Chapter 4 — Where Sunset Falls

When I entered, the living room was filled with people. Grandpa Luc sat in the chair, smiling and talking with some old friends. I walked over to give the gift, he grabbed my hand and kept praising me, "Good boy", telling me to quickly sit down and eat. I turned around to find a seat. And then, I saw Tham Du Du. She sat right next to Luc Thoi Yen. That position has always been mine before. She was wearing a light yellow, knee-length A-line dress, her hair loose, and she was talking to Luc Thoi Yen. Not knowing what she said, she smiled first and gently placed her hand on his wrist. Luc Thoi Yen did not dodge. I stood there looking for two seconds, then walked around to the opposite side, found an empty seat and sat down. Food was served one by one. Grandpa Luc blew out the candles, and the elders started chatting. Someone mentioned that Tham Du Du had just divorced, and her mother immediately continued: "Our Du Du family was miserable. We got married after a year and then divorced. Luckily, Thoi Yen always took care of her and helped her run around and take care of things. We are very grateful in our hearts." Tham Du Du bowed his head and smiled: "Mr. Thoi Yen always treats me very well." The eyes of the people at the dining table began to wander around. Glide past me, then quickly dodge away. Without raising my head, I picked up a chopstick of food. Grandpa Luc cleared his throat and changed the subject: "Thi Yen, Niem Niem, how have you two been?" I put down my chopsticks and was about to open my mouth when out of the corner of my eye I saw Luc Thoi Yen standing up. He picked up the glass of wine, walked around halfway across the table, and sat down right next to me.

“Grandpa,” His voice was as natural as if nothing had happened: “We are still very good.”

Then he turned to look at me, his voice lowered so only I could hear:

“Are you still angry?”

I looked calmly at the dishes in front of me.

"Luc Thoi Yen," I said: "Our story, let's go home and talk about it later."

He froze for a moment.

“Okay,” He put down the wine glass, with a smile in his voice that didn't seem too concerned: “So tell me, how long are you going to stay angry this time?”

I didn't pay attention to him. Opposite, Tham Du Du was resting his chin and looking to this side, the corner of his mouth smiled but his eyes showed no emotion. The phone in my bag vibrated. I took it out to see, it was a message from Lam Vi: *Is there another divorce?* I replied: *Divorce.* Lam Vi: *Wait a moment, after signing the form, you can divorce.* Luc's grandmother turned to ask me: "Nim Niem, why haven't I seen you come over lately? How is your work over there?"

"Very good," I put down my chopsticks: "The company is currently preparing a new project so it's a bit busy."

“Busy is busy, you also have to pay attention to your health.” Grandma picked up a piece of ribs and put it in my bowl: "Look at how skinny you've become."

I smiled, bowed my head and ate. Opposite, Tham Du Du suddenly spoke: "Miss Khuong Niem is working at Tong Thi Group, right? I heard that Tong Thi is restructuring recently, it seems like they are about to cut a round of staff?" The dining table was quiet for a moment. I raised my eyes to look at her. She smiled innocently: "I just heard what my friends said, saying that Tong Thi is not doing well this year and might narrow down its business. Ms. Khuong Niem, your place... won't be affected, right?" Before I could speak, Luc Thoi Yen sitting next to me put down his chopsticks.

“Tham Du Du,” His voice was bland: “Miss heard wrong. Tong Thi just signed a contract for land in the south of the city last month, and plans to recruit more people next quarter.”

Tham Du Du's smile stiffened.

“So what? So my friend probably gave the wrong news.”

I looked at him. After three years of marriage, he has never protected me in front of outsiders. Sometimes when relatives say harsh things, he just laughs it off. Today I opened my mouth again. Unfortunately it's too late.