, but it’s not just about two people anymore. And if there are children, the choice becomes even harder."

She hoped Jiang Lan would be careful when it came to marriage.

It’s not that Lu Yicheng isn’t good, but marriage can’t be as romantic as when you’re dating. Living together day and night, there are bound to be plenty of conflicts—even couples argue during their relationship.

Jiang Lan said, "I think so too. I’m not ready for marriage yet..."

Jiang Lan was only twenty-one this year, and she’d just turn twenty-two after graduating next year. Getting married so young felt like she hadn’t done enough with her life.

Yu Wanqiu replied, "Then take your time to think about it. There’s no rush. But speaking of which, what do you like about Lu Yicheng?"

Jiang Lan thought for a moment and said, "I like that he’s handsome, organized, good at studying, and a little silly sometimes. There are moments when he’s downright clueless, but other times he’s really cute."

Right now, what she loved most was how Lu Yicheng became unlike his usual self when he was with her.

Yu Wanqiu could hardly remember why she had liked Lu Shuangchen in the first place. Their families were well-matched, and they were introduced by their parents. They got married simply because it seemed like a good fit.

Lu Shuangchen wasn’t romantic at all—more like a block of wood. Even now, Yu Wanqiu couldn’t understand why she had married him.

After more than twenty years, he was still the same.

The thought made Yu Wanqiu angry. "Men are all a little bit stupid."

"Exactly! Sometimes you just can’t figure out how their brains work. Do they have a different brain structure or something?"

Yu Wanqiu sighed. "Maybe all their points went into IQ and left none for EQ."

"And it’s not like their IQ is that high either. How dare Lu Yicheng mock my intelligence? He just scored a little higher on the college entrance exam." Jiang Lan still got mad thinking about how Lu Yicheng had tutored her in advanced math.

Yu Wanqiu smirked. "Well, his high scores were inherited from me."

Curious, Jiang Lan asked, "You took the college entrance exam too, right? How much did you score?"

"736, just a few points higher than Lu Yicheng." Yu Wanqiu had taken the exam in the 90s when the papers were simpler, but achieving that score was still impressive.

However, she had dropped out of university to pursue acting—something she truly loved.

Jiang Lan grinned. "Wow, that’s amazing! Now I can tease Lu Yicheng about it!"

Yu Wanqiu shook her head in amusement. "Alright, enough of that. Come help me wash the vegetables. We’re having salad for dinner."

After eating meat for lunch, they had to balance it out with a vegetable salad for dinner. After the meal, they did some yoga and played video games for a while.

Around nine in the evening, while they were charging through the battlegrounds of Honor of Kings, Xia Jing called. "Tomorrow afternoon, the representatives from Yunnan Province are coming to sign the contract. It’s tentatively scheduled for 3 PM. Both you and Jiang Lan need to be there."

With the signing at 3 PM, Jiang Lan would have to ask Chen Ninglei for half an hour off.

But if she finished recording the song tomorrow, she wouldn’t need to go back in the afternoon. After signing the contract, she and Yu Wanqiu could even go out to celebrate!

"Teacher Yu, I’ll work extra hard tomorrow!" She was determined to finish early so they could go out for a celebratory meal.

Later that night, Jiang Lan called Lu Yicheng to ask if there were any other really, really good places they had been to before.

Lu Yicheng sounded suspicious. "Who are you going with?"

Jiang Lan replied, "Teacher Yu, obviously. I’m filming a show—who else would I go with?"

Lu Yicheng didn’t want to answer. He lowered his head, lips twisting slightly. "Can’t you go somewhere else? Those places are full of memories. I’ll take you there again later. Otherwise, you’ll just say, ‘Last time, Teacher Yu and I came here—it was so good!’"

Jiang Lan huffed. "Fine, I’ll ask Xu Xiang then."

Lu Yicheng: "…………"

Jiang Lan teased, "And here you said you were chasing me. Liar."

"I flew from City B to Yunnan just to accompany you on your hospital visit. Doesn’t that count?"

Jiang Lan relented. "Okay, that counts. But the fireflies don’t. And you better change that group photo to the one where I’m wearing the green dress. This one isn’t flattering."

Lu Yicheng suddenly said, "Baby, check your phone."

"Why? Did you send me food recommendations?" She minimized the video call.

Instead, Lu Yicheng had sent a photo of the two of them—an old picture taken under a love tree. It must have been taken with a tripod or by someone else.

Lu Yicheng said, "I wanted to take you back there, but you went to Yunnan with my mom instead. When is this show going to end?"

Jiang Lan had seen this photo in her online album before. It was actually quite nice.

Lu Yicheng continued, "You should set this as your wallpaper. Then, if Lu Xingran tries to talk to you again, or if anyone hits on you, just press your phone screen like this—"

Jiang Lan glanced to the side, trying not to laugh. "Where do you come up with these ridiculous ideas? ‘Press your phone screen’… Honestly. Tomorrow, Teacher Yu and I are going to a private kitchen. Their food is amazing too."

Still, she set the photo as their chat background. It looked pretty good—she remembered how happy she had been in that moment.

The next day, Jiang Lan worked like her life depended on it. After a day and a half, she finally finished recording the song. Chen Ninglei told her she didn’t need to come back in the afternoon.

