Chapter 11 — 7 Year Marriage Isn't Real

They let me be the last person to know the truth. It's their turn. Half a month later. The industry's annual conference officially took place. The location is the International Convention Center north of the city. The scale was three times larger than Luc Thi's celebration. It's not just businessmen in the city. But there are also leading enterprises from three neighboring provinces. Investment funds. Chairman of the board of directors of many listed companies. I'm not coming. From an office building two kilometers away... I watched the entire meeting via Co Dien Chu's livestream screen. Luc Minh An wore a dark suit. Sitting leisurely in the chair row. On the outside, there's nothing out of the ordinary. The association president sitting next to him silently pulled his chair a little further away from him. Below the auditorium. There were a few people leaning close to whispering. Occasionally he looked up at the chairman. His eyes were full of complexity. Three days ago. All of those messages were secretly sent to the phones of more than half of the people present today. No one openly discussed it. Everyone already knows. Only Luc Minh An... I don't know. Go to the awards section. Luc Minh An stood up. Step up to the podium to speak. On his face was still the familiar solemn and calm look.

"Dear colleagues..."

"Today I am honored to..."

He hadn't finished his sentence yet. Below... Not a single round of applause. If it was years ago. Right now... Applause echoed throughout the auditorium. But today... There is only silence. Luc Minh An paused for a moment. Then quickly regained composure. Continue the speech. Up to minute two. A gray-haired old man in the front row slowly stood up. It was one of the founders of the association. Also the person with the highest status in the world. Mr. Trinh's voice is not loud. But the whole hall immediately became quiet. Luc Minh An stopped.

"I have something..."

"I wanted to ask you right here."

The smile on Luc Minh An's face has not disappeared.

"Please old Trinh just say it."

Mr. Trinh did not respond immediately. He took out his phone from his pocket. Raise the screen towards Luc Minh An. On the screen... Is a photo of the messages.

"Is it true?"

Luc Minh An's face immediately changed. He took a step forward. Want to see more clearly. He saw it. The calm mask on that face... As if someone had torn it off. Only paleness and panic remained.

"This..."

"Increase the dose a little."

"Adjust the formula."

"Don't let her find out."

Mr. Trinh slowly read each sentence. The voice is not loud. But more than three hundred people in the auditorium... They all heard it clearly. The whole hall immediately stirred. Luc Minh An leaned heavily on the podium with both hands to speak.

"This is content cropping!"

"Someone intentionally slandered me..."

Mr. Trinh interrupted.

"I didn't come here today to hear your excuses."

"Association Standing Council..."

"Voted yesterday."

"Result..."

"Agree to pass."

He put away his phone. Looking straight at Luc Minh An.

"Stripped of your position as Vice President."

"Effective today."

Luc Minh An's lips trembled.

"What do you rely on?"

"This is my private matter!"

"What does it have to do with the association?"

Mr. Trinh only said four words.

"Ethics are questionable."

He turned around and sat down. Below immediately there were sounds of discussion. Someone lowered their head to look at their phone. Someone raised their camera to take pictures. Someone got up and left the hall. Luc Minh An is still standing on stage. Like a pillar that has just lost its foundation. No one stepped up to help him. No one stood up to help. Twenty years of building a reputation... In just three minutes... Completely collapsed. I turned off the livestream screen. Co Dien Chu stood behind and asked me.

"How do you feel?"

"It's still not enough."

"Luc Minh An just lost face."

"Luc Can Nien has not yet paid the price."

I turned around to look at him.

"Next step..."

"I will take back fifteen percent of Luc Thi Real Estate's shares."

"How to get it?"

"Are Luc Thi stocks still falling?"

"Another three percent reduction today."

"Plus the previous times..."

"The total is almost ten percent."

"Then let it continue to decrease."

I said calmly.

"Reduced until Luc Can Nien couldn't stand it."

"At that time..."

"He himself will come to beg me."

"How are you sure he will beg you?"

"Because..."

"His cash flow is not enough."

I opened the financial analysis that lawyer Tran Tung had prepared.

"Luc Thi's asset structure is very unbalanced."

"Their real estate projects use too high financial leverage."

"Once the stock price falls below the guaranteed threshold..."

"The bank will require additional collateral."

"The cash in Luc Can Nien's hand..."

"Not enough."

"He can borrow."

I smiled softly.

"Now..."

"The whole world knows about the Luc family."

"Who else dares to tie their interests to them?"

Co Dien Chu was silent for a few seconds.

"Phuong Niem Tri."

"Since when do you know these things?"

"My grandmother."

"From a young age, he taught me to read financial reports."

"I just always thought..."

"Those things are of no use."

"What about now?"

"Now..."

"I just understand."

"She prepared everything for me a long time ago."

By week three. Luc Thi's shares fell from 42 yuan before the party... to 31 yuan. Capitalization value... Evaporated by nearly a third. The way Luc Can Nien copes... is to sell off the shares he is holding to recover cash. Small investors just saw major shareholders selling off... Immediately they became even more panicked. Stock prices... Continue to plummet. A vicious circle. By week four. The bank officially sent a notice... Request for additional collateral. Pho Thinh Lan called me.

"The time has come."

"Now..."

"Luc Can Nien needs at least eight billion yuan in cash..."

"Only the security threshold can be maintained."

"He..."

"Can't borrow."

"Am I sure?"