Chapter 4 — After the Rain, There's No Turning Back

3. Some people also discovered that the little girl in Diep Thanh Duong's photo last year appeared in another public service advertisement. Their status changed from "children left behind in their hometown" to "children affected by flash floods", and even their clothes did not change. At three o'clock in the afternoon, Diep Thanh Duong deleted the post. At four o'clock in the afternoon, Chu Tu Bach sent me a text message. Kien Vi, don't drag Thanh Duong into this matter. Her health is not good. I answered in four words: It has nothing to do with me. He texted again: You weren't like that before. Looking at this sentence, I suddenly wanted to laugh. What was it like before? When he worked overtime until dawn, I came in the rain to bring stomach pain medicine. When his startup failed, I lent him the contest prize money. When his mother criticized my father's death from a flash flood as bad luck, I was still standing in the Chu family's living room, trying not to turn my face. It turns out that the words "you've changed" in men's mouths mostly mean: You're no longer easy to fool. I will not answer further. In the evening, my mother called me. After the phone connected, she was silent for a long time.

“Kien Vi, you and Tu Bach…”

“We broke up.”

I said very calmly. Mother sighed softly.

"Over the years, I've seen that it's not like he doesn't have feelings for you."

“Mom.”

I interrupted her.

“Emotions cannot be used to cancel debt.”

The other end of the line was silent. After a while, she quietly asked:

“Is it very difficult?”

I held the phone and looked out the window. The rain has stopped. The neon lights of the city were printed on the puddle, crushed by the wheels and then slowly healed again.

“It will be difficult.”

I said.

“But I don't want to turn my life into a ladder for others because I want to seem understanding.”

The other end of the line rang out my mother's soft laughter. She said:

“If your father were still alive, he would say the same thing.”

My eye sockets suddenly became hot. Mom asked again:

"Is the money for a lawyer enough? I have some left."

I bowed my head, using my fingertips to wipe away some moisture from the corner of my eyes.

“Enough.”

“If you have enough, you have to take it.”

She said.

“People who go to war cannot go without food in their pockets.”

That evening, my mother transferred thirty-eight thousand yuan to me. The notes read: Trinh Vien Son's widow supports Trinh Vien Son's daughter. I looked at that line for a long time. Then save the transaction photo next to the evidence file. There are coins that are more than just money. It's when someone stands behind you, gently pushing you forward. The day the lawsuit was accepted, Cang Thanh rained again. Ky Tram Chu accompanied me to court. This person is very strange. He doesn't talk much, his emotions are stable, even the way he holds the umbrella is like performing some precise process. I stood in front of the courthouse looking at the rain. He asked:

“Stressed?”

“A little.”

“Afraid of losing?”

“No.”

I said.

“Fear of winning too slowly.”

Ky Tram Chu tilted his head to look at me. I explain:

“The people on the mountain can't wait.”

You don't comfort me. Just give me a mint.

“Miss Trinh, the court deals with the past, the system deals with the future.”

I took the candy.

“Lawyer Ky, you didn't know how to comfort others before, right?”

“Yes.”

He admitted very frankly.

“Normally I only know how to sue.”

I burst out laughing. This was the first time since the press conference that I honestly laughed. Three days after the case was accepted, Trung Hai Technology sued I. They said the "Son Hoa Nhat" system was independently researched and developed by the Trung Hai team. They said I intentionally defamed the business because of an emotional dispute. They also issued a document called "Memorandum of Understanding to upgrade cooperation". It has my signature on it. Written content: Trinh Kien Vi agreed to hand over the core technology of the "Vu Dang" system to Trung Hai Technology and public benefit organizations to cooperate with the company to conduct integrated development. When Zhou Tu Bach sent this memo to the media, public opinion once again reversed.

“So she already signed it?”

“Lovers break up and then tear each other's company apart, it's unsightly.”

“Women working in technology can also turn their backs on debt.”

Ky Tram Chu printed out the memo and placed it in front of me.

“The signature is real.”

I glanced.

“Of course it's true.”

That's the signature I left when I signed the prenuptial property agreement three months ago. Chu Tu Bach said that before getting married, each person's assets should be clearly defined, so that they can be responsible to both parties. I agree. The lawyer was arranged by the Chu family. There were a lot of documents that day, I signed more than ten places. Perhaps they thought that just by changing the page with the signature, they could create a new agreement. Ky Tram Chu asked:

“Did you find out then?”

“No.”

He raised his eyes. I took out a fountain pen from my pocket. The pen body is dark blue, very old, with a bump on the cap.

“This is my father's pen.”

“Since three years ago, I sign all important documents with it.”

“This ink is mixed according to the old formula he left behind, with a very small amount of fluorescent marker added inside.”

Ky Tram Chu looked at me. I add:

“I'm not a pervert.”

He pushed up his glasses.

“I didn't say that.”

"It's just that since I was little, I've watched my father record hydrological data. He said this type of record must be waterproof, fireproof, and must also be careful of people's hearts."