The sky was getting dark, and a light drizzle covered the small street where Kwan lived. He was a twenty-five-year-old mechanic who had lost his mother at a young age and lived with his frail father. Kwan’s life was never easy, as he had to shoulder the huge debt his father left behind after several failed businesses.

The small auto repair shop he opened was only enough to help the father and son survive, but it could not pay off the huge debt. There was a time when Kwan wanted to leave his hometown to go to the city to make a living, but he could not bear to leave his sick father. In his heart there was only one wish to pay off all the debt and give his father a comfortable life.

1. Rainy day, while Kwan was busy repairing an old car, he received a call from an unknown number. On the other end of the line was the voice of an elderly but strong woman. Kwan, I am Mrs. Than.

I have something important to discuss with you. Meet me at Min Chau coffee shop at seven p.m. tonight. Kwan was stunned.

He had never heard of this name before. How did she know him? And more importantly, why did she want to meet him? Although he was a little hesitant curiosity made Kwan decide to go to the coffee shop. When he arrived he couldn’t help but be surprised.

In front of him was a seventy-four-year-old woman. Her hair neatly tied up her face, full of the rough features of someone who had worked in the business world. She wore an elegant dress, simple but luxurious jewelry.

Mrs. Than looked at Kwan, gave a slight smile, and got straight to the point. Do you want to pay off your father’s debt? Do you want to change your life? Kwan frowned doubt rising in his heart. How did she know about his situation? And why did she care? Who was she? How did she know me? Kwan spoke slowly but clearly wary.

Mrs. Than gently sipped her tea, her eyes flashing with mystery. I have my ways. The important thing is that I can help you get out of debt, but you have to accept one condition.

Kwan clenched his fist, his intuition telling him that something was not right. What conditions, he asked his voice full of caution. Mrs. Than looked straight into Kwan’s eyes, slowly speaking each word.

I want you to marry me, just on paper. I need a legal husband. Kwan was so surprised that he almost dropped his coffee cup.

Are you kidding? I’m only old enough to be your grandchild. But Mrs. Than remained calm. I’m not kidding.

I need a young, unattached husband, and you are the best choice. I don’t need love or care. I just need a legal marriage to achieve a personal goal.

You just need to be my husband. In name only live with me until I die. In return, I will pay off your father’s debt.

Take care of your future. And when I die, my property will belong to you. The offer was too strange.

Kwan was not a greedy man, but he knew that this was the only chance to free his father from debt. But at the same time, there was something in Mrs. Than’s words that he could not completely trust. Is this just a legal marriage, or is there some secret behind it, after a night of thinking Kwan still couldn’t make a decision? In his mind the questions kept repeating.

Why did Mrs. Than choose him? Did she really just want a legal marriage, or was there something else? But thinking about his father, who was living in misery due to debt, Kwan had no other choice. The next morning he picked up the phone and called Mrs. Than. Are you sure you will pay off all the debt for me and my father? On the other end of the line, Mrs. Than kept her voice calm without any wavering.

I never break a promise as soon as, we sign the marriage certificate, all your debts will disappear. And not only that, I also worry about your future. Those words are like a double-edged sword, both attractive and scary.

Finally, the soldier gritted his teeth and tried to ignore the doubts in his heart. Okay, I agreed. A few days later, the strangest wedding in the area took place.

There was no grand party, no large gathering of relatives, just a simple ceremony at Mrs. Than’s villa. The attendees were only a few of her confidants, a few of her military friends, and some of the housekeepers. As soon as the news of this marriage spread, the village began to gossip.

The guy who married Mrs. Than is so rich, it must be because of money. She is over seventy years old, and he is only twenty-five. This is strange.

He must have agreed to marry to pay off his father’s debt. Rumors and gossip seemed to be everywhere. Some laughed, some pitied, but the army ignored them all.

For him, this wedding was not about love, but simply an exchange. He exchanged his freedom to save his father. After the ceremony, when everyone gradually left, Mrs. Than turned to Kwan, giving him a meaningful smile.

