Chapter 18 — After I Escaped the Trap of 4.8 Million Yuan

“I inherited everything from him.”

“Then I also have to pay the debt on his behalf.”

“The woman who called you… is also your person?” I asked.

"Of course."

"All the lovers beside Chu Hao are my chess pieces."

“Including the person who intentionally gave the ‘fake will’ to you and me.”

“The real letter… was it also a fake one?”

“Not wrong.” He smiled complacently.

“Your uncle's will, I found it a long time ago.”

“It was hidden in a slot under the bedboard of his room.”

"I still keep it, just for the most important moment..."

“Give me and you a fatal blow.”

“Looking at him in court being so stupid…”

“It's truly so unique.”

I got it. Everyone understands. All of us... He played with us in the palm of his hand. He looked like a thief hiding in the shadows. Coldly enjoying the sight of us biting each other.

“Now give me the letter.”

He extended his hand towards me.

“That useless Chu Hao… still dares to leave me a way out.”

“Write all your story in the letter.”

“But it's okay.”

“As long as everyone dies…”

“Then no one will know the truth anymore.”

From behind. He slowly pulled out a cold dagger that flashed silver. Look at the dagger in his hand. I was completely calm again. After extreme fear... Is extreme alertness.

“Third uncle.” I looked at him. “Do you think we can still get out of this warehouse today?”

He paused for a second then burst out laughing.

“Do you still want to protest?”

“Just relying on a girl like you?”

"Are not." I shook my head. “Based on this.”

I took the phone out of my pocket. On the screen... Is the connecting call interface. The person on the other side is Tran Vu. And the call duration… It was fifteen minutes. From the moment I walked into this warehouse. Right from the moment I pushed that door open. I called Tran Vu. Also turn on recording. Third uncle's expression immediately changed.

“The words you just said.”

“What you just did.”

“It's all been recorded.” I looked straight into his eyes.

“Now… it must have reached the police.”

“Listen.”

I turned on the speakerphone. Outside the warehouse. The shrill sound of police sirens was coming closer and closer. Every hour. Articulate. Like a funeral song dedicated to him. Third uncle's face was completely pale. Facial muscles convulsed violently. In those eyes that were full of resentment and madness... For the first time, fear appeared.

“No… no way…”

He muttered like a lost soul.

“I have calculated everything…”

“I can't lose…”

Suddenly he went crazy and rushed towards me. The knife in his hand stabbed straight into his heart.

“I will kill you!”

I don't dodge. Because I know... I don't need to dodge. Just when the blade was only a few centimeters away from me— The warehouse door was kicked open. The bright flashlight illuminated the entire dark space.

“The police are here!”

Dozens of armed special police rushed in from outside the door. Surrounding me and third uncle. His movements stiffened in midair. He looked at the black gun muzzles pointing towards him. The expression on his face was completely frozen. The knife fell to the ground. His whole body felt as if his spine had been pulled out. Soft and then collapsed. He lost. Completely lost. The perfect revenge plan that lasted twenty years... was finally destroyed at the hands of the niece he despised best. One year later. Third uncle Zhou Jianmin was sentenced to death for intentional murder - the murder of his eldest uncle ten years ago - along with a series of crimes such as fraud and incitement to commit crimes. Chu Hao was found abroad and extradited back to his country. For fraud, he was sentenced to fifteen years in prison. In the letter Chu Hao left me... it was written in great detail how third uncle gradually seduced, controlled and turned him into a complete puppet. Chu Hao also became the most important witness against his third uncle. After the surgery, second uncle Chu Kien Quan was paralyzed on half of his body. The rest of my life I can only use a wheelchair. My aunt and uncle's house was foreclosed by the bank. The two had to move back to their hometown to live in an old house. I heard that every day my aunt took care of him and cursed non-stop. Cursed Zhou Jianmin. Cursed Chu Hao. And cursed me too. The relatives who signed the "testimony agreement" that year... later tried to reconnect with me. People bring gifts. People are invited to dinner. People come and go without stopping. I refuse them all. There are some things... Once broken. Will never be able to put it back together again. I sell apartments in the city. Change to a small apartment closer to the beach. I quit my job. Open your own gallery. Teaching children to draw. Also painted landscapes that I wanted to paint myself. My younger brother — Chu Ninh — after graduating with his doctorate, stayed in that city. Become an excellent scholar. Sometimes he will come visit me. We walked together by the beach. Let's chat. No one talks about the painful events of that year anymore. The weather was very nice that day. Sunlight falls on the sea surface, sparkling like gold. Chu Ninh asked me:

“Do you… do you regret it?”

I looked at the place where the sea and sky met in the distance.

“No regrets.”

“It's just… it took me many years to understand one thing.”

“Family…”

“Sometimes it's not a place to hide from the wind.”

“It's the cruelest arena.”

“There's only one thing we can do…”

“Being brave enough to step out.”

“Never look back again.”