Chapter 14 — After Notarizing 5 Houses, I Just Got Married

That was the cutest sticker she used in our chat history. The hotel project became my stepping stone. Over the next two months, I won two more projects: a space design project for a community bookstore, and an interior renovation project for a high-end mother and baby care center. With three projects running in parallel, my team expanded from three people to eight people. She didn't compliment me one word. But she adjusted my monthly salary to fifty thousand. Including project commissions, my personal income in the first quarter surpassed the total income of the previous year. The advantage of being busy is that there is absolutely no time to think about Tran Hao. But Tran Hao never disappeared from my life. To be more precise, they are members of the Tran family. It's been two months since the divorce. Tran Hao is on bail awaiting trial for obstructing witnesses. Life has not been easy these past few days. Because Trieu My Lan lost the defamation lawsuit, she had to compensate me thirty thousand yuan for mental damage. The Tran family is now truly facing enemies on all sides—carrying app debt, facing criminal prosecution, ex-daughter-in-law running away, and youngest son's wedding also falling apart. They should have stayed away from me. But they don't. One afternoon, I was buying coffee at a convenience store near my company. A taxi parked at the door, Trieu My Lan got out. Her expression when she saw me, it wouldn't be right to say it was hateful, but more like—begging.

“Nem Niem.”

“Mrs. Trieu.”

“Don't call me Mrs. Trieu anymore—I call you Niem Niem, you also have to listen to me say a sentence or two.”

“I have no such obligation.”

"I know. But Hao Zi—he's about to be sentenced."

“The consequences of falsifying evidence, he should have foreseen.”

“It was just temporary confusion—”

“Borrowed 380,000 yuan from an app, transferred 330,000 to my girlfriend, faked a contract—is that called being temporarily confused?”

The corner of Trieu My Lan's mouth twitched.

“Nien Niem, can you kneel down and beg me—I beg the court, please withdraw that criminal prosecution—”

"Ms. Trieu, the criminal case is not something I want to withdraw, it is the decision of the police and prosecutor's office. I advise you to find a lawyer, not me."

“We can't hire a lawyer—”

“Then ask for legal help.”

I turned around and left. Behind her, Trieu My Lan's suppressed crying sounded. I didn't turn back. It's not that I'm cold-blooded. It's because I know, if I go back, she will turn my softness into a bargaining tool. Every time this family begs, behind are new demands. I have learned to differentiate. That night, I had a dream. I dreamed that I was standing at the door of the Civil Affairs Department, Tran Hao gave me a bouquet of roses. I took it, the petals fell to the ground. Each petal has a number written on it. 80000. 50000. 120000. 80000. When I woke up, the pillow was not wet. I turned over and went back to sleep. The second week after the hotel project started, I met Co Dien at the construction site. He was wearing a light gray windbreaker, standing in the hotel's atrium, listening to the person next to him introduce the architectural structure. When I walked forward, he saw me first.

“Director To.”

Unexpectedly, he still remembers my title.

“Are you in charge of the hotel project?”

"I've seen the design, the idea is very good. But I have a question."

“Just say it.”

“The third floor is an open reading space. How do you plan to soundproof the living room?”

This question is very technical. Someone who can look at a drawing and ask about details like this is definitely not the type to come and see for fun.

"In the middle there will be an 8-centimeter soundproof wall plus sound-absorbing cotton, one-way noise can be reduced to less than 40 decibels. I have confirmed this with the acoustic engineer."

He nodded.

“Thinh Hang has an investment in this project.”

“I know, Cultural Tourism mentioned it.”

“If there's any problem, just come find me anytime.”

He handed over a business card. Very good quality paper, gold-plated embossed letters.

"Thank you."