I pulled my mask up, pretending I didn’t know him, and quietly turned my face to look out the window.

I thought he wouldn’t notice.

But a few minutes later, as the flight attendant served drinks, I was surprised to see him carrying three glasses of wine and walking straight towards me.

He stopped in front of my seat, looked at me for a long time, then suddenly smiled and called out loudly,

“Wife!”

The entire cabin immediately turned to look. The young secretary standing behind him was stunned.

And I was speechless…

On the plane, I unexpectedly met my husband on a business trip.
Beside him was a young woman, slender, neatly dressed, with lightly curled hair and subtle makeup – the kind of office makeup, not flashy but enough to make people glance at her.

I recognized her immediately. She was his new secretary.

I pulled my mask up a little higher, turned my face to the window, pretending we had never known each other for over twenty years.

Unexpectedly, just a few minutes after the plane reached its cruising altitude, I saw a figure standing before me.
Looking up, I froze.

My husband, holding three glasses of wine, smiled, his voice just loud enough for those around us to hear:

“My dear wife, you’ve worked so hard!”

The entire cabin seemed to fall silent for a second.

I could hear my heart pounding so hard I thought anyone could hear it.
The young secretary sitting a few seats away widened her eyes, her face turned pale, and her hands gripped the armrests of her seat.


I knew, from that moment on, that this flight would no longer be peaceful.

I looked him straight in the eyes, trying to find a hint of embarrassment or guilt, but there was none. Trong’s gaze remained calm, even containing a mischievous glint, as if he had been waiting for this moment for a long time.

He placed a glass of wine in my hand, then suddenly turned to the secretary who was standing frozen in the aisle and said loudly:

— “Lan, let me introduce you, this is the actual Chairwoman of the Board of Directors of our company – and also the only woman who holds my ‘finances’. You should say hello, shouldn’t you?”

The young secretary stammered, her face turning from red to pale: — “I… I… I’m sorry, ma’am. I didn’t know…”

1. The gamble is revealed.

I took off my mask, sipped my wine, the tartness lingering on my tongue. It turned out that Trong had recognized me from the moment we were in the business class lounge. He knew I was on a sudden business trip, and he also knew I had been secretly suspicious of his relationship with this new secretary for the past month.

“—You’re very articulate,” I replied coldly. “But what are these three glasses of wine for?”

Trong pulled up an empty chair next to me and casually sat down: — “One glass for you – for all your hard work taking care of the family. One glass for Ms. Lan – to thank her for reporting to me that you’ve been ‘monitoring’ me for the past few days. And the last glass is for me – to celebrate that we’ve finally sat down and talked frankly.”

2. The shocking truth

It turned out that Lan, the secretary, wasn’t my “lover” as I’d thought. She was a distant cousin of mine, a new intern at the company, and Trong had arranged for her to be by his side, with the intention of… testing my patience. He wanted to know if, after 20 years, I still cared enough about him to be jealous, or if we had truly become two strangers living under the same roof.

Trong took my hand, his voice lowering: — “Ngoc, you’re avoiding me, you’re silent when you see me with someone else. I don’t need a wife who is so ‘understanding’ that she’s indifferent. I need a wife who knows how to be jealous, who knows how to scold me when I come home late. Actually, I booked the ticket for this business trip right behind yours from the moment you started placing your order.”

3. An unexpected ending

I glanced over at Lan, who scratched her head and smiled shyly: “Auntie, I’m sorry for hiding it from you. Uncle said I had to do that so you would ‘show your skills’!”

I laughed, a laugh that was both angry and relieved. It turned out that the “intimacy” on the plane earlier was just a staged act by the uncle and nephew to force me to drop my cold facade.

“So, how do you plan to drink your third glass of wine?” I asked, gesturing with my chin.

Trong held his glass of wine, lightly clinking it against mine, the sound of the crystal echoing clearly in the airplane cabin: — “Let’s drink to celebrate because after this business trip, we’ll be going on a vacation to make up for it. Just the two of us. As for this secretary… she should be sent back to the office to make tea!”

The whole plane burst into laughter at his wit. I leaned my head on Trong’s shoulder, looking out the window at the fluffy white clouds, just like my own feelings at that moment. Sometimes, a 20-year relationship doesn’t need grand promises; it just needs a “nudge” to know that your place in the other person’s heart has never changed.