Chapter 5 — After Divorce, Husband Prays to Donate Marrow for New Love

"General Su, Luc Thi Real Estate's debt extension negotiation has failed. Thuy Hoa Bank has refused."

“Reason for refusal?”

"Did not pass the risk control round. Exactly what was the reason - the bank did not say. But according to my understanding, it was because Trieu Bang Phi's people shot the noise."

"Zhao Pengfei? I didn't ask him to help me do this."

"It's not you. It's So Thua Vien. When So Thua Vien met Trieu Bang Phi, he briefly mentioned Luc Thi's situation. Trieu Bang Phi himself judged - he didn't want to let his bank resources get bogged down in Luc Thi's hole."

I thought for a bit.

“Does Luc Dien know?”

“Probably still don't know.”

“Don't tell him for now.”

Things Luc Dien doesn't know too much about. He didn't know I was the owner of Niem Canh Investment. Didn't know I signed a contract with So Thua Vien. Not knowing that his home loan was rejected. Didn't know his father was on the brink of bankruptcy. What's more, he didn't know - his ex-wife was about to destroy Uncle To's house right at To Uyen's wedding. The days just passed like that. When the wedding was only three days away, something unexpected happened. Luc Dien's father, Luc Hac Nien, personally came to my company. He didn't know I was the boss. The place he came to was "Nien Canh Investment". When the receptionist called me, I thought it was funny.

"General Su, a man named Luc Hac Nien came and said he wanted to meet the person in charge of Niem Canh Investment. There was no appointment."

“What did he come for?”

“Said there was something related to investment to discuss.”

I almost laughed out loud.

“Tell him to wait in the reception room for ten minutes.”

Ten minutes later, I asked Ha Minh to come to the reception room. I sat in the office, watching everything through the camera screen. Luc Hac Nien is in his fifties, has gray hair, and wears a suit that is clearly for show off. He sat in the reception room, constantly wiping the sweat from his palms. Ha Minh walked in.

"Mr. Luc, hello. I am Ha Minh, Investment Director of Niem Canh Investment."

“Director Ha.” Luc Hac Nien stood up and proactively shook hands, "Please excuse me. I want to see your President To for a moment."

"President Su is not in the office today. If you have anything, please talk to me."

Luc Hac Nien hesitated for a moment, then finally sat down.

"The story is this, we at Luc Thi Real Estate have recently had some difficulty with capital turnover. I heard that Niem Canh Investment is very powerful in the real estate field - I want to discuss the possibility of cooperation."

"Cooperation? In what specific form?"

"We have a residential project under construction, seventy percent completed. Currently the capital chain is having some problems, need to find a partner to inject capital."

Ha Minh flipped through the documents he brought.

“This project — Thuy Canh Garden?”

“That's right.”

"Mr. Luc, we have learned about this project before. The current situation is: The land fee has not been paid in full, the construction loan is about to come due, the pre-sale license has not yet been obtained. What you need is not a partner, but a scammer."

Luc Hac Nien's face changed.

“Director Ha, you…”

"Mr. Luc, I'm telling you the truth. The estimated value of this project is about 200 million yuan. But your debt has exceeded 300 million. Even if we poured capital, it would just be filling a bottomless hole.”

“If you can help us get a loan extension…”

“Sorry, this is not within the scope of our business.”

Luc Hac Nien sat there, his face gray.

“Director Ha, you don't know... if this project fails, our whole family will be ruined. My son…”

"Mr. Luc's family matters are not within our scope of consideration." Ha Minh stood up, "If there's nothing else..."

“Wait.” Luc Hac Nien grabbed Ha Minh's sleeve, "I heard that your President To is a woman. Can you help me ask her for a chance to meet face to face? I can lower the conditions…”

“Too is very busy.”

I looked through the camera screen and saw Luc Hac Nien being politely invited out. As he walked out of the building, his shoulders slumped, as if he had aged ten years in an instant. I turned off the camera. If it were three months ago — when I was still Luc Dien's wife — this look of his would have softened my heart. But not now. Not out of hatred. But because I was awake. The night before the wedding. I tried on the clothes I had prepared at home. A high-end black evening dress from Dior. Simple, neat, unobtrusive but every detail exudes the word "expensive". Pair with a pair of earrings. Made of ruby. Auctioned three years ago, eighty thousand. Ms. Lam stood next to me and looked at me.

“Boss Su, are you sure you will turn your cards face up tomorrow?”

“Not turning the cards face up.” I looked in the mirror and adjusted my collar, "It's debt repayment."

“The To family - To Kien Quoc will definitely not sit around waiting to die.”

“What can he do? His biggest trump card is To Thi Construction Materials. But the foundation of that company was from dirty money — this, tomorrow everyone sitting there will know.”

“He will turn around.”

“Thirty years ago he turned around. It's just that at that time, the person he turned against was Chau Quoc Luong."

“What about Luc Dien? The Luc family..."

“If Luc Dien comes, even better.”

“Will he come?”

“To Uyen's fiance, Trinh Hao Nhien, has done business with the Luc family. It is very likely that Luc Dien will invite the groom's family to attend."

Lam was silent for a while.

“Too, last question.”

“Ask.”

“You did all this — for Chau Quoc Luong? Because of Chau Dao? Or for yourself?”

I looked at myself in the mirror. Black evening dress, red ruby, cold eyes.

“Not for anyone. It's because of my father. To Chi Vien. All his life he was oppressed by his eldest brother and was weak all his life. When he died, he still had to live in that shabby house. He deserves justice.”

The date of the wedding. The best five-star hotel in Bac Thanh. Star Moon Hall. Guests attending were estimated at more than three hundred people. Relatives of the To family, relatives of the Trinh family, business partners and friends of both sides. When I arrived, there were two girls wearing cheongsams at the signing table outside the door to greet me.

