Chapter 10 — Three Years of Being a Fake Wife, One Day Overturning the Table

My father brought out a bowl of hot noodles from the kitchen, his voice firm and proud, "Daughter of the Hua family, you can't let people bully you like that."

"Eat up, you'll be full and have the strength to fight the bad guys to the end."

I looked at my parents, at the small house filled with sunlight and the smell of food, my heart felt like it was filled with a warmth that couldn't be named. This is home. These are the people I must protect, even if it means sacrificing everything. That whole day, my phone heated up like a lump of coal, countless strange calls and messages kept pouring in, like a constantly rising tide. Someone proactively contacted me, wanting to be my lawyer, and their tone was so enthusiastic that it made people laugh. There are all kinds of media coming to me, hoping for an exclusive interview, wanting to exploit my story as a valuable "case study". There are even some MCN companies that offer extremely high prices, wanting to build me into a KOL, livestream sales, and turn my story into a money-making tool. I didn't respond at all. Because I understand better than anyone else, this thing called heat and acclaim, the faster it comes, the faster it will fade away. What they care about has never been the person Hua Tinh. It's the name "Queen Hua Tinh", a label that can bring traffic and profits. That afternoon the weather was very beautiful, mild sunshine, light breeze, my father suggested that the whole family go to a nearby park for a walk to get some fresh air. I wore a mask and a hat, almost covering myself, but I was still recognized in the crowd. A girl about ten years old held the phone and timidly walked in front of me, her voice trembling with excitement.

“Are you… are you Hua Tinh?”

I nodded. The girl's face immediately turned red, her eyes lit up as if catching light.

"I watched your show! You're so cool! You're my only idol!"

“Can you… take a photo with me?”

I was a bit confused, but my mother stood next to me and smiled gently, gently pushing me as if cheering me on.

“Take a picture, people like you.”

I took off my mask, bent down to take a photo with her, this time my smile was lighter, not as cold as before. The girl smiled brightly and bowed deeply before leaving, her clear voice carrying sincere wishes.

“You must be happy!”

At that moment, a very strange feeling arose in my heart, as if something had softened after all the impact. Maybe… what I went through wasn't completely meaningless. If my story can make a girl in the future more alert, more wary of love... Then my pain will also have a small amount of value. But that warmth was quickly broken. A male reporter carrying a camera suddenly appeared, pushed the microphone close to my face, his voice was urgent and full of attack.

"Miss Hua! Do you really know nothing about your ex-husband's family's fraudulent behavior?"

"Someone said you knew Chu Van Bac had a wife, but still pretended not to know to get compensation money. How do you answer?"

“Is your current calmness and strength just an act?”

“Are you deliberately creating an image to please public opinion and gain greater benefits?”

Each question was like each knife, both sharp and poisonous, deliberately cutting deep into the most painful place. My father's face immediately darkened, he stepped forward and pushed The other reporter came out and stood in front of me like a wall.

"What nonsense are you talking about! Go away!"

"How is my daughter, we know best! It's not the turn of the indiscriminate people here to smear!"

The reporter still tried to squeeze in, but the park security arrived promptly and pulled him away. We left the park a bit awkwardly, without the gentle atmosphere like at first. When I got home, the atmosphere was quiet. My mother looked at me, wanting to say something but didn't. I understand you're worried.

“I'm okay, mom.”

I proactively spoke up, smiled slightly, trying to dispel the tension.

"I can't control other people's mouths, they can say whatever they want."

“As long as you know you're doing the right thing, that's enough.”

My father next to me nodded strongly, his voice firm.

"Yes! A righteous person is not afraid of the shadow!"

At that moment, my phone rang again, still an unfamiliar number. I hesitated a bit, then picked up the phone and turned on recording according to my newly formed habit. On the other end of the line came a man's voice with a heavy accent, trying to appear artificially familiar.

"Hello? Is it... Hua Tinh?"

“Oh, I'm Van Bac's cousin!”

His voice was smooth, full of sociality, as if we had been close friends for a long time.

“This is so noisy… it's so embarrassing!”

"It's a family, there's nothing we can't talk about, we have to put it on TV, then why go to the police?"

"Sister-in-law Liu Ngoc Mai is just a rural woman and doesn't understand, so please be generous and forgive her."

"Van Bac is now disabled, very pitiful."

“How about this, our Chu family will collect some money as compensation for you.”

"You hold it up high and hit it lightly, withdraw the lawsuit, okay?"

“We… deal with it privately.”