Chapter 17 — Husband Takes Little Tam to Party, Big Screen Shows My 31 Million Yuan Project

"Okay. Prepare first, keep it short, focus on the point, don't bring too much emotion. You don't need to make the judge feel sorry for you, just let them see the truth."

On the morning of the trial, the sky was gloomy. I wear a white shirt. Not the shirt from three years ago, but the new one I bought after moving out, and it fits my body perfectly. Lawyer Luu was waiting for me in front of the court gate.

“Are you stressed?”

“Okay. Let's go in.”

Chu Yen was present in the courtroom. He sat on the defendant's side, next to his lawyer, a middle-aged man with gray hair. When she saw me walk in, Chu Yen's lips moved slightly, but in the end she still didn't say anything. Chu's mother didn't come. The rows of seats reserved for auditors were empty. The judge announced the start of the trial. The whole process took more than two hours. The opposing lawyer certainly hit on the issue of "common property during the marriage". He cited the provisions of the matrimonial law, arguing that the technical result was created while the marital relationship was still in existence. Lawyer Luu refuted each point in turn. Intellectual property rights have been registered in advance, independently created by me, with no joint investment assets, and the other side has not supported or participated in it for seven years. Each argument has clear evidence. The other side tried to move on to the issue of "concealment".

“During the marriage, the plaintiff intentionally concealed a large source of income…”

"So did the defendant intentionally conceal the extramarital relationship during the marriage?" Lawyer Luu immediately responded, decisively without any hesitation.

The opposing lawyer's expression changed. The judge looked through documents from both sides. Go to additional presentation.

“Does the plaintiff have anything to add?”

I stood up.

“Judge, I just want to say something.”

"In seven years of marriage, I paid a debt of 600,000 yuan on behalf of my husband's family. The transfer history is on page 32 to page 38 of the file."

"For seven years, I shouldered all the housework, took care of my husband's parents and provided living expenses for my brother-in-law. The notes are from pages 40 to 52."

"In the absence of receiving any financial support or moral encouragement, I spent two years independently completing this technical plan."

“I have never been in debt to anyone in this family.”

I sat down. The courtroom was silent for a few seconds. Chu Yen didn't look at me. His lawyer did not say anything more. The verdict came out faster than I expected. Two weeks later. When lawyer Luu called, I was in an online meeting with Due Hang at the studio. At the end of the meeting, I called back.

“The results are out.” Her voice was very calm.

“You say it.”

"The court approved the divorce. The income from technology licensing was determined to be her separate property, not included in the division. Common assets in the marriage were divided proportionally, she received 60% of the value of the house and car belonging to the other side. In addition..."

She stopped for a moment.

"The court determined that the other party had committed wrongdoing and ruled to compensate her 120,000 yuan for mental damages."

“120,000 yuan?”

"It's only symbolic. But the important thing is that the court confirmed the opponent's fault. The judgment clearly stated in writing that 'the defendant The applicant had an inappropriate relationship with a person of the opposite sex during the marriage period.

“What about 600,000 yuan?”

“The court determined that the 600,000 yuan she paid on behalf of his family that year was a gift from her pre-marital property. But because the other side was the at-fault party, the court approved the refund request. Chu Yen must return the entire amount within six months.”

I leaned back in my chair, looking out the window.

“Congratulations, Nguyen To. You are free.”

I smiled softly.

“Thank you, lawyer Luu.”

I hung up. Those two words repeated in my head for a long time. I raised my head to look at the ceiling, stunned for a moment, then took out my phone and sent three words to Dao Vy.

“Guessed. Won.”

Dao Vy's reply message was a series of exclamation points and the same sentence:

“Let's go out to eat tonight! I invite!”

That evening, we drank half a bottle of white wine in a small restaurant. Dao Vy gently clinked her glass with me.

“Nguyen To, from now on this life is yours alone.”

“Is your studio registered yet?”

"Done. Next week it will officially go into operation.”

“What about Due Trach's side?”

“Still negotiating. Co Minh Thanh said the first round of evaluation has been passed, the specific plan will be decided next month."

Dao Vy looked at me, her eyes sparkling.

“Nguyen To.”

“Do you know that you are completely different now than half a year ago?”

“Where is different?”

“There is light in my eyes.”