Chapter 1 — The Bride Strikes Back: Exposing the Liar

While offering tea at the wedding, my mother-in-law openly gave me a large red envelope. Just a light touch and you'll know it's empty inside. My husband immediately held my hand tightly and lowered his voice:

“Patience, don't lose face.”

I took the microphone and smiled very slightly:

“Mom, this envelope is too precious, I don't dare accept it.”

Right in front of everyone, I tore it up myself.

“Inside is… air multiplied 10,000 times?”

The whole hall fell into absolute silence. Everyone was stunned. My husband panicked and tried to snatch the microphone back. I turned around and slapped him resoundingly. The wedding music played solemnly, I held my father's arm and walked slowly on the red carpet amidst the bright lights and buzzing sounds of the whole hall. At the end of the red carpet was my groom, Trieu Khai, he was very handsome today in a neat suit, with a stereotypically happy smile on his face. I walked towards him, my heart beating a little faster. My father solemnly took my hand and placed it in his. His voice was slow: "My daughter, from now on I leave it to you." Trieu Khai nodded firmly and replied: "Dad, rest assured." The MC raised his voice enthusiastically, inviting us to sit down to begin the most important tea offering and address exchange ceremony of the ceremony. Trieu Khai and I went to the main table, where Ly Thuy Lan's mother-in-law and father-in-law were sitting next to each other with radiant, proud faces. I raised the tea cup, knelt down in front of them, and respectfully said: "Dad, please drink tea." Father-in-law smiled gently, took it, took a sip and nodded: "Okay, good boy." He gave me a thick red envelope. I accepted it and said softly: "Thank you, Dad." I turned to Ly Thuy Lan and raised the tea cup again: "Mom, please drink tea." She smiled even brighter, took a sip and said loudly: "Okay, good daughter-in-law." She took out a red envelope from her pocket, looking even thicker than her father-in-law's, stuffed it directly into my hand, and deliberately held it up for the camera to record: "This is money to change the way I call you mother, from now on we are one family." There were immediately sounds of admiration around, and relatives praised her for her generosity, saying that looking at the envelope, one could tell that the amount of money was not small. I smiled and replied: "Thank you, Mom." But as soon as my fingertips touched the edge of the envelope, my heart suddenly sank, because just by touching it, I knew that the inside was completely empty. Other than the outer wrapping paper, there wasn't anything. Trieu Khai standing next to me also clearly noticed something unusual. He bowed his head and asked softly: "What's wrong?" I looked at him, my lips moving slightly: "It's empty inside." Trieu Khai's face immediately changed. He quickly glanced at Ly Thuy Lan, who was still smiling and accepting compliments from her relatives as if nothing had happened. Immediately after that, he reached out and grabbed my hand, the force was so strong that it was like iron pliers, his voice pressed through his teeth carrying a threat: "Patience for me, don't lose face." Lose face? I looked at the man in front of me, suddenly feeling that he was strange and scary. This was my wedding, where hundreds of people witnessed it. His mother used an empty envelope to defame me in front of everyone, but he chose to tell me to hold back, just because he was afraid of losing face to the Trieu family. A cold current rose from the soles of my feet, spreading throughout my body. I slowly removed each finger little by little his out. Trieu Khai looked at me stunned, and I stood up and picked up the microphone on the table. MC was stunned, while Trieu Khai panicked and tried to rush forward and snatch back: "What are you planning to do?" I leaned away, the eyes of the entire hall immediately turned to me, and the normally noisy space suddenly became terrifyingly silent. I raised the microphone and at the same time held up the red envelope that Ly Thuy Lan had just given me, still maintaining a gentle, standard smile on my face. I looked straight at Ly Thuy Lan. At this point, her face began to pale: "Thank you, Mom, for this envelope."

“But this gift is too precious, I really don't dare accept it.”

