Chapter 10
True and fake
JK slams his foot and slowly turns to ask:
- What did you say?
Thanh Hang shoots him a contemptuous look and replies:
- You're Ngoc's biological father!
Half-believing and half-doubting, JK scrutinizes Thanh Hang's every gesture, seeing an emotionless face mocking his perfect revenge. JK smirks confidently:
- Don't even try to fool me. You broke up with me after six months of dating, and during that time, you never had morning sickness, and you didn't miss your period. That bastard can't possibly be my child.
Thanh Hang bursts into mocking laughter, full of pity for JK:
- You're utterly stupid—that's why I dumped you!
JK enjoys toying with others, but when he himself is mocked, he flies into a rage and chokes Thanh Hang:
- Damn whore—proof?! No proof, and I'll kill you!
Thanh Hang clutches JK's hand tightly, stopping him from snapping her neck. Watching her face turn purple, JK fears committing murder and loosens his grip slightly—but refuses to let go. Coughing violently between manic laughs, she taunts:
- Proof? After thirty years, you're still demanding proof—how pathetic!
Enraged, JK slaps his former lover to the ground and bellows:
- Don't think I don't dare to kill you!
Her hair disheveled and mouth bloodied, Thanh Hang laughs like a madwoman—her voice is laced with three parts pain and sorrow, seven parts mockery for the father who'd forced his descendants into incest:
- I did everything I could to hide my pregnancy because I was afraid that if you found out I was carrying your child, you would try to keep me bound to you and never let me live in peace. But on the day we broke up, I suddenly had morning sickness right in front of you. The shock hit you so hard that you forgot everything. At that time, I was one month pregnant. Strangely, my belly looked completely normal—if you didn't look closely, you'd never notice.
A purplish-gray hue sweeps across JK's face as every trace of madness erupts on his features. Suppressing his rage, he listens to Thanh Hang's final revelation:
- That month, I stayed by your side the whole time. Almost every day, you demanded to sleep with me, day and night. Later, I gave birth at full term, which, to you, was the correct timing. However, to my suspicious husband, it appeared that I had given birth a month early—he forced me to throw Ngoc away!
Thanh Hang concludes with a scornful laugh:
- My husband asked if premature birth was possible. The obstetrician said my body was abnormal—my womb too weak to survive premature labor. If I'd delivered early, both I and the baby would've died!
Thanh Hang's words contradict the information JK has obtained from the hospital years ago. The old man twists his mouth into a crooked grin:
- All medical documents clearly state Hoang Thanh Hang was born in the correct month. The pregnant woman's husband was Hoang Sinh.
JK's rebuttal leaves Thanh Hang momentarily speechless. JK lets out a triumphant laugh, but his former lover suddenly begins to chuckle. She throws him a look full of mockery, contempt, and pity—driving JK into a furious roar.
- Whore, today's the day you die!
He lunges, seizing her throat and slapping her repeatedly. Blood trickles from her mouth as she keeps smiling contemptuously:
- Ha ha… whenever you get overly excited, you fail to consider all possibilities.
Thanh Hang sneers at JK's face, purple with rage and stark terror. The old bastard is in his most frenzied and agitated state.
- Back then, there was another pregnant woman who also gave birth to a daughter on the same day as I did.
JK pales, realizing the gravity. Thanh Hang reads every microexpression on his face. The old bastard is panicking. He is terrified. He is desperately denying his former lover's words, cold sweat soaks his ashen face.
- You guessed exactly right—she and her husband had the exact same names as my husband and me!
Thanh Hang bursts into wild laughter:
- Ha ha ha... you stole the wrong papers, you idiotic old man! Indeed, how wise you are, yet burdened with so many bitter wrongs. Haha... Fathers and grandfathers forcing descendants into incest, yet still with the illusion of perfect revenge! Before avenging, you should carefully test the genes to see if Ngoc is really your daughter? I can't imagine you being so unbelievably stupid. I'm laughing until tears flow!
The fragments of belief almost completely overwhelm the shards of doubt. Fear rises in JK's heart. If this is true, even if the old man dies millions of times, he can never wash away his sins. If this nine-part fabricated story comes true, JK will be unable to face the descendants he torments. For those who bring karmic burdens to their family, losing all human dignity is the most terrible punishment.
Cold sweat emanates from his temples, where every pain reels in his brain, and crawls down toward the nerve fibers that twitch his extremely panicked face.
The fear of reverse retribution keeps JK from distinguishing truth from falsehood. Everything shifts too rapidly, and the surge of gloating—remorse suddenly reverses, fueling Thanh Hang's manic laughter:
- Whose daughter do you think Ngoc is?
The sound of the second hand ticking wakes JK up from the dark mess. He frantically checks the clock, then jumps as he stares at 3:30 in the morning. JK had ordered his subordinates to bring back Ngoc and her two daughters, and Hoang Kim at three o'clock, but is so focused on revenge that he keeps forgetting the time. The old guy hisses like a devil, spins his monstrous face toward Thanh Hang and threatens:
- If you dare to lie to me, I will torture you and your entire family until you all wish you were dead!
