Chapter 6 — Marriage Costs 600,000 Yuan

Her voice was very soft.

“Mr. Tham… is not alone.”

At that moment I suddenly realized... What Ms. Ly was afraid of was probably not just Tham Quyet.

“Who else?”

Ms. Ly pursed her lips and shook her head. She refused to speak. I also don't force it. The hardest thing to pry open in this world is not a person's mouth— It's fear. After Ms. Ly left, I returned to sit in front of the dining table. I'm the only one left in the whole house. I opened a group chat with university friends. In the group, someone posted a wedding photo. Some people show off their children. Someone is talking about raising capital for a new project. It's been a long time since I spoke up in the group. Before getting married, I used to stay up all night to fix the plan, used to wear high heels to run at exhibitions, used to pressure my partner's price to the point that the other side frowned right at the negotiating table. After getting married... It's not that I don't know how to calculate. It's just been so long— I don't count for myself anymore. The phone vibrates. It's a private message from Tan Tran, my college roommate.

“Duong Duong, are you okay?”

I stared at those words, my nose suddenly stinging. Really funny. Tham Quyet had an affair, I didn't cry. Little Tam walked into the house, I didn't cry. Tearing up the divorce petition, I didn't cry. But just because someone asked me "are you okay"... I almost burst into tears on the spot. I replied:

“Not good.”

Tan Tran texted back almost immediately:

“What's going on?”

I typed half of it and then deleted it. Finally, just send one sentence:

“Do you know any trustworthy divorce lawyers?”

The other side was silent for about ten seconds. Then she texted back:

“Are you finally getting a divorce?”

I looked at the screen, feeling like someone had tapped me lightly. Everyone can see it. It's just me forever pretending I don't know. Tan Tran continued:

"Don't be afraid, I know the best person. Let's meet tomorrow and talk."

I replied: After sending the message, I stood up and went out to the mysterious gate. Change door lock password. Delete Tham Quyet's fingerprints. Delete mother-in-law's fingerprints. The temporary passwords of the maid, the driver, Ms. Ly... I canceled them all. Finally, the system displays a line:

“Current valid user: Wen Tang.”

I looked at that text for a long time. Suddenly there was a wild feeling of peace of mind. It's been four years. For the first time... This house truly belongs only to me. At least tonight. The next day, I arranged to meet Tan Tran at the coffee shop downstairs from the law office. She arrived earlier than me. As soon as she saw me enter, she immediately stood up, her expression very complicated. In college, Tan Tran was the coolest person in the dorm. Later, when she became a lawyer, she cut her hair short and always spoke clearly and clearly. But when she saw me, the first sentence she said was very light.

“You've lost a lot of weight.”

I laughed:

“Before, didn't I shout about losing weight every day?”

Tan Tran did not smile. She pushed the hot latte towards me.

“Say it, from the beginning.”

I talked for an hour. The more Tan Tran listened, the colder his face became. She wrote down a few names in the notebook: Tham Quyet. 7-unit building, 1802, Phi Thuy Loan area, south of the city. Prenuptial agreement. Family account. Then she drew three lines. One way is adultery in marriage. One way is to transfer assets. One way is the third person is pregnant. She raised her head to look at me.

“What do you want?”

I didn't hesitate at all.

“First, divorce.”

“Second, take back what belongs to you me."

“I don't want them to step on me and still save face.”

Tan Tran nodded.

“What else?”

I squeezed my coffee cup tightly, my fingertips turned slightly white.

“Investigate the date of my miscarriage last year…”

“Where is he anyway?”

Tan Tran looked at me. She doesn't say:

“Don't look any further, it will hurt even more if you know.”

She just replied: That's the difference between a best friend and a husband. Husband is afraid of trouble. His best friend was afraid that he was in pain without knowing the cause. Tan Tran flipped through all the documents I brought. Camera photo. Lockdown history. Shopping invoice. Family account cash flow. Ms. Ly's handwritten report.

“These things help, but they are not enough.”

My heart sank a little.

“Still not enough?”

“Enough to prove he was at fault in the marriage.”

"Enough to prove that he used common assets to pay the third person."

“But if you want to touch on property division…”

“Especially company shares, investment funds, commercial premises as you said…”

“You have to trace the direction of the money flow.”

She used a pen to circle Tham Quyet's name.

“What really makes a man sit down and negotiate…”

“Not ethical.”

“It's money.”

I was silent. Tan Tran continued: