Chapter 7 — Price

The more I spoke, the angrier I became, the resentments that had been suppressed for many years poured out one after another like a dam bursting: "Pho Chi treated me well, I remember it in my heart. But I have never betrayed him!" “That year he was cheated by customers, couldn't get his money back, and almost went bankrupt.” "No one in the family is willing to spend a penny, the loan cannot be repaid." “It was me — using my parents' accident compensation money to fill it!” “When I was most severely mentally ill, I didn't even dare to step out of my house.” "Your son goes around telling people that his wife was disabled in an accident and has extremely low self-esteem. Every day he spends time and effort to help me rebuild my confidence." "Everyone admires him - the Deputy General is a kind and responsible person!" On the other side of the phone, Mrs. Pho's voice became weaker: "It's over, why are you talking about it again..." I coldly asked again: "Lean on me to climb high, now I fall down, you say... is it fair?" The phone on the other end was silent for a long while. "Hello? Mrs. Pho?" Pho Chi's voice rang out: "It's you." I looked out the window, the rain was pouring down, I adjusted my breathing: "You heard everything, right?" "I truly loathe you to the core. As much as I loved you before, I hate you even more now." Pho Chi's voice was hoarse: "I know I disappointed you... Tieu Tu, if you are willing, give me another chance..." I immediately interrupted: "I'm not satisfied!" Tong Duong Hien was arrested, Tong Lo's image collapsed and was laughed at on social networks. She immediately deleted her previous post defending her uncle, then due to pressure from netizens, she wrote a 300-word apology, finally apologizing to Triem Triem and Hua Tan. But netizens still did not give up and continued to pressure her to apologize to me. At the same time, Pho Chi's company account and online store were also boycotted and fiercely attacked by online users. Three days later, Pho Chi opened a personal Weibo account and posted an apology letter. But to me, he just said briefly, roughly one sentence: "Sorry." The explanation for the incident with Tong Lo is probably undeniable. He had to proactively admit that the two were their first love in high school, then Tong Lo returned home to develop his career, and the two met again. He said: "The two of you have always been partners, but for me, my relationship with my wife has been broken for a long time, just not divorced on paper. Only after completing the procedures did I start to get to know Tong Lo again." Tong Lo also posted an article, the content of which was almost identical to Pho Chi's, no different from a copy. Before that, he begged me to give him a chance to come back, but when he saw that I didn't agree - knowing that Tong Lo still had commercial value - he immediately turned around and made the relationship public, without hesitating for a second. At the age of twenty, Pho Chi has never tasted bitterness. His first job was working in a restaurant in the summer - washing dishes in the kitchen until his hands peeled, cracked, and bled. After two months of hard work, I saved up 6,000 yuan just to buy me a necklace. But the current Pho Chi has only interests and calculations left in his eyes. I can accept that people will change, but I cannot accept that he both hates me and doesn't give me a way out. Not wanting me to touch him, he divided the bed and saw me slowly cold hearted, brought Tong Lo out to continuously stimulate me, wanting to see me like a dog afraid of being abandoned, crazy with jealousy. Unfortunately, netizens are not stupid — they scolded even more fiercely. I rearranged the timeline, posted photos among friends that Pho Chi once shared, erased the faces of others, and clearly showed each person's identity. I also clarified: I actively asked for a divorce, and I also recorded the call with Pho Chi's mother that day. Even the part where Pho Chi asked me to give him another chance, I also posted the recording, all with a clear time stamp. If women are harmed, men should not expect to stand aside and be innocent. I hope the two of them stick together for the rest of their lives and don't continue to torment anyone else. 16 Recalling the past, it was two years later. I was traveling abroad, and a young girl accompanying me was very curious about my past. She asked: “What about your son?” I thought for a moment. Later, the Pho family hated me, did not let Pho Tu Ang contact me anymore, canceled his phone number, and changed schools without informing me. Tu Ang used to have the instinct to rely on his mother, but under the influence of the Pho family, he gradually looked down on me, feeling that his mother was a burden, a weak