Chapter 1 — The Former General's Ex-Wife Was a Genius Advisor

I stood outside the balcony door, looking at Co Ngon Chu's back. He had just finished showering, a towel was loosely wrapped around his waist, there were still a few drops of water on his back. When he turned around, his toned abs were clearly visible under the pale yellow light. I moved my eyes away.

“I have something to say.”

“Say it.”

“I think, this marriage of ours doesn't need to continue anymore.”

He lit a cigarette, his expression not showing any surprise. His voice was bland, as if he was saying that the weather is very nice today:

“Okay, when will I go in for the procedure?”

“The sooner the better.”

He exhaled a mouthful of smoke, obscuring half of his face.

“Tomorrow I have a project that requires flying to Shenzhen, wait until I get home and then do it, okay?”

I nodded and stepped back from the balcony. The moment the door closed, the smell of cigarette smoke was also separated behind. The next day when I woke up it was noon. The location next to it has been cold for a long time. I picked up my phone, the top three positions on the hot search board were all the same name — Co Ngon Chu. Clicking on the first news, what caught your eye were countless photos of him and To Mien Nguyet together. At the press conference scene, To Mien Nguyet wore a long light yellow dress, took his arm, and occasionally leaned close to his ear to say something. Co Ngon Chu bowed his head slightly, the corner of his lips curled into an extremely comfortable smile. I've never seen that kind of smile on his face before. It turns out that the "business trip" he talked about was to support his "white moonlight" (bright moonlight/first love). To Mien Nguyet's latest high-end collection press conference, he attended as an investor. If it is said that Co Ngon Chu and I were childhood sweethearts, with a marriage contract from the womb, then To Mien Nguyet is the person he placed in his heart, praying for but could not get. The relationship between the three of us started in high school. Co Ngon Chu and I entered the same household, our two families had already decided on a marriage contract. And To Mien Nguyet is a particularly difficult student who transferred in 11th grade and had to rely on subsidies to go to school. She draws beautifully, has a pretty body, and when she smiles, she has a pair of faint dimples, both gentle and radiant. On the first day of class, she attracted all of Co Ngon Chu's attention. At first, I just thought guys found it strange, just looked at it a few times. Until he openly pushed an entire set of fancy paints in front of To Mien Nguyet in front of the eyes of the whole class.

“I heard you don't have enough paints, so this set is for you.”

To Mien Nguyet shook his head and pushed the color box back.

"Friend Co, this color set costs more than six hundred yuan, enough to last me for a month. I can't accept it."

Co Ngon Chu retorted in a different direction:

“So it's not that you don't want to accept it, but you think it's too expensive?”

To Mien Nguyet's eye sockets gradually turned red, but her voice did not waver at all:

"Even though I'm poor, I won't casually accept things from boys. If you're not serious, don't start."

After saying that, she hugged the drawing board and left. Co Ngon Chu shouted from behind: "I'm not like other people! Just wait, I will definitely make you willingly accept it!" The whole class burst into laughter. He turned his head, just in time to meet my eyes. A frantic look flashed across his eyes in just a blink of an eye. Then, he walked slowly forward, joking drop a sentence:

“See everything?”

I nodded. He scratched the back of his neck: "Why is it so difficult to pursue girls? Can you teach me a few tricks?"

“Let me think.”

Before I could think of the outcome, the story of Co Ngon Chu pursuing poor female students reached the family's ears. Uncle Co (his father) beat him and broke several belts, causing Co Ngon Chu to stay home from school for a week. To Mien Nguyet came to me, holding a tube of Yunnan ointment in her hand.

"Friend Lam Van Tinh, this medicine is very good, can you help me pass it to Co Ngon Chu?"

I refused. Not because he didn't want to help, but because after that beating, Co Ngon Chu stubbornly believed that I was the one who told his father. He didn't answer the phone, nor did he bother to reply to my messages. On the first day Co Ngon Chu went back to school, To Mien Nguyet personally went to deliver medicine. I still remember the words she said at that time clearly:

"Sorry, this tube of medicine should have been given to you sooner. A few days ago I asked my friend Lam Van Tinh to help deliver it, but he refused..."

That afternoon, after school, Co Ngon Chu blocked my way at the school gate.

"Lam Van Tinh, don't think that if we have a marriage contract, I will definitely marry you. As long as I don't agree, no one can force me!"

But in the end, Co Ngon Chu still married me. To Mien Nguyet passed the exam at the Central Academy of Fine Arts, while Co Ngon Chu was sent to England to study abroad by his family. During those four years, his father used all kinds of hard and soft measures, and he never returned home once. Four years later, when he returned from studying abroad, his whole personality changed completely. Cool, calm, restrained. He told me: "Van Tinh, let's get married." I thought to myself, I can't escape this arranged marriage anyway, being married to the person I secretly liked when I was a teenager is not the worst outcome. I later learned that the first thing he did when he returned home was to look for To Mien Nguyet. But To Mien Nguyet said she already has a boyfriend. He married me, but it was just temporary anger and frustration. * After the photos at the press conference climbed into hot search, To Mien Nguyet posted a status line on Weibo. Attached was a photo of her and Co Ngon Chu, with the words: [My lady, also the best partner.] I clicked like. Five minutes later, To Mien Nguyet deleted that post. But the screenshots have gone viral. The phrase "The young lady of the Co family released her heart to her rival" appeared on the top 1 hot search. Co Ngon Chu called, his tone carrying fatigue and suppressed anger:

"Mien Nguyet's health is not good these days, do you have to deliberately provoke her at this time?"

Having been married for three years, we have almost never argued. Even my mother said that Ngon Chu has a very good personality. But at this moment, he got angry at me because of another woman. Not unexpected. Since To Mien Nguyet returned home, there are countless people in the world waiting to see me make fun of her, betting on when we will divorce. I also always wait for the day Co Ngon Chu opens his mouth. He never mentioned To Mien Nguyet's name in front of me. This is the first time. I was about to open my mouth to explain when the other end of the phone rang To Mien Nguyet's voice, gentle and soft. thin:

"Forget it Ngon Chu, I'm fine. Don't quarrel with Ms. Lam because of me, just go back to her. Don't affect the relationship between husband and wife because of me."

Co Ngon Chu's voice turned cold again: "Lam Van Tinh, apologize." Suddenly, I felt like everything was tasteless.

“I won't apologize.” I said: "If you care about that, come back a little early to do the procedure with me."

Hang up the phone, I packed a suitcase, bought a ticket for the nearest flight to Sanya (Hainan). Pick up your suitcase and go. * Seven days later, I returned home.