Incest is an unforgivable crime. No one in Thanh Hang's family wants to live a disgraceful life. The mother shows no fear and laughs maniacally.
- Damn you, crazy woman!
JK is most afraid that Ngoc and her daughters will commit suicide. He will never allow such a thing to happen before finding out the truth. JK runs out of the villa and calls Zero. The phone rings for a long time before Zero finally answers. JK hurriedly asks:
- Have you brought Ngoc and her daughters home yet?
Zero replies that he has taken them home about 5 minutes ago. Anh Dao is afraid that Ngoc and her daughters will commit suicide, so she asks him to observe the situation. He is currently in front of Ngoc's house. JK asks about the situation, and Zero says that Ngoc's family is still having a big quarrel. JK instantly yells:
- You are there to guard. If you find anything unusual, you must rush into the house immediately! If Ngoc and her daughters commit suicide or are beaten by their husbands, you must stop it at all costs! If the mother and daughters lose a single hair, I bury you alive!
Zero is always a machine that executes all orders. He does not question, but obeys. The bodyguard replies succinctly:
- Yes, boss!
JK calls his subordinate who had parked his car in a hidden corner to pick him up and tells the driver to drive straight to the southern foothills. On the way, he contacts Anh Dao, and she answers between shallow breaths:
- I am currently bringing Hoang Kim back.
Anh Dao answers while breathing rapidly, and says a few words to ask for permission to turn off the phone. She catches her flushed cheeks in the rearview mirror, sweat filled with a faint fragrance seeps into her exquisitely fragrant skin.
Her thin, damp white shirt clings tightly to her heated body. The pink lace-embroidered lingerie gracefully traces a blazing rainbow reigning over a snowy paradise.
Minutes earlier, the arousal had subsided, and Anh Dao believed it was gone for good. Yet, moments later, it slithers back, an insidious tease. The sensation mirrors the times she witnessed scenes of spring love. Anh Dao finds this baffling; she hasn't been drugged by JK, and the old man has no reason to do such a thing.
The arousal doesn't violently compel her body to seek physical satisfaction; instead, it ghosts in and out, luring her into obsession, then releasing her, allowing her mind to settle. Just then, it creeps back once more, whispering seductions, then melts back into the shadows.
This relentless cycle causes Anh Dao to lose focus, her mind restless, as if someone is pulling the steering wheel askew, forcing her to pull the car to the roadside. She rests her face against the wheel, and whispers come to her ears—she doesn't know if they are hallucinations or something else, but she can't help but glance at Hoang Kim.
Anh Dao is startled to discover Hoang Kim is sweating more than a running stream. She doesn't know when it started, but his skin has turned charcoal purple, and his eyes are bloodshot with lustful hunger, staring intently at her. His appearance is even more terrifying than when he was intimate with Ngoc and her daughters.
Frightened, Anh Dao quickly calls JK. The old man is startled in horror and says:
- What? Hoang Kim drank The Emperor's three beauties in one night, he vented his desire on three girls—the effects should've burned out by now! This is absurd!
Hearing JK's panic—as if he'd witnessed it himself—Anh Dao still doubts:
- Did Father get the medicine himself?
JK slaps his forehead:
- Damn it, I was on a call then.
He turns to his bodyguard:
- Which vial did you pick up?
The bodyguard looks completely confused and replies:
- Uh... the one I grabbed was blue.
JK's eyes flare wide with rage, punching and kicking as he shouts:
- Damn you, you useless idiot! You got the wrong vial! I told you to get the sea-blue one!
The bodyguard clutches his head:
- The two colors looked similar! I grabbed the wrong one—sorry, boss!
Anh Dao hears JK's roar through the phone:
- You messed up, you motherfucker! You've ruined all my plans. The potion you grabbed is the Emperor's four beauties in one night. Hoang Kim only played with three women; he couldn't release the full lust, and now he'll bleed from every orifice until he dies.
The old man clutches his head, lamenting:
- Damn idiot! What the hell do I do with his corpse now?
The driver plays a cherry blossom song:
- Boss, let's cool off with some music.
Anh Dao hears JK order the driver to stop, followed by a series of noises—like dragging the driver out—accompanied by punches, kicks, and furious cursing:
- You damn dog, are you tired of living? You know damn well Anh Dao is my daughter, and you still dare to be rude? I'll kill you, you mongrel!
The driver's desperate pleas for mercy, JK's furious curses and the thudding blows—along with the bodyguards rushing in to stop him—all send Anh Dao's mind into a whirl. The lifelike sounds make her half-believe, half-doubt. The act itself is rather clumsy, but the master-servant performance of JK and his bodyguards truly deserves the highest award. Yet, if this is real, Anh Dao finds it hard to understand why JK has pushed her into a situation where she doesn't know whether to laugh or to cry.
The blonde wearily hangs up the phone, turns to Hoang Kim, and sighs. She looks at his bloodshot eyes and expression of sexual craving—yet he dares not make a move. The miserable man wants out, but the door latch is stuck. He clings to whatever he can, desperately trying to restrain himself, to stop himself from violating Anh Dao:
- Hurry... get out of the car... I can't hold on much longer!