Yes! Now she could go sign the contract and celebrate with Yu Wanqiu afterward!

They had lunch at home, and after a half-hour nap at 1:30 PM, they headed to Yu Wanqiu’s studio for the signing.

Yu Wanqiu had her own studio, which managed a few other artists as well. Xia Jing handled most of the operations, including managing the talent.

That day, one of the younger artists, Zheng Jinyang, was practicing dance at the studio. When he saw Yu Wanqiu, he immediately greeted her with a bright smile, revealing a cute little canine tooth that gave him a youthful charm.

He was incredibly tall—Xia Jing had mentioned he used to be a model.

Xia Jing added, "Oh, and there’s one more thing—good news."

Yu Wanqiu raised an eyebrow. "Related to him?"

Zheng Jinyang sat quietly beside Xia Jing, who nodded. "Milan Fashion Week invited Jinyang to walk the runway. Besides that, they gave the studio two invitation passes."

Milan Fashion Week wasn’t something just anyone could attend.

Yu Wanqiu’s fashion connections weren’t the strongest. She had two luxury endorsements—one for jewelry and another for watches—but no major fashion brand deals. Some of her anti-fans mocked her for it.

Most of the outfits she wore to award ceremonies and premieres were her own.

The fashion show was this Saturday. If Jiang Lan wanted to go, she’d need to get her visa processed quickly.

Yu Wanqiu still asked for her opinion. "Do you want to go?"

Jiang Lan had never experienced anything like this before. Of course she wanted to go—anything was better than staying at home. "Yes!"

Plus, going abroad meant shopping at duty-free stores. She could stock up on cosmetics and save a ton of money.

Xia Jing explained, "For the visa, you’ll need your ID card, a copy of your household register, and a passport photo. Do you have your household register with you? If not, you’ll need to go home and get it."

That was no problem. Jiang Lan said, "Sure, I’ll go grab it."

Yu Wanqiu asked, "Is it convenient? I can come with you."

Jiang Lan laughed. "Of course it’s convenient. It’s just picking up a document."

At 3 PM, the representatives from the Yunnan provincial government arrived. After the studio’s lawyer reviewed the contract and confirmed there were no issues, the representative added,

"Actually, there’s one more thing we need to clarify. Given your relationship with Ms. Jiang… we’d like to confirm that Ms. Jiang and Mr. Lu are planning to get married, right? Otherwise…"

Jiang Lan was momentarily stunned as Yu Wanqiu set down the signing pen. "Does whether they get married or not affect the promotional video shoot?"

The person in charge replied, "Well, since you two are filming the promotional video together, if you can't proceed with the marriage, your relationship might also..." After all, if Jiang Lan was no longer her daughter-in-law, would Yu Wanqiu and Jiang Lan still maintain such closeness? They didn’t want to end up in a situation where the promotional video was shot, only for the two to cut ties afterward. That would put them in an awkward position.

Yu Wanqiu said calmly, "Jiang Lan and I are friends. Even if she doesn’t marry my son, we’ll remain friends. Of course, if you’re not comfortable with this, you don’t have to sign the contract."

At 3:20 PM, the contract was signed.

The total payment was twenty million, which wasn’t a huge sum, but it would bring many other "benefits." For both of them, it was a win-win situation.

The audition for Tribute was scheduled for mid-October, after the National Day holiday. They would contact Yu Wanqiu again then.

Jiang Lan congratulated her with a grin, "Hehe, congrats, Teacher Yu! Time to prepare for your new movie."

Yu Wanqiu replied, "I hope I pass the audition. When are you going home to get your household register?"

Jiang Lan said, "Today, probably. I have work tomorrow, so I’ll let my mom know."

Since the high school seniors at the school didn’t have a break, Teacher Xie was still teaching. With only a year left until the college entrance exams, the students were pushing hard in their final sprint.

Jiang Lan calculated the time between classes and called Xie Yunzhen. She explained the situation first before asking where the household register was.

Xie Yunzhen grumbled, "Just to watch a fashion show? Aren’t there any in China? Do you really have to go abroad for it?"

Jiang Lan replied, "The Milan Fashion Week is only in Milan, obviously."

"It’s in the cabinet in your dad’s and my room," Xie Yunzhen muttered. "Isn’t China big enough for you? Now you even need the household register..."

Truthfully, Jiang Lan didn’t even know which direction her front door faced, but she didn’t want to worry Xie Yunzhen unnecessarily.

She sent a message to Lu Yicheng—he would probably know.

Lu Yicheng sent her the address and even told her which key to use. [What are you going home for?]

Jiang Lan replied: [Getting the household register. Need to apply for a visa—I’m going to Milan this weekend to see the fashion show.]

Normally, Lu Yicheng’s focus would have been on her weekend plans, but this time, his attention was completely captured by the words "household register."

Household register.

The phrase practically glowed in golden letters.

Jiang Lan might not have realized it, but Lu Yicheng immediately made the connection—after all, you also needed a household register to go to the civil affairs bureau for marriage registration.

[Pig Raised by a Fairy: I’ll do my best to behave. Don’t make me resort to stealing the household register.]

Jiang Lan replied with a single word: [Get lost.]