Chapter 10 — From the Ashes to the Pinnacle

She wore an old gray coat, her hair was tied a bit messy, and her face was yellow. During these three days, she clearly did not sleep well. But there was still the last bit of hardness in his eyes. When she sat down, she didn't look at me. Just looked at Tham Ve Quoc and lawyer Ha. "Tell me. What conditions?" Lawyer Ha pushed a file over. Same as the document from three days ago—but this time there was an additional page of handwritten terms. "The conditions are still the same as before." Lawyer Ha said at a steady pace: "Change of custody rights, Tham Ve Duong will live with her father. At the same time as Ms. Trieu gives up her custody rights, Mr. Tham will give up pursuing legal responsibility related to her previous abandonment behavior, and will not request a refund of the alimony paid." Trieu Ngoc Phan's eyes scanned the paper. Her eyes stopped at one place. "'Do not use any form to obstruct the normal communication between Tham Ve Duong and his father's family' - what does it mean?" "The meaning is exactly as it is written." Lawyer Ha said: "From now on, in the communication between Mr. Tham and Ve Duong, you must not interfere." Trieu Ngoc Phan smiled coldly. "Why should I interfere? After all, he is no longer my child." She picked up the pen. Stop for a second. Fingers tighten the pen body. Then look at me. Finally looked at me. "Shen Ve Duong." She called my full name. "Have you thought carefully? Do you want to follow him?" I looked into her eyes. There was no attachment in those eyes. No guilt. There was only coldness as if to say: "If you choose to leave, don't regret it." Exactly like the previous life. In her previous life, didn't she also look at me with these eyes? "When I was paralyzed and sitting in a wheelchair, she also used these eyes." I said in my heart. But only two words came out of his mouth: "Think carefully." Trieu Ngoc Phan withdrew his eyes. Sign. The sound of the pen nib falling on the paper was as crisp as the sound of bones breaking. “Shush—” Signed. Trieu Ngoc Phan. Three words. Seamless pen strokes. There was no hesitation. She put down her pen, stood up, and picked up her bag. Walk to the door and stop for a second. Turning his back to all of us. "Tham Ve Duong." "Don't regret it." Then he pushed the door and walked out. The door closed behind her. Aunt Ho breathed a sigh of relief. Lawyer Ha collected the documents and put them in his file bag. Tham Ve Quoc looked at the closed door, his shoulders relaxed—like a rope that had been taut for three days was finally let go. He turned to look at me. “It's over.” I shook my head. “No, dad.” “This is just the beginning.” I looked at the signed documents on the table. The ink in Trieu Ngoc Phan's name has not yet completely dried. From today. Legally, I no longer have any relationship with her. But the legal severance is only the foundation. What I want is not for her to disappear from my life. What I want is— Ten years from now. Twenty years later. When she was old, poor, and unable to rely on Lam Phong, she was alone and remembered this moment. Remembering the expressionless stroke of her pen when she signed to give up me— She will understand what she threw away. Not a “useless son”. It's a mountain she can't climb in her entire life. I put away my notebook and followed Tham Ve Quoc out of the residential area. The sunlight is just beautiful. I stepped on my shadow and walked ahead. Steady steps. The body is fourteen years old, the soul is thirty years old. Both legs are healthy. The path forward is clear. Next— Study. Relationship. Capacity. One step at a time. Wait until I'm strong enough. Trieu Ngoc Phan, you will see with your own eyes. The block of “scrap iron” she threw away— It was gold. 【Chapter 8】 The legal procedure for changing custody was completed ten days later. During these ten days, Tham Ve Quoc did three things— First, fully furnished my rented house with furniture and electrical equipment in

city, hire a maid for up to two hours a day to cook and clean. Her last name is Luu, fifty-three years old, clean and agile, quiet, not much talkative. Perfect. Second, help me check in at school. I didn't change schools—still studying at the same middle school. But the guardian information has been changed from Trieu Ngoc Phan to Tham Ve Quoc. When the homeroom teacher looked at the file, he looked at me several times. Third, before leaving, he transferred three hundred thousand yuan to the bank account in my name. "Dad." I once refused: "You don't need that much." "Just take it." He put the card in my hand: "You're here alone, you have to have money in your hand to have confidence. If you need to spend it, just spend it, don't let yourself suffer." "The password is your date of birth." On the eleventh day, he returned to Guangzhou. Before leaving, he sat downstairs for a long time, smoking half a pack of cigarettes. Finally, he extinguished his thoughts, stood up, patted my shoulder—“Ve Duong, I will call you every Friday night.” “If anything happens, call me, anytime.” “I'm leaving.” I stood in front of the building, watching the taillights of the Buick GL8 disappear at the end of the street. Then go upstairs. Close the door. Sit in front of the desk. Open the notebook. Cross out “second stage”. Write up: