Chapter 3 — After Seeing Through It, I No Longer Love You

I looked at Tham Tu Ngang, his face was red with excitement, his eyes were filled with frustration and anger, my whole body felt cold.

“Tham Tu Ngang, what do you… really mean?” I heard myself asking, "That money was given to me by my father, of course I have the right to decide how to use it. I bought the house also for our future..."

“For our future?” He laughed coldly, "Is there our name on the house book? It's your house, what does it have to do with me? If something happens in the future, I won't be able to touch it with even a penny! You call it for our future? That's just thinking about yourself! It's calculating every step!"

“I don't have it!” I jumped up, tears welling up in my eyes, "I never thought about breaking up with you! I bought a house because I wanted us to live better in the future, for our children to go to good schools! Why have we become selfish and calculating?"

“Then why don't you add my name?” He pressed, "Why don't you take that money and give my parents a house first? They are the old people who really need a better place to live! Are your parents short of a house? Your father can give 500,000 yuan at a time, is he short of a house?"

My whole body trembled. I looked at the man in front of me, the person I thought would be with me for the rest of my life, and suddenly felt strange.

"Tham Tu Ngang," I said word by word, "that's the money my father gave me, how I use it is my right. I bought the school district house for the sake of my future children. As for your parents changing houses, we can slowly accumulate, or rely on both of our incomes..."

"Later? Slowly accumulate?" He seemed to be touching a painful point, "Do you know what house prices are like now? How long will it last? Waiting for my parents to lose their limbs and have to go to the hospital before changing the house, what's the point? Lam Ninh, do you have a conscience? Do you consider my parents as family?"

“I…” I choked, unable to say a word.

"That 5000,000 yuan," he stared at me, his eyes cold, "can solve everything. Buy you a house in a smaller school district, the remaining money is enough to buy my parents a house with an elevator in the center, and there's still some money left over for old age. What about you? Just think about yourself, think about your future child, have you ever thought about my parents? Think about me?"

The more he spoke, the more agitated he became, his chest heaving violently:

"You should have realized it sooner. Normally you act thoughtful, but in fact, in your heart, it's only you. Your family is doing business, the conditions are good, you look down on normal families like mine, right? You feel like I don't deserve you, so you and your parents don't care at all about your life, right?"

“Shen Tu Ang!” I burst out, "Don't talk nonsense! I'm not that type of person!"

“Then I'll take the money out.” His voice was cold, "Cancel the transaction of that house, or transfer it to my name, we will redistribute the money. Take care of your parents first, then consider the rest for us."

I looked at him like I was looking at a stranger.

"Cannot." I heard myself say, my voice not loud, but firmly, "The house has been bought, it will not be canceled, and it cannot be transferred to your name. It is the dowry my father gave me, and it is my personal property."

His face was completely dark. He looked at me for a long time, then finally nodded.

“Okay, Lam Ninh, you're really good.”

After speaking, he turned around, picked up his coat from the sofa, and went straight to the door.

“Shen Zi Ngang, where are you going? I reflexively asked.

He didn't turn around.

“Go back to my parents' house. In my eyes they are not important, but in my eyes they are the most important. Lam Ninh, think carefully for yourself. See if you still want this family, if you still want to be with me.”

The door was slammed shut. A loud bang. It made my heart clench. I stood there, looking at the empty room, tears silently falling. It all just seemed like a wild drama. 500 thousand yuan dowry. A one-time payment for a school district home. Your boyfriend's anger and criticism.

“That's retirement money I'm saving for my parents.”

That sentence repeated over and over in my head, like a thorn in my heart. Suddenly I thought, it became his panic again. The thoughtfulness I thought was right was said to be selfish. The feelings I believed in, before money, revealed a completely strange side. I slowly sat down on the floor, hugging my knees. Outside the window, the lights of Hangzhou were still shining brightly. But I just feel cold. Cold inside and out. The phone on the tea table suddenly vibrated. I picked it up and looked. It's Tham Tu Ngang's WeChat message. Just one short sentence.

“Lin Ninh, you really disappoint me.”

I stared at that line for a long time. Then he raised his hand and casually wiped the tears from his face. I don't answer. Turn off the screen only. The room fell silent again. Only the second hand on the clock is still moving steadily. Tick… tick… tick… tick… As if reminding me, some things… have changed. Chapter two: The rope called "filial piety" That night, after Tham Tu Ngang left, I stayed awake. I lay in bed, looking at the ceiling, my mind a mess. Sometimes it was his face that was red with anger, sometimes it was the bank card that was both cold and hot in his hand, and then it was the red book with only my name written on it. I don't understand. Why did something that should have made everyone happy turn into this? I made a one-time payment to buy a school district house, solving the two biggest problems of the future—housing and my children's education. In my eyes, that is paving the way for our future lives. Yet in his eyes, it turned into selfishness and calculation.

“That's money I'm saving for my parents' old age.”

That sentence was like a curse, repeating over and over in my ears. My heart spasms with each painful beat. Three years of love, in the end, in his mind, the money my father gave me... should have turned into retirement money for his parents first. Near dawn, I fell asleep in a dreamy state. When I woke up, it was past ten o'clock in the morning. The sunlight filtered through the curtains, a bit dazzling. I reached for my phone, the screen was blank, no missed calls, no new messages. Tham Tu Ngang did not contact. This almost never happened before. In the past, even if there was a little argument, he would proactively text first that night, or at the latest the next morning, trying to find a way to reconcile. But this time, complete silence. I opened WeChat and looked at the chat box with him. The top line is still the same sentence as last night.

“You really disappoint me.”

My finger stopped on the screen for a long time, but finally escaped. I don't know what to say, I feel like I have nothing left to say. The next two days, Tham Tu Ngang did not come home. Neither contact me. From sadness and confusion, I gradually became empty to numb. I still go to work as usual, write plans, have meetings, talk to colleagues. But the whole person seems to be missing half of its soul, and has no strength to do anything. Wednesday afternoon, while I was editing a promotional plan, the phone suddenly rang. I hesitated a bit then picked up the phone.

“Hello, is it Tieu Ninh?” On the other end of the line was a middle-aged woman's voice, sounding welcoming but a bit awkward.

I immediately noticed. She is Tham Tu Ngang's mother.

“Yes… Miss?” I froze, reflexively sat up straight, "It's me, why are you calling..."

“Oh, I told Tu Ngang to give me his number, didn't he tell you?” Her voice was enthusiastic, "This guy, he's so busy that he forgets everything. Tieu Ninh, are you free tonight? I want to invite you to dinner, we haven't seen each other for a long time."

My heart sank. Just when the two of them were cold, his mother suddenly invited him to dinner. The meaning is so clear.

“Yes… tonight you can…” I was about to find an excuse to refuse.

“There's no need for 'maybe', just go tonight, I've made a reservation.” She interrupted, reading the name of a mid-range Hangzhou restaurant, "It's half past six, I'll wait for you there. Be sure to come, I have something important to tell you."

Having finished speaking, without waiting for me to answer, she hung up the phone. I picked up the phone, heard the beeping sound, and felt heavy. I sent Tham Tu Ngang a message:

“My mom asked me out for dinner tonight, you know?”

After waiting more than ten minutes, he answered one word.