Chapter 6 — The Room You Don't Need

The attached photo is a photo of Lam Giao Giao crying with red eyes. Beneath a pile of comforting relatives. “Giao Giao is so pitiful.” "Being an older sister means having your younger sister push you out, creating a harsh situation." "This Thinh Van used to look honest, but I didn't expect to know how to calculate like that." I looked at the phone, my fingertips were cold. Very quickly, the private message also arrived. My third aunt sent me a voice message advising me: "Thin Van, your sister was still young that year, don't compare yourself with her. If you give up the room, aren't everyone nice?" His cousin was even more direct: "Be a human being, don't be too greedy. You've occupied your father for so long." Trinh Y Chu noticed that my face was not right and immediately took out his phone. The more she watched, the colder her face became. “They really know how to piece together life.” I want it back. “Forget it.” “Can't quit.” She raised her head to look at me. “I ignored it too many times before, so they felt I had no boundaries.” I opened my mouth, unable to say a word. In the evening, my father also received a phone call. The living room was very quiet, the voice on speakerphone was clear, every word was clear. "Lam The Ninh, I'm not arguing with you. Jiao Jiao has been crying for the past few days and can't even eat food. You must give him an explanation." My father asked: "What explanation?" My mother said: "Let Tinh Van move back. She has been at your place long enough, so you should let Giao Giao go there." My father was silent for a few seconds. “You can both come.” “Don't play dumb.” My mother's voice was harsh, "What Giao Giao wants is your full acceptance, not to go there to look at Lam Thinh Van's face." My father coldly asked: "So you want me to chase Tinh Van away?" "What is called being kicked out? He was supposed to replace Giao Giao there!" My heart contracted strongly. Turns out they really thought so. On the other end of the phone, my mother continued to say: "If you don't agree, I will let all the relatives decide. You remarried and then favored your younger daughter, forcing her to the point that the older daughter could not enter the house. Does this sound good when it comes out?" My father paved the way. “Ha Van, are you threatening me?” “I am demanding justice for Giao Giao.” After the phone hung up, no one said anything in the living room. Trinh Lan held my hand. “Thin Van, this is not your fault.” I bowed my head, tears still falling. “But it seems like every time it's because of you that everyone's not at peace.” Trinh Y Chu stuffed a tissue into my hand. “Don't pay protection fees for bad logic.” I was stunned. "It was their choice for them to push me out. It's my right to stay. Their remorse doesn't mean I'm guilty." The next day, Lam Giao Giao posted a long article. She said that since she was a child, she had lacked her father's love. It was difficult for her to muster up the courage to approach her father, but her younger sister stole her position. She said her stepmother, on the surface being polite to her, was actually only favoring me. She also said that Trinh Y Chu rejected her just because I knew how to please others. The circle of friends exploded. Even my college friend saw the screenshot and came to ask me what happened. I sat next to the bed, my whole body was cold. Trinh Y Chu walked in holding his computer. “Don't be afraid.” She turned the screen towards me. Inside are each folder one by one. Chat history, voice message backups, camera footage, timeline snapshots. I looked at her, stunned. Her voice was calm. “I have never fought a battle without evidence.” Trinh Lan also went in. "If you are satisfied, we will make it clear publicly. If you are not satisfied, we will only send it to relatives and friends." My father stood at the door, his eyes red. “Thin Van, this time I won't let you bear it alone.” I wiped my tears and nodded. “Post it.” I have been misunderstood for too long. This time, I want to make everything clear. The day Trinh Y Chu posted a clarification post, the group of relatives were silent for a full ten minutes. She doesn't scold people. Just do a timeline. The first entry is the conversation history of that year when my father invited me and Lam Giao Giao to his new house. "You two can come, the room is ready. Don't rush to stay, eat a meal first." Lam Giao Giao replied: "I won't go to my stepmother's house, whoever wants to go can go." The second entry is a text message my mother sent me. "My sister is scared, so I'll go take a look for her. Listen,

Don't make your father feel awkward." The third item is a screenshot of the sarcastic comments Lam Giao Giao sent me over the past few months. "If you're still pretending to be happy while living on the bean bag?" “Did your stepmother give you an errand today?” “You are the one I threw over there to find the way.” The fourth item is a recording of what she said at the door on her birthday. “Originally, the one who should have come was me.” “It's just the person who moved in before me.” The fifth item is the camera when she came to my house to ask for my room. In the picture, she said each word clearly: "I want to stay in Tinh Van's room." My mother continued: "He has enjoyed enough blessings, so he should give it to you." The last sentence was what my mother said on the phone. “Originally, it replaced Giao Giao there.” Every sentence is like a nail. Put the memories they meticulously created back in their original place. The first person to speak up in the group was third aunt. “This… turns out that Jiao Jiao didn't go himself at first?”