Chapter 1 — I Returned After 18 Years and Found Mother's Lifelong Secret

While I was on a business trip, my mother secretly transferred all 6.5 million yuan (~23.4 billion) to my younger brother... I immediately bought a one-way ticket to Paris, not returning for 18 years. My mother, while I was on a business trip, silently withdrew 6.5 million yuan from my account. Not a wrong transfer. It's not even a temporary loan. But take everything without leaving a penny. The money I risked my life to earn over the years, she immediately used to buy a luxury apartment for my younger brother. I returned home, wanting to clarify everything. She sat there again, coldly calm.

“You're a girl, why do you keep so much money?”

“Your younger brother is the root of this house.”

Just a few simple sentences. But my heart seemed to freeze at that moment. Not because of losing money. It's because I finally understand... In her heart, I have never been considered family. I don't cry. Don't cause trouble. Don't even bother arguing. The next morning, I booked a one-way flight to Paris. A trip away from home. It's also a complete break. Eighteen years. For eighteen years, I have never looked back. Until one day, my father called me. His voice sounded much older and tired, as if he had just struggled through the remaining half of his life.

“My mother passed away…”

"She left you a letter. Go see it."

I quietly hung up. The phone was still in my hand, but my heart felt strangely calm. Is an apology too late? Or was it just another game of chess that she had arranged for me earlier? There are the most painful injuries... Not because of losing money. But one day, you suddenly realize... I have never been loved like a real child. I hung up. Dad's voice still lingers in my ears, old, tired, and somewhat pleading. Outside the floor-to-ceiling glass window of the apartment in Paris, the light stretches brightly like a cold galaxy. This place never had my family. It's only me. It's been eighteen years. I opened my laptop. The screen lit up, so cold it looked like a lifeless block of metal. I calmly booked the earliest flight back home. No hesitation. The suitcase was pulled out of the corner of the storage cabinet. I only bring a few sets of clothes, a lightweight backpack, my passport and a black card that I always keep in my wallet. That's enough. Everything in this apartment—the modern paintings on the walls, the designer trophies on the shelves—are things I've personally acquired over the past eighteen years. There wasn't a single photo taken together. Especially family photos. I gave up the habit of keeping those things a long time ago. The loudspeakers in the airport rang monotonously, coldly and emotionlessly. It fits my current mood very well. I boarded the plane, sat down, and fastened my seat belt. All movements were seamless, without the slightest hesitation. The plane took off. Paris outside the window gradually shrunk, eventually becoming only a blurry patch of light. Exactly like my past. Thought it had faded a long time ago. I closed my eyes. But the scene from eighteen years ago still appears clearly. It's brutally clear. That day, I had just finished a project and dragged my suitcase back home exhausted. As soon as I opened the door, inside was filled with laughter. My younger brother, Giang Minh, was holding the keys to his new house and swinging them back and forth boastfully. My mother, Luu Ngoc Phan, smiled so much that her face was radiant. And my father, Giang Chan Quoc, sat next to me, smoking, without saying a word from beginning to end. At that time, I smiled and asked:

“What's so funny about our family?”

Giang Minh immediately proudly replied that he had just bought a house. A luxury apartment. I stopped right on the spot. A person who just graduated like him, where did he get such a large amount of money? At that moment, my phone vibrated. It's a bank message. Available balance: 320 yuan. My heart felt like it was falling straight into the abyss. I opened the banking app with shaking hands. A dazzlingly long series of transfer history. Recipient: Giang Minh. 6.5 million yuan. Not a penny missing. That's all the money I stayed up all night, risking my life and working for many years to get. I raised my head to look at my mother. She avoided my eyes. I asked her why. This time she didn't dodge anymore. She looked straight at me, her tone filled with clarity:

“You're a girl, why do you keep so much money?”

“Your younger brother is the root of this house.”

“Isn't your money also the family's money?”

“Buy him a house, he can help you in the future.”

“Is there something wrong?”

Each sentence and each word were like sharp ice spears piercing my heart. Freeze the last remaining bit of warmth. I don't argue. Don't cry either. Just quietly looked at them, then laughed. The next day, I left. The plane passed through the dense clouds, the sunlight outside was so bright it hurt my eyes. I opened my eyes and looked out the window. Just see an endless white space. Eighteen years. From a girl with almost nothing, I gradually became the type of person that others call "elite class". I used to think I was completely immune to the past. Yet just one phone call from my father was enough to bring me back to the starting point.

“Your mother is gone.”

“She left me a letter.”

The plane landed. The familiar cold, damp air immediately rushed in. I am not in contact with anyone. Just take a taxi. Reading out the address I thought I would never repeat in my entire life. The car rolled slowly. The city has changed a lot. Buildings crowded together, neon lights lit up the night. Only the road leading to the old house seems to remain unchanged. The row of corn trees along the road has aged a lot. The car stopped in front of an old apartment complex. I paid the fare and got out. Wearing a simple backpack on my shoulder, I slowly walked towards the familiar building. The hallway lights are still as dim as before. Induction lamps have to be stomped really hard to light up. But I don't want to do that. I walked in the dark, slowly going up to the fifth floor. Standing in front of the door with the old paint peeling off. I even smelled the smell of food coming from inside. The taste of a strange family. I raised my hand to knock on the door. But at that moment, the door suddenly opened. The person standing inside is Giang Minh. He is fatter than before, also older than before. Wearing clothes from a branded restaurant, her whole face is shiny and greasy. Seeing me, he was stunned on the spot. It's like I just saw a ghost. The first thing in my eyes is surprise. After that it was unbelievable. Finally, it all turned to discomfort and wariness, as if I had just stepped into his territory. Giang Minh frowned.

“Why did you come back here?”