Chapter 8 — 26 Days My Husband Lived In The Attic

I interrupted him.

“I'm here tonight.”

That night, Tran Dien finally returned to our bedroom. And I stayed awake in the living room. Phone placed next to it. Surveillance cameras are always on, pointing straight at doors and windows. Around two in the morning, I opened my laptop. Plug the USB into the device. Inside there is an encrypted folder. Password... Tran Dien told me before. After opening the file, inside is a clinical trial report more than seventy pages long, entirely in English. I don't major in medicine, but I still understand what those data tables mean. Second phase of testing. A total of one hundred and twenty people participated. Of these, six people had a grade three or higher side effect: Severe headache. Movement disorders. Two people died within three months of ending the trial. The cause of death was noted as:

“The underlying disease is not related to the experimental drug.”

But original medical records show that before participating in the trial, these two people were completely healthy, with no history of serious illness. In the report sent to the inspection agency, the data of all six people was erased. The number of participants changed from one hundred twenty to one hundred fourteen. The rate of serious side effects decreased from five percent to zero point nine percent. If GR-17 comes to market… There will be millions of patients using it. And with a five percent rate of serious side effects… I immediately closed my laptop. The next day is Sunday. I went to my husband's parents' house to pick up Tieu Du. As soon as he entered the house, the boy shouted: Tran Dien came out of the bedroom, squatted down, Tieu Du jumped straight into his lap.

“Dad, you don't need to hide anymore, do you?”

“No need anymore.”

Tran Dien's voice trembled very slightly.

“Dad, I won't hide anymore.”

Tieu Du was so happy that she pulled his hand and ran around the house. Showing off my newly built Lego castle. Showing off a new painting. Showing off the certificate of merit from the kindergarten that was just given out. Tran Dien kept smiling. Continually nodding. Continuously say:

“So good.”

“My son is really good.”

But I see it very clearly. His hands were still shaking. That afternoon, I did some work. First, I copied all the data in the USB into three copies. One copy is saved on an encrypted cloud drive. A copy was copied to another USB and then hidden at the company. Always carry the original with you. Second, I started looking for information about "Quan Hop Capital" and "Bui Chinh Tac". Quan Hop Capital is a medium-sized PE fund, managing approximately six billion assets. Invest in more than a dozen companies in the medical and health sector. Bui Chinh Tac is the founder and major shareholder. Fifty-two years old. Extremely good public profile: graduated from Thanh Hoa, MBA from Wharton, is a famous figure in the medical and pharmaceutical investment world. On the outside, there are absolutely no problems. But I noticed one piece of news. Two months ago, Quan Hop Capital just led the capital round D of Tu Nac Khang. The company's valuation increased to four and a half billion. It is the biggest pillar supporting that valuation. In other words — If data falsification is exposed... Tu Nac Khang's value could collapse immediately. A few hundred million Bui Chinh Tac poured in will also turn into ashes. That's the engine. The third thing I did… was call a college friend. His name is Giang Han. Currently working as an investigative reporter for a financial newsroom, has won several major journalism awards.

“Khuong Mac?”

The other end of the line was quite surprised.

“Why do you suddenly remember me?”

“I need your help with something.”

I tightened my grip on the phone.

“A pharmaceutical company falsified clinical trial data.”

“I have proof in my hand.”

The other end was silent for three seconds.

“… Please explain clearly.”

I briefly told everything, but did not mention Tran Dien's name. This kind of thing is not the first time Giang Han has encountered.

“This type of scandal has always existed.”

He spoke slowly.

“But you have to determine whether the evidence at hand is strong enough to verify it or not.”

“If the original data is compared with the version submitted to the inspection agency…”

“It is best to have clear traceability.”

Giang Han's voice lowered.

“You must ensure the safety of the informant.”

“The informant is me.”

“…Are you an insider?”

"I'm not."

I turned my head to look at Tran Dien sitting next to me.

“My husband is the one involved.”

Another long silence.

“So this is more complicated than I thought.”

Giang Han breathed lightly.

“Don't be in a hurry.”

“I will learn about Tu Nac Khang first.”

“Then we meet in person.”

“The sooner the better.”

“Is tomorrow okay?”

After hanging up, I returned to the living room. Tran Dien is sitting on the sofa. Tieu Du slept on his lap.

“I contacted a reporter.”

Tran Dien's body immediately stiffened.