Chapter 7 — After Winning 4.8 Million Yuan, I Realized Home Is A Place To Return To

After I finished speaking, no one around the dinner table quickly asked how much those houses were worth. Dad was the first to put the documents back in his pocket, then asked:

"Does installment payment put you under pressure?"

"One house has been paid off, the other two houses are still on loan. The rent is enough to cover most of the monthly payment."

The brother asked:

"Where did the deposit come from?"

"I won the lottery. After taxes, it's less than 4,000,000 yuan."

Hua Ninh opened her mouth and took a moment to speak:

"So you didn't quit your job, didn't buy a car, and still carry this old backpack?"

She pulled up a chair and sat next to me.

"You don't know how to take care of yourself. You're scared."

Dad arranged three keys neatly on the table.

"Are you afraid that the whole family will find you if they know you have money and ask for it?"

"Not."

"Or are you afraid that once we know you have money, we will turn into different types of people?"

I don't deny it. Dad nodded, his voice calm but clear:

"So remember. Your money is still yours. The three houses are also yours. No one in the family wants to take them."

The older brother held up the compensation division book.

"My share of 80,000 yuan is still divided as before."

"But I already have money."

"If you have money, are you no longer my daughter?"

Hua Ninh pushed the three keys back in front of me.

"We didn't ask for your house. But you have to promise, from now on, don't use the word 'it's fine' to keep everything outside."

At that moment, the phone on the table rang. Chu Khai sent me a written notice, requesting me to compensate for the loss of the Van Khe Square project, and to hand over all company documents still stored on my personal device on the same day. The brother saw the message content and asked:

"Is this also a small matter?"

For the first time, I told everything about the past six years in front of my family. I told how La Thien took my plan, how Chu Khai forced me to take responsibility for her, and also how every time I wanted to stand up and fight, in the end I was pulled back by a stable salary. After listening, Dad only asked one question:

"Do you still want to stay there?"

"Don't want to."

"So why don't you go?"

"I'm afraid I won't get paid next month."

Hua Ninh pointed to three sets of housing documents on the table.

"I've already bought myself three ways out."

His brother shook his head again.

"Home is not the way out. You are the way out."

I looked at them. The little girl who stood outside the teacher's room many years ago seemed to still be there, still waiting for someone to tell her that from now on she would no longer have to worry about being hungry. Dad placed the newly repaired backpack on my lap.

"Come back tomorrow and say everything you should say. If you lose your job, go home and live. We still have food for you to eat."

The next morning, I walked into the company and placed my resignation letter on Chu Khai's desk. After reading it, he burst out laughing.

"If you win a little money, do you think you have support?"

I raised my head to look at him.

"How do you know?"

Outside the door, La Thien was holding the phone, looking panicked. New trouble has arrived.

"The whole company knows you won more than 4,000,000 yuan."

The head of human resources gave me the phone. In a small chat group outside the company's main group, Trinh Man posted a blurry photo taken when I received the reward, along with the words:

"My cousin won a big prize but still returned to her hometown to compete for compensation. It's true, every penny can't bear to miss it."

La Thien transferred that post to the company. Chu Khai leaned back in his chair.

"If you're not short of money, then compensating for project damage shouldn't be difficult."

"The project did not incur any damage. Yesterday afternoon, the customer sent a notice of continued cooperation."

The head of the human resources department opens the file.

"The customer requested to change the main person in charge, so that Hua An Nhien can respond directly."

Chu Khai immediately said:

"She has resigned and cannot continue to represent the company."

"The resignation letter still has time to hand over."

I looked at the head of the human resources department and stated each point clearly:

"First, I can complete the handover work normally. Second, I have no obligation to hand over company assets that do not exist on personal devices. Third, if you ask me for compensation, please give specific grounds."

La Thien walked in holding documents.

"Don't pretend anymore. She had already planned to go out and take on the project herself, so she deliberately disrupted the meeting."

"Where's the evidence?"

"Lam Thu has contacted you."

"Do friends asking about you count as evidence?"

She placed a screenshot of the chat on the table. The photo only kept the part where Lam Thu mentioned a small project, but the time was after the first report of Van Khe Square. The head of the human resources department looked at La Thien.

"Why do you have photos of Hua An Nhien's private chat?"

La Thien paused.

"Her computer wasn't turned off yet, I accidentally saw it."

"Does the company allow snooping on co-workers' personal messages?"

La Thien immediately turned to look at Chu Khai. Chu Khai tapped lightly on the table, deliberately avoiding another topic.

"We're talking about the project now, don't drag these petty things into it."