Chapter 1 — Never Look Down on Women

Holding a ticket to fly abroad, I completely withdrew from the "heart-burning" love story between my ex-husband and his white moonlight. The day they were about to get married, he even deliberately sent invitations, his tone full of sarcasm:

“Without you, we can finally be happy.”

I just slightly curled my lips, clicked once... sent him a very special "wedding gift". Right at the moment when the wedding was at its peak of excitement, the big screen in the banquet hall suddenly broadcast a notarized document—the bride, who had been abroad half a year ago, had registered her marriage. The phone vibrates continuously. His voice on the other end of the line screamed until he was hoarse:

“Did you do it?!”

I put on sunglasses and smiled softly. The smile is as light as the wind... but cold to the bone.

“Oh, didn't your white moon light tell you?”

“In her years abroad… how many times has she been married?”

Just one sentence is enough to make the whole ceremony... burst like a bubble. 01 Ironic invitation card Cold electronic boarding pass showing flight to the other side of the globe. One-way. I ordered an iced Americano, sat in the VIP waiting room, quietly looking at the giant plane outside the window. From today, Co Thanh, along with his pure moonlight, will completely disappear from my world. Three years of marriage, like a long execution, precise down to each cut. I used all of the Tham family's resources to raise Co Thanh from a small factory owner about to go bankrupt to an emerging businessman. He succeeded and became famous. Turn around, just give me a divorce paper. The reason is that his bright moonlight, On Nha, has returned from abroad. He said: "Tham Nguyet, I have loved her for ten years. These three years I have sinned against you, but I cannot continue to apologize to her." He said: "You are too strong, too sharp. Unlike Tieu Nha, she is as pure as a blank sheet of paper." He said: "Let's get a divorce. The house, car, and shares are all given to you, as compensation." I looked at his sincere face and felt nauseous. I don't take any money. Leave empty-handed. Because I know, every penny he gave was stained with the blood of the Tham family. The phone vibrates. It's a message from Co Thanh. An exquisitely designed electronic invitation card, on which was a wedding photo of him and On Nha hugging each other. In the photo, On Nha smiles like a lily flower that is not contaminated by dust. Co Thanh's loving eyes almost overflowed from the screen. Immediately after that was a line of text.

"Tham Nguyet, without you, we can finally be happy. Tomorrow is my wedding, you are welcome to come and witness it."

So naked that there's no need to hide. It was as if declaring that I – the eyesore and cruel ex-wife – had finally been cleaned up. I raised my coffee cup and took a sip. The bitter taste passed through my throat, but could not drown out the cold smile rising from the bottom of my heart. Happy? Co Thanh, your definition of happiness... is so naive. I don't answer. Just open the encrypted folder in the phone, take out a file that was prepared a long time ago. It was my wedding gift to them. The recipient was an email from the people in charge of the largest livestream media platforms in the country, invited by Co Thanh himself. The send time is set correctly The most climactic moment of tomorrow's wedding. I gently touched the “Confirm sending” button. Gift sent. I leaned against the sofa and closed my eyes. The sound of broken dreams at tomorrow's brilliant wedding seems to be ringing in my ears. Are you saying you are a blank piece of paper? So I had to expose the dirty ink stains on that paper to the light. Wishing you two a happy wedding. 02 Wedding gift The plane landed smoothly on the other side of the world. I took off my blindfold and took a deep breath of the air of freedom. Open the phone. A series of messages and missed calls flooded in. Most of them come from my close friend, Khuong Ninh. I played the voice clips she sent.

"Oh my god! Nguyet Nguyet! You are truly a god!"

"Did you see? Co Thanh's wedding blew up!"

“Ha ha ha, I'm at the scene, livestreaming for you to watch!”

Immediately followed by each video shot on the spot. In the video, the wedding ceremony is decorated like a dream. Co Thanh was wearing a white vest, preparing to put a ring on Wen Nha with eyes full of affection. The MC used the most touching tone and said: "Now, let's look back at the couple's love journey..." He didn't finish speaking. The giant LED screen behind suddenly changed shape. Not sweet memories. It's a marriage certificate enlarged to maximum, from Clark County, Nevada, USA. All in English. But the bride's name "Wen Ya" and her photo ID are so clear that they cannot be denied. The groom's name is an unfamiliar name, David Green. Date of registration, six months ago. Below is also a Chinese translation that has been notarized by a competent authority. At that moment, the whole hall was silent. The eyes of all the guests, from the bride and groom, simultaneously turned to that dazzling certificate. The lens glanced over On Nha's face. His "paper-white" face was now pale, leaving only panic and disbelief. Co Thanh's expression changed from shock to horror, then gradually became pale. Behind him, the Co family's parents were also pale, almost unable to stand. Khuong Ninh's voice could not hide her crazy laughter.

"You know, the local media is crazy! Flash photos are about to explode!"

“Co Thanh slammed the microphone and shouted to turn off the screen!”

“But the livestreams were going crazy, the camera was close to that piece of paper and filming!”

“This time the Co family really lost face all the way to the Pacific Ocean!”

I turn off the video. The results were as expected, no surprises. The phone suddenly rang shrilly. It's Co Thanh. I swiped the screen, received the call but didn't speak. On the other end of the line, Co Thanh's voice was compressed to the limit, almost crazy with anger.

"Tham Nguyet! Did you do it?!"

I walked to the ground-level glass door of the apartment, looking down at the unfamiliar city with its lights on. I wear sunglasses. Laughed softly, the tone was lazy but cruel.

“What's wrong, your bright moonlight doesn't tell you, how many times has she been married in her few years abroad?”

03 The mask was torn off On the other end of the line, Co Thanh's voice seemed to be muffled in his throat. Only heavy breathing remained. After a long time, he managed to say one sentence: "What... do you mean?"

“It's just the meaning in the words.”

I poured myself a glass of wine and slowly shook it.

"Try I'm always so busy with thousands of things, I probably don't have time to investigate Miss Wen's past."

“I have more free time, so I can help you check a little.”

"If you don't look it up, it's okay. After looking it up, you'll see... it's really shocking."

"My young Miss Wen, as pure as paper, life is truly... rich."

Co Thanh's voice trembled with anger.

“What do you want to do?!”

“Don't want to do anything.”

My voice was very light, but cold as a knife.

“Just a reminder, trash should be sorted well.”

"Don't pick up the trash I threw away and use it as a treasure while banging the drum to show off to the world."

“That would make you look very stupid.”

Having finished speaking, I immediately hung up the phone. Leaving all his screaming thousands of kilometers away from me. The world is finally quiet. Not long after, another call came. It's my ex-mother-in-law, Mrs. Co. I let the phone ring for a long time, then leisurely picked it up.

“Tieu Nguyet ah…”

Her voice carried a laughable fakeness.

“How could you do such a thing?”

"You don't know how important Co Thanh and On Nha's wedding is to the Co family!"

"If you cause trouble like this, where is the Co family's reputation?"

I laughed.