The day the national college entrance exam scores were released, my husband brought me and our daughter from the countryside to the city.

At what was supposed to be a celebratory banquet for our daughter’s academic success, he stood up and announced that he wanted a divorce. Then, in front of everyone, he suggested we divide our marital assets based on a bet—using our daughter’s exam results as the deciding factor.

With one arm around a stylishly dressed woman, Hayden sneered.

"Didn’t you always say that Perrie always gets good grades? You can even guess her exam scores every time, right?”

“Then, let’s make things interesting. We'll use her exam results to decide the divorce settlement!”

Beside him, a girl in a frilly princess dress glanced disdainfully at my daughter in her school uniform.

"Don’t worry, Dad," she said arrogantly. "I won’t let outsiders take a single cent of our family’s money."

So that was it. For twenty years, I stayed behind in the village, raising our daughter and caring for his aging parents.

Meanwhile, he had already built a new life in the city—with another woman and even a daughter the same age as ours.

Now, he wanted to pit the two girls against each other in a contest of test scores just to drive us out with nothing.

But this time, he might have miscalculated.

——

“There will be three rounds in total,” he said smugly. “To keep things fair, I won’t make any guesses—only place bets. You and Jade will each write down your daughter’s estimated score. Whoever's guess is closest wins that round’s share of the assets.”

“Gwen, do you dare to gamble?”

My daughter looked at him, finally seeing his true colors. This wasn’t a celebration—it was a trap.

Clenching her fist, Perrie snapped, her voice trembling with anger. "My mom is your legal wife. She has the marriage certificate. That woman and her daughter—they’re nothing but a homewrecker and her illegitimate child. Why should they—"

Smack!

The slap meant for her landed on my arm as I stepped in front of her.

Perrie stared at her father, disbelief turning into fury in her eyes. "You don’t deserve to be my father. I hate you!"

I understood her heartbreak. For most of her life, Hayden rarely came home. After his parents passed away, he only returned once a year during all saints day.

It was only this past year—knowing Perrie would take the college entrance exams—that he began sending textbooks and health supplements, calling occasionally to check her progress.

Just when she had begun to feel a glimmer of fatherly love—it all crumbled in a moment.

How could she not feel betrayed?

"This is between adults. It’s not your place to judge," he snapped coldly. "If you don’t like it, you’re free to leave. But don’t expect a penny from me!"

I looked at the fire in Hayden’s eyes, and the smug satisfaction on the faces of the woman and her daughter beside him.

Calmly, I spoke. "Alright. I’ll take the bet."

"Mom?" my daughter asked, startled.

I gently touched her arm. "Don’t you believe in your own abilities?"

She immediately understood. "Fine. Let’s gamble. I’ve always ranked first in school. I’ll win back what’s rightfully yours!"

Once I had reassured her, I turned back to Hayden.

"To avoid future disputes, we should put everything in writing."

He agreed—probably afraid I might back out.

When the lawyer and notary arrived, the first round of the bet began.

"Mr. Shaw has wagered 20% of the marital assets. The mothers will each estimate their daughter’s score in the comprehensive liberal arts section. If the difference between the guess and the actual score is within five points, the one closest to the true result wins this round."

I had overseen every step of my daughter’s academic journey. No one knew her capabilities better than I did.

I watched Jade confidently jot down a number, then quietly wrote down mine.

The notary collected our slips and read aloud. "Vivian's estimated score in the liberal arts section is 275."

Gasps rippled through the banquet hall.

"The full score is only 300, right?" someone whispered.

"275? Isn’t that a bit too ambitious?"

"Miss Shaw over there has attended elite private schools since birth. I heard she even had one-on-one tutoring from top instructors throughout high school. Scoring that high isn't surprising."

"Then the girl from the countryside doesn’t stand a chance, does she? The quality of education there just can't compare."

"I'm actually curious about the rural girl's score. Her mom agreed so confidently just now—she must think her daughter can perform well."

Hayden wore a smug, proud expression as he affectionately patted Vivian on the head.

Meanwhile, the notary glanced at the number I had written, hesitating for a moment.

"Ms. Gwen... are you sure this is the number you want to submit?"

I crossed one leg over the other and leaned back in my chair, calm and unshaken.

"Read it aloud. I'm sure."

Seeing how firm I was, the staff member didn’t press further, though his face looked a bit awkward as he announced, "Ms. Perrie’s estimated score for the comprehensive liberal arts section is… zero."

For a moment, the entire room fell silent.

"Zero? That can’t be right. Even guessing randomly would score more than zero."

"Did she misunderstand the rules? It’s supposed to be closest to the real score, not the lowest."

"I thought she was so confident earlier... Looks like she’s walking away with nothing."

Perrie looked at me in confusion. "Mom... My last mock exam score was 275. Why did you...?"

Vivian burst out laughing, gloating with glee. "Perrie, even your mom doesn’t believe in you! Zero points? Dad wasted all those materials on you. What a joke—are you brain-dead? Hahaha!"

My daughter’s face flushed bright red. She clenched her fists and snapped back.

"That’s not true! My mom was just too flustered from dealing with you all."

