Chapter 3 — After All, We All Learn How to Be Better People

At 6:40 a.m., the alarm rang. I looked at the ceiling for a minute, then stood up and washed my face. Black vest, white shirt, hair tied low. The person in the mirror's eyes are a bit swollen, but his gaze is very steady. Leave the house at 8:30 a.m. As soon as I got downstairs to the apartment, a silver-gray Buick stopped in front of me. The window rolled down, revealing Diep Minh Huy's face. White shirt, neat tie, just like a new officer taking office. The passenger seat is Tien To Phuong. Diep Minh Huy smiled brightly.

“I'll give you a part, it's convenient.”

Tien To Phuong also leaned over.

"That's right Tieu Thanh, your car is still at the old house, let Minh Huy take it. Don't be polite."

I stood on the side of the road, not moving.

“No need, I'll call a car.”

“What's the point of calling a car? It's a waste of money.”

Tien To Phuong opened the door and walked down, reaching out to pull me.

"Let's go, Minh Huy still has to go to the notary office today to do the paperwork. It's urgent. I'll just drop you off and go."

The moment her hand touched mine, I took a step back. Tien To Phuong's hand stopped in mid-air. The smile on her face also stiffened.

"Tieu Thanh, what are you doing? Can your uncle-in-law still harm you?"

“I can walk by myself.”

Diep Minh Huy also got out of the car, came around and stood in front of me.

"Sister, are you still angry? Your grandfather already knows it, so there's no need to be attached. Money is just an external thing, the feelings between us are important."

Having finished speaking, he pulled an envelope from his pocket and stuffed it into my hand.

"Here, 20,000 yuan. Grandpa over there, I'll tell you more. Just take it first and manage. The studio needs capital, so don't let yourself suffer."

The envelope was not thick, but it felt heavy when picked up. I bent down to take a look and suddenly burst into laughter.

“Diep Minh Huy.”

I raised my head.

“Do you think I'm that short of money?”

He was stunned.

“I didn't mean that…”

“So what do you mean?”

I returned the envelope.

"Take your money, quickly go to the notary office. It's 200,000,000 yuan, don't let any mistakes happen."

Diep Minh Huy's face changed slightly. Tien To Phuong stood next to her and interjected, her voice rising a bit.

"Tieu Thanh, what are you talking about? Minh Huy is taking care of you! Don't be unreasonable!"

“Care about me?”

I looked straight at her.

"Uncle-in-law, yesterday your whole family took away 200,000,000 yuan, and early this morning you ran over to give me 20,000 yuan. This is not called caring, it's called alms. It's also the cheapest kind of alms."

Tien To Phuong's face immediately turned red.

“You! What did you say?!”

“I said, I don't need your alms.”

I threw the envelope back into the car.

"Also, from today onwards, there is nothing more to say between me and your family. Your grandfather's money has been taken, and the value of my use is gone. From now on, everyone will go their separate ways."

Having finished speaking, I turned around and left.

“Diep Thanh!”

Tien To Phuong shouted from behind.

"Don't be unreasonable! What do you think you are? You open a crappy studio and think you're a character? Without the Diep family, you're nothing!"

Without turning around, I raised my hand to call a taxi. Get in the car, close the door, give the address. In the rearview mirror, Tien To Phuong was still jumping, Diep Minh Huy stood next to him, his face gloomy. The driver glanced at me.

“Argued with your family?”

“Sigh, every family has difficult things to talk about.”

He didn't say anything more. The car merged into the rush hour traffic, moving little by little. I leaned back in my chair, close your eyes. The phone vibrates continuously. I don't care. At 9:10, I go to the studio. Assistant Tieu Ha was waiting at the door.

"Miss Diep, this morning I have an appointment with General Director Ma of Hong Vien Real Estate to approve the plan. Do we need to reschedule?"

“Not moving.”

"Yes. In addition, Thinh Hang Technology sent an email asking if you will attend the board of directors next month."

“If you don't attend, let General Manager Luc go instead.”

"Yes. Also, my mother just called and told me to call back."

"I know."

I walked into the room, put my bag down. Think for a moment, still call your mother back. As soon as the bell rang, someone picked up.

"Tieu Thanh! Are you okay? Your uncle-in-law just called, saying you had an argument downstairs..."

“I won't argue.”

"Then don't accept her! You know her personality, her harsh tongue and small-mindedness. If you offend her, later..."

“What happens later?”

"What else can she do to me in the future? She's already taken my grandfather's money, and in her eyes I'm no longer valuable. What's the difference between being guilty or not?"

The other end of the line was silent for a long time.

"Tieu Thanh, I know you're feeling sorry for yourself. But... after all, we're all family, if we don't see each other when we look up, we'll see each other when we lower our heads..."

"From the moment grandfather announced his will yesterday, we are no longer a family. 200,000,000 yuan, bought out."

From the other side came suppressed sobs. My heart tightened slightly, but I did not soften.

"Mom, don't cry. I still have work to do. I'll come visit you tonight."

"Will you come home for dinner tonight? Mom will stew ribs for you..."

“Let's see.”

I hung up. At 10 o'clock, General Manager Ma of Hong Vien arrived. Over fifty years old, dark gray suit, neatly combed hair. I projected the plan onto the big screen, presenting it page by page. He listened very attentively, occasionally nodding. At the end, he took off his glasses and wiped them gently.

"Director Diep, the plan is very good. Especially the entrance landscape design, is very outstanding. But the budget... isn't it a bit high? Before that, I contacted a few other design companies and quoted a price about twenty percent lower than yours."

I looked straight at him.

"Mr. Ma, the companies you just mentioned, I've looked through their portfolios. If they just need one 'liveable' project, they'll be enough. But the project you're working on is 'Hong Vien · Thien Duyet', the goal is next year's real estate design award. With that standard, this budget cannot cut a single penny."

I put down my pen and leaned forward slightly.

"Design does not compete by price, but by the ability to create added value. How much value this option brings to your project, you probably know better than me."

Mr. Ma looked at me for a few seconds, then suddenly smiled.