Chapter 7 — After Divorce, Husband Prays to Donate Marrow for New Love

To Kien Quoc posted a status line on his circle of friends:

"This ungrateful niece, dares to publicly spread defamatory rumors right at my daughter's wedding. Forged documents, colluded with outsiders, trying to extort money. Reported to the police. The sky is thin and difficult to penetrate."

The comments section below is very lively. To Uyen shared: "Dad, I support you." Some of To Kien Quoc's business partners: "Mr. To is not afraid of dying." “Kids these days really dare to do anything.” But there are also some people who do not take sides. To Man posted a comment with an ambiguous meaning: "Eldest uncle, the prerequisite for a straight tree not being afraid of standing dead is that the tree must be upright." I returned the phone to Ms. Lam.

“Where is the second thing?”

“The second thing — Luc Dien's side.”

“What happened again?”

“He investigated Niem Canh Investment.”

My finger stopped.

“How to investigate?”

"Yesterday, when he returned from the wedding, he was suspicious of what she said. Then he went to investigate the hotel she stayed at in Sanya - it was booked by an affiliated company of Niem Canh Investment. He followed the clues..."

“Found out that I am a member of Niem Canh Investment. But does he know that I am the owner?”

"It's not certain at the moment. The information he can look up may just be 'To Niem is related to Niem Canh Investment'. As for the fact that you hold one hundred percent of the shares - public information cannot be found. We have set up many layers of structure."

I thought for a bit.

“He will come for me.”

“Most likely it will come today.”

Indeed. At six o'clock in the afternoon, Luc Dien appeared downstairs in my apartment building. Security stopped him. He stood in the lobby calling for more than ten minutes without success — because I had blacklisted his number. Finally he walked to the front desk and asked them to help spread the word. The receptionist called me.

"Miss To, there is a guy named Luc who wants to meet you."

“Tell him to come up here.”

Five minutes later, the doorbell rang. I opened the door. He stood outside, his breathing a bit heavy, as if he had just run over.

“Niem Niem — no, To Niem. I have something to ask you.”

“Go inside and talk.”

He entered the living room, once again looking around this 150 square meter space. This time there was not only surprise in his eyes, but also an extremely complex emotion.

“Investment in Niem Canh.” He got straight to the point, "What relationship do you have with Niem Canh Investment?"

“What relationship?”

"Do you work at that company? Or..."

“Luc Dien, please sit down.”

He doesn't sit.

"I looked up the public information of Niem Canh Investment. Charter capital is one hundred million yuan. Controls three listed companies. Asset management is more than 8 billion."

I said nothing.

"The hotel I stayed at in Sanya was booked by Niem Canh Investment. The car I'm driving is in the name of Niem Canh Investment. This house I'm staying in..."

“In my personal name.”

“So you and Niem Canh Investment…”

“I am the founder and sole shareholder of Niem Canh Investment.”

His steps took half a step back. Not pushed by anyone. Is to step back.

“You're kidding me.”

“Do I look like I'm joking?”

He stared at me for a long moment.

"No way. You — we've been married for three years. The company is small and you go to work every day..."

“That company was created by me as a front. It is also a subsidiary of Niem Canh Investment.”

“Front screen? Why do I have to act as a front?

“Because I don't want anyone to know I have money.”

“Including you?”

“Including you.”

His face turned pale in patches.

“Why?”

“Because I want to see, if you didn't know I had money, how you would treat me.”

This statement is like a knife strike. Not sharp, but penetrates very deeply. He plopped down on the sofa. Not actively sitting, but weak legs.

“Three years.” His voice was a bit hoarse, "You lied to me for three years."

“I didn't lie to you. I just didn't tell you.”

“Is there any difference?”

“Yes. If I told you that I have several billion yuan in assets, would you go with Chau Dao?"

He couldn't say anything else.

“What was the initial reason you came to Chau Dao? You once told me — you said I was too normal. No passion. He said Chau Dao gave him a feeling of being worshiped."

“Nem Niem…”

“I've never experienced what it's like to worship a poor employee who earns five thousand a month. But Chau Dao worshiped him, relied on him, made him feel like he was her whole world - a feeling he enjoyed very much."

His throat moved.

“But the truth is — that ex-wife of yours with a salary of five thousand has assets one hundred times larger than your entire family's assets combined.”

He covered his face with both hands.

“If you come here now to beg me to save your father's company…”

He suddenly looked up. “I know your father's company…”

“About Luc Thi Real Estate's loan being refused extension, do you think I don't know?”

“Did you do it?”

“No. That is the bank's risk control judgment. But even if it were me — so what?”

He stood up.

“To Niem. What do you want to do in the end? Revenge?"

“I don't want revenge on anyone. I just want to live my life. But you, your family, the To family members — one by one, they kept coming to talk to me.”

"I don't want to talk to you..."

“36 phone calls. Reporter. Public opinion. Bone marrow transplant test. What do you call those?”

He gasped.

“Go home.” I walked to the door and pulled it open, "I've already told you everything you need to know." Starting today, we pay fairly.”