“May I ask what you are?”

“To Niem. The bride's cousin.”

They flipped through the list.

“I see. Ms. To Niem, your seat is at table number 8.”

Table number 8. The most hidden position. In the corner next to the bathroom. I smiled, said nothing. As I entered the banquet hall, someone called me back.

“Nem Niem?”

Is Third uncle's daughter, To Man. Four years older than me, ranked third in the To family, and has a kind personality.

“Ms. To Man.”

"Why did you come here? I thought you wouldn't come. Isn't it..."

“Eldest uncle told me to come.”

To Man looked at the dress on my body and the ruby in my ear, a flash of surprise flashed through her eyes.

“Nim Niem, this outfit is yours…”

“Brought back from Sanya.”

To Man opened his mouth and didn't ask anything else. I went to table number 8 and sat down. Indeed, the most difficult corner position. Fresh flowers on the table are also less than half that of other tables. Sitting next to me were some distant relatives that I didn't know and didn't even bother to say hello when they saw me. I opened my phone and sent Ms. Lam a text message.

“It's here. Are you ready?”

“Anytime.”

The official wedding begins at eleven o'clock. Bride To Uyen wore a white wedding dress, holding hands with groom Trinh Hao Nhien, smiling brightly. To Kien Quoc sat at the main banquet table, his suit straight, his face rosy, and he was the most ostentatious person in the entire hall. Sitting next to him were several elders of the To family. I glanced around — my mother wasn't coming. Good. I don't want her to see what's about to happen. The wedding ceremony takes place in order. Giving rings. Kiss. Applause. Then there is a drinking party. Three dishes were served, To Kien Quoc stood up. He picked up the microphone and began to speak.

"Today is a happy day for my daughters To Uyen and Hao Nhien. The To family and the Trinh family, the two families are married..."

He talked for five minutes. The general idea is that the Su family has a great reputation, while the Trinh family is a household name. The two families got married and joined forces. Very well spoken. Very presentable. After speaking, the whole hall applauded. Then he said: "Today, the To family all came. Niem Niem also came." His eyes scanned the crowd, stopping on me in the corner.

“Nim Niem, stand up so everyone can see.”

I stood up. Three hundred pairs of eyes turned towards me.

“Nien Niem is the daughter of a private uncle.” To Kien Quoc said into the microphone, "Just got married last year, now... sigh, don't mention it anymore. You're young, your days are still long."

He said this very cleverly. The word "divorce" was not mentioned, but everyone sitting here understood. Some people started whispering.

“Divorced?” “I heard that the man you marry is worth nothing.” "The condition of the fourth uncle's house is inherently poor, it is normal for him to not marry well."

I stood there, listening to those whispers, still keeping a smile on my face.

“Eldest uncle,” I spoke up, “Since you mentioned me, I also want to say two sentences. Is that okay?”

To Kien Quoc froze for a moment. The microphone was still in his hand.

"This... today is a happy day for Uyen Uyen."

“It won't take long. Just two sentences.”

He hesitated for a second, then smiled: "Okay. Niem Niem say it." He probably thought I was going to say a few polite words of congratulations. I walked out of the corner and walked towards the middle of the banquet hall. Three hundred pairs of eyes moved after me.

"Eldest uncle, today is truly a good day. To Uyen is getting married, the whole family is happy."

“Yes, yes, yes.”

"But there's something I've always wanted to ask you."

The smile on To Kien Quoc's face stiffened slightly.

“What?”

“Thirty years ago, I and a man named Chau Quoc Luong joined forces to do business. Story Hey, the elders sitting here must still remember.”

The banquet hall suddenly fell silent. The smile on To Kien Quoc's face disappeared completely.

“To Niem, what are you talking about? Today is not the occasion to talk about these things.”

“Eldest uncle, I don't want to say, but Chau Quoc Luong wants to say. He is currently in a hospital in the South, suffering from end-stage liver cancer and may not live another three months. Before he died, he handed over the entire joint venture agreement and the old transfer statements to me."

I took out my phone from my pocket and opened the images of those documents.

“3.12 million yuan. This is the entire amount Chau Quoc Luong invested in the joint venture thirty years ago. White paper and black ink, clear bank statement. When disbanded, this money was not returned to him even a penny. Because I told him — the company is at a loss, the money is gone.”

To Kien Quoc's face turned pale.

“To Niem! You shut your mouth for me!”

“But the money is not lost.” My voice was calm but clear, "It was transferred from a joint venture company to another company under your wife's name. Then that money became the start-up capital of To Thi Construction Materials.”

The whole hall was buzzing.

“General To…” Someone below called To Kien Quoc, “What is this?”

“Nonsense!” To Kien Quoc slammed the microphone on the table, “This brat is talking nonsense! The story of the past - it's not what it says at all!

“So tell me what it is.”

“That money was lost by Chau Quoc Luong himself! He gambles! Football betting! Lose all your money and then come back and slander me..."

“Eldest uncle.” I interrupted him, “Are you sure you want to say that?”

“That's it!”

“Then let me show you something.”

I raised my phone again, this time opening a video. It's Chau Quoc Luong filming on the hospital bed. A weak but clear voice came from the phone, extremely clear in the quiet banquet hall.

“I am Chau Quoc Luong. Thirty years ago Su Jianguo appropriated all of our joint venture company's assets, totaling 3.12 million yuan. I have never gambled, nor have I ever been in debt. All cash flows have bank records. To Kien Quoc said I lost money gambling, which is a complete lie."

After the video was played, the whole hall was as quiet as paper.