Chapter 2 — After Divorce, I Made My Husband's Family Bankrupt

At that time, the Chu family's restaurant only had a small shop, the kitchen was run by Chu Dai Phuc's father-in-law, and was so stagnant that it was even worse than the delivery restaurants around the area. I brought the recipe into the Chu family. The first year, I replaced all the base spices with my own secret, and my regular customers quadrupled. In my second year, I connected three food supply chains in the city. The third year, they opened a branch. The fourth year, I won the right to supply eight stores in the area. In the fifth year, I traded eight months for 80,000,000 yuan. Now they want me to leave empty-handed. I stood up, brushed the dust off my pants. Downstairs, the night bell rang intermittently. I opened the phonebook, looking for a name. Phone connected.

“Thanh Thanh?”

“Dad, tell the spice factory to stop supplying all core ingredient packages to all Chu family stores from tomorrow.”

"What's up?"

"Nothing." I said. “Ah, call the head of the legal department, I'll go back to the factory tomorrow.”

“Qingqing—”

“Dad, I'm fine.”

I hung up. Then make a third call. The bell rang twice, and the other person picked up:

"General Manager Diep! This late—"

"General Manager Truong, you mentioned the last cooperation, I've thought about it. Let's meet in person tomorrow. Yes, exclusive formula. Chu's restaurant is not within the scope of licensing."

Hang up the phone, I pull my suitcase and go downstairs. High heels tapped on the cement steps, each sound was clear and cold. I wore the 300 yuan high heels for three years, and the heels were so worn that only a thin layer of rubber remained. Leaving the gate, I raised my hand to call a taxi.

“The Century Hotel.”

The driver glanced at me in the rearview mirror. I don't say anything more. Outside the window, the night view of the city receded. The Chu family's general restaurant on the old East Street is still lit with neon lights. I turned my head and looked at that sign for a few seconds. See you tomorrow. The next morning, I was on time at the gate of the Civil Affairs Department. Zhou Kai has arrived. Dark blue vest, shiny leather shoes, next to him are his mother Trieu Le and younger sister Chu Dinh. Seeing me getting out of the taxi, Chu Dinh spoke first:

“Hey, you really dare to come?”

I don't pay attention. Chu Khai took two steps forward, a guilty expression on his face as if he had practiced before:

“Diep Thanh, this—”

“Do you have enough documents?”

I interrupted. Chu Khai paused:

“Household registration book, ID, marriage certificate, divorce agreement, everything?”

“Then come in.”

I walked straight inside. Trieu Le coldly snorted from behind:

“I don't know what to act.”

Take the number, line up, fill out the form. During the whole process, I didn't say a word. Chu Khai sat next to me, occasionally glancing at me from the corner of his eye. He must have never seen me so coordinated. The divorce agreement has three copies. In the property division section, Chu Khai has already filled in: both parties voluntarily agree, the female side gives up the right to divide common property. To put it bluntly — leave empty-handed. I glanced at it, turned straight to the last page, and signed my name. Chu Khai froze, his pen still floating in mid-air.

"What are you looking at? Sign it."

He was startled and signed quickly. The seal is down. Divorce papers arrive. The whole thing took less than forty minutes. When I walked out of the civil affairs department, the sun was shining outside. Trieu Le held Chu Khai's hand and laughed until she couldn't close her mouth:

“It's finally clean, from now on the restaurant won't have to feed outsiders anymore.”

Chu Dinh also chimed in:

“That's right, I think Bach Anh is good How amazing, the family has money, and can also introduce relationships, ten thousand times better than that type of spice seller."

I turned my head.

“Who is Bach Anh?”

Chu Dinh pouted:

“What does it have to do with you? Anyway, I no longer have anything to do with the Chu family.”

Chu Khai coughed and didn't look at me. I smiled softly. As I turned away, I heard Trieu Le say behind me:

"Khai, when you get back, remember to renew the shares in the restaurant, and by the way, make up the deposit for the big apartment. Bach Anh's side is still waiting."

Big apartment. It's the apartment I used my dowry money to buy. 780,000 yuan. All the money I brought into the Chu family, plus two years of savings after marriage. A month ago, Chu Khai texted me saying he wanted to buy a larger house, lacked a deposit, and asked me to pay in advance. At that time, I was running a supply chain in another province and did not hesitate to transfer money immediately. Now that I think about it... at that time he had already planned a way to send me away empty-handed. I stood on the side of the road, turned on my phone. Uncle Tran — spice factory manager — sent a message:

“General Manager Diep, this morning Chu restaurant ordered three tons of base ingredients, but we refused. They are pushing very hard, Chu Dai Phuc even called directly."

