Chapter 7 — I Went Through The Forgotten Years

“No, I mean—”

“You just discovered that after losing me, your life became inconvenient.”

I interrupted him, my voice so calm that it was almost cruel:

"But that's not love, nor is it appreciation. It's just an unfamiliar feeling when losing someone who is both free and devoted."

Chu Thua Vien opened his mouth, but for a long time he couldn't say anything. Chu Tu Ngon raised his head to look at the two of us, his small hand clasped my finger tightly. I bent down to pat my child's head, then looked towards Chu Thua Vien:

"If you want to visit your child, go ahead. But don't say these words anymore. Between us... it's over."

Having finished speaking, I held my child's hand and turned to leave. Behind, there were bustling passersby, and the sunset stretched the shadows of mother and child far away. I didn't turn back. There are some paths, once you step out... you should never turn back. Two years later, I left that mother and baby company and started a business with Hua Vy. We built a service content platform aimed at women and families, with a very small but very precise cutoff point—helping women trapped in the family cycle to relearn how to manage time, return to work, and find emotional stability. This direction was not initially appreciated by many people. Some people say it's too niche, some say women inherently can't leave the family, and the market isn't that big. When I heard those words, they just felt familiar. The Chu family also said the same thing before, affirming that if I left that family I wouldn't be able to live. But reality has proven that all the words intended to keep women in a fixed position... are essentially the same— First making you believe that you can't do it, then letting you obediently stay. The most difficult half year of starting a business, I lost four kilograms. But the energy in my body... is more steadfast than ever before. Because I know so well what I'm doing. I know how many women are like me in the past, wasting their energy in the kitchen, in the bedroom, in front of the school gate and the hospital hallway, but in the end, the sentence "You can't make money at home" negates all value. I also understand that not everyone needs to divorce, not everyone has to become a "strong woman", but at least... they must have the right to choose. The first explosive article after the platform launched was titled:

“You're not incompetent, it's just that you've been arranged to take care of others for too long.”

After just one night, the number of reads exceeded 100,000, and the mailbox behind was almost filled. Some people say they left their job after seven years and didn't dare to send their CV anymore; Some people say that when their mother-in-law tells them to spend their son's money, they must obediently listen; There are also people who say they thought their marriages were not happy because they weren't good enough, until they read the article and realized— Turns out they were just always consumed. I read each message one by one, my eyes heated up. I finally understand... The pain I went through was not meaningless. I stepped out not only to defeat Chu Thua Vien, but also to light a lamp in countless lives like mine. Three years later, the company received its first round of funding. Around the same time, I bought my own house. The area is not too large, but the lighting is very good, the room Guests have a large window on one side to receive full sunlight. Chu Tu Ngon has entered middle school, can carry his own school bag, and sometimes even scolds me for working too much, like a small adult, reminding me to rest early. On the day of moving into a new house, Hua Vy brought wine to congratulate. The two of us stood in the empty but bright house, clinked glasses, and laughed together.

“You know,” Hua Vy said, “the first day I helped you pick up your child, I was really afraid that you would eventually come back.”

I also laugh:

“I was also scared at that time.”

“So why were you still able to come out?”

I looked out the window, the night light stretched like a silent river, my voice was very soft:

"Being looked down upon once, you can console yourself with a misunderstanding. But being looked down upon ten times, a hundred times... and still not leaving, then you have already admitted it yourself."

I wasn't born strong. I just… finally refused to continue to lower myself anymore. Later, Chu Thua Vien came to see me once. At that time, his father was hospitalized, his mother was in poor health, and he struggled alone to the point of exhaustion. When he saw me again, the little bit of arrogance that was in his eyes was almost completely eroded.

“Before… it was me who was sorry for you.” he said.

I stood in the hospital hallway, still holding the bag of fruit in my hand and brought it to Tu Ngon. After listening, I just nodded slightly.

"I know."

Chu Thua Vien smiled bitterly:

“You… don't hate me at all?”

I thought for a moment, then shook my head.

“I used to hate it before.” I said, my voice very soft, “not now.”

“Because my current life… is not worth sharing my emotions with people in the past anymore.”

At that moment, Chu Thua Vien looked at me, as if he finally understood what true loss was. It's not because I live better with someone else. It's not because I'll never turn back again. But I... no longer need to use resentment to prove how deep the wound was that year. I really... have passed. At the age of thirty-six, I stood on an industry forum, sharing on the topic "The value of family labor and women's return to career". There were many people in the audience—startups, reporters, and even ordinary people who came to listen.