Chapter 14 — Five Missed Registrations

Message from Co Dien Chu. Not WeChat. It's an SMS text message. 【Nien Duong, I'm under the building. Please meet me once. Just once. I can explain everything.】 I took a look at this message. Stuff your phone back into your pocket. Then press the elevator button to go down.

—

【Chapter 10】 Co Dien Chu is standing next to the ginkgo tree under the design institute building. Ginkgo leaves in June are still green and have not yet turned yellow. He looks — not so good. Shirt wrinkled, top button undone, collar askew. There are dark circles under the eyes and chapped lips. Under the chin is a gray-green beard. The man who calmly and confidently stood on the podium three days ago, now seemed like someone had drained all his vitality. He saw me coming out of the main door, his eyes lit up a bit. Then he almost rushed towards me.

“Nem Duong —”

He stepped forward, reaching out to grab my arm. I dodged around. His hand stopped in midair. Pause for a second. Then slowly lower.

“Nien Duong, listen to my explanation.”

His voice was hoarse.

“Explain what?”

I looked at him. His expression was so calm that even I felt strange.

“Explain why you and Bach Linh got married? Explain why you lied to me for four years? Or explain — what is it like not being able to register your marriage five times?”

Co Dien Chu's throat rolled around.

“You and Bach Linh — really just in name. Back then, you got married because the company needed some start-up capital from her, it was an exchange of benefits —”

“Exchange of benefits.” I repeat these four words. "Okay. So how about you approach me? Is it also an exchange of benefits?"

“No!”

His voice suddenly rose, as if his tail had been stepped on.

"Nien Duong, my feelings for you are real. I admit - at first... at first I really considered that aspect. But later - I really fell in love with you."

He looked at me. Red eye sockets.

“Can you believe it — in the past four years, countless times I wanted to tell you the truth. Countless times. But I was afraid —”

“Afraid of what?”

“I'm afraid you'll leave me.”

His voice cracked. Like a piece of glass falling to the ground, cracking.

"I know I'm wrong. I shouldn't hide it. But Niem Duong — I love you. I really want to marry you. I'm already in the process of divorce — just give me a little more time —"

“Co Dien Chu.”

I interrupted him. He fell silent. I looked at him. The shadow of the ginkgo tree fell on him, dappled with light and dark.

“You said you loved me.”

“Yes.”

“So I ask you.”

I took a step forward.

“A man who truly loves a woman — would he let her be the third wheel for four years without even knowing it?”

He seemed to have been hit by someone. The expression on his face froze.

“A man who truly loves a woman — would he let his legal wife take the position of his best friend, install her next to her, and monitor her for four years?”

His lips began to turn pale.

“A man who really loves a woman — will he bring her to the door of the Civil Affairs Bureau five times, then let her leave empty-handed five times, doubting himself?”

His shoulders slightly retracted. Like Every sentence I uttered added a weight to his body.

“You don't love me at all.”

I said.

“You're just greedy.”

"You want me, you also want the land, and you want the capital and shares of Bach Linh. You want it all. You think you can have it all."

"So you played the role of a lover and delayed the marriage registration. Waiting until you felt everything was ready, then divorced Bach Linh and married me - in the end, it was a two-way bet.."