“Fair payment?”

“I will not put stones in the well with Luc Thi. But I won't step in to help either. It's your path, you walk it yourself.”

He stood at the door, looking at me.

“Nim Niem, if — if you knew who I was from the beginning…”

“If you knew, you wouldn't have left me. Right?”

He was silent.

“So you see,” I leaned against the door frame, “The person you love has never been me. What I love are conditions. When conditions are not enough, he leaves. When the conditions surpassed his imagination, he regretted it. That's not called love."

When he left, his steps were very heavy. The door closed, and I stood in the middle of the empty living room. No heartache. It's really not painful at all. Because those heartaches have been wiped out in three years of marriage. The next day. Several things happened at the same time. Story one: To Kien Quoc's lawyer sent my lawyer a warning letter. Threatened that if I did not withdraw my "false statements true", they will sue me for defamation. Truong Vien Chinh responded with four words: See you in court. Second story: Chau Dao's illness changed. Vuong Kien Quoc called me.

“General To, Chau Dao's blood indicators have worsened again. If surgery is not performed within two weeks…”

“I know. How long does it take to prepare for bone marrow extraction?

“You yourself need to be injected with a hematopoietic stimulant five days in advance. On the day of root canal surgery, you only need to stay in the hospital for one day.”

“Then arrange it in ten days.”

“Okay. But - before you said you didn't inform Chau Dao..."

“Yes. Didn't tell her who the donor was. Before surgery, she just needs to know that someone is willing to donate.”

“Clear.”

The third story is the most interesting. After Luc Dien returned, he told Luc Hac Nien what he discovered. After Luc Hac Nien learned that his ex-daughter-in-law was the owner of Niem Canh Investment - it is said that he sat in the house for an hour without saying a word. Then he did something. He told Luc Dien to come and ask for peace.

“To Niem, my father wants to invite you to dinner.”

When Ms. Lam showed me this message, I was considering the final plan of the Van Linh project.

“Answer him, no time.”

“He will continue to follow.”

“Then have the legal department talk to him. Every conversation between me and the Luc family, starting from now, will all go through the legal department and assistants."

After the message was sent, Luc Dien did not call again. But Luc Hac Nien thought of another way - he found So Thua Vien through an intermediary. When So Thua Vien called, his voice carried a smile.

“Too, your ex-father-in-law has come to me. Please help me be the connection between him and you.”

“What did the General Department say?”

“I said I would try — but there was no guarantee of success or not. President To, you may not know how enthusiastic this old man is. If the project he is holding now is delayed for another two months, the workers' salaries on the construction site will not be paid."

“His project has nothing to do with me.”

“I know. But President To - if you want to take over Luc Thi's assets, now is the best time. Although the land in his hands was a ruined project, the land itself was very good. Nice location, good planning.”

I thought for a moment.

“Help me make an appointment. Do not negotiate with Luc Hac Nien. Find an intermediary. Force the price of that land.”

“To sum up…”

“Buy land. Don't buy favors."

I hung up the phone and continued to look at the plan. Ms. Lam stood next to her for a moment.

“General To, are you planning to buy back Luc Thi's core assets?”

“If the price is reasonable.”

“So the Luc family will…”

“There will only be an empty shell left.”

"If Luc Dien knew about it..."

“Sooner or later he will know.”

That night I didn't go back to the apartment. Sleep for a few hours in the company break room. Woke up at three o'clock in the morning, outside the window was the quiet skyline of Bac Thanh. I sent a message to Chau Quoc Luong in the far South.

“The test is compatible. Surgery is ten days away.”

Three minutes later there was a reply.

“Thank you. Niem Niem.”

I did not respond. But hold the phone tightly in your hand for a long time. In the following days, work continued one after another. First is To Kien Quoc's side. Lawyer Truong Vien Chinh took Chau Quoc Luong as the plaintiff and officially filed a civil lawsuit with the Bac Thanh Intermediate People's Court. The request is very clear: Request To Kien Quoc to return 3.12 million yuan of cooperation capital appropriated thirty years ago, and calculate annual interest, for a total compensation of 210 million yuan. At the same time, in the petition, all evidence is attached: Original cooperation contract, bank transfer statement, written testimony of To Chi Minh, video testimony of Chau Quoc Luong. It is said that when receiving the court summons, To Kien Quoc broke a glass wall in the office. His lawyer called Truong Vien Chinh.

"Lawyer Truong, your demands are too excessive. This happened thirty years ago, the statute of limitations for criminal prosecution has long since expired..."

"We sue civilly. In civil terms, as long as the person with the rights has never declared to give up reclaiming, and can prove the truth of the infringement..."

“How can the original amount of 3.12 million be calculated as 210 million yuan?”

“Compound interest. Furthermore, we can request an addition — the founding capital of To Thi Construction Materials comes from misappropriated money, so all of To Thi Construction Materials' profits belong to ill-gotten gains. If calculated according to that logic — 210 million yuan is still conservative.”

The opposing lawyer hung up. The next day, To Kien Quoc came to me through an intermediary.