Chapter 20 — I Never Made It to Nam Thanh With You

In my previous life, I wore that dress. To showcase the jade pendant of the Co family, the neckline was cut daringly low. I stood upon the dais, listening as everyone offered their blessings for me and Co Nghien Le. Meanwhile, Tong Uyen Ninh stood below the stage, dressed in a simple white gown, her eyes brimming with tears as she gazed up at him. When the banquet concluded, Co Nghien Le vanished for two hours. He later offered the excuse that Tong Uyen Ninh had suffered an emotional collapse, and he had simply gone to comfort her for a short while. And so, adorned with the engagement jade, I sat in the desolate bridal chamber, waiting in agony until the first light of dawn. In this life, that dress shall never touch my skin again.

One day before the inauguration gala, Tong Uyen Ninh came to see me. She stood outside the gates of the Lam estate, clutching a paper bag. "This is the dress Mother Co asked me to bring over; the box with the jade pendant is inside as well."

I retrieved the red velvet box containing the jade and pushed the bag holding the dress back toward her. "Take this dress back with you."

She bit her lip. "Kien Nguyet, could we talk for a moment?"

"There is nothing to discuss."

"It is about Nghien Le." She stepped forward, blocking my path. "I know you do not like me. But I truly never intended to steal your engagement. Mother Co made it very clear; the Co family will only accept you as their daughter-in-law. You have already secured the final result. Why must you insist on dissecting the process with me?"

I looked at her. It turned out her logic was identical to Ha Man Nhu's. So long as she ended up marrying Co Nghien Le, I had no right to concern myself with who he actually loved.

"Tong Uyen Ninh, do you want to marry Co Nghien Le?"

Her face paled. "I did not..."

"If you want to, just admit it. Do not pretend to be innocent, enjoying the bias he shows you while coldly claiming you never meant to steal him."

Her eyes welled up with tears. "What good would admitting it do? His family will never accept me. In the end, he will still marry you. You have the Co family engagement, the Te Nguyet Villa, and everything that Uncle Lam has bestowed upon you. I only wish for him to truly love me. Is that a crime?"

"It is not," I said calmly. She looked stunned. I continued, "If you two are truly in love, then by all means, stay together. I will not stand in your way. However, my work, my opportunities, and my belongings shall not become sacrificial lambs to sustain your romance."

Tong Uyen Ninh stared at me in disbelief. "Are you truly willing to cede Nghien Le to me?"

I let out a sharp laugh. "He is not an item of property. There is no such thing as ceding or not ceding. After tomorrow, whatever you two choose to do is your own affair."

She seemed unable to believe it. "Are you planning to call off the engagement?"

"Yes."

For a fleeting second, the light in Tong Uyen Ninh's eyes flared, but it was quickly extinguished. "Mother Co will never agree to it."

"That is her concern."

"Nghien Le will not agree to it either."

I found this peculiar. "Does he not love you?"

Her lips parted, yet no sound escaped. Suddenly, it became clear to me. Tong Uyen Ninh understood the reality perfectly well: Co Nghien Le loved her, but he never had the slightest intention of sacrificing his family’s arrangements for her sake. He needed her affection, just as he needed the stability and social standing I provided.

"Take the dress back," I said, walking past her toward the courtyard.

Her voice drifted from behind me. "Lam Kien Nguyet, if you truly cancel this engagement, do not come to regret it."

I did not turn back. "I will not."

I had spent my entire previous life in regret. In this life, that will never happen again.

On the day of the inauguration gala, my father prepared a deep emerald green gown for me. Its design was elegant and simple. I did not wear the Co family’s jade pendant.