Chapter 4 — There Are People You Can Only Meet Once In Your Life

December 7, 2023. It was the seventh day... After I “died”. Pho Han Xuyen used the Pho family's heirloom ring. To propose to Tham Thanh Vi. While I still haven't had time to "cold my bones". My nails dug deep into my palms. Only pain helps me maintain my sanity.

“What a very romantic day.”

I calmly replied.

“Miss Tham, please send me your finger measurements.”

“I'll send it right away.”

She did a few things on the screen.

“Ah yes.”

“Designer Lam is in Nam Thanh, right?”

“Next month I will come try the semi-finished product.”

“Is it convenient for us to meet in person?”

"Of course."

I smiled.

“We are ready to welcome you at any time.”

The call ended. I almost collapsed on the chair. His back was drenched in cold sweat. Ms. Chu pushed the door open and walked in, giving me a cup of hot coffee.

“Is that young lady very difficult to please?”

I received the cup of coffee.

“After finishing this order, I want to take a long leave.”

“Let's go back to Bac Thanh.”

I looked at the measurements of the ring Tham Thanh Vi just sent. Fits my finger perfectly the other day.

“Resolve some old problems.”

Ms. Chu looked at me for a long time then sighed softly.

“I don't know what you went through before.”

“But I remind you one thing.”

“Don't confront people with money head-on.”

“I can't win against them.”

“I won't fight head-on.”

I took a sip of coffee. The bitter taste spreads across the tongue.

“I'm just going back…”

“To take back what belongs to me.”

That night. I logged into my old mailbox that had been empty for half a year. In the mailbox there are 127 unread emails. All sent by Pho Han Xuyen. The period lasted from December last year until June this year. On average one email per day. The first letters still had a commanding tone.

"Lam Van, come back immediately."

"Don't force me to look for you."

"I've already talked to your parents, they won't help you."

After that, the tone of the emails gradually changed.

"Where did you go? Aunt Vuong said you didn't bring anything with you."

"Nam Thanh police said they couldn't find any bodies matching the identification characteristics... What exactly are you playing at?"

"Lam Van, go back. Let's sit down and talk properly."

In the last two months, the email content has become even more strange.

"Today I went to your favorite cafe. The owner said he hadn't seen you for a long time."

"The succulent pot I kept is dead. I forgot to water it."

"Thanh Vi said she wanted to engrave words on wedding rings. I suddenly remembered that you also liked to engrave words on things."

The last email was sent three days ago.

"I dreamed of you."

"I dreamed that your whole body was covered in blood, asking me why I pushed you."

"Lam Van, I didn't mean it that day."

"Thanh Vi's leg has relapsed, I'm too impatient..."

"Go back, let's start from the beginning."

I looked at those words, my stomach suddenly cramped. Deputy Han Xuyen. Now who is he acting as a lover for? I open a new email. Enter Pho Han Xuyen's personal email address. That's the address I memorized many years ago. That night he had a high fever, I stayed up to help handle the work, and from there I learned about this private mailbox. The content has only one sentence.

"Mr. Pho, I heard you're getting married. Congratulations."

Do not sign. After pressing send, I turned off the computer step out onto the field. Summer nights in Nam Thanh bustle with the sound of cicadas. The old tree under the moonlight casts patchy shadows. I sat on the stone bench and opened the photo album on my phone. There are only two left inside. One photo is a photo taken with Tan Tinh. The other photo... is the baby's ultrasound photo. If you were still here... Maybe you would have known how to kick in my mother's womb by now. It's a pity... I will never have that chance again. Because my biological father... Killed me with his own hands. The phone vibrates. Another notification of money being transferred to the account. Still five million yuan. Today is only the tenth day. Pho Han Xuyen transferred the money twenty-five days earlier. This time, the note is no longer... But changed to three words. I delete the notification. Then block that transfer account. If an apology could make up for everything... There wouldn't be many people in this world who would die and still not be able to close their eyes. Deputy Han Xuyen. The game... has just begun.