Chapter 4 — One Card, Exposing the Whole Family

I'm not going home. The house called the new room, right now in my eyes, is nothing more than an icy cage. I took a taxi to the city's largest shopping center and bought a bag that I always wanted but couldn't bring myself to buy. I stopped by a jewelry store and chose a dazzling diamond necklace, as if I wanted to prove something to myself. After that, I went to the restaurant on the top floor, ordered an expensive steak and a bottle of delicious wine, and sat down to slowly enjoy the sunset. I ate every bite, drank every sip, looked at the city's lights outside the window and told myself that I was not wrong. My money should have been spent on myself, my confidence was given to me by my father, not to be used to support others. The meal lasted a long time, the phone in my pocket vibrated non-stop, from Ly Hao to Luu Mai, but I didn't pick up any calls. I know clearly that the other side will have faces distorted with anger, I don't need to hear it to guess. At nine o'clock in the evening, I leisurely returned. As soon as the door opened, the living room lights were so bright it was blinding. Ly Hao, Luu Mai and Ly Manh sat on the sofa as if a trial was being held. Each person has a different look, but they all share the same emotion of anger and condemnation. As soon as he saw me walking in carrying a full bag, Ly Manh immediately jumped up, pointed straight at my hand, his voice high-pitched.

“Tu Nhuoc Nhien, do you still have money to buy these things?”

"You deliberately hid the money and didn't want to buy me a car, right?"

Luu Mai also stood up, hands on her hips, her aura seemed to want to devour me.

"Really good, just been home for a few days and already know how to do tricks!"

“My son has spent so much money, bride price, gold and silver, for you, is he missing anything?”

“Now you tell me to take some money to buy a car for my brother-in-law and you still hide it, what do you mean!”

Ly Hao sat in the middle, his face black as ink, his eyes looking at me full of disappointment and blame.

“Tu Nhuoc Nhien, you are too much.”

“You have embarrassed me in front of so many people. We just got married and yet you treat me and my family like that?”

I watched the three of them act and suddenly felt strangely funny. I put each bag down on the shelf at the entrance, the sound was very light but enough to make the space more tense. I changed my slippers, walked in front of them, didn't sit down but stood straight, looking down at them like a play reaching its climax.

“Are you done talking yet?”

My voice was so calm that it was cold. All three people were stunned, clearly not expecting me to react like that.

“What…what kind of attitude do you have!” Liu Mai trembled with anger.

I curled my lips slightly, my smile cold as ice.

“My attitude?”

“My attitude is, it's my money, I can spend it however I want.”

“If I like to buy bags, I buy bags. If I like to buy jewelry, I buy jewelry.”

“Even if I burned it all, it wouldn't have anything to do with you guys.”

“Buy a car for my brother-in-law?”

I looked at Ly Manh, my disdain in my eyes not bothering to hide.

“Is she worthy?”

Ly Manh's face immediately turned red like a pig's liver, choking on his words with anger.

“And you, Ly Hao.”

I turned my gaze to my nominal husband. The man I thought I could spend my life with.

“You stole my card just to satisfy your sister's vanity, do you think you're reasonable?”

“You consider me your wife, good Is it your family's shared wallet?

"Your so-called family members are the type who take other people's things without asking and take them as their own?"

Ly Hao was so cornered by me that he continuously backed away, his eyes avoided, his voice lowered as if he was defending himself.

“I… I'm not a thief.”

“We are husband and wife, of course you can use my money.”

"Couple?"

I burst out laughing, as if I had just heard the funniest story of my life.

"Common property of husband and wife is the part they have after marriage."

"As for the dowry money my father gave me, it was my personal property before marriage."

"Ly Hao, if you had some understanding of the law, you wouldn't have said such a stupid thing."

My words were like a sharp slap, hitting all three people in the face. The living room fell into dead silence. Luu Mai's face changed continuously, clearly she did not expect that the obedient daughter-in-law in her eyes was so sharp, and even knew the law.

“You… you don't talk nonsense here!”

“What happened before marriage and after marriage, entered the Ly family, your people, your money all belong to this family!”

“Ly Hao, why are you still talking to him!”

“Get the card back here, ask for the password!”

“I don't believe it can't be cured!”

Luu Mai completely exposed himself, even inciting Ly Hao to attack me. A trace of hesitation flashed in Ly Hao's eyes, but when he encountered the coercive gaze of his mother and sister, that hesitation immediately disappeared. He stood up and walked towards me step by step, his voice low and menacing.

“Tu Nhuoc Nhien, give me the card.”

"My mother told me, let her keep the money for us, it's for our good."

“Don't force me.”

I watched him approach step by step, clearly seeing the strangeness and ugliness distorted by greed in his eyes. My heart slowly fell to the bottom. I don't back down. I just looked at him quietly, then took out my phone. Right in front of him, I punched in three numbers. I turned the screen towards him and turned on the speaker.

“Hello, 110 center, what assistance do you need?”

A calm female voice rang out from the other end of the line. Ly Hao's footsteps immediately stopped. The aggression on his face disappeared, replaced by panic. Luu Mai and Ly Manh were also dumbfounded. They probably didn't think in their wildest dreams that I would actually call the police.

“Tu Nhuoc Nhien, are you crazy?”

He lowered his voice and roared. I held up the phone and looked straight at him, every word as clear as a knife.

“Now am I forcing you, or are you forcing me?”

“Ly Hao, I give you the last chance.”

“Or you, your mother, your sister get out of here immediately.”

"Or I'll tell the police, there's someone breaking in and robbing property here."