Chapter 6 — After Marrying, I Was Pampered

When I walked out of the fitting room, Bui An was sitting on the sofa scrolling on her phone. I wore a light blue shirt dress and went out with a belt tied at the waist.

“How?”

Bui An raised his head, his eyes lit up.

"This outfit is beautiful, flattering. Buy it."

I turned around in front of the mirror. Um, it's not bad. My aesthetic sense has increased at least three levels compared to before. At this moment, a figure flashed in the corner of my eye. White dress. Long straight black hair. Standing at the store. Talking to staff. On Di Ninh. She hasn't seen me yet. Standing sideways by the door, looking at the label of a jacket. Elegant posture, leisurely movements. Bui An also saw it. She put away her phone and stood up. She looked at On Di Ninh and then at me. Slightly frowned.

“Do you know her?”

Bui An's voice lowered.

“Let's meet once.”

I said:

“She went to the villa to look for Bui Tu.”

“Wen Dining.”

Bui An's voice changed, becoming colder.

“She's back?”

It seems that Bui An knows her. Moreover, looking at this reaction... I know a lot. Before I could think, On Di Ninh turned around. See us. To be more precise, she saw Bui An first. Then he saw me. When looking at Bui An, her smile is very natural. When he saw me, his smile became more tentative.

"Miss An. Long time no see."

She walked forward, her demeanor natural.

“Di Ninh.”

Bui An nodded, did not hug, still kept his distance.

“When did you return home?”

“Last week.”

Her eyes fell on me.

"This person is... We have met before. He lives at Bui Tu's house."

Bui An raised his hand and put it on my shoulder. Natural movements. But the strength of the hand carries a very clear statement.

"My sister-in-law. Khuong Duong."

“Sister-in-law?”

On Di Ninh's smile remained unchanged, but his voice trembled for about half a second.

"It turned out to be my sister-in-law. That day I took the liberty to bother her."

“It's okay.”

I said. Three people standing in a high-end fashion store. Warm yellow light shines on walls filled with clothes. The atmosphere is as gentle as an oil painting. But the underground waves below were so strong that the staff standing next to them could also feel them. She quietly took two steps back. On Di Ninh proactively broke the silence.

“I'll invite you two to dinner another day, consider it a welcome party for me back home.”

“No need.”

Bui An smiled and waved his hand.

“We're quite busy.”

The intention to evict customers is very clear. On Di Ninh nodded and did not stay long. When she turned around, she glanced at me. Very fast. But in those eyes there were many things. There's evaluation, there's comparison, there's also a... A look of unwillingness that I can't describe accurately. She left. The sound of high heels gradually fades away. Bui An removed his hand from my shoulder and turned to look at me.

“Duong Duong.”

“Yes?”

“This person is not simple.”

“I saw it.”

“Didn't you ask her what relationship she had with my younger brother?”

I think.

"If you want to say it, say it. It's okay if you don't want to say it. It doesn't have much to do with you."

Bui An looked at me for a few seconds. Then sigh.

"You went to college. You used to love each other. They broke up four years ago."

She said:

"At that time, she was the one who took the initiative to break up and go abroad to study. My younger brother didn't hold back."

I nodded.

“What happens after that?”

"After that there was nothing left. For four years my younger brother has been living alone. I thought he had given up quit.”

She stopped for a moment.

“But seeing her return today... I'm not sure anymore.”

I bowed my head and looked at the ring on my hand. A plain platinum ring. Very light. So light that it seems like it can be removed at any time.

“Sister.”

I called.

“Yes?”

“I really like this dress. Also pack that jacket for me."

She froze. Then burst out laughing.

“Okay. Pack it all.”

We continued shopping. Don't mention Wen Di Ninh again. No mention of Bui Tu either. But on the way home, I looked at the city lights floating outside the window, and a thought flashed through my mind. If the bright moonlight in your heart has returned... So how long is the shelf life of a replacement like me? Then I thought again. Okay. Whatever day you can stay, stay that day. Every day you can eat cherries, eat them that day. It's time to figure it out. I opened my phone and sent a text message to Luc Hanh.

“Can we add a kilo of lychee this week? Phi Tu Tieu has been very sweet lately.”

He immediately replied:

“Arranged.”

