Ly Phuong Ni was cooking dinner, but her mind was in a complete mess. She couldn’t stop debating whether or not to tell Dinh Truong Sinh what she had overheard last night. Even though they hadn’t known each other long, she could feel that this guy genuinely treated her well. In fact, she was beginning to rely on him more and more. She glanced over her shoulder—there he was, crouching beside the stove, helping her feed the firewood.
At that very moment, Dinh Truong Sinh was also looking at her back. Even though her clothes were faded from years of wear, they were spotless. A woman like that—now that’s someone who knows how to care for a family. Just like his mother.
“Sister Phuong Ni, what’s up with you today? Something bothering you? Did I mess up or say something wrong?” Dinh Truong Sinh asked cautiously.
“No, nothing’s wrong. I’m not upset.”
“Sis, if you’re sad about anything, just tell me. I’m a police officer now—I can help you! If anyone bullies you, I’ll arrest them on the spot!” he declared with conviction.
“It’s nothing… Sigh. Nhị Cẩu, why are you so good to me?” The kitchen was dimly lit, but that only helped hide the blush on her face. It had taken all her courage to ask that question.
“Because… because you remind me of my mom. Lately I’ve been missing her a lot, and I know she’s never coming back. So I kind of… see you as—”
He meant every word. Ever since that dinner together, he’d been yearning for a woman like that—someone he could lean on. After all, he had just turned eighteen. In the eyes of many, he was still just a kid.
Unable to go on, Dinh Truong Sinh lowered his head and shoved another bundle of firewood into the stove. Ly Phuong Ni, sensing his mood, turned around, crouched in front of him, and wiped the tears off his face with a hand that still smelled of chopped vegetables. It wasn’t the first time she had wiped away his tears, but somehow it hit her harder this time.
“You’re a man now—no more crying. After dinner, I’ll tell you what’s going on.”
“What is it, sis? Something happened?” he asked as he quickly rubbed his face.
“Last night, when I went home, I overheard Vuong Lao Ho and Tran Tieu Tu plotting against you. They want to trick you into losing a ton of money and even talked about setting fire to the woodshed behind my house. I was furious, but I didn’t dare tell my father. What do we do now?” As she spoke, her voice faltered. The flickering fire lit up her delicate features, casting a soft red glow on her cheeks. Dinh Truong Sinh couldn’t help but stare—and reach out to touch her face—but she quickly caught his hand halfway.
“What are you doing? Trying to take advantage of me? I knew you were up to no good! And here I was worried about you!”
“No! Sis Phuong Ni, you’re just really beautiful, that’s all. I just wanted to touch your face, nothing else. I swear! And… and also, sis, I—”
“You what? Quit dawdling and keep the fire going. My dad’s gonna be home any minute.”
And just like that, his words got shut down cold.
“Sis Phuong Ni, wait, what did you just say? Tran Tieu Tu wants to do what?”
“Weren’t you listening to anything I said?”
“Uh… I was too busy looking at you,” he said sheepishly, scratching his head.
“You cheeky brat, thinking all sorts of nonsense,” she scolded lightly, but her heart felt unexpectedly warm. After all, she was still a woman, one who also longed to be loved. Back then, after finishing middle school, she stayed home and eventually married Vuong Lao Ho. She’d never really known any other men. To her, all men were just like Vuong Lao Ho. But ever since she met Dinh Truong Sinh, she realized—maybe men could be gentle too.
“I mean it, I didn’t catch a word you said. Can you tell me again, pleaseee?” Dinh Truong Sinh stood up, grabbed her hand, and started shaking it like a whiny kid.
“Let go! What if someone sees us?!”
“Not letting go until you tell me!”
Knowing full well she wasn’t actually mad, Dinh Truong Sinh clung on even tighter.
“Alright, alright, I’ll tell you—just let go.” After hearing the whole story again, Dinh Truong Sinh didn’t get angry. On the contrary, he felt like this was a golden opportunity.
