Chapter 6 — Dear Wife, Do You Remember Me?

First, if you're really getting married, there's no need to come confirm with me. Second, if you don't care, there's no need to apply to work at the company, why sit right next to me. Third, if your heart is stable, there's no need to hang around and annoy me every day. What is she afraid of? She is afraid that Chu Dien is not hers. I took a sip of water. The phone rang. It's Chu Dien. First message after a week of no response.

“To Niem, can we meet tomorrow for a while?”

“I have something to tell you directly.”

I looked at the screen for a long time. Type two words.

“What time?”

Send. It's not because I'm soft-hearted. But because I want to clarify one thing. Who exactly is Phuong Tinh? Does Chu Dien really care or not? And I—— In the end, whether I care or not. 07 Two o'clock Saturday afternoon. He met me at a fairly quiet cafe. Seating in the corner, pretty good soundproofing. When I arrived he was already sitting there. On the table are two cups of coffee. One cup of Americano, one cup of Latte. He pushed the Latte cup towards me.

“When I was a child, I couldn't drink bitter things.”

“Now I drink Americano.”

He paused for a moment and gave me a cup of Americano. I sat down without touching the cup.

“Say it.”

He was silent for a few seconds, as if arranging his sentences.

"Phuong Tinh's story, I will tell you the bottom line."

“Yes.”

“She is the daughter of my mother's friend.”

“The two families have known each other for more than ten years.”

“My mother always wanted to put you two together.”

“Since last year, I've started arranging meetings, eating, and bringing gifts to my place on holidays.”

"But I don't agree. Not even once."

I raised my coffee cup and took a sip.

“So why did she say she was your fiancee?”

“Because my mother defaulted to it.”

"If you mention it outside, you call it 'daughter-in-law'."

"Phuong Tinh splashes water along with the rain, I can't stop it."

“Can't you stop it?”

“I argued with my mother three times. It was useless.”

“She saw that Phuong Tinh's conditions were good, and her family understood her background clearly.”

"You said you didn't like her. Your mother said feelings can build."

He smiled bitterly.

“Do you know what the funniest thing is?”

“What?”

“The fact that Phuong Tinh came to work was because his mother asked for her connections on the board of directors and bypassed him to arrange it.”

"When it's all over, you'll know."

I put the cup down.

"You're the vice president of the company, can your mother get past you?"

“The company is not yours alone.”

“On the board of directors there are several elders who are close to my mother.”

“When she opens her mouth, people have to respect her.”

“I want to transfer Phuong Tinh, but there is no good reason.”

“She didn't make any mistakes, she did a good job.”

“If you insist on forcing people, spreading the word will become 'the vice president taking public revenge for personal revenge.''

I didn't say anything after listening. He looked at me.

“To Niem, I know what you're thinking.”

“I think you can't even worry about your own affairs, so how can you expect me to trust you?”

“Yes.”

I'm not angry.

“But there is one thing, I can confirm for you.”

He took out his phone, scrolled to find a message and gave it to me. It's a conversation between him and his mother.

“Mom, I already said I won't marry Phuong Tinh.”

“So who do you have your eye on? Is the condition better than it?”

“It's not a matter of conditions.”

“So what's the problem?”

“There is someone in my heart. Have had it since childhood.”

“Which one?”

“To Recite. The girl from the neighbor's house in the past."

Below are a series of voice messages. I didn't click to listen, but looking at the duration, each message was over a minute. His mother must have cursed for a long time. I returned the phone to you.

“What did your mother say?”

“Tell me to be nervous.”

“If we haven't seen each other for nineteen years, what's there to miss so much?”

“What she said wasn't wrong.”

“But you really do keep lingering.”

He looked straight at me.

“To Niem, you're not just talking.”