Um. Life must continue. 【Chapter 8】 The incident happened on a rainy Thursday night. That day Bui Tu returned earlier than usual. At half past eight, I was still watching the entertainment program in the living room. When the door lock rang, I was startled. At this time, he is normally still at the company. When he entered, his whole body was filled with rain. His black jacket was covered with water droplets, his hair was half wet, sticking to his forehead. Unusually cold expression. Not the usual cold type. But it's really cold. The bottom of his eyes were covered with a gloom that could not go away. I sat on the sofa, my hand holding the remote stopped. His eyes swept over me but didn't stop. Go straight upstairs. Footsteps are very heavy. Every step feels like it's hitting the floor. The office door closed with a loud "bang". The force was so strong that even the wall shook. I put the remote down. Sit for a while. Go to the kitchen and heat up a glass of milk. Take it to the third floor. Stand in front of the office door for a few seconds. Don't knock on the door. Just put the milk on the small table outside the door. Then go downstairs. The next morning. The glass of milk is gone. But Bui Tu was not at home. Luc Hanh texted that he went to the company early in the morning and might return very late today. I don't ask more. Still doing what I should do. But that afternoon, I read a news item on the trending search section. #Bui Thi Group's internal restructuring# #Rumors of Bui Chinh Thanh's withdrawal# #Questions about Bui Tu's successor# I clicked to see. The idea is that there is a dispute over control of Bui Thi Group. Bui Chinh Thanh's faction and Bui Tu's faction had disagreements. There are rumors that the old lady wants to directly hand over the position to Bui Tu, bypassing Bui Chinh Thanh. There are also reports that outsiders are deliberately stirring up trouble. I don't understand much business. But I can see... Bui Tu's recent pressure doesn't just come from work. But it also comes from within the family. That night he didn't come home. The next day he didn't come back either. On the third day, my phone rang. Not Bui Tu, but Bui An.

“Duong Duong, are you free today?”

“Yes. What's wrong, sister?"

“Come to me. There's something I want to tell you."

I went to Bui An's apartment. Rarely do I see her with a bare face, wearing home clothes and looking tired. She poured me a cup of tea, sat opposite and said frankly:

“Wen Dining hooked it connected to my father's side."

My hand holding the cup of tea stopped. Bui An leaned against the back of the sofa, rubbing her eyebrows.

“The specific situation is still not completely determined, but my people saw that in the past two days she ate alone with my father twice. Furthermore…”

She looked at me.

“My father's meaning is very clear. He wants Bui Tu to divorce me, then go back to Wen Di Ninh."

I put down the tea cup.

“Why?”

“The Wen family has a resource abroad that my father really needs right now. This time Wen Yining's return is not by accident."

Bui An looked at me.

“Duong Duong, do you understand what I mean? She returned with cards in hand. And you…”

She didn't finish. But the idea was very clear. As for me, Khuong Duong, I don't have any cards. The Khuong family has gone bankrupt. I myself have no support or support. In this business struggle, I am a blank card. Can be replaced at any time.

“I know.”

I said. Bui An looked at my expression, seemingly waiting for a stronger reaction. Angry? Not committed? Cry? But I didn't have any such reaction. I just sat there silently, drinking all the tea. Put the cup down.

“Sister, thank you for telling me.”

“Is that all you reacted to?”

I think.

“So how should I react?”

She opened her mouth, but couldn't say anything.

“This marriage is inherently a transaction.”

I said:

“At first, the Khuong family needed the Bui family to take over the debt, the Bui family needed a joint marriage title. Now that the Khuong family is no longer valuable to take advantage of, the Wen family returns with new cards. According to commercial logic, changing cards is reasonable."

Bui An looked at me for a long time. It's been so long that I feel a bit unnatural. Then she took a deep breath.

“Khuong Duong.”

“Yes?”

“Do you like my brother?”

The wind blew in from the balcony, making the curtains move. The air smelled of early summer, a bit hot. I thought for a long time. Think boxes of cherries. Think of the office light at four in the morning. Think about the empty cup of hot milk the next morning. Think of a smooth, tight-fitting ring. Think of the piece of pine mushroom at the celebration of life party. Thinking about him not explaining Wen Di Ninh, just saying "I know". Thinking about when he returned from the rain and slammed the office door. Think of the cups of milk I put outside the door, drinking them all every time. Think about what he said:

“My robe, wash it and return it.”

But until now he still hasn't asked for it.

“I don't know.”

I said:

“Maybe I like it a little.”

Bui An closed his eyes.