Chapter 171 - 109: The Underlying Logic of Divorce

Wang Yu understood what it meant to leave a marriage with nothing. In fact, that was the very reason he’d come to see a lawyer.

What he couldn’t possibly comprehend, however, was the idea of the *wife* leaving with nothing!

It couldn’t be helped.

When it came to divorce cases, countless precedents already showed that women held a significant advantage. For certain unscrupulous people, the so-called division of marital assets was really just a cash grab!

And the most vicious form of this cash grab?

The husband leaving with nothing, of course.

But the wife leaving with nothing? That was almost unheard of!

"She... She could be the one to leave with nothing!?"

Wang Yu exclaimed, his face a mask of utter disbelief.

He could barely contain himself. His muscles tensed, and he almost shot to his feet.

It wasn’t just him.

Even Lin Yue and Wang Chao, standing to the side, showed a flash of astonishment in their eyes when they heard this. Clearly, they had no idea what kind of method this could be.

"Mr. Wang, it seems you require some rather unconventional assistance."

Xu De, still smiling, began to calmly reassure him.

Then, he began to explain.

"First, I need to explain the fundamental logic behind the division of assets between a husband and wife."

"The assets divided by the court are the ’marital property’ shared between both parties. In other words, any money you or your spouse earned after you were married is considered ’marital property.’"

"And it’s this portion that gets divided."

You can think of this marital property as a piggy bank.

A piggy bank that you and your wife contribute to together. How much goes in depends on what’s left over each month after your expenses.

But when you get to court, and it’s time to divide the assets...

"What the judge does is smash that piggy bank and divide all the money inside between the two parties based on a percentage."

"For example, a fifty-fifty split."

Xu De’s lips moved, his voice flowing steadily.

Theoretically.

A fifty-fifty split of assets isn’t actually a loss for the man.

For example.

You earn 5,000 a month, and your wife also earns 5,000. In that case, the marital property to be divided from the ’piggy bank’ isn’t your personal 5,000, but a total of 10,000.

With that base amount, if you get 5,000 in a 50/50 split, is that a loss?

No, it’s not. Because you got back everything you put in!

So why, under this fundamental logic and seemingly fair distribution, do people still complain so bitterly?

It’s simply because...

"Setting aside all social conflicts, personal opinions, and subjective emotions."

"Men’s monthly income is higher than women’s!"

Xu De sat on the sofa, his hands clasped, and his gaze swept rapidly over Wang Yu.

The man wore glasses and had longish hair. His hands were free of calluses, and he spoke articulately with clear logic. In all likelihood, he was in a higher income bracket.

"It’s a social statistic."

"Men earn about 20% more, on average," Xu De replied.

Looking at the median, the average salary for women is around 5,200, while for men, it’s around 6,500.

Let’s say the man earns 6,000 a month and the woman earns 4,000. The ’piggy bank’ for this ’family’ now holds 10,000.

In this situation, with a fifty-fifty split, each person gets 5,000.

So, from an individual perspective, is that ’50/50 split’—that extremely ’fair’ number—a gain or a loss?

The man put in 6,000, but only got back 5,000.

The woman put in 4,000, but got back 5,000.

Furthermore, women often account for the bulk of household expenses, such as ’entertainment,’ ’handbags,’ ’clothes,’ and ’cosmetics.’

Let’s assume the woman has fixed expenses. From her 4,000 salary, she spends 2,000, leaving her with only 2,000.

Now, combine her remaining 2,000 with the man’s 6,000. The piggy bank now has 8,000. Split fifty-fifty, the man, despite earning 6,000, only gets 4,000 back!

In summary.

We can draw one conclusion.

When there’s a disparity in income between genders, a ’fair’ division of assets will inevitably lead to an absolutely ’unjust’ outcome!

Therefore.

If you truly don’t want to lose out... the split must be based on the proportion of income ’contributed.’ If the wife’s salary isn’t high, then the only way is...

"A sixty-forty split."

"Or even seventy-thirty!"

"If you want to walk away with all of your own assets, safe and sound, without letting your spouse take advantage of you..."

Xu De pulled a fountain pen from his breast pocket.

He took out a piece of paper and wrote two numbers on it.

Seventy. Thirty!

"A seventy-thirty split, in the popular imagination, is what constitutes ’leaving with nothing’!"

"If you want to punish her, to have all of her accumulated savings awarded to you as compensation..."

"Then you’re talking about a one hundred-zero split—the legal definition of one party leaving with nothing!"

Xu De looked at Wang Yu calmly. He felt his explanation had been thorough enough.

This was the logic of asset division in a divorce case.

The reason most men felt they lost out was because they generally earned more. If the wife didn’t even work, a seemingly fair ’fifty-fifty split’ would simply cut the man’s assets in half!

Of course.

The laws in 2003 did grant ’privileges’ to certain special groups, like children and the elderly.

But in reality, gender-specific privileges weren’t a major factor. Splitting the money was still achievable.

The reason divorce cases were feared by the vast majority of men...

...was purely because developmental differences between men and women, and the physical expression of hormones, led to a gap in ’labor capacity.’ This physical advantage gave men a higher salary.

With the average salaries being what they were, and following the fundamental logic of distribution, it was only natural that a vast number of such cases would arise.

If the wife had the higher income, she would face the same problem.

"So, Mr. Wang, what is your stance?"

Xu De suddenly asked in return.

He looked at Wang Yu, guiding him patiently.

"Do you want her to compensate you, or do you just want to walk away clean?"

At his words, Wang Yu fell silent.

Memories of the past surfaced in his mind. After a long moment, a ruthless look appeared on his face.