Chapter 1: An American Wife Falls from the Sky

Houston, Texas, United States, was not unfamiliar to Chinese people. It was a famous space city, and also the place where Yao Ming had once played. As a casual basketball fan, Liu Heming did not really know how to play basketball, but he still knew a bit about this place. Not to mention, he had carefully searched online for information before coming abroad.

Now he sat in a fast-food restaurant by the roadside, sipping authentic American coffee. But his mood was as gloomy as the light rain outside.

People often said that life was full of disappointments. For Liu Heming, there were too many disappointments. So when something good suddenly happened, it was hard for him to accept.

The story started last year, near the end of 2013. Liu Heming was at work, counting down the days until his vacation when he would go home. Then he received shocking news: his wife wanted a divorce, and this wife was an American woman.

When he saw the lawyer who came to find him, Liu Heming chuckled. This was nonsense. He had been single for so long, and now someone told him he had a wife.

He always felt he was holding the country back. His income could never keep up with the rising housing prices. After working for years, he had thought about getting married, but he simply could not afford it. The little money he earned was not even enough for a bride price, let alone buying an apartment that cost over twenty thousand per square meter.

But when the lawyer showed him a photo and his own slightly youthful-looking ID card, he felt that this matter might actually be worth looking into.

He had no memory of the girl in the photo. It was a half-body portrait. She had blond hair, blue eyes, and fair skin. Her deep eye sockets seemed to pull your gaze in. Especially her blue eyes—even through the photo, they seemed magical.

As for the ID card, there was no doubt about it. The person on it was him. But that ID card had been lost many years ago, and it was lost in the United States.

Then the lawyer brought out a stack of photocopies, one of which was a marriage registration form. The signature “Dexter” on it was indeed his, even though it was a bit slanted. He could recognize his own handwriting. Back then, he was obsessed with the show Dexter, so he gave himself that English name.

His imagination ran wild. He suspected this was a huge scam targeting a small person like him, or maybe there was some big conspiracy hidden behind it.

But the lawyer’s words proved he was overthinking. He was still an ordinary man and could not suddenly become rich and successful. He was still Liu Heming, nearly thirty years old and with no great achievements.

All he could say was that he got this wife in a confusing way. It was almost as if she fell from the sky.

Life always has a few lucky moments, and he had one five years ago. He won tens of thousands of dollars in the lottery and was overjoyed. Coincidentally, some colleagues invited him to join a tour group to the United States, so he went to broaden his horizons.

And this American wife named Sasha McGill, the girl in the photo, was the one he married while having fun in Las Vegas. He had no memory of the process. Who knew how he got married back then? But he did.

Now, the situation was that she wanted to remarry, so she had to divorce him first. His ID card was the “token of love” he left her when they got married. It was also through this ID card that she managed to find him.

This quick marriage registration was not recognized in China. In China, you must get a marriage certificate. But in the United States, it was legal. So the girl did not make him come for nothing—she would give him over two hundred thousand US dollars as a breakup fee.

For him, this was a huge amount of money, over a million in Chinese currency. With that money, he could afford a house, and maybe even marry a real wife.

So he took a long leave from work and, with the lawyer’s help, completed all the procedures. After the Spring Festival, he eagerly followed them to Houston.

This matter was something he felt proud of. But now he could not feel proud at all. The more he thought about it, the more something felt wrong.

He had never been properly married, but he had seen divorces on TV. Especially in the United States, lawyers often brought divorce agreements, and with a signature, it was over. Was it necessary to fly all the way to China to find him? And did they need to give him a “breakup fee”?

He could only say that he had been blinded by the money at the time, only seeing the breakup fee and not thinking about anything else. Then last night, due to jet lag, he tossed and turned, unable to sleep, and his “conspiracy theories” rose again.

Could it be that someone needed his heart, liver, spleen, stomach, or kidneys? Was this an organ trafficking ring? Even if something happened to him here, probably no one would care.

But another voice told him it was impossible. This was not a movie—organs could not be used right after removal. They had to match, and it was impossible to complete a full body check just through his ID card.

But after dismissing that idea, other thoughts popped up. He hardly slept well and felt tired. He had already drunk two cups of coffee to stay alert.

The bell on the fast-food restaurant door rang. The lawyer named Jack, who had come to find him in China, walked in. Liu Heming waved at him.

Even though his name was Jack, he was also Chinese. But he had studied well, came to the United States for education, passed the bar exam, and stayed to work.

“You don’t seem to have rested well,” Jack said as he sat opposite him.

Liu Heming shook his head. “Jet lag is exhausting. I have a question for you, and you must answer me honestly. You are my lawyer, so you should think about my interests, right?”

Jack nodded. “Although I was not directly hired by you, I am still your lawyer. The fee will be deducted from your earnings this time. I explained this to you back in China.”

“Then tell me honestly, is there something else going on with this matter?” Liu Heming stared into his eyes.

“Something else? Do you want to ask for more property? Actually, that might be possible. Your wife’s family is quite well-off. They are a fairly well-known family in Houston. But at most, you might get an additional hundred thousand US dollars or so. If you ask for too much, they might not agree to a divorce settlement.” Jack frowned and thought for a moment.

“No, no, it’s not about money. Think about it—if it were simple, why didn’t they have me sign the documents in China and just give me the money?” Liu Heming shook his head.

“Actually, that’s quite normal. Rich people think about things differently from us. After you sign the divorce papers, you might need to sign a confidentiality agreement. From what I know, their family is very conservative. They might see you as a stain,” Jack said, shrugging.

“So they want this matter resolved peacefully, without any trouble. And I really advise you not to try to take more property. From my perspective, I suggest you only make small, reasonable requests.”

“Buddy, can we stop focusing on money? I just feel there’s something else going on. I can’t even speak English fluently, let alone read those dense agreements. Today, you must help me check everything carefully. If you notice anything that stands out, you have to tell me,” Liu Heming said, looking at him.

“OK, I think you’re overthinking it. In divorces among the rich, the key issue is usually property division. Actually, I’m a bit envious of your luck. Even in the United States, two hundred thousand US dollars is a huge amount of money,” Jack said with a smile.

The United States is a capitalist country, and everywhere there are interests at play. For the sake of interests, two people fighting can temporarily cooperate. For the sake of interests, they can also go against their conscience.

After living in the United States for so many years, Jack had seen too much. Especially when handling divorce cases, before the divorce, both spouses often try to find as much fault with the other as possible to get a larger share of the property.

No wonder he envied Liu Heming’s good luck. He had only been to the United States once, and he ended up with a wife. He did not have to do anything—just sign the divorce papers and get over two hundred thousand US dollars to enjoy.