Her smile immediately stiffened: "What...what are you talking about?" I didn't answer, right in front of all the guests and cameras, I slowly tore open the red envelope. I turned it over. I gently shook the envelope. Inside, nothing fell out. I reached in again, used two fingers to grasp the "thing" inside, then in front of everyone, slowly pulled it out. It's... air. I held up the empty envelope that had been stuffed to inflate, so that the entire hall could see clearly, put the microphone to my mouth, and my voice echoed throughout the space.

“I want to wish you 10,000 times more, so I give you… 10,000 times more air?”

The whole hall was silent. All were stunned. The camera faithfully recorded Ly Thuy Lan's face from red to blue, then from blue to pale white. The appreciative looks from before had now turned into surprise and contempt. Trieu Khai's face turned as red as pig liver. He roared and rushed towards me, trying to grab the microphone.

“You shut up for me!”

My eyes turned cold. As soon as he got closer, I turned around and slapped him straight. The crisp sound, through the amplified microphone, echoed throughout the entire banquet hall. Time seemed to freeze at that moment. Trieu Khai covered his face and looked at me in disbelief. I looked at him, at Ly Thuy Lan, at that whole family full of lies, every word was coldly clear.

“I won't marry this marriage anymore.”

The echo of the slap still hung in the air. Everyone felt like they had hit the pause button. Trieu Khai hugged his face, his eyes turned from surprise to overwhelming anger.

“You dare hit me?”

Ly Thuy Lan finally regained her composure, like a cat whose tail had been stepped on, she jumped up and screamed shrilly.

"Treason! This bastard, before even entering the door, he dares to hit my son!"

She bared her fangs and claws and rushed towards me. My father immediately stood up in front of me, tall and tall, his face cold as steel.

“Please have some dignity.”

My mother also hurriedly ran over, grabbed my hand, her eyes were red.

“Daughter, don't be afraid, Mom and Dad are here.”

The whole wedding hall was in complete chaos. The guests' whispers rose like a tide.

“Oh my god, you gave me an empty envelope, what happened?”

"Being humiliated like this, it's strange not to turn your face away."

“This Trieu family has lost a lot of face…”

Countless phones were pointed at us, their flashes flashing continuously. Ly Thuy Lan was stopped by my father. She was so angry that she trembled and began to scold her.

“You guys come together to bully my family!”

"I just forgot to put in the money! Is it necessary to cause trouble at the wedding? You originally didn't want to get married, so you were deliberately trying to cause trouble!"

I laughed coldly. Forgot how you could stuff an empty envelope like that? Forgot that when giving it even intentionally holding it up in front of the camera to show off? Even a three-year-old child wouldn't believe this kind of lie. I don't want to waste any more time arguing with her. This farce should end. I returned the microphone to the MC who was standing there stunned. Right in front of everyone, I started taking off the jewelry on my head. The elaborate headdress and heavy veil pressed down on me to the point of suffocation, just like this marriage. I took it down and conveniently placed it on the table. Long hair falls like a waterfall. Trieu Khai looked at my movements and finally started to panic. No longer angry, but real fear.

"What are you going to do? Tell me clearly!"

He was about to rush to pull me, but my mother blocked him right in front of him.

“Trieu Khai, don't touch my daughter!”

I didn't pay any attention to him. I turned around and lifted my wedding dress. This custom-made dress is very expensive, I paid for it myself. Now, it's like a satire again. I walked down the stage step by step, the sound of high heels tapping on the floor echoed clearly with each beat. I went straight into the back makeup room. Behind me were the sounds of cursing from the Trieu family and the voices of defense from my family members. Everything... is no longer related to me. The makeup room is empty. In the mirror, I was reflected in a pure white wedding dress, with perfect makeup, and I should have been the happiest bride in the world. But my eyes were cold to the core. I took off my high heels and threw them on the floor. Then turn around and pull the zipper behind your back. The lock is long and hard, I can't reach it. I stood in front of the mirror, looking at myself. Tears still fell in the end. Not because of Trieu Khai, nor because the marriage ended before it even started. It's because of me.