Chapter 16 — Live towards the light

He doesn't give the opponent any more chances. His sequence of movements was seamless and decisive, without a second of hesitation. I quietly looked at him. Look at this man, after being betrayed and hurt countless times... he finally learned how to truly let go. Having finished everything, he leaned his back against the wall and slowly slid down. Bury your face in your knees. Shoulders trembled violently. Not a single cry. There is only extreme repression... turning into silence. He is burying the last half of his life. Half of life is both funny... and pitiful. I don't bother. Just quietly sat down next to you. Put your hand on his back. Gently pat one. No need to say anything. From now on… I will be here. We will step forward together. A future without chains. Don't know how long it's been. His shoulders gradually stopped shaking. He raised his head. Eyes red like rabbits.

“Tieu Nghien…”

“Are we… wrong?”

“What do you think?” I asked again.

He looked at me for a long time. Then slowly shook his head.

“We're just… doing what should have been done a long time ago.”

Just when we thought it was all over. My phone suddenly rang. I picked up the phone.

“Excuse me, are you Khuong Nghien?”

“We are the economic investigation team of the city police.”

“Currently, we suspect that you and your husband – Co Thanh – are involved in a serious real estate fraud.”

“Please two people come immediately to coordinate the investigation.”

20 Nets of Heaven That call… was like a thunderbolt. Destroying the newly existing peace. Real estate fraud. One crime is enough to crush anyone. Co Thanh's face was both a little pink... and pale.

“How…how is it possible…”

He couldn't believe it.

“It's Vuong Le.” I said right away.

“She had no way left, so she pulled us into the water.”

“Want to die together.”

“It's crazy.”

Co Thanh's hand trembled slightly.

“So… what do we do?”

“She is the one reporting the crime, and she is the ‘victim’, we…”

“Who says we can't talk?” I interrupted.

Calm eyes.

“We have evidence.”

“The evidence in our hands… is enough to prove everything.”

I stood up and held his hand.

“Go to the police station.”

“The one who should be afraid… is not us.”

When we arrive with all the evidence. Vuong Le was there. Sitting in the reception room. Cry pitifully. She was talking to the police, tears streaming down her face.

“Comrades of the police, you must take charge of me!”

"It's them! They colluded with my husband to trick me into selling the house!"

"They pressured my mother-in-law to the point of jumping off a building, and now she's paralyzed and no one cares about her!"

“They want to take over our property and corner us!”

Acted very well. A perfect drama. As if she were the real victim. When he saw us come in. Her eyes flashed with panic. But soon... it turned into pride. She thought... she won. But when Co Thanh plugged the USB into the police computer. When each recording, each video, each transaction record appears clearly. Vuong Le's face... froze little by little. The crying... stopped. She looked at the screen dumbfounded. Look at Co Vi's real face. Look at Luu Ngoc Mai's madness. Look at yourself... with obvious greed and calculation. Indisputable. All… were revealed under the light. The entire interrogation room fell silent, leaving only his old but tough voice my father-in-law rang out in the recording.

“This house… is the home of two generations of us…”

The policeman's face gradually became serious. Their eyes looking at Vuong Le also changed, from pity... to scrutiny and suspicion. When all the evidence has been distributed. A police officer tapped lightly on the table, his cold eyes looking straight at her.

“Miss Wang Li.”

“With this evidence, do you have anything you want to explain?”

“Are you sure you still want to stand as a ‘scam victim’ and denounce them?”

“If you report fake news or slander others... you will be responsible before the law.”

Vuong Le's lips trembled. Couldn't utter a word. Her face was as red as pig liver. Sweat poured out non-stop. She knows. Everything… is over. Her own hand... blocked my last retreat. Finally, in the face of irrefutable evidence. Vuong Le's mentality completely collapsed. She confessed everything. From the fact that she and Co Vi soon learned that the house documents were only in Luu Ngoc Mai's name. From them freely benefiting from my family's efforts. In fact, with Luu Ngoc Mai's implicit permission, they continuously withdrew money together. Everything has been calculated in advance. He owes a large gambling debt. Selling the house... was the last retreat he prepared. The sky net is vast, although sparse, it is difficult to penetrate. Based on testimony and evidence. The police quickly determined Co Vi's hiding place. Three days later. News spread. He was arrested right at a casino in a neighboring city. The money of more than one million yuan from selling the house... has been almost completely spent, with less than 200,000 yuan remaining. The rest of him... will be the law. Vuong Le was also detained for concealment and slander. A play that lasted more than ten years... Finally ended at a very high price. We got the remaining money back, less than 200,000 yuan. Not much. Enough to start again. We used that money to pay for a small house. Documents in both names. A home... that truly belongs to us. Life is finally back on track. We thought that everyone and everything... would disappear completely. But no. Two months after moving into a new house. I received a call. From a suburban nursing home.

“Excuse me, are you Khuong Nghien?”

“We have an old man named Luu Ngoc Mai.”

"Previously, a person named Vuong brought it here, and he paid for it for a month."

“But now I owe more than half a month.”

"The person named Vuong can no longer be contacted."

“On file, you were the first emergency contact.”

“Can you come help me handle it?”