Chapter 7 — Before Closing Time, I Changed Grooms

A while later, Nguyen Tinh Hoa answered the phone. I couldn't hear what the other end said, I could only hear her answering intermittently.

“It's the eighth time already. Surely she should leave?”

There was silence for a long time.

"I don't want to marry him. I just can't accept that after he gets married, the first person he comes to will become someone else."

There was the sound of beads rolling on the table again.

“Of course the rope must be cut. If it doesn't break, how can he stay?”

After listening, I saved the file to an encrypted hard drive. Whether she cut the rope or not couldn't change the fact that all eight times, Bui Tu Xuyen voluntarily stayed. But the next email made me sit up straight. The attached file is the money transfer history of Bui Tu Xuyen to Nguyen Tinh Hoa. In a few years, the total was nearly five hundred thousand yuan. Notes for all accounts are:

“Loan.”

9

In the email, Bui Tu Xuyen said money is not an important issue. Usually, people who always say this out of their mouths have huge money problems. Nguyen Tinh Hoa in turn borrowed money from him for the reason of repairing the house, starting a business and helping the family turn around capital. Looking at each item individually, it's not too big. But combined, it was nearly five hundred thousand yuan. He never urged her to pay. However, when we were preparing for the wedding, he said he didn't have enough money and wanted me to advance most of the wedding deposit. At that time I refused.

"The wedding budget must be paid by both parties according to the discussed ratio. If you can't make up for the deficit, then reduce the scale."

He was very unhappy, saying I calculated my feelings too clearly. Luckily I figured it out clearly. If not, there must be me among the current debt collectors. The next day after receiving the lawyer's letter, Nguyen Tinh Hoa came to the company to block me. She was still wearing that creamy white dress. The dress has been washed and is a bit wrinkled.

“Kien Vi, I want to explain to you.”

“The person who lent you the loan was not me.”

"It was you who told Tu Xuyen to sue me, right?"

“He sued you?”

She took out a lawyer's letter from her pocket. The paper was squeezed until it was soft. The security guard was walking this way. She immediately lowered her voice:

"He never asked for it before. Now he suddenly forced me to pay, and said he would sell my office. Do you dare to say this has nothing to do with you?"

"I've blocked him. I just found out about the money thing between you two today."

Nguyen Tinh Hoa stared at me, as if trying to judge whether this sentence was a trap or not. There are dark circles under her eyes that cannot be completely covered, and her mascara is also slightly smudged. Before, she always had the mind to choose a dress that was just enough to make her look weak. Today, I'm clearly not in the mood.

“The words in the recording are just a joke.”

She said:

“When friends talk to each other, who doesn't say a few exaggerated words?”

“You can say that to Bui Tu Xuyen.”

“He doesn't trust me anymore.”

After speaking, she froze, perhaps not expecting to admit this in front of me. A familiar look of self-pity appeared, her eyes quickly turned red, but her lips were tightly pursed. I suddenly understood her a little. Perhaps Nguyen Tinh Hoa doesn't really want to marry Bui Tu Xuyen. She's just so used to having someone always show up when she calls. She can reject him, or she can love someone else. But she can't accept that the lamp is always lit for you, one day it will move to someone else's house. Understanding her feelings doesn't mean I will forgive her. I also have no interest in treating her.

“Do you really not want to know at all?”

She blocked my way.

“In those seven years, who did he care about more?”

I stopped for a moment.

“When the answer was still important, I saw it eight times. Now it's expired.”

Her face turned pale. After a while, she said again:

"As soon as To Ky Bach saw that you broke up, he immediately registered for marriage. Do you think he is very noble?"

“He is not as noble as you say. But before I nodded, he had never interfered in my life.”

Nguyen Tinh Hoa bowed her head and looked at the crumpled lawyer's letter in her hand. She seemed to want to say something, but the security guard came next to her and politely invited her to leave. Arriving in front of the revolving door, she turned around and shouted:

“Tu Xuyen will regret it!”

This time I didn't answer. The person she mentioned was Bui Tu Xuyen, and has nothing to do with me. I informed the receptionist to put both her and Bui Tu Xuyen on the blacklist of visitors. At three o'clock in the afternoon, To Ky Bach went to the company to hand over the contract. The receptionist asked if he needed to register "Mr. To" as a special guest. I said:

“This person doesn't need to be stopped.”

To Ky Bach just heard it. He put the contract on the table and leisurely asked:

“Just don't need to stop it?”

“You can also come into my office.”

“Just go to the office?”

I closed the door.

“There may be no need to sleep in the office tonight.”

The fountain pen in his hand fell down. This time it's my turn to wait for him to pick it up.

10

Bui Tu Xuyen and Nguyen Tinh Hoa completely turned their faces faster than I expected. The recording is not enough to prove loan fraud, but the transfer history and debt collection messages are enough for Bui Tu Xuyen to confirm the loan relationship. Nguyen Tinh Hoa could not get that money out. She offered to sell the flower arrangement studio and pay in monthly installments. The agreement had not yet been signed, she said the recording was just a joke between friends, sent to mutual friends to beg for help. But no one can explain for her:

“Of course the wire must be cut.”

Trinh Man sent me a photo of the post on my friends circle. Nguyen Tinh Hoa cried in front of the office door, and Bui Tu Xuyen threw the bracelet into the trash. The mutual friend who posted the photo wrote:

“If you've made such a fuss, no one can say you're innocent.”

I sent back an emoji. Trinh Man asked:

“Are you feeling refreshed?”

"Normal. Signing the contract is even more satisfying."