Chapter 13 — The Wedding That Became a Goodbye

Tran Tran! Have you checked Weibo? Lu Huai Chu’s company has gone bankrupt!

Tran Tran froze for a moment. What?

It is real! His import and export company got exposed for tax evasion. With the fines and back taxes added together, it went straight into bankruptcy and asset liquidation! Su Wan Yi was also fired by her company, and now she cannot even scrape together the one million two hundred thousand for the apartment deposit!

Tran Tran fell silent for a moment. She suddenly recalled three years ago, when Lu Huai Chu used to stand beneath her apartment building holding a massive bouquet of roses, swearing grandly that he would lay all the wonders of the world at her feet. Then she remembered the day Su Wan Yi borrowed the money for her rental deposit, hugging her tightly while sobbing that Tran Tran was her best friend and promising she would definitely repay her someday. Vows made at the time were always spoken with utter sincerity; it was only their expiration dates that proved to be agonizingly fragile.

Tran Tran? Are you still listening?

Yes. Tran Tran pulled her thoughts back to the present. Bankruptcy is just bankruptcy, what does it have to do with me anyway? Besides, my twenty million has already been safely deposited into my account.

Do you really not feel even a tiny shred of pity for him?

Why on earth should I feel pity for a man who is both an adulterer and a tax cheat? Tran Tran gave a cold, faint laugh. Mieu, do you take me for some sort of merciful goddess?

A burst of Chu Mieu’s laughter echoed through the other end of the line. You do not look like a goddess, you look like a queen. Tran Tran hung up the phone, opened her digital photo album, and scrolled down to the picture taken on her wedding day. In the frame, she wore a wedding dress valued at one hundred and fifty thousand, smiling as brightly as a blooming flower. Lu Huai Chu stood beside her with a stiff, unnatural expression. Su Wan Yi stood among the bridesmaids wearing a fake, forced smile. All of that was far behind her now. She pressed delete to erase the photograph forever, then sent a message to Tham Do: Attorney Tham, the weather is gorgeous today, would you like to claim our very first hot pot date? Three seconds later, Tham Do replied: Send me the address, I am coming to pick you up. Tran Tran stepped out of the boutique, autumn sunlight draped evenly across her shoulders while a gentle breeze carried the faint, sweet scent of osmanthus blossoms. A sleek black Audi pulled up slowly right in front of her. The window rolled down to reveal Tham Do in the driver seat wearing dark sunglasses, the corners of his lips curved upward in a smile: Boss Lam, get in the car. Tran Tran opened the door, slipped inside, and clicked her seatbelt into place: Attorney Tham, are you always this chivalrous with every single client? Tham Do started the engine, keeping his gaze fixed straight ahead, his voice not particularly loud yet every single word crystal clear: No. Only with you. Tran Tran turned her head to look at him, his sharp profile bathed in sunlight looking like a masterfully carved sculpture. She suddenly remembered their wedding day, the moment of their very first phone call when he had stated, I do not like taking on cases to defend unfaithful husbands. This man had stood firmly on her side right from the very beginning. Perhaps from that exact second onward, the gears of fate had already begun to turn. The car merged smoothly into the heavy stream of traffic, speeding forward toward the encroaching evening shadows. The hot pot restaurant was located all the way across the city, but this time, she was no longer lonely.

Three months later, the news that Tran Tran and Tham Do were officially dating was caught red-handed by Chu Mieu. That day, Chu Mieu went to a long-established hot pot restaurant in the eastern district for a late-night meal, and the moment she stepped through the entrance, she spotted them at a familiar corner table. Tran Tran was in the middle of feeding a piece of tripe into Tham Do's mouth. Both of them were dressed in casual everyday clothes, but the limited edition Patek Philippe watch gleaming on Tham Do's wrist shone as brightly as high beams under the warm restaurant lights. Chu Mieu whipped out her phone instantly, rapidly snapping a sequence of nine photographs, and posted them directly to her social feed:

No wonder lately whenever I invited Tran Tran out for hot pot she always claimed she was busy, turns out she was busy falling in love instead! @Tran Tran, you owe me a serious explanation!

The post was accompanied by the nine photos, with the center image being a close-up zoom capturing the exact moment Tran Tran fed him the tripe. Tham Do's striking profile, though slightly blurred by the rising steam, still retained its irresistibly sharp and mesmerizing features.