He didn’t need to show his displeasure. Just live here, and you will understand my true purpose. This sentence made Kwan feel uneasy.

Even though he had accepted this marriage, he still could not dispel the feeling of insecurity that was growing in his heart. The very next morning, Kwan officially moved into Mrs. Than’s shabby house in a poor neighborhood. He now entered a large, fully furnished, splendid place, like in a movie.

His first feeling was not excitement, but resistance. The villa was so large, but it was extremely quiet, without the warm laughter of a family, without the bustle of a normal house. Kwan noticed that there were only three servants in the villa, but they were extremely quiet.

They only appeared when there was work to do finished, and then quietly disappeared. Mrs. Than was not any friendlier. Even though they were legally married, she always kept a certain distance.

They only met at meals, while Mrs. Than spent most of her time in her office, or somewhere unknown to her husband. One evening, while eating together, Kwan decided to speak up. Mrs. Than, why are there so few people in this house? Don’t you have any children or grandchildren? Mrs. Than put her chopsticks down on the table and looked at Kwan with cold eyes.

I live alone. Everyone in my family is gone. You just need to do your part.

Don’t worry too much. That answer made Kwan shiver a little. She said everyone in the family was gone.

Was it a coincidence, or was there something she was hiding three days? After the wedding, while Kwan was fumbling around in the living-room, Mrs. Than suddenly called him into her office. On the table was a thick stack of documents. Sign here, she said sternly.

Kwan picked up the papers and looked at them. It was a document related to property and some debts. Immediately he felt something was wrong.

Wait, what is this? Why does it have to do with me? Mrs. Than Bin calmly replied. You don’t have to worry. It’s just legalizing everything.

It’s a condition from the beginning. Did you forget Kwan Tran Tru asked? He was not a legal expert but signing a document without reading. It carefully was dangerous, but when he looked up he saw that her eyes were colder than ever.

It was as if she were testing him. It was as if if he refused, the consequences would be dire. A feeling of suffocation filled the room.

Kwan sighed. Finally he signed it, not knowing that he had just stepped into a giant trap. Kwan sat silently in his bedroom, his hand clutching the pen, his heart pounding.

He had just signed the papers that Mrs. Than had given him, but he felt uneasy. He felt as if he had just sold his soul to the devil. The large villa was still eerily silent.

The clock on the wall ticked loudly in the empty space. Kwan looked out the window. The sky was pitch black.

A cold wind blew into the room, making him shiver. The next morning when the soldiers went down to the dining room, Mrs. Than was sitting there slowly enjoying a cup of tea. The atmosphere between them was still as cold as usual, but today Mrs. Than took the initiative to speak up.

You’ve signed the papers. You’re officially a part of this life now. Enjoy it.

Kwan looked at her in surprise. What did she mean by that? Mrs. Than smiled faintly, did not answer immediately, but put the teacup down on the table. Her eyes looked straight at him meaningfully.

Have you ever wondered why I chose you out of hundreds, thousands of people out? Would there—why did I want you to be my husband? That question suddenly made Kwan feel uneasy. Didn’t she just want someone to keep her company? He asked again. Yes, but not entirely.

She spoke calmly, but coldly. Kwan felt a chill down his spine. Mrs. Than continued.

His father was once a very good man, but also a man who caused a lot of suffering to others. Did you know that hearing his father Kwan was startled? What was she saying? My father, even though his business failed, never hurt anyone. Mrs. Than smiled slightly, but her eyes were as sharp as knives.

Then you don’t know the whole truth. After that sentence she stood up and left the table, leaving Kwan with a series of questions swirling in his head. Unable to bear the feeling of insecurity that night, Kwan decided to talk to the long-time maid.

In the house. He went to Mrs. Than, a middle-aged woman, who seemed gentle and quiet. Mrs. Than, can I ask you something? Mrs. Than hesitated for a moment, but still nodded.

