Chapter 3 — The Ten-Million-Dollar Patent

Tu Tu bit her lip, her eyes rimmed with red. It was always this same performance. Back in middle school, she claimed she was worried my studies were too strenuous, yet she had thrown away my notes and textbooks more times than I could count. During high school, she insisted she was concerned I would become obsessed with vanity, so she stole the pocket money I had painstakingly saved to attend a concert. She always cloaked her malice in the thin veil of sisterly concern. It was a cruelty masked by a fragile exterior, and naturally, everyone took her side. Just like now, her voice trembled with practiced sobs.

"Sister, do you look down on the people I introduce to you? But look at your situation—beyond helping you find a husband at my wedding, I simply couldn't think of any other way to help!"

Chu Tu wrapped an arm around her shoulders, glowering at me. "Sister, Tu Tu was worried about your future well-being until late last night. Even if you felt the match wasn't suitable, you could have accepted gracefully and spoken to her privately later. Why must you make Tu Tu so uncomfortable in front of everyone?" The guests began to murmur in hushed tones, their eyes judging me.

"The bride graduated from a prestigious university and is a senior executive at a foreign firm. Compared to her, her sister really is quite lacking."

"Low intelligence, low emotional awareness, and she doesn't even know how to ride her sister’s coattails."

"She probably has no idea how wealthy the Chu family in Hai Thanh is. She will regret this eventually!"

My mother pointed a shaking finger directly at my nose. "Today is your sister's special day! Do you really have to make everyone miserable just to satisfy yourself? If you don’t want to go on a blind date, fine—just get out!"

Khuong Thanh stood up as well, his voice cold. "Khuong Duong, just leave. This place does not welcome you."

Cong Thong chimed in without a shred of tact, "I think you’re just jealous that Tu Tu married into a wealthy family! Get lost!"

Tong Mien reached out to tug at my sleeve. "Duong Duong, just swallow your pride. If you’re really kicked out, how will you rely on the Chu family for job connections in the future?"

I shook her hand off and turned to face the room. "Is that what everyone wants? For me to leave?"

Before arriving, I had already contacted Elder Chu, and we had arranged to meet right here at the banquet hall. My mother pointed toward the exit, her voice piercing. "Leave! I will pretend I never gave birth to you!"

On the stage, Khuong Tu Tu dabbed the corners of her eyes. "Sister, this wedding is very important to me. Since you are making everyone uncomfortable, you really should go."

Chu Tu hardened his gaze. "If you refuse to accept Tu Tu’s kindness and insist on humiliating her, then you are not welcome here!"

I arched an eyebrow. "Fine."

I stood up decisively and turned to leave. Just then, the sound of rapid, heavy footsteps echoed from the entrance, accompanied by a voice laced with panic. "You cannot leave!"

Everyone turned toward the source of the commotion. Elder Chu, abandoning his usual composure and solemnity, hurried toward me. His voice betrayed a palpable sense of anxiety and agitation. "The bride may leave today, the groom may leave, but Dr. Khuong... she absolutely must not leave!"

Elder Chu reached me, bowing his head in a show of profound respect. "Dr. Khuong, I apologize for my late arrival."

The entire hall fell into a deathly silence; one could have heard a pin drop. My mother’s voice caught in her throat. "Elder Chu, have you… have you mistaken her for someone else? This is Khuong Duong! She only managed to graduate from a community college!"

Chu Tu stepped off the stage, his face a mask of confusion and shock. "Grandfather, surely there is a mistake? She is just Tu Tu’s sister, who only holds a vocational degree…"

"Shut your mouth!" Elder Chu slammed his cane against the marble floor, his voice dropping to a low, dangerous register. "Do any of you even know who she is?"

No one dared to answer. Elder Chu’s voice rose, commanding the room. "She is a Doctor of Biomedical Engineering from Kinh Do University, a recipient of the National Youth Science Fund, and the youngest lead researcher in the entire country! She is the leading authority on neural signal decoding and holds seventeen international patents. She is the owner of the core algorithmic patents for brain-computer interface technology!"

The titles and achievements fell like thunderbolts. The hall erupted in chaos. The gazes directed at me shifted from disdain to awe and fanatic fervor. Camera flashes began to bloom like lightning throughout the room. The balding man with the beer belly who had been eager to sign me up for a date quietly retracted his neck, melting into the crowd. A man barely five feet tall raised his glass to his lips and downed the contents in one gulp, his ears burning with shame. In a corner, a guest nudged his companion, his voice hushed but brimming with disbelief.

"I remember now! She was on the cover of the sub-journal of Nature last month! How did I not recognize her earlier?"

"Who could have recognized her? The bride kept insisting her sister only had a community college degree and made a meager salary. Even if she looked familiar, no one would have made the connection!"

The side door of the banquet hall swung open, and a middle-aged man in a grey suit strode in, followed closely by two assistants.