Chapter 1 — An Amicable Parting

The day I was released from prison, my fiance, Lam Sam Tran, came to pick me up as agreed. He brought neither fresh flowers nor a diamond ring; instead, he carried a check and a marriage certificate.

"I am married, but the bride is not you."

Before I could fully digest those words, he continued.

"To be honest, the tax evasion was something I orchestrated intentionally."

"Because you loved me too deeply, and I didn't know how to tell you the truth, I had no choice but to use this method to push you away."

Hearing this, my entire body trembled uncontrollably. Three years ago, I took the blame for Lam Sam Tran, which landed me behind bars and stripped me of my certified public accountant credentials. My father, a university professor just one year away from an honorable retirement, suffered a fatal heart attack from the shock and passed away with lingering regrets. For three full years, I was tortured by remorse and guilt. Yet today, he casually informed me that he did all of this simply to cast me aside.

"I am telling you the truth because I don't want you to find out the real story later and try to harm my wife."

"The amount on this check is more than enough to compensate for the three years you spent in prison for me. I hope we can part ways amicably."

I took the check from his outstretched hand.

"Very well, let us part ways amicably. But my father's life—who among you will pay for that?"

"I will accept this check."

I carefully folded the slip of paper and slid it into my pocket.

"You want an amicable parting? Fine, I agree."

Lam Sam Tran had expected me to go crazy, to cling to him and refuse to let go, but he never anticipated I would be this decisive. He was stunned for a moment. Yet, thinking of the substantial sum written on the check, he quickly convinced himself that my calm reaction was only natural. Without waiting for him to speak, I pressed on.

"You have already repaid the three years of imprisonment, but what about my father's life? How do you plan to settle that debt?"

Without giving him another glance, I raised my hand to hail a passing taxi. As I gave the driver the destination, I turned my head to look out the window. The city streets seemed no different from how they had been three years ago. It was a pity that while the scenery remained, the people had changed, and nothing could ever be restored to what it once was. Because of a man, I had not only buried my own professional future with my own hands, but also my father's life. Meanwhile, out of fear that I might become a burden, he had used a fabricated tax crime to buy himself a guilt-free marriage. What a profitable transaction this was for him. However, when I arrived at the North Mountain Cemetery, the first person I saw was not my father, but Wan Ning Chu. She was the impoverished student my father had financially supported for eighteen years and later adopted—and now, the current wife of Lam Sam Tran. She wore a simple black dress, holding a bouquet of white chrysanthemums in her hands. Hearing my footsteps approach, she did not turn around.

"You are here. I figured that upon your release, this place would undoubtedly be your very first stop."

I forced myself to suppress the surging emotions within me, my voice turning icy.

"What are you doing here? My father would never want to lay eyes on you."

Only then did she turn to look at me, her gaze lingering on my cropped hair for a few seconds.

"Sister, three years apart, you really have changed a lot."

"It's just that Lam Sam Tran and I are married now. The very day after your sentencing, we went and registered our marriage."

Hearing those words, the hand holding her flowers tightened fiercely.

"Did my father know about this?"

After a brief silence, she nodded. I could no longer contain the fury burning in my chest, and my voice suddenly escalated.

"So my father's sudden heart attack was actually because of the two of you!"

Wan Ning Chu's eyes instantly reddened.

"Sister, we only wanted to receive Father's blessing."

"Lam Sam Tran told me that if he had met me first, he never would have been with you."

"He said we crossed paths too late, and he simply had no way to untangle the engagement between the two of you."

She paused for a brief moment, her voice trembling even more noticeably.

"He didn't want me to become a home-wrecker."

"So instead, you turned me into a convicted criminal."

My stomach suddenly churned with an overwhelming sense of nausea and disgust.

"Wan Ning Chu, never come back here again, because you are entirely unworthy."

Finished, I ignored her completely and gently placed the bouquet of white chrysanthemums before my father's gravestone. Then I knelt on the cold ground and bowed deeply three times, touching my forehead to the earth. Before I could even stand up, Wan Ning Chu dropped to her knees beside me.

"Father, I am pregnant—already three months along. You are going to be a grandfather soon."

"Sister still refuses to forgive me, but I do not blame her..."

Before she could finish her sentence, a sharp slap echoed through the air, leaving a bright red handprint across her cheek. A stinging numbness traveled up my palm, and my eyes burned with a terrifying, bloodshot glare.

"Shut your mouth. My father does not want to hear a single word from you."

The moment those words left my lips, a heavy force shoved me violently to the ground.

"You Duo, if you have any anger, take it out on me!"

"Didn't I explicitly warn you not to come here and harass Wan Ning Chu?"

Lam Sam Tran pulled Wan Ning Chu tightly into his arms, glaring down at me as if I were a mortal enemy. I offered no explanation, merely spitting out a single, chilling word.

"Get lost."

Lam Sam Tran pressed his lips into a thin, hard line, remaining silent for a long moment before he finally spoke.

"Give yourself some time to calm down."

The second they turned to leave, Wan Ning Chu, nestled securely against Lam Sam Tran's chest, suddenly lifted her head to look at me. The corners of her lips curved upward into a mocking smirk. Without making a sound, she mouthed words directly at me:

"You Duo, you can never defeat me. You will forever remain my defeated loser."

