Chapter 4 — Freedom After Hands

"The additional credit card debt is forty-seven thousand, the other person is an ex-girlfriend, after the breakup continued to spend thirty-eight thousand."Tran Duy pushed his glasses: "The amount spent after the breakup belongs to use without rights. Can request a refund for illegitimate benefits. This is certain.""In addition." I said. "During the time she lived with someone else and used my money, does that count as..." "Can gifts given during a relationship be reclaimed? The amount of money is large and clearly exceeds daily expenses, there is a case law supporting refund." Tran Duy looked at me. “How many notes do you have?” “Payment details for Alipay, three years.” “Arranged.” “Okay.” When I walked out of the law office, the sunlight was still as beautiful. I bought a grilled sausage on the side of the road. Bad year. Eat while walking. Feeling very good. Before, To Oanh said grilled sausages were not good for my health, so she wouldn't let me eat them. Now I want to eat and eat. Phone vibrates. Message from To Oanh: "Do you have to go to this extent?" I chewed the sausage and typed with one hand: "In three years, you spent more than eight hundred thousand from me. Now I only ask you to pay forty-seven thousand. This is called a discount." The other party no longer responded. I stuffed the last piece of sausage into my mouth and licked my fingers. Tomorrow, tell Tran Duy to send a lawyer's letter. Then do whatever you should do. 【Chapter 6】 The lawyer's letter arrived on the ninth day. Express delivery signed for it, To Oanh accepted it himself. I know this because Tran Duy sent me a photo to sign the receipt. "It's okay." He said. “Waiting for her reaction.” That afternoon, To Oanh called. I don't listen. Two hours and three minutes, second call. Unheard. At five minutes past two, a WeChat message swept in like a machine gun: "Lin Vien, what do you mean by sending a lawyer's letter?" "Do you need that? Just for that little money?" "Do you know if this is sent to my house, my parents will see it?" "You did it on purpose, right? You just want me to lose face!" At two ten, phone call. Twelve past two, another call. At 2:15, the style of the message suddenly changed: "Lam Vien, can we talk properly? I know I'm wrong. I can return that bag, I'll go ask if I can return it. Can you give me some time?" I sat at work and read through that string of messages. Lao Trieu's colleague next to him poked his head over: "Your lover texted you? Such a unique expression." "Ex-lover." "Oh." I placed the phone face down on the table and continued to edit my plan. At half past work, I opened my phone and had more than twenty more messages. From begging to indignation, then from indignation to begging, jumping back and forth three times. The last message was sent at five twenty: "Okay, I'll pay. But I need two weeks. Is that okay?" I thought for a moment. Answer: “One week. Before next Friday. The lawsuit is overdue.” She replied with one word “yes”. Just one word. I can imagine how stiff her fingers were when she typed that word.——But things didn't end that simply. The next day, the tenth day. A new news appeared in my circle of friends. It's not To Oanh, but her close friend, Truong Duyet. A long paragraph, with a screenshot of the conversation. In the photo is the conversation between me and To Oanh, the exact sentence I said "pay it all in three days, if you don't sue". Truong Duyet wrote as follows: "There are some men who are sweet when they are together, but after breaking up, they turn away and refuse to accept each other. Even the costs of love are taken into account. Turns out love is business? This type of scum, we should let all girls see his true face." Below, a group of people clicked like to comment. "Sure is a man." "Let's just split the relationship in half, after breaking up, we still have to settle the score?" "This type of person is also worthy of love." huh?” Most of them are To Oanh's friends. Have

Some people I know have had meals together. I sat on the sofa looking at these comments. Smile. They only saw that one screenshot, didn't see the eighty-seven payment items in front, didn't see twenty-three thousand per month, didn't see more than eight hundred thousand in three years. Of course I don't know. Because To Oanh will not tell them these things. I took a screenshot and sent it to Vuong Loi. Vuong Loi got angry: "Fuck! I'll help you get rid of it!" "No need." "Are you just holding back?" "Who told me to hold back?" I opened WeChat and flipped to Truong Duyet's friend circle post. Type text in the comment section. Not a rebuttal. Not cursing people. No need to explain. I posted a photo. Photo of Alipay yearly invoice. Overview of shared household payments. 2022: total household payment 243,517 yuan. Year 2023: total household payment 271,892 yuan. 2024 to present: total household payment 214,761 yuan. Total: 730,170 yuan. Below is a sentence: "Love is love, money is money. I don't ask for seven hundred and thirty thousand anymore. Forty-seven thousand extra card, thirty-eight thousand of which she swiped after breaking up, I asked for this. Do you think it's too much?" Posting completed. Put the phone down. Go to the kitchen to boil water to make tea. During the two minutes waiting for the water to boil, I didn't look at my phone.