Chapter 2 — After Divorce, My Father Immediately Withdrawed 30 Billion Yuan, My Ex-Husband Went Bankrupt After Just Two Weeks

The divorce agreement is very simple. I left empty-handed. Signing is also very quick. It's as quick as throwing away a trash bag. At this moment, standing in front of the gate of the Civil Affairs Department, listening to their family of three... It should be four people now. They excitedly discussed their trip to Tokyo, celebrating the fact that they were finally able to get rid of me, the "burden" for so long. In my heart, that cold lake surface... Not a single ripple. Perhaps Luc Canh Dien found my silence somewhat unusual. He looked at me once more, his tone as if he was granting a favor.

"Do you need me to take you to the subway station? It's hard to get a taxi here."

"No need."

“Someone came to pick me up.”

Trieu Le Phan laughed contemptuously.

"Does your father work in the countryside? Or does your mother sell goods at the market?"

"Don't let those two come up here. It's such a big city, it'll be troublesome if you get lost."

I didn't reply. Just quietly looked past them, looking towards the sycamore tree on the side of the road. Under the tree was parked a black sedan. The design is old. The brand is also very normal. Looking at it, you can tell it has been used for many years. The glass door slowly lowered. Revealing half the face of the man sitting in the driver's seat. He was about fifty years old. Normal appearance. Dress simply. Looks like a normal driver. He nodded slightly at me. I turned around. Step by step, move towards the car. Behind him, Trieu Le Phan's voice, which was not condescending, still sounded full of sarcasm.

“Oh wow, someone really came to pick me up.”

"It seems like I've been looking for someone new for a long time, no wonder why the divorce was so decisive."

“Canh Dien, look, this kind of woman…”

I don't turn around. Just calmly walk away. Every step is steady. Coming to the car, I opened the door... Then quietly sat in the back seat. The man sitting in the driver's seat looked at me in the rearview mirror. There was sadness in his eyes. There is outrage. But most of all is the calmness that has been honed by time.

“Are you done?”

His voice was low and gentle. I looked at him and slowly said each word:

“Dad, I'm divorced.”

The middle-aged man looked no different from an ordinary driver, just nodded slightly. He didn't ask if I was okay. Nor did he scold the Luc family for being a bunch of bastards. He just picked up another phone and placed it on the center console, unlocked it and dialed a number. The other end of the line almost rang and immediately picked up. My father looked towards the gate of the Civil Affairs Department. The other family was laughing and chatting, walking towards the brand new Mercedes-Benz GLS. Luc Canh Dien gallantly opened the car door for Chu Uyen Thanh. Trieu Le Phan was still excitedly calling, perhaps telling the good news to relatives waiting at the airport. My father only said one word. Carrying authority does not allow anyone to doubt. The call ended. The car fell silent again. Dad put the phone back in its place and started the car. The old engine made a steady sound. The car slowly left the sidewalk and merged into the crowded traffic flow. I leaned back in the chair, quietly watching the scenery outside the window rapidly receding. The Civil Affairs Department building... Along with the small figures in front of the gate... In just a blink of an eye, they disappeared from the rearview mirror.

“Are you uncomfortable?”

Dad looked straight ahead and asked softly. I shook my head. Then nodded again.

“Before, it was very painful heart.”

“But now… I don't seem to feel anything anymore.”

“Do you hate them?”

I thought for a moment.

“I used to hate.”

“But now... it doesn't seem worth hating anymore.”

“It was like accidentally stepping in a puddle of mud.”

“I just feel dirty, I just want to quickly brush it off.”

“But no one would compare with a puddle of mud.”

Dad looked at me in the rearview mirror. The corners of his lips curled up into a very light smile.

“Your mother is at home stewing soup.”

“Lotus root rib soup, my favorite dish.”

“She doesn't say anything, but she's hardly been able to sleep these past few days.”

My nose suddenly stings. The corners of my eyes also get hot. Over the past three years... Just because I wanted the Luc family not to look down on me, I rarely went home. Contact with parents is also increasingly sparse. Every time she calls, she just asks if I'm doing well. Is the money enough to spend? She never asked anything more. Because she was afraid of bothering me. I'm also afraid of hearing the self-pity that I don't want to say.

“Sorry dad.”

“Sorry mom.”

“It made you two worry.”

“What a stupid thing to say.”

My father's voice was as steady as a rock.

“It's okay to go home.”

The car did not drive back to my rented room for 3,000 yuan a month, but headed straight to the other side of the city. That place has a much better environment, with spacious roads and shady trees on both sides. Finally, the car entered a high-class residential area with an extremely strict security system. The car stopped in the underground garage of a detached villa. I followed my father out of the car and took the elevator straight to the living floor. As soon as the door opened, warm light and the aroma of food immediately rushed out. My mother, still wearing her apron, quickly ran out of the kitchen. Her eyes were red. Seeing me, she was about to say something, her lips moved slightly, and in the end she just gently said:

“Are you back? The soup is almost finished, go wash your hands first."

I called out softly then walked over and hugged her. The mother paused for a moment, then gently hugged me and patted me on the back.

“Okay, okay. It's good that you're back. Let's eat first."

The meal was very sumptuous, all of which were my favorite dishes. Dad opened a bottle of golden wine that he had kept for many years and poured me a small cup.

“Drink a little to warm yourself up.”

The whole family gathered around the dining table. Mom kept serving me food, asking if the food was delicious, if work was tiring, and never mentioned the Luc family or the divorce. That almost intentional gentleness made my cold and always stiff heart gradually melt. After eating, mom went to the kitchen to clean up, and dad called me into the office. The office is very large, one wall is covered with books, the other wall is a floor-to-ceiling glass door that looks straight out to the carefully tended garden outside. The desk is very neat, with only a computer, a pen holder and a few open documents. Dad motioned for me to sit down, and he also sat in the big chair behind the table.

“Nien Niem, there are a few things that my parents didn't tell me before, because they didn't think it was necessary. Parents just want their children to live a simple, happy life. At that time, seeing that Luc Canh Dien was quite mature and sincere towards his child, his parents did not stop him. Unexpectedly...”

He paused, his fingertips lightly tapping on the shiny red wooden table.

"It's the parents who looked at the wrong person, causing their children to suffer a lot of self-pity."

"Dad, I don't blame my parents. It's my choice."

“Now I have something to tell you.”

Dad looked at me, his eyes suddenly became sharp. That was absolutely not the look that a normal driver or small shop owner would have.

“First, your father and mother are not a normal family like you think. My family has a number of businesses, not too big but not small either. Mainly operating in the fields of cross-border investment and industrial production. The legal representative is your mother, and your father rarely appears."