Chapter 11 — 120 Thousand Yuan And A Divorce

The past three hours. To Thanh's message arrived.

"She's here. Wait for me."

Then there was a long wait. I sat on the bed, the baby slept peacefully, my mother was in the kitchen chopping vegetables, sometimes a very soft sound could be heard. Three forty. The phone rings. I picked up the phone.

“Nhiem Nhiem…” To Thanh’s voice was a bit restrained, but clearly excited, “this fish… is much bigger than we thought.”

My heart beats strongly.

“Is she finished?”

“Not just talking.” To Thanh took a deep breath, "She even showed me the book."

I clenched my fists.

“That loss… is not two or three hundred thousand.”

She paused for a beat.

“It's 370 thousand yuan.”

I could barely hold a glass of water in my hand. 370 thousand yuan.

“To Thanh…” my voice was hoarse.

"She withdrew money from the project, faked the contract, and transferred it to a shell company account."

To Thanh continued speaking, his voice lowered.

"She said, only Chu Minh Khai knows about this right now. She used the fact that he knew about it as a weakness, forcing him to help fill the hole, otherwise she would accuse him of covering up."

I closed my eyes. Chu Minh Khai knows. He wasn't just having an affair. But also being dragged into a financial hole of 370 thousand yuan.

“To Thanh,” I opened my eyes, my voice was very calm, “so why is she still looking for investors, Chu Minh Khai can't handle it anymore?”

"Correct." To Thanh replied, "He's already scraped up all the money he can, it's still not enough. She's looking for new money, to get herself out of the way, then push all the responsibility to Chu Minh Khai."

She paused for a beat.

"Nim Nhiem, her original plan was... to wait for your mother-in-law to get 1200,000 yuan from your mother, then transfer a portion through Chu Minh Khai."

My head felt like someone was knocking. So the mother-in-law barging in and asking for money... It's not just greed. It's a link. Everything... is already planned. I hugged the baby and took a deep breath.

“Where is the recording?”

"Full." To Thanh said, "Even when she showed me the book, I still went back to the screen."

She lowered her voice.

“Nang Nhiem, this… is the heaviest card in your hand.”

“But we don't use it.”

“Yes, don't use it.” To Thanh spoke frankly.

"Because once released, Chu Minh Khai is very likely to be dragged into a criminal case." She spoke slowly, "You're not yet divorced, something happens to him, you and the baby will also be involved. We need him to sign the agreement in a 'clean' state, then... everything will separate from you."

I was silent for a while.

“To Thanh, you calculated very carefully.”

“I'm just helping you clear the way.” She smiled lightly, "how you go is up to you."

Hanging up, I put the phone down. Look out the window. The tree is still shaking in the wind. I hugged the baby and gently patted its back. This name from yesterday until now... has never left my head. At first I thought she was just a normal third person. Now I understand. She was the one who pulled Chu Minh Khai into the water. And I also plan to use my mother's old age pension... to fill that hole. The baby moved slightly. Fingers squeeze lightly. I bent down and hugged it tighter.

"No problem."

I said softly. Just comforted the child. Just comforted myself.

“Mom knows what she's doing.”

On the morning of the third day, To Thanh sent a message.

"You can make an appointment with Chu Minh Khai. This afternoon, tell him to come to your mother's house."

I answered with one word: "Okay." Then send Chu Minh Khai a message.

“At two o'clock in the afternoon, go to my mother's house.”

He replied almost immediately.

“Okay, I'll come over.”

So fast that... panic was evident chaos. These three days, he texted a lot. I don't reply to any messages. Perhaps he had already imagined all the worst possible outcomes. At one o'clock in the afternoon, To Thanh arrived. She placed a draft agreement on the table.

"Look at it, if there's anything wrong, fix it."

I sat down and read each line. The house is in my name, the remaining loan is borne by Chu Minh Khai. Custody of the child belongs to me, and the monthly support payment is not less than 5,000 yuan, until the child turns eighteen years old. Assets and savings in Chu Minh Khai's name were divided in half. The 1200,000 yuan my mother gave me is private property and cannot be divided. After signing, within thirty days, Chu Minh Khai must coordinate to transfer the house's name. I finished reading. No comments.

“Like that.”

I pushed the agreement back. To Thanh nodded, collected the documents, and glanced at the clock.

"An hour left. Are you okay?"

“Wait for him to come, you don't need to say much.” She lowered her voice, “let him speak, let him express himself, I will lead.”

My mother poked her head out from the kitchen.

"To Thanh, please stay for dinner. Auntie has already stewed the ribs."

“Just leave it there.” To Thanh smiled, "Let's eat when we're done."

Two o'clock exactly. The doorbell rang. To Thanh sat opposite. I sit inside. The baby slept in the crib, placed right next to me. My mother opened the door. Chu Minh Khai walked in, looked around, his eyes stopped on To Thanh, he paused slightly.

“My lawyer friend.” I said, “sit down.”

He hesitated a bit. Then sit down opposite.