Go ahead. Why are there so few people in this villa? And do you know anything about Mrs. Than’s past? Mrs. Lan looked at him strangely, as if considering whether to say it or not. After a moment of silence she sighed.

You are the landlady’s husband. I shouldn’t have said it, but I advise you to leave this place if you can. Why, Mrs. Lan, glanced around as if afraid someone would hear, then whispered, Did you know the landlady used to have a happy family, but then it all disappeared? Her husband died mysteriously, her son disappeared for unknown reasons, and all the people who used to work here didn’t stay long.

Kwan felt his heart clench. What did she mean? They disappeared. Mrs. Lan nodded her voice, becoming softer.

I don’t know either. It’s just that everyone who enters her life doesn’t have a good ending. Those words kept Kwan awake that night.

He began to question himself. Who was Mrs.? Than really? And why did she want to marry him? He couldn’t stand it any more. The next day Kwan decided to find out what Mrs. Than had said about his father.

He returned to his hometown and met with people who had known his father. After many inquiries an old friend of his father, Mr. Huang, finally agreed to tell him everything. His father was a very smart man, but he also made many big mistakes.

What mistakes, Mr. Huang sighed. Many years ago his father had a business partnership with a rich woman, Mrs. Than. Kwan was startled.

But at that time Mrs. Than still had a husband and son. They invested together in a big project. But then his father betrayed their hearts.

Impossible. Kwan shook his head. What did he do? He cheated on Mrs. Than, causing her to lose all her assets.

Because of that shock her husband committed suicide, and her son mysteriously disappeared. Kwan’s heart was pounding. What he had just heard was like a blow to his mind.

So she married me for revenge. Mr. Huang looked at him with pity in his eyes. Maybe so he should be careful.

Returning to the villa he suddenly felt everything around. Him become scary. He remembered the papers that Mrs. Than made him sign.

Immediately he ran into her office and rummaged through the documents. Finally he found the contracts he had signed, and a horrifying truth appeared before his eyes. Those papers were not only about Mrs. Than’s assets, but also documents related to the huge debt under his name.

Oh my God. What is this? Kwan exclaimed. Just then Mrs. Than’s voice rang out behind him.

Did he find out? Kwan turned around, his heart pounding. Mrs. Than stood there, her eyes no longer gentle as before, but cold and scary. What did she do to me? Mrs. Than stepped closer, smiling meaningfully.

I did nothing. It’s just that now he officially became the one to shoulder his father’s debt. Was she taking revenge? What did he think? Kwan felt his whole world collapsing before his eyes.

He had been dragged into a perfect trap, a trap that had been set for more than thirty years. Kwan felt as if the world was crumbling beneath his feet. He stared at the papers on the board, the papers that he had signed, without knowing that they were the trap that Mrs. Than had set up long ago.

He clenched his fists, his voice trembling with anger. She lied to me. Mrs. Than calmly sat down on the chair, took a sip of tea, and looked at him coldly.

No, I didn’t lie to you. I made it very clear from the beginning. You agreed to it yourself, signed all those papers without checking.

I didn’t force you. Kwan felt cold all over. Yes, he had signed it without looking at it.

He had thrown himself into her trap. Kwan gritted his teeth and mustered up the courage to ask. So all of this was just to take revenge on my father? You married me just to make me suffer the consequences.

And for him, Mrs. Than smiled faintly and put her teacup down on the table. Not only that I want you to feel what I went through, I want you to understand what it means to lose an eye, what it means to be betrayed, what it means to be cornered with no one to help. Your father promised to cooperate in business with me and my husband, but then he burned all my family’s assets, leaving us penniless.

My husband committed suicide out of anger, and my son left the country with no news of him. I went from being a woman who had everything to suddenly losing everything. Mrs. Than narrowed her eyes, her voice low and full of resentment.

I have lived with that hatred for more than thirty years, and now I want your father to throw that feeling away through his only son. Those words were like a knife stabbing into the soldier’s heart. He clenched his fists.

It turned out that he was just a pawn in this revenge. Kwan trembled as he looked back at the papers on the table. He read each line carefully, and the feeling of despair rose in his heart.