person, and could not compare to his father. The child is inherently my responsibility, but I have no way to fulfill my duties as a mother, nor can I force a child in such an environment to understand and protect me. I cannot forcefully fill my child's head with who is right and who is wrong, because these disputes are not his fault. After Tong Duong Hien was sentenced, a senior sister from the past sent me an interview invitation. She has established her own company abroad. I was accepted and signed a five-year contract to work overseas. Before leaving, I went to see Pho Tu Ang and asked him one last time: "Do you want to go with me?" He hesitated, then asked: "Grandma said mom hurt dad, is that true?" I patted my child's head and softly replied: "That's not true. Mom has never done anything bad." Tu Ang was silent for a long time, then finally took a step back and said: "Mom, I don't want to go with you." I had already predicted this outcome and hugged my child tightly to say goodbye. When the car departed, Tu Ang still stood looking in the direction I left. After running for a while, it suddenly jumped out to chase, ran like crazy, fell down and immediately got up. His heart-wrenching voice called out, "Mom!" echoed throughout the street. The driver looked through the rearview mirror, unable to bear it, and asked me: "Do you need to stop the car?" I raised my head, wiped my tears, and shook my head: He didn't want to go with me. As for me... I can't bear to endure another ten years, to educate a child who is prejudiced against his mother. The relationship between mother and child... is as thin as mist. The girl continued to ask: "So what now? Do you two still have much contact? Does your scumbag ex-husband just keep embracing his new love and living happily?" I took a sip of coffee and replied: "Not really." After Tong Lo's car was overturned (in scandal), her resources in the entertainment industry were seriously affected. Boycotted by netizens, she no longer appears on any shows. In the end, she obediently returned to the dance troupe and continued dancing. It was said that her position in the troupe was later replaced by a new person. A year after it happened, Pho Chi's company started plummeted, due to wrong policy decisions causing new projects to fail and capital sources to be cut off. During that time, Pho Chi's head turned dark, he struggled in despair, and even boldly came to me to borrow money. I definitely hung up the phone. Occasionally when contacting Pho Tu Uong, the boy said in sadness that Pho Chi and aunt Tong Lo often quarreled. Tong Lo no longer cared about him like before, and even argued fiercely with Pho Chi's mother, causing her to be so angry that she had to be hospitalized, and then cursed the whole family. Pho Tu Uong was very sad. He couldn't understand why the gentle and beautiful aunt Tong Lo had become like that. I don't give any consolation. At that moment, all I could think of was the times he complimented Tong Lo on how good she was. The sun was about to set, and my story came to an end: "Half a year ago, Pho Chi declared bankruptcy. On the way to avoid debt, he had a traffic accident and was taken to the hospital, where he broke his spine. The doctor said he wouldn't be able to stand up again in the next half of his life." The girl slapped her thighs loudly: "It's true that God has eyes! What about that little girl?" "I heard that less than a month later, I broke up with him and cursed him in the hospital as a comet that brings bad luck." Last month, Pho Chi was drunk, borrowed Pho Tu Uong's phone to call me, cried like rain while calling, reminiscing about the past, chokingly asked if I could turn around and look at him just once. I didn't bother to listen to the end and simply hung up. When I finished drinking my coffee and was about to leave, a child staggered past me and fell face down on the ground. I stood up and instinctively wanted to run to help him, but I heard his parents say from behind: "Don't help, don't help! Let him stand up on his own!" At first the baby wanted to cry, but seeing that no one was coming to help, he immediately crawled up, turned to look at his parents, and was applauded by his parents. It smiled again and continued running forward. Stepping out of the restaurant, an illusionary voice seemed to ring in my ears, someone said behind me: "Don't be afraid, get up if you fall, brush off the dust and continue walking, it's no big deal!" “Lam Tu is the best!” I didn't dare turn back. Those were my parents' voices. If they are holy in the nine springs, they will certainly be happy for me. On this bumpy road called life, I - who once had a broken leg - finally did not need anyone to support me, stood firm on my own and continued on. (Run out of).