The sound of the suitcase wheels dragging across the tiled floor was irritating and deafening, much like Tan’s laughter at that moment. He stood in front of the mirror, adjusted the collar of his designer shirt, sprayed a bit of Chanel cologne, and then turned to look at Lien—his wife who was busy wiping the floor, wearing old and faded loungewear.
“I’m leaving now!” Tan declared, with a tone of graciousness. “I’ve signed the divorce papers; they’re on the table. You sign them and submit them to the court. I’ll leave you this house as a last sign of love. The $4$ billion cash and the cars, I’m taking with me.”
Lien looked up, her face bare of makeup, and her quickly tied bun had a few strands hanging loose. She stared at Tan, her eyes calm like an autumn lake, without any ripples: “Are you sure?” Lien asked softly, her voice surprisingly serene. “Once you walk out that door, you have nothing to come back to.”
Tan laughed loudly: “Come back? Are you kidding? I’m escaping this boring ‘tomb’ to paradise with Ngoc. Just look at yourself, you look disheveled, your face is provincial, and all you know is the kitchen. Next to you, I feel like I’m becoming a loser. Fine, goodbye, ‘cold rice,’ I hope you find some old man willing to marry you!”
Tan pulled the suitcase and left without even looking back. The door slammed shut. Lien stood there, putting down the mop. She walked to the table, picked up the divorce papers, and signed them quickly and decisively. A slight movement at the corner of her lips, but it wasn’t a smile of sadness, but a smile of liberation.
Tan moved in to live with Ngoc—his hot and young mistress. The first three days were like heaven. But by the fourth day, Tan began to see that there was a problem with “heaven.” Ngoc didn’t know how to cook, and every day he was forced to eat at expensive restaurants. Ngoc didn’t know how to iron, and his designer shirt was wrinkled. And most importantly, Ngoc spent money like water. The money Tan brought quickly dwindled.
Exactly one week after Tan left. While he was eating instant noodles because Ngoc was busy at the spa and hadn’t come home to cook, Tan’s phone suddenly rang. It was Lien. Tan raised an eyebrow and answered the call with disdain: “What? Regretting it already? Want to beg me to come back or something? I told you…”
“Come home right now.” Lien’s voice was cold but urgent. “It concerns the land title and the residence certificate. If you don’t arrive within 30 minutes, you will lose all your rights.”
The call ended. Tan panicked. Even though the house was old, the lot was large and valuable. He was afraid Lien might have a bad plan to claim all the property. With that thought, Tan hurriedly grabbed his jacket and rushed back to their old house. As soon as he turned the corner of the alley, he had to brake suddenly.
The usually quiet alley was full of expensive cars. Mercedes, Porsches, Audis were scattered everywhere… The queue was long. Music was playing. The gate of their house was decorated with fresh imported flowers, and a red “Vu Quy” (Wedding) sign hung above. The scent of food was in the air. There must have been hundreds of tables for a large feast, and guests were coming and going, all dressed in expensive suits and looking influential.
Tan was distraught. There was a wedding at their house? Who was getting married? Could it be… Lien?
Impossible! They had only been separated for a week, and who would marry a “provincial” woman like Lien, and even organize such a grand feast? Most likely, she sold the house to a businessman who was just using it as a party venue.
Tan angrily pushed through the crowd and went straight to the yard. “Lien! What kind of nonsense are you doing? This is my house and you dared to…” Tan’s words caught in his throat.
In the middle of the stage with a red carpet, stood Lien. But she wasn’t the woman in loungewear from last week. Lien wore a mermaid wedding dress with sparkling crystals that hugged her slender body, which she had long hidden in loose clothes. Her face was fully made-up, radiating an elegant beauty that Tan didn’t recognize. And standing beside her, holding her hand tightly, was a tall, very handsome man.
Tan rubbed his eyes. Was he mistaken? That was Mr. Phong—the CEO of the largest real estate corporation in the city, the man whose company Tan’s company had long dreamed of getting a subcontract from but had never even met.
Tan stood there, dumbfounded. Lien saw him. She whispered something to her fiancé, and then they both came down. Phong looked at Tan, the sharp gaze of a leader sending shivers down Tan’s spine:
— You are Tan, my wife’s ex-husband, right? Thank you for signing quickly, because with my connections, the court finalized everything within 3 days. Now, I’d like you to stay for a glass of celebratory wine.
Tan stammered, his face pale: — Wife… your wife? Boss Phong… why are you… she’s just a…
Lien approached, her confident and proud stance completely overshadowing the presence of her treacherous ex-husband. “You mean I’m just ‘cold rice,’ right?” Lien smiled, a radiant smile like a blooming peony. She turned to Tan, and her strong voice was heard by all relatives and guests: — “You said I was provincial, ugly, and only knew the kitchen. But you didn’t know, I was a cum laude in Economics, who decided to stay home to support you. You said I was boring, but Mr. Phong appreciates my calmness and intelligence.”
Lien put her arm around Phong, her eyes full of happiness: — “Mr. Phong had been courting me since college, but I chose you because I thought you were faithful. For the past 10 years, Mr. Phong still waited, and the moment you threw me away like stale rice, he accepted me as a treasure.”
Phong slightly tightened his grip on Lien’s shoulder, looking at Tan with pity: — Tan, there’s a saying: “The cold rice in our house is a neighbor’s specialty.” You have eyes but you didn’t see Mount Taishan, you have a pearl but you thought it was a stone. These 100 feasts are to celebrate to the whole village that I reclaimed her from the hands of someone who doesn’t know how to appreciate.
Loud applause erupted. Eyes full of disdain and mockery focused on Tan. Tan’s relatives, who had previously agreed with him in scorning Lien, now bowed their heads, trying to avoid the gaze of the powerful CEO. Tan felt the ground crumble beneath his feet. He lost a very good wife, and even offended the “tycoon” in the industry. The future of his career was over. Above all, his pride as a man was mercilessly trampled.
— “I’m sending you home now.” Phong commanded coldly. “This feast is not for outsiders. And tomorrow, you no longer need to submit an application to the partner company, I’ve already removed you from the blacklist.”
A bodyguard approached to “invite” Tan out. He quietly walked out of the gate, the joyous sound of the wedding behind him like daggers in his heart. Outside, it started to rain. Tan remembered the warm soup Lien used to cook when the weather was cold, he remembered the care he once took for granted.
Now, that “cold rice” was served on someone else’s golden plate and expensive bowl, while he was left in emptiness and too late to regret, next to the mistress who was calling on the phone and asking for money. It’s true: You have it but you didn’t keep it, don’t look for it when it’s gone.