Chapter 1 — Three Years of Being a Fake Wife, One Day Overturning the Table

My mother-in-law set up a reconciliation program, cried until her heart was paralyzed, and accused me of being unfilial in front of the whole country.

"My daughter-in-law's heart is so cruel! My son gives her 30,000 yuan in living expenses every month!"

“But he won't even buy me a bun!”

The MC looked at me with angry eyes, and the comment section had cursed me straight to the top of the search without even realizing it. When it was time to connect the phone, I just gently asked one question again:

"May I ask... is it illegal to raise someone else's husband?"

One sentence. The entire network was silent for three seconds. Then… boom. The lights in the studio were so bright it was blinding. Opposite me, Luu Ngoc Mai's mother-in-law was facing straight towards the camera, crying until her heart and soul were torn apart. His gray hair was messy, his wrinkled face was red with excitement. She pounded her chest, breathing so hard that she almost couldn't catch her breath.

“My poor son!”

“He works day and night to make money, every month 30,000 yuan of living expenses, not a penny missing, all given to him!”

“But this woman has such a cruel heart!”

“I just want to eat the meat buns from the new restaurant downstairs.”

“He pointed straight at me and cursed, telling me I'm an old person who doesn't die, only knows how to spend money!”

While screaming, she glared at me with her cloudy eyes. Those eyes were full of resentment, as if I were her sworn enemy. The host was a woman in her forties, with elaborate makeup, and at this moment had a look of righteous indignation on her face. Her name is Ly Tinh, she is the mainstay of the famous reconciliation program "Home Story, Life Story". Famous for his intellectual, sharp and fair image. But at this time, her balance of "fairness" has clearly tilted towards Luu Ngoc Mai. She gently patted his back to comfort him.

“Auntie, don't get excited, health is the most important thing.”

After speaking, she turned to me, her eyes immediately cold as ice.

“Miss Hua, I want to ask you.”

“A man, giving all of his sweat and tears to you, how much trust and love is that?”

"You took his money and lived in the house he bought, but you couldn't even buy a bun for his mother."

“Your conscience… really doesn't bother you?”

The audience seats immediately rang out in protest. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw on the big screen next to the stage the comments section scrolling frantically.

"Did this one come out from a crack in the rock? Why is it so emotionless?"

"30,000 yuan a month! Where I live is enough for the whole family to live for half a year! Isn't that enough?"

"Hurry up and get a divorce! Get this bloodsucker out of the house!"

"Remove its information! This type of person is not worthy of being a wife!"

I sat on the sofa, my back straight, my hands neatly placed on my knees. From beginning to end, I didn't shed a single tear, even my facial expression didn't change. In their eyes, that is the clearest evidence of cold-bloodedness. The more I remained silent, the more their anger rose. Ly Tinh clearly lost patience with my "stubbornness". Her voice rose, carrying a sense of judgment.

"Miss Hua! We are waiting for your explanation!"

“Explaining it to Uncle Liu is also explaining it to the entire country's audience!”

“Or is it that what Uncle Liu said is all true, you have absolutely nothing to justify?”

Luu Ngoc Mai's crying immediately increased by one step.

“I don't need it explained!”

“I came here today to expose the true face of this woman before everyone!”

“He just wants to take all my son's money!”

“I want to stand by and watch our whole family starve to death!”

The whole studio turned into a giant moral trial. As for me, I am the only sinner nailed to the stake of humiliation. I could clearly feel that the director was continuously depicting close-ups of my face. They want to capture even a hint of panic, guilt or anger. But they are disappointed. Inside my heart is a frozen, frozen plateau. Just when everyone thought I was about to be drowned by the tide of public opinion. I finally moved. Raising his head, his eyes calmly glanced at the indignant host. I glanced past Luu Ngoc Mai who was crying loudly, then stopped at the cold camera pointing straight at me. I know, Chu Van Bac, my "husband". He was probably sitting in front of the TV right now, watching a play his mother had put on. I slowly picked up the microphone in front of me and brought it close to my lips. The cold feeling made me even more alert. The noise in the studio seemed to be waiting for the moment I spoke, but suddenly subsided. Only Liu Ngoc Mai's uncontrollable sobs remained. I didn't look at her, nor did I look at the host. The voice through the microphone clearly transmitted throughout the studio, and to each person in front of the screen.

“Before answering the MC's question, I want to ask the program's legal counsel a question.”

Everyone was stunned. Ly Tinh frowned, clearly not expecting me to play this trick.

“Miss Hua, what do you mean?”

I didn't pay attention to her, still looking straight at the camera, slowly saying each word.

“Is it illegal to support someone else's husband?”

