Chapter 3 — 58 Lakhs And His True Face

All afternoon, my heart hung in suspense. The quarterly report PPT file opens then closes, closes then opens again, even one page of content is unreadable. The cursor on the screen blinked continuously, as if laughing at my dismay. Tieu Luu in the group took the report and ran over to ask for the data. I was stunned for a few seconds before reacting. She looked at me questioningly: "Miss Hieu Ninh, are you unwell? Your face is so pale."

“It's okay, I didn't sleep well last night.” I forced a smile, picked up the glass of water and took a sip.

The cold water flowed down my stomach, but it couldn't quell the frustration in my heart. In my head I kept replaying the scene at the 4S showroom. The absurdly calm face of Tan Dieu, the professional smile of the sales staff, the flashing green light of the POS machine. There's also the saying in WeChat, no resistance allowed.

“Definitely must buy.”

“Prepare the money.”

It was as if I was just an emotionless cash machine, and he was the one holding the controls. Just give an order, I have to release the money. After the wild feeling, there was a strong surge of coldness and anger. Each wave rolled up, as if it wanted to engulf the whole person. I started going through the past two years bit by bit. How he pursued me, the "little surprises" that seemed very thoughtful, his humble appearance when he first met my parents. When we talked about the future, he said he would stay in this city to start a business and buy a house. He said: "Hieu Ninh, my condition is not good right now, but I will try with you." At that time, there really was light in his eyes, I believed it all. Now that I think about it, did each of those "good" parts... have a price tag on them? Just waiting for my dad's money to go into his account, he immediately harvested it? My stomach spasmed. I got up and went to the tea room, poured a cup of hot water, held it in my hand and stood in front of the window. Downstairs, traffic is bustling, people are rushing back and forth, everyone has their own business to do. The sun is scorching hot, but the city still operates as before. Only my life, has been broken since this morning. No way, Lam Hieu Ninh. Just being angry in silence is useless. You have to think clearly about what to do next. This money should absolutely not be touched. Not only must you not move, you must also hold it tightly. What if Tan Dieu has other plans? He's already made a deposit and clearly doesn't want to let go. From my understanding of him, he won't stop easily. It's very possible that he will attack my feelings, and maybe he will find my parents to talk. I have to make it clear to my family first. Thinking that, I went back to work to get my phone and went downstairs to call my mother. The phone rang a few times before picking up. On the other end of the line was the jingling sound from the hardware store.

"Hello, daughter? Why are you calling at this hour? Is the company not busy?"

Mother's voice passed through, still carrying familiar concern. As soon as I spoke, my nose was stinging. The pent-up self-pity seemed to be punctured, rising straight to the throat. Mom immediately realized something was wrong.

"What's wrong, Hieu Ninh? I don't hear the right tone? Arguing with Tan Dieu?"

I took a few deep breaths, blinking to hold back my tears. Try to keep your voice calm.

"Mom, the money dad gave me as a dowry... Tan Dieu already knows."

“If you know, you know, you two have reached that point, it's normal for you to know.”

Mom's voice is still quite gentle, even a little happy.

“It's solid Very happy, right? What does it say?

I paused, unable to find the right words for a moment. The throat is choked, making it difficult to speak.

“He planned to use that money to buy a car.”

"I went to look at it this morning. The contract was also presented to me and told me to pay on the spot."

The other end of the line was silent for two seconds. There was only the sound of metal tapping "clack-clack", each sound seemed to pound into the heart. Immediately after that, mother's voice rose, full of surprise.

“What? Buy a car? Use that money? How much does a car cost?

“Nearly 580,000 yuan, almost completely spent.”

I added, my voice very low.

“It's a car he's liked for several years. He really likes it.”

“From beginning to end, I didn't ask if I agreed or not, I just asked me to sign.”

“What is he looking at!”

My mother immediately became angry, and in my mind I almost saw her with her hands on her hips.

“Lin Kien Quoc! You come here! Listen to your daughter talk about this!”

