Chapter 2 — Disillusion

My best friend works at a bank and is very good at distinguishing real and fake money. She picked up a wad of money to look at it, then said angrily: "Tran Kieu, this bastard, is planning to play the game of getting married with nothing." "This money, except for the last few bills that are real, the rest in the middle are all fake." Hearing my best friend's words, my mind was dizzy and I almost couldn't stand. The jewelry is fake, the wedding ceremony is fake, even the bride price is fake. So… what else is real? My mother quickly caught me and said worriedly: "Tieu Vu, don't be angry, you're still pregnant." My father was so angry that he was angry: "The Tran family is really too much! I raised my daughter, are they going to get married without spending any money? Don't even dream!" “If you don't give me an explanation today, this isn't over yet!” My mother worriedly advised: "Stop talking, don't you see that Tieu Vu is not okay?" 4 I couldn't help it, my whole body trembled - I didn't expect that the wedding I had been looking forward to for so long was a big trap. Everything that had puzzled me before had now become clear. My mind has never been so clear. I was in the midst of a promotion at work, and Tran Kieu and I had always used birth control - but we suddenly became pregnant. Initially, after buying jewelry, I planned to wear it when taking wedding photos. But Tran Kieu's parents said they were afraid of losing it when they went away, so they told them to keep it for them. Jewelry bought at a gold shop certainly cannot be fake. So it could just be that when I went to Shangri-La to take photos, they brought the real thing back, and then prepared an identical set with a fake one for me. I was still immersed in the shock of discovering the trick, when there was a noise outside the door. Tran Kieu's voice rang out: "Wife, I've come to pick you up!" This should have been a moment that made me happy, but I felt cold down my spine. My father opened the door, rolled up his sleeves, and his fist rushed straight into Tran Kieu's face. "Brat, do you still have the face to come here? You tricked me into marrying my daughter like that?!" The people who came to pick up the bride were stunned by this unexpected scene, their eyes wide open to watch the beautiful drama. Tran Kieu dodged the attack and called out: "Dad, you must have misunderstood! Tieu Vu and I truly love each other, how could we deceive her?" I stepped up and pulled my dad back, "Dad, so many people are watching, stop fighting." Hearing what I said, the faces of my parents and close friends all changed. My mother impatiently grabbed my hand: "Daughter, do you still want to marry her?" My best friend also coldly said: "Tieu Vu, if you still want to continue getting married, then I'll go first." I looked at the expressions on my parents and best friends' faces and immediately knew they had misunderstood me. But I can't explain right now. I took a photo of the wedding scene from my father's phone and brought it close to Tran Kieu's face. “What is this wedding story about?” Tran Kieu glanced over and frowned: "What's wrong? You don't know anything!" I looked at Tran Kieu who was still pretending to be stupid, immediately took off his gold bracelet, and applied it to the magnet button on my best friend's bag - I was immediately attracted to it. There were a few sounds of "Oh" in surprise around. Tran Kieu's face began to look awkward, he tried to force a smile and said: "Wife, haven't I told you before? This bracelet was placed on Pinduoduo by my parents, I'm afraid it might fall out if people mess it up, the real thing is left at home with my parents." I looked at Tran Kieu's thick face, but I didn't expect that at this point, I would still deny it to the end. I said coldly: "So where is the real thing left? Didn't you say you would bring it to me today?" Bare Kieu smiled flatteringly and coaxed me: "My parents left in such a hurry that they forgot to bring them. You know, they are old, their memory is not good. After the wedding, I will marry you." I pulled the bride gift box out in front of him. "So what about the bride price? Is it because your parents misremembered and mistakenly brought real money as fake money?" 5 Early around, someone raised their phone to film the chaotic scene. Tran Kieu looked at the revealed stack of bride price money, her face was gloomy, but still tried to argue bluntly: "What fake money? Tieu Vu, look carefully, it's all real money, how can it be fake?" “In your mind, am I the kind of person who uses fake money to get married?” I looked at him lying with his eyes open, my heart completely cold. "Mong Mong works at a bank, comes into contact with money every day, can't she tell the difference between real and fake?" Tran Kieu stared at my best friend, his eyes showing a trace of hatred. “Chu Mong, on what basis do you say that my bride price is fake?” My best friend was also not polite, immediately retorted: "You know in your heart whether it's fake or not. The hotel reception desk has a money scanner, take the bride price there and check it out and you'll know right away!" Tran Kieu was stunned, suddenly guilty, rolled his eyes and pulled me behind him. He glared at my friend: "Chu Mong, I didn't expect you to want to rob me and even exchange the bride price!" A sentence that made everyone in the room speechless. The group of groomsmen chatted so much that the level of conversation was raised to a new level. My friend's face turned red, then turned pale, and quickly shouted: "What... what are you talking about?! Tieu Vu, don't believe him, how can I like him!" Tran Kieu turned to look at me, appearing full of sincere pain: "Tieu Vu, it's all my fault. I was afraid you would be sad so I didn't say anything." "Do you remember last year she came to our house for dinner and after drinking alcohol, she couldn't drive? Would you ask me to take her home?" "She deliberately asked to sit in the passenger seat while she was drunk, and naughtily asked me to wear a seat belt for her." “She also said… said she liked you and had secretly loved you for many years.” "At that time, I thought she was drunk and talking nonsense, not paying attention. I didn't expect that she would exchange the bride price in order to ruin our wedding! Don't let her lead you by the nose." "Fire prevention, theft prevention, even close friends - Chu Mong is not a good thing. I told you, she traveled thousands of kilometers to come here for the wedding on purpose." 6 I looked at Tran Kieu shamelessly, with waves of nausea rising in my heart. We've been together for three years, but I never noticed his hypocritical face. Last year, the male god that Mong Mong had been secretly in love with for a long time revealed his lover. She came to find me, crying and drinking. I asked Tran Kieu to drive her home. The next morning when she woke up, Mong Mong vaguely remembered that Tran Kieu had approached her, so she asked me to check the car's dash cam. She was afraid that when she was drunk, she did something beyond the limit. Although I believed her, thinking about men and women living separately and being reminded by Mong Mong made me somewhat hesitant. Taking advantage of Tran Kieu's afternoon nap, I sneaked down to watch the dash cam. Mong Mong felt Tran Kieu approaching, because he proactively fastened her seat belt. It wasn't that Mong Mong asked him to do so, but rather he took it upon himself. Mong Mong did mumble a few words like "hurt", "secretly like" or something, but it was obvious that she was mumbling to herself when she was drunk. Absolute truth Not like what Tran Kieu fabricated. I looked at him pretending to expose the "truth", his eyes filled with righteous anger, and I couldn't help but blurted out: "Tran Kieu, you really make me feel disgusting." Yet you still dare to drag my best friend into it. If I didn't know the details, between me and Mong Mong there might have been a rift that could never be healed. Tran Kieu was stunned, his face pitiful: "Wife, why do you say such hurtful words?" "Would you rather trust Chu Mong than trust me? I'm the one who will be with you forever." Before, I was very susceptible to this trick of his - sentimental, pitiful, making me feel compassion. But now that I see his true face clearly, I just want to vomit. “I won't do this wedding anymore.” “You took your fake money and fake things and got out and returned my family's dowry car.” “From now on, both sides have broken their relationship.”