The debt amounted to billions of dong. He was speechless. Madam, are you really going to make me shoulder all this debt? She shrugged.

I didn’t force you to do anything. It’s in black and white you signed it. Now you can only blame yourself.

Kwan sat down in despair. He remembered the days of poverty. He remembered his dream of changing his life.

Remember the hope when you signed. This marriage. And now it’s all just a nightmare.

You can take all my assets, but I won’t let you ruin my life. The army was near. Mrs. Than laughed.

You think I need your property? I have everything I want. Now just seeing you suffer like I did. I’m satisfied.

That sentence made Kwan want to go crazy. He knew he couldn’t continue like this. He needed to find a way out of this trap.

In the dark of night, Kwan quietly left the villa. He couldn’t just sit there and wait to be destroyed. He had to find a way to prove that Mrs. Than had illegally set him up.

The key point was whether the papers he had signed were legal. He remembered Luan a friend of his who studied law. If anyone could help him find the rightful owner in this matter, it was Luan.

Kwan immediately went to Luan’s law office. Luan frowned as he told him everything, then spoke slowly. Sounds like you really fell for her trap.

But first, do you remember anything unusual about the papers you signed? Kwan thought silently, then suddenly remembered. That’s right. Some of the papers showed signs of alteration.

When I signed, there were terms that were not mentioned at all. Luan nodded. That’s the key point.

If you have proof that she changed the contents of the document after you signed it, then you can sue her for fraud. But how can I find the proof, Luan thought for a moment, then said, can you check the surveillance cameras in the villa? If there is a recording of when you signed the document, we can compare it with the current content. Kwan understood that this was his only chance to save Li himself.

That night, he returned to the villa. The house was quiet. Kwan quietly entered Ms. Tan’s office where the computer system stored the camera data.

His hands shook as he opened, the hard drive his heart pounding. He had only one chance to get the evidence. After a while of searching, he found a video recording of himself signing the papers.

He opened the video and the horrifying truth appeared before his eyes. After the soldier signed the papers, Mrs. Tan quietly took out another set of papers to replace the one he had just signed. She was the one who had stolen the papers.

Kwan could not believe his eyes. His hand gripped the mouse tightly, his heart pounding. Just then a cold voice sounded behind him.

I knew you would do this. Pants jerked. Mrs. Tan stood at the door, her eyes cold, her face expressionless.

He tried to stay calm, his voice firm. She had lied to me. I have the evidence in my hand.

You can’t hide from this truth. Mrs. Tan looked at him for a long time. She laughed.

You think you can get rid of me that easily? Those words made Kwan use himself. Mrs. Tan was not afraid at all. On the contrary, she seemed to have prepared for this situation for a long time.

Kwan began to realize that things were not over here. This was only the beginning of a fierce confrontation. The atmosphere in Mrs. Tan’s office became stifling and frightening.

Kwan stood still, his eyes still fixed on the computer screen where the video of Mrs. Tan exchanging the documents, right after he signed, was displayed. Mrs. Tan stood behind him, her eyes cold and calculating. Do you think you can turn the situation around with just this video? She spoke calmly, but there was a clear threat.

She buttoned her pants hoarsely, trying to stay calm. With such clear evidence, do you think I will let it be whether you let it? Be or not is up to you, but remember you are on my territory. Mrs. Tan chuckled.

The army used me. That’s right. This was still her home, and he was all alone.

He needed to leave immediately. Take this video with you before it’s too late. Kwan immediately pulled the USB out of the computer.

He was about to turn around and run away when bang! A hand squeezed his arm. It was Mrs. Tan. She held him tight.

Her eyes were full of power. I advise you not to be foolish. If you walk out of here with that video, I guarantee you won’t.

Be able to escape again. Kwan clenched his fists, trying to force himself out. She couldn’t stop me, but at that moment a figure appeared at the door.

It was Mrs. Tan’s two bodyguards. Kwan was stunned. He didn’t expect her to have everything ready like that.

