Chapter 9 — After Divorce, I Made Tra Nam Bankrupt

Trieu Khai, his best friend, posted a photo among his friends: Co Trinh sitting alone in an empty bar, in front of countless bottles of alcohol, his whole body as haggard as a stray dog. The status line has only four words: "It's over, it's really over." This time, no one stood up to defend him. There was no one left to help Hua Vi. All were silent. The truth was laid out before our eyes, right and wrong were clear. The direction of public opinion changed overnight. People who once stood by and watched me being laughed at now began to sympathize. Some even secretly befriended me to apologize, saying that they had been fooled by Hua Vi's pitiful appearance. I don't answer to anyone. When the wall falls, everyone pushes it. The human heart is inherently like that, I have long seen through it. I have no interest in enjoying their faces. I'm busy discussing the contract details with Maison Reve's legal team. The conditions they offered were such that it made me stunned. Just the fee to buy out the copyright of "Phoenix" is a number that I never dared to think about before. Not to mention three months of working as a guest designer, along with a share of profits from the product after launch. If everything goes well, the amount of money I receive after this project will be tens, even hundreds of times more than the five hundred thousand times that Co Chinh Hoanh used to "alms" for me. I looked at the terms in the contract and felt strangely calm. It turns out that when you are strong enough, you don't need to rely on anyone to feel safe. You are your strongest support. The same afternoon I was about to sign the electronic contract, an unexpected call came. It's my ex-mother-in-law. Her voice was no longer sour and domineering like before, but was hoarse and tired, even carrying a bit of pleading.

“Tu Nhien.”

She just called me by name, without any insults.

“Can we… meet once?”

I was a bit surprised.

“If anything happens, tell your lawyer to contact my lawyer.”

"Are not." She said immediately. “This matter can only be discussed between the two of us.”

“I beg you, Tu Nhien.”

"Consider... out of respect for the past, after all, I was once your superior."

She... used the word "please" again. I was silent for a while. I agree. I really want to see what that arrogant woman is planning. We arranged to meet in a private room of the coffee shop. When I arrived, she was already sitting there. Just a few days without seeing her, she seemed to have aged ten years, her hair was gray, her eyes were sunken, and her face could not hide the haggard look. The expensive Chanel outfit on her body also became baggy and lost all vitality. Seeing me walk in, her eyes were complicated, some with resentment, some with unwillingness, but more of a helpless breakdown.

“Sit down.” She spoke hoarsely.

I didn't sit, I just stood in front of her, looking down from above.

“Let's face it, I don't have much time.”

She moved her lips, as if she wanted to say something unpleasant, but in the end she swallowed it. She took out a bank card from her Hermes bag and gently pushed it towards me.

“In here is five million.” Her voice was so low it was almost inaudible. "It's the money A Trinh transferred to me, now I'm returning it to you."

“I only have one condition."

She raised her head, her bloodshot eyes staring at me.

“Forgive Co Trinh.”

“Withdraw the application.”

“Consider… I beg you.”

I looked at the thin card on the table, then at the woman in front of me, who had humbled herself to the bottom. There is no ripple in my heart. If you know this early, there is no need for this step.

“This money, you originally had to pay.” I spoke softly. “It is not a condition for you to bargain with me.”

My words caused the last bit of blood to disappear from her face. The hand placed on the knee was clenched until it turned white.

“Tu Nhien, what exactly do you want to stop?” Her voice trembled with despair. “Are you sure you have to corner us in the Co family?”

“What exactly did my son do to wrong you?”

"Yes, he has an affair with Hua Vi, but in his heart he still has family!"

"For men, socializing outside is difficult to avoid."

“Can't you be like other women, close one eye and open the other?”

“Why do we have to make things so bad!”

I laughed, a cold smile.

“Close one eye and open one eye?”

“Based on what?”

“Based on the fact that his last name is Co, and my last name is Tu?”

“Or based on the fact that he has money, and I don't?”

“Or is it because he is a man, and I am a woman?”

Each of my questions was like a spear stabbing straight at her. Her lips trembled, but she couldn't say a word.

"In her eyes, women should only be dependent on men, so they must endure unconditionally for the sake of their family."

“Even if you are humiliated or trampled on, you have to swallow it all.”

“But unfortunately I'm not that type of person.”

“In my dictionary, there are no four words 'patience and endurance'.”

"Whoever makes me uncomfortable, I will make that person never expect peace for the rest of his life."

My eyes became sharp, looking straight at her.

“You came to find me today, not sincerely for your son.”

“She came for Co Chinh Hoanh, for the reputation of the Co family, for the company's stock price.”

"In her eyes, Co Trinh is just a pawn to maintain the family's interests."

"Once that piece loses its value, even threatening the entire situation, she will not hesitate to throw it away."

“Like now.”

My words were like a scalpel, peeling away her hypocritical shell, revealing her cold and selfish nature inside. She suddenly raised her head and looked at me in disbelief.

“You… why are you…”

“Why do I know?” I said calmly. “Because you are all the same type of person.”

“Just love yourself.”