“Sis, do you… still love Vuong Lao Ho?”
“Sigh… I married him because my father arranged it. I never liked him, not from the start. I tried to make it work, but he’s a useless, good-for-nothing scumbag. He drinks, gambles, chases women—you name it. Worst of all, once he even brought some floozy home, kicked me out of our bedroom, and let her sleep in our bed. I wanted a divorce, but I didn’t want to bring shame on my father, so I kept my mouth shut.”
“That bastard! This time, I’ll make sure he loses face in front of the whole village. I’ll run him out of Lo Gia Linh for good. You just focus on living your life, and forget about him.”
“I already have. Last night, I only went home to grab a few clothes. Didn’t expect him to stoop so low. My father’s always treated him well, and he dares plan to burn down the woodshed? If that catches fire, our whole house could go up in flames! He’s a damn traitor.”
“Don’t worry, sis. Leave this to me. You don’t have to lift a finger.”
“No! You’re no match for him. You should report this to your superiors.”
Back when he was still in school, Dinh Truong Sinh had once had a crush on a girl. But as for actually making a girl happy? That part he never quite figured out. Deep down, he had always wanted the kind of feeling he had with Dien Ngac Nhu, but now… now he realized, what mattered more was whether he could make a girl truly fall for him.
Ly Phuong Ni’s care and affection gave him a newfound confidence. At first, he had planned to report everything to his captain and set up an ambush behind Ly Kien Thiet’s house to catch the arsonist red-handed.
But then something happened—something that made him change his mind. He had a better idea.
Because sometimes, the best way for a man to show he cares… is to take matters into his own hands.
“Are you Dinh Truong Sinh, also known as Dinh Nhi Cau?”
A man in sunglasses stopped Dinh Truong Sinh right outside the factory office as he was heading out.
“That’s me. Who are you? What do you want?”
“Nothing much. I was just asked to deliver this to you. Go ahead—open it.”
Uncle Long studied the young man in front of him. He still didn’t understand why the young lady had given this kid a check for one million yuan.
“What is this?”
Dinh Truong Sinh had never seen a check before, but even he could recognize a big red seal and a bunch of zeroes lined up neatly behind the number one.
“This is a check. One million yuan. Take it to the bank, and you can cash it out immediately.”
Dinh Truong Sinh looked up at the man in front of him. His thoughts drifted to the image of a woman disappearing into the cold night wind. She’d made it back safely after all. She’d kept her word.
“Any letter or message with this?”
He knew the answer would be no. But he couldn’t help asking anyway.
“Nope. Just this.”
“Got it.”
Uncle Long stared at the young man, puzzled. A kid holding a check worth a million yuan and showing zero excitement? He honestly couldn’t figure out what kind of relationship this guy had with the lady. Shaking his head, he turned to leave.
“Hey, uncle! Wait up! I got one more question.”
Uncle Long sighed inwardly. He’d taken plenty of lives in his time, but this mission was from the young miss. If the kid pushed too far, he might have to silence him permanently. His hand instinctively clenched.
“What is it?”
“You’re, like, from the underworld, right? You’ve probably seen a ton of shady stuff. Have you ever heard of special glasses that can see through playing cards? I saw something like that on TV once.”
Uncle Long let out a quiet breath of relief. So that’s what this punk wanted—to cheat at cards.
“What do you need that for?”
“No reason. I’m just curious. Thought it was pretty cool.”
“I can send you a pair of contact lenses that let you see through cards. No one will suspect a thing.”
“Sweet! That’s exactly what I need. Thanks, Uncle!”
“Listen, kid—just ‘cause you’ve got money now doesn’t mean you should throw it away gambling. Especially not cheating. If you get caught, someone might gouge your eyes out.”
“Don’t worry. I’m only doing it this once. Nothing bad will happen.”
Uncle Long shook his head and walked away. Mission complete. Clean and simple.