The husband despised his wife for being a “nagging mother,” so he did not allow her to attend a wedding banquet at a restaurant; when he arrived, he was utterly stunned.
“Stay at home. It’s a very luxurious wedding, full of wealthy guests. If you go… I’d be so embarrassed,” Hung said without looking his wife in the eyes. His voice carried irritation and annoyance.
Lan—his wife, nearly thirty years old—gently tightened her grip on her dress. She looked at her body after three pregnancies: stretch marks that had not yet faded, hair hastily tied up, and a face worn out from sleepless nights listening to babies cry.
She forced a smile. “I just wanted to go with you to enjoy it together. Ms. Hang invited both of us…”
Hung waved his hand dismissively. “Come on, look at yourself—like some country bumpkin. If you come with me, people will only laugh. Stay home and take care of the kids; I’ll be back later. Your place is in the corner of the house, not somewhere people dress up and socialize with business clients.”
Those words were like a knife. Lan turned away, hiding her tears. For many years, she had grown used to her husband’s scorn: “messy hair,” “a parasite who just stays at home,” “doesn’t know how to take care of herself.” He did not know that every night, she sat in front of the mirror, looking at herself—the woman who had once captivated him—and saw only a blurred reflection.
That afternoon, Hung put on his new suit, sprayed on cologne, and drove to the Royal Restaurant, where his cousin’s wedding was being held. Entering the luxurious hall, he felt confident as a relative of the couple and sat at a VIP table. While chatting with a few friends, Hung suddenly noticed that all eyes were focused on the main entrance.
A woman wearing an elegant white suit walked in, her posture confident and her hair styled with sophistication. Several staff members bowed politely beside her. The restaurant manager hurried out, announcing loudly, “The CEO has arrived!” Hung turned around—and froze. That woman… was Lan—his wife!
He rubbed his eyes, thinking he must be imagining things. No, it was really her. The only difference was that Lan was no longer the “shabby, unattractive mother,” but a radiant and confident woman. The white suit accentuated her graceful figure, and her eyes were calm and assured—a stark contrast to the humble woman he saw at home.
Before Hung could recover, whispers spread through the crowd. “That’s General Manager Lan—the one who restructured the Royal Restaurant chain!” “I heard she worked as an operations director at an international food corporation for years before returning to the country to build a new system.” Hung’s heart seemed to stop. Lan… a general manager?
Stammering, he turned to the friend beside him—a business partner of the restaurant—and asked, “What… what did you say? She… she’s the manager here?”
“Yes, the CEO of the Royal chain. She’s incredibly capable—the driving force behind the most luxurious restaurant chain in the city. Didn’t you know?”
Hung was speechless. He looked at his wife—the woman he had told that very morning, “Don’t come, you look uneducated”—now confidently shaking hands and bowing to the bride and groom, chatting and laughing naturally among hundreds of guests. A moment later, Lan walked over to the VIP table where he was seated. She smiled politely. “Hello, you’re the groom’s cousin, right? Thank you for coming to support our restaurant.”
Her voice was gentle, but it was enough to make Hung break out in a cold sweat. He bowed in greeting, respectful yet distant. Everyone at the table was shocked and whispered among themselves. “Does Director Lan know him?” “My God, he’s really her husband! How did you hide this so well?” Hung sat there, unable to say a word. Before him was the woman he had once despised, once called a “parasite.” And she—calm and composed—only smiled in greeting and turned away without a single word of reproach.
At the end of the night, as everyone was leaving, Hung chased after Lan into the parking lot. Trembling, he grabbed her hand. “Lan… why… why didn’t I know?”
Lan looked at him, her eyes swollen yet resolute. “I didn’t hide anything from you. You just never asked. When you told me to stay at home, I chose to be silent and focus on the children. But during the day, while they were at school, I went to work—quietly rebuilding my former career.
“I used to be someone you were proud of. But once I became a mother, all you saw was ugliness—not the sleepless nights I spent worrying about the children, nor the extra courses I took to keep up with the world.”
Her voice softened. “Women aren’t afraid of being ugly; they’re afraid of being disrespected. If a man doesn’t respect his wife, sooner or later, he will have to learn to bow his head.” After saying that, Lan gently withdrew her hand, got into her car, and drove away, leaving him standing silently in the parking lot, where the yellow lights illuminated his sorrowful face.
That night, Hung returned to his cold, empty home. On the table lay the wedding invitation and a small note Lan had left behind:
“I don’t need wealth. I only need respect. Unfortunately, you forgot that.”
He lowered his head as tears streamed down his face. Outside, the sound of cars faded into the distance—along with the image of the woman he had once called an “ugly, shabby mother”… now admired by the entire city.