Hold him back, Mrs. Tan ordered. The two bodyguards rushed towards him. There was no other way.

Kwan stood up, shook off Mrs. Tan’s hand, and ran straight to the window. Damn he rushed out of the room, jumped over the second-floor balcony, fell to the grass below. His head was in excruciating pain, but he couldn’t stop.

Behind him Mrs. Tan shouted, catching him immediately. Two bodyguards rushed down the stairs, chasing him. Kwan ran headlong towards the villa gate, only a few meters away.

Powder of strong force hit him on the shoulder. Kwan lost his balance and fell to the ground. One of the two bodyguards caught up, grabbed his collar, and pulled him back.

Do you think you can escape from here? The guard was near. Kwan struggled trying to get out, but at that moment stopped a voice rang out, all of them matched. Kwan looked up and saw Luan, his lawyer friend, standing right outside the villa gate, along with the police.

Mrs. Tan appeared on the second-floor desk, looking down at the police, her face showing confusion. A policeman stepped forward, flashing his badge. Mrs. Tan, we have a warrant to search your villa.

We have received evidence of your fraud and deceit. Mrs. Tan turned pale. Luan walked over to Kwan and helped him up.

I knew she wouldn’t leave. You alone, so I called the police before you got here, and guess what the police found fake documents in her financial records. Kwan was happy, but still in disbelief.

He looked at the police. So will she be arrested. The police officer nodded.

The evidence was too clear. Not only was there fraud in the marriage contract, but there were also signs of money laundering. We will investigate further.

Mrs. Tan stood on the work desk, her hands gripping the railing. You can’t do this to me. I spent my whole life building this business.

No one has the right to take it away from me. A policeman stepped forward and said coldly. She built it by deceiving others.

Now it was time for her to pay. Mrs. Tan paled. Finally, she understood.

She had lost. Two policemen entered the villa, handcuffed Ms. Tan, and took her away. Kwan stood still and watched.

There was a strange feeling in his heart. He was neither elated nor happy. He found nothing but emptiness.

After Mrs. Tan was arrested, Kwan had a difficult time. He had to prove that he had nothing to do with her shady dealings, and find a way to clear the debts that had been set up. Thanks to the help of Luan and the police, he was cleared.

The illegally signed documents were cancelled. But what troubled Kwan the most was Mrs. Tan. He couldn’t hate her completely, because she had been a pitiful woman, deceived, betrayed, pushed to the limit.

Perhaps if her had not gone through so much suffering, she would not have become such a person. Kwan decided not to hold grudges in his heart. He just wanted to live a new life clean, and not controlled by greed.

He went back to school and completed his law degree. He no longer wanted to get rich by shortcuts. He wanted to be a useful person, someone who appreciated life.

A year later, when things had calmed down, Kwan received a letter from prison. It was from Mrs. Tan. In the letter, she no longer sounded as cold or resentful as before.

There was only, one sentence lived differently from your father. Kwan held the letter silent for a long time. Finally he folded it and put it in his pocket.

He knew that this was the last time Mrs. Tan would appear in his life. He stepped out of the house into the morning sunlight, and then he continued walking. The story of Kwan and Mrs. Tan is not only a calculating marriage, but also a profound lesson about greed-hatred and the path to forgiveness.

The biggest message that this story brings is that money cannot buy happiness, and hatred only makes people suffer more. Even if you have all the assets in your hands, if your heart is filled, with hatred you will still live in darkness forever. Don’t let other people’s mistakes decide your life.

Kwan could have chosen to continue living in hatred, but he decided to let go and start over. It was his kindness and strong will that helped him find the true value of life. Forgiveness is not weakness, it is liberation.

Mrs. Tan only found true peace when she understood that revenge did not bring her peace, but only made her lose herself. Each of us has the right to choose our own path. No one can choose where they were born, but everyone has the right to decide how they live.

Live honestly, be kind, and keep striving, because this life is not only about what we receive, but also the values we leave behind.