Chapter 23 — A Diary, A Fallen City

"What are you guys using to arrest me? Is there any evidence? My father is a people's representative! You can't touch him!"

Trieu Vu was still screaming madly, as if if he just shouted a little louder, the truth would automatically disappear. Truong Chan Quoc walked over, didn't say much, just turned on a recording. It was the conversation in the study room just now—every sentence, every word, was Trieu Hoang Vi admitting his crime. A cold sound rang out, like a finishing knife. Trieu Vu fell silent. His face was pale, despair was evident in his eyes. Ly Thien was also taken out. She looked at the scene before her eyes, her whole body as if turned to stone. She thought it was just a broken dream of wealth... but she didn't expect to be caught up in a shocking case. When the cold handcuffs were locked on her wrists, she woke up and turned to me, screaming.

"Hua Tinh! You lied to me! You took advantage of me!"

I don't look at her. From the moment she chose to betray… this outcome was already written. The long drama has finally ended. I followed Truong Chan Quoc out of the Trieu family villa. Outside, police cars lined the entire road, their red and blue lights flashing, illuminating the night sky.

“How did you do it?”

He looked at me, his eyes both curious and appreciative. I smiled softly.

“I never went into that farm house.”

He stopped.

“From the beginning, I didn't intend to meet you there.”

"I know Zhao Hongwei's network is very large. If he can track me... he can also track you."

“That place… is most likely also a trap.”

"I told the driver to drop me off in the middle of the street, then asked Mr. Hac to arrange another place, absolutely safe."

“I bet… when Zhao Hongwei finds out that I'm not in both places, he'll think I've run away, and then relax my guard.”

“After that, I used a new phone number… to contact the insider you are still looking for.”

Truong Chan Quoc's eyes suddenly tightened.

“You… overturned him?”

I shook my head.

“I just told him that Zhao Hongwei suspected him and was about to throw him away.”

“I said I have all the evidence that he colluded with Zhao Hongwei.”

“Then give him a way to live.”

“An opportunity to ‘make atonement for your sins’.”

I stopped for a moment, my voice lowered.

“I let him distract Zhao Hongwei… making him believe that I was cornered and would bring the ‘real book’ to the villa for final negotiations.”

“At the same time… let him provide Zhao Hongwei with a fake plan of yours—

make him think you will attack at the birthday party.”

“So… the security force at the villa will be the weakest.”

Truong Chan Quoc was silent for a long time. He looked at me... like he was looking at a completely different person.

“Your father… would be proud of you.”

He spoke softly. I smiled. But the bottom of my eyes... is still stinging. I did not disappoint you. Zhao Hongwei's crime syndicate... was uprooted. Those involved, from officials to henchmen... no one escaped. As for the notebook that I "burned"... actually never disappeared. The password I gave Ly Thien... was fake. She could only open the secondary compartment. As for the real notebook—the moment I threw the pen into the fireplace—the mechanism was activated to pop into the secret compartment inside. That's the last layer of insurance... my father left behind. That pen... is also not a tape recorder. It is a signaling device. One switch… activates the whole thing siege plan. Everything… is a game of chess. A game of chess starts from the moment I decide to counterattack. I used myself as bait. Use a fake notebook... fool everyone. I took advantage of Ly Thien's greed. Chu Minh Khai's foolishness. Zhao Hongwei's conceit. And insider fluctuations. I pulled them all… onto the same chess board. Then one time... collect the net. The case dragged on for a long time after that. I became an important witness, many times coordinating testimony. I tell everything… holding nothing back. Including Chu Minh Khai. Even though he… is dead. Police found his body on the rooftop of an abandoned building. Maybe run away. Maybe being chased. But the end result... is still the price to pay. Trieu Xuan Mai and Chu Hieu Hieu... completely collapsed. The only support disappeared. The debt is piling up... there's no one left to bear it. It is said that Chu Hieu Hieu was forced to the limit by debt collectors... the end was disastrous. And Trieu Xuan Mai... couldn't stand the shock, went crazy, and was sent to a mental hospital. What they once sowed… in the end… took it upon themselves. As for Ly Thien - because she made a great contribution and was pregnant... she was given a suspended sentence. She can keep her life, keep her future... but her whole life... will always live in the shadow of a lie.