Anh Dao is burning with springtime desire. She lets out a soft laugh at this man who always thinks of others.
- You're so strange. You're about to die, and you're still worried about a girl? I thought you only acted like this with Ngoc and her daughters!
Anh Dao slightly parts her lips, revealing a meaningful smile:
- Who would've thought…
She doesn't finish the sentence, just rests her cheek against the steering wheel, gazing at him:
- How many girls have you used this little trick on?
Anh Dao keeps talking about one thing after another, deflecting, teasing, circling, but Hoang Kim still can't understand what she means. Seeing her sitting motionless in the car, he suddenly grows irritable and snaps:
- What the hell are you babbling about? Get the hell out!
Cherry giggled at his deliberately rough attempt to drive her away:
- Oh, please. I'm just a girl and I'm not scared, so what are you, a real man, afraid of?
Hoang Kim is annoyed, too bored to speak, but still afraid of making the same mistake again. Anh Dao calmly waits—if Hoang Kim dares to rape her, she will knock him out on the spot. Even if he dies a terrible death, she won't care. But if he can hold on for another ten minutes, she won't let him die in this desolate wasteland.
Unfortunately, within just a few seconds, Hoang Kim lunges at her. All goodwill vanishes in the face of this indecent act. Anh Dao glares at the man she once both respected and feared, now preparing to act vile, shakes her head in disgust, and swings her hand, intending to chop the back of Hoang Kim's neck. But he moves faster, reaching for the car door beside her. After a brief struggle, the door still won't budge. Enraged, Hoang Kim curses:
- Fuck! Today is absolute shit!
He tries to look back behind the car but suddenly comes face-to-face with Anh Dao. The girl flusters, slowly lowering her raised arm. Hoang Kim frowns, not understanding her intention, and hurriedly turns away, avoiding her gaze. Anh Dao's cheeks flush pink—she had thought he was going to do something vile, yet he is a hero true to his name.
Hoang Kim doesn't care, while Anh Dao shyly lowers her head, embarrassed for having misjudged him. He lets out a breath—if she had maintained that teasing air of a grown woman, he could've handled the situation with ease. But now, she looks as flustered as an innocent girl about to approach her lover. Her awkward demeanor makes it seem like she was the one who had wronged him.
"What a strange girl!"
Hoang Kim mutters to himself as he bends down and walks to the back of the car. The vehicle is long, with a spacious aisle between the two rows of seats. He pushes for a long time, but it is still stuck. Frustrated, Hoang Kim keeps kicking the car door, but it is all in vain. Cherry clicks her tongue and says:
- This car is made of ultra-durable metal—human strength alone can't break it.
Hoang Kim slumps onto the floor in exasperation. Anh Dao remains silent for a moment before asking:
- You and I are complete strangers—why are you so worried about me?!
He asks her about her relationship with Ngoc and her two daughters. She replies that she doesn't know them, to which he laughs and says:
- Yet you pleaded so many times for people who are complete strangers to you!
Anh Dao raises her voice:
- Because we are women!
He smiles faintly at her reaction and that typically female response:
- You don't need to know someone to help or worry about them. That's what being human means.
At the mention of the word 'human,' the one no longer worthy of being a human gives a bitter laugh:
- I don't want any more girls to suffer because of me.
Satisfaction glimmers in Anh Dao's eyes at the answer she has been waiting for. Hoang Kim urges her to take him home, saying he'd have his mother come break the car door. Anh Dao drives a few stretches before having to stop the car, as something invisible keeps trying to twist her hand aside.
- Sorry… I can't concentrate…
Hoang Kim asks worriedly what is wrong, and she makes up an excuse to avoid answering. From then on, the two remain silent. Anh Dao senses the sound of labored breathing beneath the floor of the car. Hoang Kim hears rapid, broken breaths coming from the front, pounding against his sensitive ears—because of the aphrodisiac. Two gasps, separated by mere inches, merge at once—enchanting the mind of their master.
The stranger is determined to maintain a will of steel. If he can hold on for ten more seconds, he will reach the limit she allows. Every second is torture for the one being tested. His whole body convulses; every bulging tendon feels like it is about to snap. His mind is compressed to the verge of explosion.
When hot blood begins to trickle from his ears, the minute hand takes Hoang Kim's place as the savior who rescues him from the brink of death. In a haze, Hoang Kim hears footsteps and sees two cherry blossoms slowly approaching. She sits down across from him, and in his blurred vision, her figure merges into one.
He wants to escape but can't resist the rather strong perfume, closely resembling the sweet orchid scent that hauntingly lingered and was hard to forget, faded only a few hours ago. Now, she emanates the scent of cherry blossoms; this new perfume was applied just seconds ago. Hoang Kim doesn't understand why she tempts someone already tormented by desire.
- What are you doing?
She places her hand on his shoulder, just a light touch — enough to make him tremble. The faint scent on her wrist seeps into his nostrils, instantly awakening his senses. He clenches his teeth and fists, trying to suppress the beast within, hears her whisper:
- Save your life!