"We’ll consider this round a warm-up. The next two—we won’t lose!"

Vivian’s eyes gleamed. "Let’s see about that, then!"

My daughter ignored her taunts and leaned close to whisper in my ear.

"Mom, don’t worry. Just guess like you always do. Trust yourself."

Looking into her hopeful eyes, my heart tightened. I hated what I was about to do... but I could only respond with a small smile.

The notary soon began the second round.

"For the second round, both mothers will estimate their daughters’ total college entrance exam scores. Mr. Shaw has wagered 30% of the marital assets. Same rule: if the guess is within five points of the actual score, the one closest to it wins."

This time, Jade didn’t rush to write her answer. Instead, she turned to me with a mocking smile.

"Dear sister, perhaps you were nervous last round because I was too fast. Why don’t you go first this time?"

"Or maybe you’d like to consult your daughter? You can come up with an answer together—so no one accuses me of bullying someone from the countryside."

My daughter’s eyes lit up. She had already compared answers after the exam and was confident she could give me an accurate estimate.

But I gently stopped her.

She was too young to understand the traps hidden beneath Jade’s words. But I knew exactly what she was doing.

That fake kindness—suggesting I confer with my daughter—wasn’t generosity. It was bait. A test.

The original rules clearly stated that only the mother could guess the score. If I openly discussed it with my daughter, even if we won, they might use it to invalidate my answer.

"No need," I said firmly. "I’ve got it."

I quickly wrote down my estimate and handed it to the notary.

Seeing I didn’t take the bait, Jade didn’t push it. She soon handed over her own slip as well.

After glancing at both answers, the notary looked up and gave me a look—one that was hard to read.

“I’ll ask again—do both parties fully understand the rules of this contest? If anything is unclear, I can explain it once more.”

“After all, this isn’t just about exam scores. It concerns the division of marital assets. I hope you’re taking this seriously.”

The notary glanced at his watch. Only fifteen minutes remained before the college entrance exam results would officially be released.

I spoke calmly. “Sir, just announce the results. In a few minutes, the scores will be out anyway—what’s the point of guessing then?”

The notary hadn’t expected me to be so blunt, but with a quick nod, he proceeded to read the second-round results.

“This round: Ms. Jade, mother of Vivian, estimated a total score of 712. Ms. Gwen, mother of Perrie, estimated is zero.”

The room erupted in murmurs.

Half the guests gasped at Jade’s astonishingly high estimate. The other half burst into laughter at my supposed foolishness.

“Seven-twelve?! That’s provincial top scorer level! But what’s going on with the ex-wife—zero again?”

“Well, it makes sense. Jade was a top student at Stanford, after all. Her daughter scoring high isn’t surprising.”

“Oh, now I get it. Honestly, when it comes to marriage, genetics matter. That Gwen—original wife or not—didn’t even finish high school. No wonder Mr. Shaw is divorcing her.”

“Exactly! Look at how polished Miss Vivian is. She's clearly raised with care. Not like some people, who must be complete idiots. Otherwise, how else do you explain two rounds of zero?”

Hayden laughed heartily, then pulled Jade into a proud kiss.

“Hahaha! That’s my daughter! Jade, you’ve raised Vivian beautifully!”

Jade furrowed her brows when she heard I’d written another zero. Her eyes kept flicking at me, as if trying to see through me. But when Hayden kissed her so suddenly, she put on a bashful smile.

“Hayden, there are people watching!”

Then she turned toward the others, her voice sweet yet provocative.

“I just believe that three years of hard work will pay off. We’ll know soon enough once the results are out. But I have faith—Vivian won’t disappoint us.”

Then she looked back at me and added, “But Gwen, haven’t you always called Hayden saying your daughter’s grades were great? So why write zero again? Are you just giving up half the property like that?”

Unfazed, I smiled faintly. “There’s still one round left. Whoever wins or loses isn’t decided yet.”

Vivian seized the opportunity to mock Perrie again. “Some people might’ve faked their scores all along. Now they’re just trying to scam money out of Dad using this guessing game. But the college entrance exam reveals true ability. I get why she had to write zero—she couldn’t even guess closely.”

Their words quickly sparked gossip among the guests—and worse, pierced my teenage daughter’s vulnerable heart.

She blinked rapidly, eyes red and brimming with tears, and looked at me with hurt and disbelief.

“Mom… You know what I’m capable of. Why would you write zero on purpose?”

I shook my head, keeping my voice low but firm.

“That is your score.”

“No way! I checked my answers after the exam. I’m definitely above the cutoff for a top university!”

Seeing her so worked up, tears streaming down her face, my heart ached.

She had always known her father was barely around. I was the one caring for her, tending to his parents, working the land—doing it all on my own.

Even so, she never once complained. She was the kind of child who finished her homework after school and then helped out with house chores.

When I stayed silent, she finally choked out, “Mom... are you scared I didn’t do well? Or did you just give up, thinking there’s no point in fighting anymore?”

“But after everything you’ve been through all these years—after all the pain—that property is yours. Why should they be the ones to take it from you?”