Chapter 10 — After Divorce, I Take Everything Back

"Dear Jury, regarding the word 'voluntary', our side has a few points that need to be clarified."

"Firstly, the plaintiff's handover of the salary card took place on the third day after marriage, proposed by Ms. Luu and approved by Tran Hao. The plaintiff then wanted to preserve family relations so was forced to compromise. This does not mean voluntarily giving all rights to Ms. Luu to use as she wishes."

"Second. During eight years, the plaintiff repeatedly requested to get the card back but was rejected by Ms. Luu for many different reasons, so this cannot be considered a long-term 'voluntary' act."

"Third. Regarding the so-called 'shared expenses', in fact most of the cash flow is transferred to Tran Vu's account, used for buying a house, car, personal expenses and even expenses for his girlfriend, completely unrelated to common activities."

Lawyer Chu picked up a file of documents.

"In the WeChat chats, Ms. Luu repeatedly used words like 'borrow', 'take temporarily', 'help', which proves that she also knew clearly that this money belonged to Lam Niem Senh, not hers."

The judge looked towards the defendant.

“Does the defendant have anything to add?”

Liu Guilan's lawyer turned over the documents.

“The defendant would like to add that, during the marriage, the plaintiff enjoyed living facilities from the defendant's family, including holiday meals—”

“Dear Jury.”

Lawyer Chu interrupted.

"Holiday meals are normal family interactions. They cannot become a legal basis to seize more than seven hundred thousand other people's salaries. If, according to that logic, anyone who has eaten at a relative's house can have their salary card taken away, this is unreasonable."

Down in the auditorium, someone laughed softly. The judge put down his pen.

"This judgment focuses on one point: whether Luu Que Lan's behavior in keeping and using Lam Niem Senh's salary card constitutes illegal appropriation of property or not."

"Based on bank statements and related evidence, in eight years, Ms. Luu transferred a large amount of money belonging to the plaintiff, mostly for personal consumption and assets of Tran Vu."

"Even though the two parties had a marital and family relationship, that relationship did not give Ms. Luu the right to dispose of the plaintiff's property."

“Especially in cases where the plaintiff has repeatedly requested revocation but was refused, the argument of 'voluntary authorization' cannot be accepted。”

“During the mediation period, the defendant refunded 513,200 yuan, the remaining 202,100 yuan was signed by both sides in an installment agreement.”

The judge paused for a moment.

"The court confirms the validity of this agreement, the defendant has the obligation to comply with the commitment. If there is delay, the plaintiff has the right to request enforcement."

“At the same time—”

The judge's eyes turned to Liu Que Lan.

“During the trial, the court found that the defendant not only misappropriated income for a long time, but also hid cash flow and refused to repay. Even though the case was handled in the name of a property dispute, this behavior approached the nature of—”

Her voice lowered.

“—invasion of property.”

"The court requests that the defendant seriously fulfill its debt repayment obligations. If he continues to delay or disperse assets, he will be handled according to the law, including being placed on the list of loss of credit."

The sound of a hammer hitting. Session court ends. Luu Que Lan sat down, her face gray, her eyes empty, like someone who had just lost something very big. Her lawyer said something in her ear, but she could no longer hear it. Below, Tran Hao stood up. He didn't look at me. Leave the courtroom. Attorney Chu and I packed up the documents and walked out last. The hallway is empty. Sunlight shines through the glass window, spreading below your feet.

“Looks like it worked.”

Lawyer Chu acted as a pair.

“If they pay the rest on time, everything stops here.”

“He will pay.”

“Why so sure?”

“Because he knows better than anyone else—if it lasts longer, it's not just money that's lost.”

Lawyer Chu nodded.

“If you need anything, just contact me.”

“Thank you.”

She left. I stood in front of the courthouse steps for a moment. Get the phone. Message Tri Thu.

“We won.”