Very quickly, the other side heard the sound of his father's hurried footsteps, along with an urgent voice asking.

“What's wrong? What's wrong, girl?"

I recounted the entire morning, including the WeChat message, every detail. Don't miss anything. From him excitedly going to see the car on the weekend, to this morning asking me to take time off to pick up the car, then saying "you definitely have to buy it, prepare the money". After speaking, both ends of the phone fell silent. Only the sound of metal knocking in the store echoed sporadically. The air seemed to freeze. No one spoke first. The other side of the phone was so quiet that I could only hear my mother's rapid breathing and the sound of my father trying to suppress his anger and sigh. After a long while, my father spoke, his voice was low, as if he were suppressing a fire, the sound rolled like thunder.

“Hieu Ninh, that money is yours.”

“No one should touch it.”

“Tin Dieu, he doesn't have that qualification.”

He pressed each word very heavily, said it slowly, as if falling to the ground was enough to create a hole.

“Dad, I understand, I didn't sign, I left the store.” I said quickly.

“That's the right way to go!”

My mother spoke up, her voice full of anger and sadness.

“Hieu Ninh, I tell you, this matter absolutely cannot be let go!”

“What is it like? It's calculating!”

"You're not even married yet, but you're already looking at your parents' retirement money?"

“If you really get married, won't you be invaded by water? Does the house book also require writing his name?

“In the future, will it drain me to the bone until nothing is left?”

My mother's words were quick and sharp, like a knife, directly tearing through the thing I didn't want to admit the most. The cold truth is exposed before our eyes, there is no place to hide.

“Mom, my head is so confused right now.”

I said honestly, my fingers unconsciously scratching the rough concrete railing of the stairs.

"I don't know if he comes to find me tonight, what he will say, what he will do."

Two years of love is not like a faucet, just turn it off and it will turn off. If you really want to turn around, you have to gather enough courage and cheer yourself up over and over again.

“What a mess!”

My mother's voice immediately stiffened, carrying a determination that did not allow for rebuttal.

“I'm telling you, Lin Xiaoning, now you have to stand up straight for me!”

"This money, I can't spend even a penny!"

“If he comes tonight, I'll tell you everything straight!”

“He still dares to be stubborn, I call right away, my parents come right away This!"

“I want to see what kind of person the Qin family actually raises!”

My father next to me spoke in a low voice, calmer than before but with more force.

“Hieu Ninh, don't be afraid.”

“The sky cannot fall.”

“In this matter, I am on the right side.”

"If he wants to buy a luxury car, then he has to go earn money himself and use other people's parents' money as capital, so what's the point of being a man?"

My parents' words stabbed straight into my heart, like a shot of heart medicine. Yes, I have a point. From beginning to end, I did nothing wrong to him. I don't need to feel guilty, nor should I be afraid. The person who had to feel guilty and blush was Tan Dieu.

“Dad, Mom, I remember everything, don't worry, I can handle it myself.”

I tried to make my voice sound calm.

“What do you solve! Don't you even know about my daughter's soft-heartedness?"

My mother bluntly exposed it, but her tone softened a bit.

"Remember, the rule is, don't take a step back, do you hear me?"

"If he refuses to bow his head and doesn't give me a clear explanation, then this kiss will be over!"

“My daughter, there is no shortage of followers!”

After giving a few more instructions, telling me to be careful tonight and to call immediately if something happened, my mother hung up. Hearing the short beeping sound on the phone, I leaned my whole body against the cold wall and slowly slid down to sit on the stairs. Her butt touched the cold cement floor, the cold air penetrated through the thin skirt gradually creeping upward. My chest is still heavy, but my heart has a little more strength to support it. Like a small boat floating in the middle of a heavy rain, finally seeing the light on the shore. That's right, what am I afraid of? The person who should be afraid is him. Behind me are my parents and a family that always stands up to protect me. When it was time to get off work, I deliberately stayed for a while before going downstairs. Waiting for most of my colleagues to leave, I slowly packed up and left. I don't want anyone to witness a possible argument, that would be too unsightly.