Chapter 5 — 58 Lakhs And His True Face

The screen shows the mother's WeChat avatar.

"Daughter, what's wrong? Did she come to find you? What did she say?"

I bowed my head and typed, my fingers quickly gliding across the screen.

"Mom, he's looking. I broke up."

My mother replied almost immediately, a voice message popped up. I opened it and heard her voice full of spirit, with a hint of anger.

"Good farewell! My daughter has her own ideas!"

"What do you want to eat tonight? Mom, transfer some money, you can order delicious food yourself!"

“Celebrate getting out of that hole!”

Immediately afterwards, a 200 yuan red envelope appeared. Note: “Give your daughter an extra portion of meat!” I looked at the rapidly receding lights outside the window, the warm yellow light reflecting on the car windshield. Couldn't help but laugh. Laughing for a while... tears fell again. Not because of heartache. But after seeing through everything, the feeling of self-pity, relief, luck... and a little fear mixed together. Hot tears rolled down her cheeks and onto the back of her burning hands. The driver glanced at me in the mirror and quietly handed me a packet of paper. I took it and quietly said thank you.

“It's okay, kid, it'll be okay.”

His voice was calm, as if he was used to seeing such things. I wiped my tears and took a deep breath. Okay, Lin Xiaoning. After crying, you have to move on. A man who only sees himself as a wallet... is not worthy. It's just that in my heart I still vaguely know that with Tan Dieu's personality, I'm afraid this matter is not over yet. Will he and his family... really accept nothing? That 30,000 yuan deposit was not a small amount to him. Would he bear such a loss? I opened the bank app, looked at the number 580,000 yuan and was stunned for a moment. This money, right now, is both hot in my hands and my only support. I have to think carefully about how to keep it safe. More importantly, I must clearly understand... what kind of life I want to live next. A life without Tan Dieu. Two days after breaking up, life was strangely quiet. Tan Dieu didn't show up, didn't call, didn't text. Neither on WeChat nor my contacts did anyone from his family or acquaintances come to question him. Social networks are also flat, as if nothing had ever happened. This quiet... on the contrary, makes me feel uneasy. Like the silence before a heavy rain, making people nervous. According to my understanding of Tan Dieu, he is absolutely not the type of person to bear a loss and stay silent. He is always proud, selfish, and also has a bit of a patriarchal mentality. Especially about the car he wanted for a long time, and the 30,000 yuan deposit he paid. That amount of 30,000... I later remembered, a few days ago he said something, saying that you had an urgent need for money, he lent it in advance. Now that I think about it, maybe it was the money to buy that car. He was definitely secretly planning something. Preparing an even more unique move. Sure enough, on the evening of the third day, my phone rang. At that time, I was standing in the kitchen cooking instant noodles. The water in the pot had just boiled and the heat was rising. The screen displays a strange number, the address is in Hubei - Xiangyang. My heart sank a beat, I almost guessed who it was. As soon as I picked up the phone, a high-pitched female voice came straight into my ears.

"Is it Tran... or Lam Hieu Ninh? I'm Tan Dieu's mother!"

It had to happen… it finally happened. I keep Stabilize your emotions, put the phone away a bit, turn on recording and then turn on the speakerphone. Let her voice ring out in the empty kitchen.

"Yes, hello. What are you looking for me for?"

I tried to keep my voice polite but cold, like I was listening to an advertising call.

"What? Do you still have the face to ask me anything?"

Her voice suddenly rose, carrying a heavy local accent and unconcealed anger.

“Lin Xiaoning, what did my family Qin Dieu do wrong with you?”

"You said they broke up, they broke up? You also blocked his WeChat phone?"

"What kind of way are you doing like that? There's no training at all!"

The questions poured in like machine guns, hitting my ears until they hurt.

"Auntie, the breakup is between me and Tan Dieu. I've already told him clearly."

My voice was still calm, my eyes looked at the boiling pot of noodles, but inside my heart was cold to the bone.

"Explain what? Isn't it because of the car?"

Her voice was vicious, as if she wanted to penetrate my limits.

“Qin Dieu told us everything!”

“How can this girl not understand this?”

"It's normal for men to like cars! He bought the car so that the two of us can travel more conveniently in the future, and also so that we can look better at work!"

"The money your parents gave you, keeping it in your account is just dead money. If you take it out to buy a car, isn't it living money?"

“Why are you so stubborn and selfish!”

Her series of white and black changes made me so angry that I wanted to laugh. I actually laughed softly, not loudly, but it was clearly heard in the kitchen.

"Auntie, that's the money my parents gave me as a dowry."

“How to use it, when to use it, is up to you to decide.”

"Qin Dieu didn't even ask you, he intended to use that money to buy a car worth nearly 580,000 yuan. Is that called respecting you?"

“Does that mean you consider me family?”

My voice was still faint, not even raising the volume. But each sentence was like pebbles thrown into her rolling anger.

"Why no respect? The car is in your name!"

She spoke as if doing me a great favor.

"If it's in your name, isn't it yours? Can it still drive away?"

"This girl, just focus on your money, don't you think about Tan Dieu a little?"

"Do you know how hard it is outside? Traveling in a big city, don't you just want to have a fancy car to save face? You're the girlfriend, can't you help?"

Lend a hand? Using the 580,000 yuan that my parents saved for half their lives... to help him save face? To feed his vain heart? I took a deep breath, clearly understanding that it was useless to reason with them. They have their own logic, as solid as rock. At its core there is only one sentence: your money is ours, and ours is still ours.

“Auntie, Tan Dieu and I broke up.”

I interrupted her, my voice turned cold.

“His reputation, his job, or his car, have nothing to do with you.”

“In the future, I hope you don't call me again about this matter.”

"Break up? Did you say break up?"

Her voice suddenly shrilled, like fingernails scratching glass.

“I tell you, Lin Xiaoning, it's not that simple!”

“How much time, effort, and money does my family Tan Dieu spend on you?”

"You said you quit, you quit? You missed two years of his youth. How is this account calculated?

“Also, that 30,000 yuan deposit, it was because you changed your mind that you lost it all, you have to bear that money!”

Finally, her purpose was revealed. From asking to buy a car, it turned into asking for "youth compensation" and "deposit compensation". In my mind I can almost picture the face on the other side of the phone, full of calculation and bitterness. Eyebrows furrowed, lips pursed into a line, eyes cold and calculating. My voice was extremely cold, like it was covered with a layer of ice.

"Love is voluntary, there is no question of who owes who."

"As for the deposit, it is the consequence of Tan Dieu's impulsive decision, and has nothing to do with you."

“You have no obligation to help him fill that hole.”

“You… you are so unreasonable!”

She was so angry that she was shaking and her breathing was disordered.

"Very good Lam Hieu Ninh, I didn't expect you to be so heartless and value money more than love!"

“I tell you, this is not over yet!”

“If you don't give us money, we will go to your company and cause trouble! Come to your hometown and cause chaos!”

“Let everyone see how the Lam family raised a daughter who loves to be rich and despises poverty, and is ungrateful and ungrateful!”

A blatant threat. Carry the desire to pull each other into the water. I tightened my grip on the phone, my knuckles turning white. Not out of fear. But out of anger at their brazenness. Also angry at myself... for once looking at the wrong person. Why did I ever get involved with such a family? Why did I ever think that such a family could raise a reasonable person?

“Do whatever you want.”

I heard my voice, so calm that it sounded like I was talking to someone else.

“If you feel that making such a fuss is beneficial to Tan Dieu's reputation and current job, then feel free.”

"Do you need me to send you the company address or the residential phone number in your hometown?"