Chapter 2 — World Chess Game

I turned around, without looking back, and walked straight to my room. Behind them was their shock and disbelief. They must be thinking I'm just talking in anger. I thought I'd go into my room to calm down for a bit and then come out and compromise. I really need to calm down. But not for compromise. But to think about... why Tham Hao was so panicked. Just changing the car's title, even if I have to take responsibility, I'm not afraid of it becoming like that. Surely... there's something I don't know yet. I entered the room and locked the door. Ignore the cursing and banging on the door outside. I pulled out the drawer, took out my laptop, household registration book, ID, and all the bank cards accumulated over the years. My belongings are not much, one suitcase is enough. Just as I was packing up, the phone rang. I picked up the phone.

“Hello, is this Ms. Tham Nguyet?”

A woman's voice, sharp and decisive.

“Hello, I am lawyer Tan.”

"Currently, I have been entrusted by Mr. Truong Vi to discuss with you the issue of compensation for the traffic accident caused by your cousin, Tham Hao."

Truong Vi... is probably a member of the victim's family. But… why did they come to me? Even hiring a lawyer? A bad premonition arose in my heart.

“I don't understand, the person who caused the accident is Tham Hao, you should contact him or his guardian, why are you looking for me?”

On the other end of the line, lawyer Tan smiled slightly. That laugh... carried a meaning that sent chills down people's spines.

“Miss Tham, maybe you still don't know.”

"That car, although it was transferred to your cousin's name."

“But in the insurance contract…”

“The beneficiary section… still lists your name.”

03 Fatal Contract Lawyer Tan's words were like a thunderclap exploding in my head. The insurance beneficiary... is my name again. In that moment, I understood why Tham Hao was so panicked, and also why their whole family could blatantly force me to bear 1,000,000 yuan. Turns out they had already dug a trap, just waiting for me to step in. Changing the car's title was just a disguise that caught me off guard, but the real fatal blow... lay in the insurance contract. As long as the beneficiary is still me, once something happens, the entire compensation process, signing confirmation, receiving money... must all go through me. As for them, just by sticking to this point, they can tie me to the incident, and can even say out loud that the car is still actually mine, just letting Tham Hao borrow the driver. At that point, both emotionally and rationally, I couldn't escape. A trick of "cicadas escaping from their bodies", "concept swapping"... used on their own family members. My father, my uncle... are truly my "good" relatives.

"Miss Tham? Are you still listening?"

Lawyer Tan's voice pulled me back to reality. I took a deep breath, forcing my voice to calm down.

“I still listen.”

"So what do you plan to do now? Negotiate with us, or let us proceed according to the law?"

The words were very polite, but the pressure was obvious. I didn't answer right away.

“Lawyer Qin, I want to confirm something.”

"How do you know that the insurance beneficiary is me? Is it Tham Hao... or did my family tell you?"

The other end of the line was silent for a few seconds.

"Miss Tham, this information was collected by my client through a private channel, specifically which channel I am not comfortable disclosing at this time."

“We just want to solve the problem.”

Private channel? A normal victim's family Usually, is it possible to find out the exact beneficiary of an insurance contract in such a short time? Not reasonable. Unless… someone intentionally gave them this information. And that person, most likely my family, personally gave my weakness to the other person, forcing me into a dilemma. The calculation is so perfect. My heart... gets colder little by little.

"I got it."

“You can help your client. I will handle this matter, but I need time.”

"Okay, we're waiting to hear from you, but we hope you make a decision soon. After all, the victim is still in the hospital."

I hung up. Looking at the packed suitcase, my eyes were completely cold, without any hesitation. Do they think that by grasping this point, they can squeeze my whole life? Do they think I'm still Tham Nguyet no matter how they want to straighten me out? Ridiculously wrong. I pulled open the door and walked out. The living room was still full of people, my parents, eldest uncle, uncle-in-law... no one left. Seeing me leave, my father's expression softened a bit, perhaps thinking that I had "thought things through".

"How's it going? Are you ready to go talk?"

His voice was high and noble, as if waiting for me to bow my head and beg. I don't look at him. Just went straight to the tea table, put down the laptop, opened it, then raised his head to look straight at Tham Hao - who was avoiding my eyes.

“Tham Hao, I ask you, when you change the title of the car, who does the insurance work?”

He trembled, not daring to look at me. Uncle-in-law Vuong Cam immediately interjected: "Of course he went to work himself, why bother asking!"

"Really?"

I smiled softly, my fingers lightly tapping the keyboard. A recording rang out clearly. That was the conversation between me and Tham Hao in front of the vehicle registration office.

"Don't worry about insurance, my dad has someone he knows, it's much cheaper, let him take care of it."

"Are you sure? What if something happens?"

"Don't worry, nothing can happen. Just give me a photocopy of your ID and the contract, we'll make sure everything goes well."

The recording ends. The whole living room... was so silent that it was suffocating. I turned off the file, my eyes glanced over each face that changed color, finally stopping on my father's face - from red to pale.

"Dad, do you hear me clearly? The insurance company is self-employed, whoever is named as the beneficiary is their own decision, from beginning to end I only provide photocopies of documents."

"Now that something happened... do you want me to take responsibility?"

I stood up, picked up the phone.

“Sorry, this pot is too heavy, I can't carry it.”

“Not only do we not carry…”

“I even reported it to the police, accusing them of forging signatures and insurance fraud.”