Chapter 14 — Husband Takes Little Tam to Party, Big Screen Shows My 31 Million Yuan Project

The struggle lasted for a week. Chu Yen refused to sign. His tactics are simple, long. Pull until I give in, pull until I compromise, pull until I "think things through". What he didn't know was that by the eighth day, the first payment had hit his account. 12.4 million yuan. I looked at the numbers in the bank message for a minute. Then I made a decision. Move out. That afternoon, I packed my things. Actually, there's not much. During the past seven years, the things that truly belong to me in this house are pitifully few. A suitcase of clothes, a computer bag, a few books, identification papers and documents. As soon as Chu's mother saw me pulling the suitcase, she rushed down from upstairs.

"What are you doing! Where are you going?!"

“Move out.”

“What...what trouble are you making!”

"Mom." I put down my suitcase, turned my head to look at her, "From today, I will no longer cook in this house. No more washing dishes. No more cleaning. No more paying Chu Dien's living expenses. Nor will I listen to my mother scolding me anymore."

"Chu Yen refuses to sign the divorce agreement, so just wait for the court to decide. Before the result comes out, I won't be here anymore."

“If you leave, who will be in this house…”

Her sentence suddenly choked mid-sentence. I looked at the expression on her face, the panic when suddenly realizing that from now on there would be no one to cook or clean, which made me feel more sarcastic than any scolding.

"Goodbye."

I dragged my suitcase out the door. Chu's mother called after her twice, but did not chase her out. I called a car to the apartment that Dao Vy helped me rent in advance. Hi-tech park in the east of the city, not far from Due Hang Technology Group. The apartment has two bedrooms, a living room, clean, quiet, very good lighting. I opened my suitcase and hung my clothes in the closet. The phone rang seven or eight times, all of them were members of the Chu family calling. I switched everything to silent mode. Standing on the balcony, looking at the street below, the sunset dyed the glass walls orange-red. This is the first time in seven years that I have lived alone. No one called me to cook. No one forced me to wash the dishes. No one criticized me for not dressing well, not working well, or not being good enough. I leaned against the railing, watching the sun slowly set. The wind blew, bringing with it the chill of early autumn. The third day after moving out, lawyer Luu called.

"Nguyen To, the court has accepted the case. If Chu Yen does not sign the divorce agreement, we will proceed with the proceedings. I have submitted all the documents, including the things you gave before, evidence of adultery, records of mental violence and coldness in marriage, and the history of transferring the 600,000 yuan debt."

"There's also one more thing. The other side has hired a lawyer. Not the one named Phuong last time, but a lawyer from a decent office."

“Also within expectations.”

“You should prepare yourself, the trial will be held on the fifteenth of next month.”

After hanging up, I continued working in front of the computer. Things related to the next technical handover process to Due Hang side still need me to follow closely. New life has begun. But the old debts have not yet been paid off. On the afternoon of Wednesday, I met someone at the gate of the apartment complex. It's Ms. Trieu. It wasn't by chance that I met Ms. Trieu at the old apartment complex, but she specifically came to find me.

"To To! Are you really moving here?" She was panting, clearly trying to reach out.

“Sister Trieu, how did you know I was here?”

“Your mother-in-law asked me for the address, so I followed it here.” She held my hand, looking both impatient and worried, "Why did you suddenly move away? Your husband's family said you ran away with the money..."

“Grab the money and run away?”

"My mother-in-law went around the area saying that after earning a large sum of money, she turned around, left her husband and ran away. She also said that she did not respect the elderly..."

I stood there, the corners of my lips slowly curling up.

“Sister Trieu, do you think those words are true?”

Ms. Trieu looked at me, hesitated for a moment, then said: "Of course I don't believe her! I just wanted to come see if you were okay."

“I'm fine.”

“So... do you really want a divorce?”

"What about the photo? Chu Yen really..."

Ms. Trieu sighed: "I told you, that day when I saw it at Ngan Thai restaurant, I felt something was wrong... Haiz, To To, there are no good men."

“Miss Trieu.” I patted her hand gently, "Do me a favor."

“What?”

"Next time someone asks me about my story, just tell me the truth. I paid the 600,000 yuan debt, I took care of the whole family for the past seven years, and it wasn't me who had the affair."

Ms. Trieu nodded vigorously.

“Don't worry, I'll go talk!”

After seeing Ms. Trieu off, I returned to the apartment and sat down. The war of public opinion. Chu's mother acted first to take advantage. So I don't need to be polite anymore. I opened my phone and sent Dao Vy and lawyer Luu each a text message. Friday. Dao Vy called, her voice full of excitement.

"Nguyen To! Due Hang's side just posted an article introducing your project on the industry newsletter, have you seen it?"