Leaving the cemetery, I took a taxi to the Lotus Building. The Lotus Building housed the headquarters of the company I had co-founded with Lam Sam Tran. Our initial startup capital came entirely from the retirement savings my father had accumulated over half a lifetime. Back then, knowing we lacked funds, he handed every penny over to me without a second thought. He had smiled and said, "My daughter, I trust you."

Following that, Lam Sam Tran and I spent five grueling years building our enterprise together, growing from a tiny two-desk office into an entire corporate floor. And then—then I went to prison, and my father died. Meanwhile, Lam Sam Tran and Wan Ning Chu feasted on the fruits of our labor, living lives of luxury and joy. I stood outside the security gates in the lobby, peering inside. The receptionist was a stranger who had no idea who I was. She informed me that without a prior appointment, entry was strictly forbidden. I stood outside the glass doors for three solid hours until I finally caught sight of a familiar face. It was Zhang Yuan, my former assistant and closest friend. We had once split a single packet of instant noodles between us; at three in the morning while fixing financial reports, she had draped her own jacket over my shoulders. When she spotted me, her eyes widened in utter shock. A moment later, she called out uncertainly.

"You Duo?"

I nodded, entirely unsurprised by the disbelief etched across her face. At that moment, I was dressed in a simple white t-shirt and shorts, my face weathered and worn, and my hair cropped unevenly like it had been chewed on by a dog. I bore no resemblance to the polished, confident corporate professional I had been three years ago. She didn't invite me inside the office building either, instead leading me across the street to a nearby coffee shop. Once we were seated, her very first words were:

"I knew you were innocent of what happened three years ago."

"But You Duo, Wan Ning Chu is sitting in your exact chair now. Last month, she was promoted to Chief Financial Officer."

Pausing briefly, she added:

"She has done an exceptional job and already secured two major corporate accounts."

I remained silent, tightening my grip around the coffee cup. Zhang Yuan twirled her saucer and lowered her voice.

"Some things are in the past, so you just need to let them go. Everyone has to look forward."

"Look forward."

I repeated her phrase back to her. She bit her lip, as if gathering immense resolve.

"You Duo, let me be entirely honest with you. Coming back here now only makes things awkward for everyone."

"Wan Ning Chu is extremely adept at social dynamics and wins everyone over with ease. If you try to go head-to-head with her, you won't stand a chance."

"Is that so?"

She reached out to grab my hand.

"I heard that CEO Tran gave you a substantial sum of money. Take that money and leave."

"A city as vast as Capital City—you will definitely find somewhere else to rebuild your life."

I slowly pulled my hand away from hers, offering a deeply cynical smile.

"Yet this is my company, and I hold equity here. On what grounds should I pack up and go elsewhere?"

"Zhang Yuan, I truly thought we were friends."

Zhang Yuan's lips parted, but no words came out. At that exact moment, the cafe door swung open, and Lam Sam Tran walked inside. I immediately lifted my gaze to meet Zhang Yuan's eyes across the table.

"Was it you who tipped him off that I was here?"

Though phrased as a question, my tone carried absolute certainty.

"You Duo, I genuinely considered you a friend. I only wanted you to live a peaceful life."

"Just talk things through reasonably with CEO Tran."

With that, she stood up and walked away. A second later, Lam Sam Tran slid into the seat she had just vacated. He looked straight at me and said:

"You Duo, Wan Ning Chu is pregnant."

"So that she can have peace of mind during her pregnancy, can you... leave Capital City?"

Looking at his cold, detached expression, I suddenly recalled the promise he made before I went to prison three years ago: "You Duo, take the blame for me for three years, and when you get out, I will marry you."

When he spoke those words back then, he had not dared to look me in the eye. At the time, I foolishly thought it was out of guilt. Now I realized it wasn't guilt at all—it was panic.

I set my coffee cup down, the porcelain bottom clinking sharply against the saucer.

"You paid ten million to buy three years of my life. How much are you planning to pay to chase me out of Capital City?"

Lam Sam Tran had clearly not anticipated such a direct challenge, and he froze on the spot. Seeing his hesitation, I mocked him further.

"Can't afford it, or just unwilling to part with the cash?"

"It seems Wan Ning Chu and the child in her belly aren't as precious to you as you pretend."

Catching the biting sarcasm in my voice, Lam Sam Tran's face darkened instantly.

"You Duo, why have you become like this?"

"Didn't the two of you force me to become like this?"

My voice rose sharply. After a few seconds of heavy silence, I managed to master my temper and spoke again.

"Or how about this—I won't ask for much. Just return my company shares to me."

The expression on the man across from me faltered.

"What shares?"

"The company shares, of course."

"Before I left, I still held thirty-five percent of the equity. Don't tell me you've conveniently forgotten that."

Another prolonged silence stretched between us. I had no idea how much time passed before I finally heard Lam Sam Tran's voice.

"You Duo, regarding the shares... you already signed the transfer agreement."

My fingers tightened instinctively around the edge of the table.

"What transfer agreement?"

"During the third month after you went into prison, I came to visit you once."

His tone was remarkably calm, as if he were discussing something as mundane as the weather.

"Back then, I brought a folder of documents, explaining that the new colleague taking over your duties needed the paperwork finalized for administrative authorization. You signed your name without even bothering to read it."

Hearing those words, a roar echoed in my mind. Because I trusted him implicitly, I hadn't even bothered to review the paperwork before signing. Yet he had weaponized my absolute trust to orchestrate a theft.

"So that was a share transfer agreement?"

Lam Sam Tran did not deny it, choosing instead to elaborate.