Chapter 4 — No Resentment, No Forgiveness

Seeing that I was traveling alone, the landlady kindly offered me an extra thermos of butter tea. I sat in the courtyard, sipping the steaming, rich tea while tilting my head back to gaze at the star-studded sky. High up on the plateau, the heavens were brilliantly clear. Thousands of stars crowded the night, shimmering like someone had just scattered a handful of crushed diamonds across a velvet black canvas. Just then, my phone vibrated. It was a video call from Chu Minh Hien. I immediately declined it and typed a quick reply:

"I am having dinner with colleagues; it is not convenient to talk."

He replied almost instantly: "I see. Carry on with your work, then. I miss you."

I stared at those three words—"I miss you"—and felt a sudden, violent wave of nausea roil in my stomach. When he sent this, was he sitting right beside Lam Tu Vu? Where were they living now? Had they already moved in together? As for the apartment that he and I were renting… did he even plan on coming back? Or perhaps… he had stopped living there long ago, only dropping by occasionally to check if I was still obediently waiting for him. I stood up, retreated to my room, shut the door, and pulled the curtains tight. I sat on the edge of the bed for a long time in the silence. Finally, I opened my notes app and typed a single line: Chu Minh Hien, you still have the key to our apartment, but as for my heart… from this day forward, you no longer hold the key to enter it. I stared at the screen for a long while after finishing, then slowly deleted every character. It was not yet time.

The next morning, I left Khang Dinh and continued toward Tan Do Kieu. As I passed over the Chiet Da mountain pass, more than 4,000 meters above sea level, the wind was so fierce that the prayer flags whipped and snapped, emitting a constant, booming roar. I pulled over, pulled on my heavy down jacket, and stepped out. The thin air made every breath a struggle, but the scene before me was truly majestic. Snowy mountain ranges stretched endlessly toward the horizon, with clouds pressing low against their peaks. Sunlight filtered through the gaps in the clouds, spilling down into the valley in golden rays like stairways connecting the earth to the heavens. I took a few photos with my phone. Just then, a middle-aged man standing nearby smiled and struck up a conversation.

"Young lady, driving all the way up here by yourself?"

I nodded. "Yes."

He gave me a thumbs up. "Impressive. I’ve been driving for over twenty years, and even I get shaky on this route sometimes. Be careful, there are some sharp, winding switchbacks ahead."

"Thank you," I said.

No sooner had I spoken than my phone buzzed again. It was a message from Chu Minh Hien: "My mother has been hospitalized. When are you coming over to pay the bill?"

I stared at the screen, a slow, cold smile spreading across my lips. I had waited eight days. Finally… I had reached the moment I was waiting for. I opened the chat window, considered my words carefully, and slowly typed: "Let your new wife go pay for it."

I hit send. Placing the phone on the roof of the car, I looked up at the deep blue sky of Dao Thanh A Dinh. It was an unreal, crystalline blue—like a giant mirror reflecting all the rot hidden in my heart. The phone began to vibrate incessantly, message after message piling up.

"What are you talking about?"
"Nhuoc Tinh, have you lost your mind?"
"What do you mean by that?"
"Answer the phone right now!"

I didn't bother reading a single one. I calmly switched the device to silent mode and slid it into my pocket. I went to find the homestay owner to check out. She helped me carry my suitcase to the car, smiling as she asked, "Did you figure it all out, young lady?"

I smiled back. "I figured it out."

"Time to..."

"Go collect a debt."

She froze for a split second, then burst into a laugh and waved at me. "Then go. I wish you success in everything."

I got into the car and steered straight onto the winding mountain road. My destination on the map was Chengdu. It was that apartment. It was time… to settle the accounts.

At three in the afternoon, I arrived home. Chu Minh Hien’s car was still parked downstairs. I recognized it immediately. After parking, I stepped out.