Chapter 19 — A Sweetness Forgotten

The independent appraisal council of the "Quoi Coi" project - just as Thế Khôi had committed - conducted an objective assessment of Ngọt Xưa's application, based on financial, operational and development potential criteria, completely separate from any personal influence from the Head of Business Development.

After three weeks of thorough appraisal, the results were announced: Ngọt Xưa was officially selected as one of the eight anchor brands of the project, with the highest rating for customer attraction potential and brand recognition among the group of twenty candidates.

But being chosen is just the beginning. The detailed negotiation phase of the new contract terms was truly challenging, lasting nearly two months with dozens of tense meetings between the legal teams of both sides.

"We need to clarify the terms of the capital contribution ratio for site improvement," Diệp Chi said in a meeting, her voice determined not to give in. "The original proposal asked Ngọt Xưa to contribute forty percent of the cost of renovating the space, while we had no right to decide the overall design of the neighborhood. This is unfair." Bách Khang's legal representative, a young lawyer named Ma Tuan Vy, explained. "That rate is calculated based on the priority space that Ngọt Xưa is granted, ma'am. This is the general rate applicable to all anchor brands."

"I understand the general principle," Diệp Chi replied, unfazed. "But if we don't have a say in the design, why should we be subject to a high contribution rate like partners who have the right to decide on their own design? I propose reducing it to twenty-five percent, in exchange for us participating in contributing ideas to the design of the traditional dining area, which is directly related to our business operations."

The debate lasted nearly an hour, with Diệp Chi persistently defending each point, not giving in easily just because she was facing a large corporation. Thế Khôi, sitting at the back of the meeting room as an observer who did not participate in the decision as committed, could not help but silently admire her sharp negotiating skills - completely different from the image of the timid female student who said "I don't want to be indebted to anyone".

Finally, after many rounds of discussion, the two sides reached an agreement: the contribution rate was reduced to thirty percent, along with the right to consult on the design for the traditional dining area — a result that both sides could accept, reflecting the spirit of fair cooperation that the project aimed for.

***

But the most controversial provision revolves around the issue of family recipes.

"We want Ngọt Xưa to agree to allow training of new branches' personnel according to the standard formula, to ensure quality uniformity throughout the neighborhood system," another member of the Bách Khang team proposed, sounding somewhat overconfident. "This also means that Ngọt Xưa needs to share the original recipe with the project's central training department."

Diệp Chi paused, her face immediately became serious. "No. That goes completely against the terms we agreed on from the beginning - the formula belongs to Ngọt Xưa, not the common property of the project."

"But if not synchronized, the service quality between branches may be uneven, affecting the overall reputation of the whole neighborhood," the representative argued.

"So the solution is for us to directly train our own staff for our branch in Quarter Coi, under the quality supervision of an independent third party if necessary, rather than sharing the original recipe with anyone outside of Ngọt Xưa," Diệp Chi replied, her voice without any hesitation. "That formula is not just a technical document, it is my family's heritage. I will never trade it, regardless of the contract terms."

The determination in her voice made the entire conference room silent for a moment. Thế Khôi, even though he did not have the official right to speak, could not help but speak up, breaking the principle of standing outside that he himself had set.

"I think Ms. Diệp Chi is right," he spoke, his voice calm but decisive. "We invite local brands into this project because of their unique value. If we force them to share what makes them unique, we are going against the original spirit of the project."

The proposed representative was somewhat confused by this unexpected intervention, but eventually had to give in to reason. The terms were revised in accordance with Diệp Chi's proposal - complete autonomy regarding formulas and internal training.

After the meeting, when everyone had left, Diệp Chi stayed behind to collect documents and saw Thế Khôi also waiting at the door of the meeting room.

"Thank you for speaking up earlier," she said, her voice somewhat softer compared to her tough attitude throughout the meeting. "Even though I know you're breaking your own rule of staying out."

"I can't sit still when I see unfair things happening right before my eyes," Thế Khôi replied, his voice sincere. "Besides, I believe you can completely defend your point of view, I'm just adding a voice of support."

Diệp Chi looked at him, a gentle smile appeared on her lips - the first smile she gave him in the work space since the day of their reunion, no longer carrying the rigid layer of defense like before.

"That recipe book," she added, her voice low with emotion, "is the only thing my mother left behind. I can't let anyone, even a contract worth tens of billions of dong, damage it."

"I get it." Thế Khôi nodded, his eyes filled with sincere understanding. "And I respect that, more than any other clause in this contract."

The two stood silently in the empty hallway, the fluorescent lights on the ceiling radiated cold white light, but the atmosphere between the two was unusually warm. Diệp Chi looked down at the file in her hand, her fingers gliding over the cover with the Ngọt Xưa logo printed on it - designed by herself from the early days of her career.

"You know," she said, her voice thoughtful, "when I first opened the restaurant, I had to refuse a franchise offer from a large supermarket chain, because they asked me to change the recipe to fit their industrial production line. At that time I was very poor, the amount of money they offered was enough for me to open five more branches at the same time. But I still refused."

"Why?" Thế Khôi asked, even though he already vaguely guessed the answer.

"Because I realized, if I changed my mother's recipe just for money, I would have lost the person I wanted to become," Diệp Chi replied, her eyes determined. "I would rather go slow but steady, than go fast but lose my essence."

Thế Khôi looked at her, deeply impressed by that steadfastness - a steadfastness that he firmly believed is the foundation that has helped Diệp Chi overcome all difficulties over the past twelve years, to become the brave woman standing in front of him right now.

“So today, when they asked you to share the recipe, it was understandable that you reacted so violently,” he said, his voice gentle.

"That's right." Diệp Chi nodded, then suddenly burst out laughing. "Sorry I was a bit harsh in the meeting room earlier. The people on your legal team must be scared of me."

"No," Thế Khôi laughed, the atmosphere between the two became much lighter. "They were just surprised, because it's rare to see a partner dare to argue so frankly. Besides, I think they also learned a valuable lesson about respecting their partner's core values, instead of just looking at immediate benefits."

The two of them walked out of the building together, the late afternoon sunlight shining through the large glass window, covering both of them with a layer of warm yellow light, vaguely reminiscent of the old afternoons at the Lá Me tea shop, where everything between them used to be much simpler and more pure than now.

Standing on the steps in front of the building's lobby, Diệp Chi looked up at the sky that was gradually turning pale orange, took a deep breath as if to fully preserve this rare moment - the moment when work and private emotions were no longer struggling and conflicting with each other, but temporarily blended into a rare feeling of peace.

"I have to go back to the shop," she said, her voice filled with a bit of regret that she couldn't hide. "At this hour, Tường Vy is probably calling me loudly because I missed the afternoon shift."

"Let me take you home," Thế Khôi suggested, then hastily added when he saw her pause slightly. "Just bringing it home, nothing else." Diệp Chi laughed at the hasty explanation, nodded in agreement, and they both walked towards the parking lot, leaving behind a tense but meaningful afternoon of negotiations, marking another small step forward on the still long road to finding each other again.