The words just ended. The whole world felt like it was pressed on pause. Luu Ngoc Mai's cries fell silent, like a duck being strangled. The social smile on Ly Tinh's face stiffened. The hissing sound from the audience, the scrolling comment stream, all stopped. There was a dead silence that lasted ten seconds. In the studio, it was so quiet that if a needle dropped you could hear it clearly. Host Ly Tinh was the first to react. Her professional instincts helped her quickly recover from the shock. But there was no way to hide the suspicion in his eyes. She keenly realized that tonight... this program would explode. Her voice was a little shaky, but it was more with excitement.

“What did you mean by what you said just now?”

“What does ‘someone else’s husband’… mean?”

Luu Ngoc Mai's face turned from red to pale. Her lips trembled, she pointed at me, unable to say a complete sentence.

"You... you speak nonsense! You slander!"

I didn't bother to pay attention to her hopeless struggles. His eyes were still calmly locked on Ly Tinh. I know, from this moment, she will be my best "weapon". She needs ratings. As for me, I need a stage to uncover the truth.

“The meaning is as true as the words.”

I spoke calmly, my voice not loud, but like a heavy bomb exploding in everyone's ears.

"Me and Zhou Wenbo, that is, the '30,000 yuan per month husband' in Mrs. Liu's words."

“We got married and lived in the same house.”

“But… no marriage registration.”

The whole studio immediately erupted into chaos. Audiences There was a stir of discussion, everyone's face had the words "unbelievable" clearly written on them. Ly Tinh's eyes lit up and immediately asked.

"Why don't you register? Is it because you don't want to, or... can't?"

This question hits right in the heart. Luu Ngoc Mai, like a cat whose tail was stepped on, immediately screamed.

“Of course he doesn't want to!”

“This woman is scheming and cunning!”

“He wants to cheat us out of money, but he doesn't even want to take responsibility!”

“On the day of the wedding, my family spent 300,000 yuan in bride price!”

“He didn't even bring a dowry!”

"Do you want to deny it now? Don't try!"

Her voice was shrill, trying to use the volume to drown out everything, disturbing everyone's thoughts. But… it was too late. The stone I threw sent waves up a thousand levels. Everyone's curiosity was piqued. I looked at her crazy angry appearance, my heart did not waver at all, I even felt funny. That is Chu Van Bac's mother. A woman with sour lemons, turning white instead of black. I endured her for three years because of Chu Van Bac. Now… no more. Waiting for her screams to subside a bit, I slowly turned to Ly Tinh and answered the question just now.

“Because… he can't register.”

“Before me, he had a legal wife.”

"In other words, I - Hua Tinh - have been the nominal 'Mrs. Zhou' for three years."

“Essentially… just a person living together who was deceived.”

"And Chu Van Bac... committed the crime of double marriage."

These words just came out. Not to mention the audience, even Ly Tinh - who is used to all kinds of turmoil - also took a deep breath. Her eyes looked at Luu Ngoc Mai, from pity to inquiry. The comments section… completely exploded.

"Oh my god! Horrible flip!"

“So it turned out to be the man who cheated on the wedding?”

“Where did this woman get to appear on the show?”

“I said why is this girl so calm, turns out she's holding a big trick!”

"Crime of double marriage? This is going to jail!"

Luu Ngoc Mai's body began to tremble, she clenched her hands on the sofa, her face turned gray.

"No! It's not like that! You lied!"

"My son and his wife in the countryside have lost their relationship a long time ago! He loves you!"

In a panic, she accidentally spoke. I caught the loophole in her words and slightly raised my eyebrows.

“So… you know he has a wife?”

“I…” Luu Ngoc Mai was speechless.

“That means, you and your mother colluded to deceive me for three years?”

My voice is still terrifyingly calm.

“You took the money your son scammed from me and felt very secure.”

“Now, something happened to your son and he needs money.”

“You ran to the TV station again, crying because I didn't buy you a dumpling?”

“Mrs. Luu Ngoc Mai… what is your face made of?”

"You talk nonsense! Nothing happened to my son!"

Luu Ngoc Mai screamed, as if clinging to the last ray of hope.

"It's healthy! It's just that a vixen like you made it angry and made it sick!"

The corner of my lips curled into a cold smile.

“It seems that without providing evidence... she will not admit it.”

I bent down and took out a stack of documents from the cloth bag next to me. The top sheet... is the hospital's diagnosis paper. I gave it to the staff next to me.

“Chu Van Bac, a year ago, while working at a construction site, fell from the third floor scaffolding.”

“Senior hemiplegia.”

“Aside from being able to move my head, I can't even talk clear."

“That 30,000 yuan… he didn't give it to me as living expenses.”

“It's workers' compensation, paid monthly.”

“It's also… the only life-saving amount for the rest of his life.”

When the hospital's red-stamped diagnosis paper was shown in close-up on the big screen— The entire studio... Plunged into absolute silence.