Chapter 4

Later that night, the doctor urgently informed me that Bao'er needed surgery and I had to pay the fees.

But all the money in the bank account was frozen by Lily. Remembering the safe at home, I recalled the savings book I had stored there.

In a panic, I rushed back home, only to find the house brightly lit.

“Lily, thank you for pretending to marry me to keep it from my parents.”

“It’s just that my parents want to see our marriage certificate…”

Oliver’s voice came from inside the house.

Then Lily replied in her soft voice:

“Oliver, don’t worry about that. I secretly divorced Ethan Johnson a while ago. We can get the marriage certificate tomorrow morning.”

“Once Uncle and Auntie see the certificate, they won’t suspect anything.”

Standing at the doorstep, hearing their conversation, I felt like I’d been struck by lightning, frozen in place.

Bao’er was still lying in the ICU, needing a life-or-death operation.

But Lily was planning to marry her first love Oliver?

What hurt me even more was that I didn’t even know we’d already divorced!

I thought my heart had long since gone numb, but the stabbing pain spread uncontrollably from within.

I forced myself to suppress the grief, trembling as I unlocked the door.

“Jing… Johnson, why are you back?”

Seeing me suddenly return, Lily’s face turned pale.

Ignoring her, I went straight to the safe, retrieved my savings book, and left.

Watching my lonely back, Lily’s heart skipped a beat. She bit her lip and ran after me.

At the entrance of the community, Lily grabbed me, looking at me with pleading eyes:

“You understand, don’t you? This is all for the company. Without him, the company wouldn’t be this big. Once I pacify Oliver, I’ll divorce him and remarry you.”

“Didn’t you always say you wanted to honeymoon in Phuket with me? Once I get the marriage certificate with Oliver, let’s all go together, okay?”

I looked at Lily seriously and said:

“Lily, since we’re divorced, there’s no need to continue…”

Before I could finish, Lily’s expression turned cold:

“Why are you so petty, always hung up on this divorce thing?”

“ Ethan Johnson! You’ve been living off me, and Oliver is the backbone of the company. Do you think you can compare to him?”

Seeing me silent, Lily became angrier:

“It seems you haven’t realized your mistake. Don’t bother coming back to work at the company!”

“I’m warning you, if you keep bothering me and Oliver, forget about getting back together!”

I opened my mouth, full of things I wanted to say, but only one word came out: “Okay.”

Even at this point, haven’t I realized the truth?

Hearing my obedient response, Lily smiled in satisfaction and hurried back to Oliver.

I turned away, lowering my eyes, and took out my phone. I dialed a number:

“Hello, is this the Patent Office? I’d like to reclaim my patents.”

As dawn broke, I went to the company to process my resignation and prepare to reclaim my patents from the company with the help of the Patent Office.

Unexpectedly, I bumped into Lily and Oliver, just returning from City Hall.

Lily’s face, once full of smiles, now frowned in annoyance:

“What’s your problem? Why are you still causing trouble here at the company?”

Seeing me silent, she berated me again:

“How many times have I told you, aren’t you tired of this? Are you just here to ask for money again?”

“Look at you, always burying yourself in your worthless research. You’re like mud that can’t be shaped! Look at Oliver; he just secured another big deal for the company.”

“But let me be clear, the profit from this deal—you won’t get a cent. Even if you beg on your knees, there’s no chance!”

Oliver, however, smiled calmly:

“Lily, it’s my responsibility.”

“Mr. Ethan, if you’re sincere in apologizing, I can arrange a security job for you.”

Lily looked at me, frowning as she continued to scold:

“Did you hear that? Hurry and apologize to Oliver. You’re of no value to the company, and keeping you is just charity!”

Ring, ring…

Lily picked up her phone, her expression growing even more smug, and said:

“See? Thanks to Oliver’s skills, it’s probably another collaborator wanting to partner with us.”

But the call was from the company secretary, whose panicked voice came through the receiver:

“Ms. Lily, there’s trouble! The Patent Office is here, and they want to reclaim our patents!”

“The collaborators have found out too. They said if we don’t resolve the patent issue, we owe them a penalty fee of 300 million dollars!”