I replied:

“Continue to refuse. In addition, review all their debts over the past few years and make a list for me."

I put my phone away and went back to the hotel. At two o'clock in the afternoon, I appeared on time at the Tu Huong Cac headquarters in the city center. Tu Huong Cac — the Zhou family's biggest rival in the province. The owner's name is Truong Khai Son, over fifty years old, has been in the culinary industry for thirty years, and owns six high-end restaurants spread across prime locations in the city. Last month, he asked someone to contact me, wanting to discuss formula cooperation. At that time, I had not yet turned my back on Chu Khai, so I refused. And now... Truong Khai Son personally came down to pick me up and take me straight to the top floor office.

“General Manager Diep, you're finally here.”

He smiled gently like Maitreya Buddha and kept calling his secretary to make tea.

“General Manager Truong, let's get straight to the point.” I placed Dinh Vi Group's patent and letter of intent to cooperate on the table. “Two things. First, exclusive formula, can be signed today. Second, Dinh Wei's application for 80,000,000 yuan, I want to invite you to do it together."

Truong Khai Son picked up the patent and flipped through a few pages. His eyes immediately lit up.

“This… Thirteen Huong is exclusive to the Diep family?”

"Correct. The patent is in my personal name, just divorced, clean ownership, no disputes."

He looked at me, his eyes filled with deep meaning.

“Really quick.”

“Not fast, not fast.” I replied. “I cut the base material of the Chu family yesterday. At most three days from now, their kitchen will have nothing left to cook.”

“So Chu Khai is still dreaming?”

"Probably still busy thinking about how to bring the Bach family's golden family into the door."

Truong Khai Son laughed loudly twice, then looked serious:

“General Director Diep, I value credibility in business. You bet on me, I won't let you lose. Royalty fees are calculated based on annual profits, dividends are paid at the end of the year, the specific number is decided by you."

We talked from two o'clock in the afternoon to six o'clock in the evening. After the preliminary agreement was finalized, he immediately called the legal department to prepare a contract. I signed my name, stood up and stretched. Truong Khai Son walked me to the elevator door.

“General Manager Diep, there is something I need prompt.”

“You say it.”

"The Chu family, I heard that they are approaching Dinh Vi recently and want to bypass you and sign directly."

“Don't worry, Ding Wei's deposit of 30,000,000 yuan yesterday has already been deposited into my spice factory account. Without my permission, the Chu family doesn't even know which direction Dinh Vi door faces."

Truong Khai Son gave a thumbs up. The elevator door closed, I leaned my back against the wall, watching the floor number gradually jump down. The phone rang. Listen, or don't listen? I thought for a second, then clicked accept.

“Diep Thanh!”

His voice was almost screaming:

“What the hell are you doing? Why doesn't the spice factory deliver anymore? What do you rely on—”

“Based on the patent being in my hands.”

My voice is very light. The other end of the line immediately went silent. About five seconds later, he lowered his voice:

“…What do you mean?”

“It means that from yesterday, the Chu family is no longer qualified to use the Diep family formula.”

“Diep Thanh! That formula is when we get married—”

“Back then we signed a property agreement before marriage.”

I interrupted.

“It clearly states that intellectual property rights are in my personal name, not public property. Chu Khai, you signed it yourself, did you forget?"

The other side was silent. Silence for a long time. Then Trieu Le's voice intervened, shrill and shrill:

“Diep Thanh! You ungrateful girl! The Chu family raised you for 5 years, is that how you repay the favor? If I don't marry you in—”

“If you hadn't married me, your son's restaurant would have closed on Thursday.”

I finished speaking and hung up. The elevator dinged, the first floor had arrived. I walked out, the lights were bright outside. The hotel is not far, I walked leisurely. Passing by the Chu family's general restaurant, through the large glass, I saw the bright interior. At the table next to the window, Chu Khai was sitting with a young girl wearing a white dress. She smiled very sweetly, Chu Khai kindly served her food. Trieu Le and Chu Dinh sat next to them, smiling flatteringly. Bach Anh, probably. I withdrew my gaze and continued walking.