Chapter 15 — After Ten Years of Silence, the Whole Industry Sees Me

The first person to leave was Hua Uyen Thanh. She stood up. Don't look at anyone. Quietly walked straight out of the meeting room. When passing by me. I smelled perfume on her. It's like before leaving the house, I sprayed it over and over again. Trying to hide something. After Phuong Huc returned. The situation in Thinh Hang changed dramatically in just one week. Year-end bonuses are recalculated. I received 420,000 yuan. Much more than the original 380,000 yuan. The position of Creative Director was restored. Hua Uyen Thanh's title of Chief Strategy Officer remains the same. But the team under her was cut in half. Tong Chi Vien was stripped of his daily management rights as Deputy General Director. Switch to new title:

“Senior advisor.”

Say it bluntly. It's being pushed aside. Ha Than is even happier than me.

“I told you so.”

“Good and evil have their consequences in the end.”

“Don't be happy too soon.”

I took a sip of water.

“Hua Uyen Thanh hasn't gone anywhere yet.”

“What else can she do?”

“Even General Phuong has spoken up.”

“You underestimate her.”

I'm right. Hua Uyen Thanh did not resign. Can't sit still either. She did something that no one expected. Friday afternoon. When opening the phone. I saw a post on a public account that was going crazy in the advertising world. The title is:

“Thinh Hang Media's internal conflict escalated, the Creative Director oppressing colleagues to get promoted?”

The article uses a lot of phrases such as:

“Insider reveals…”

“Reliable sources say...”

The entire story about the Cam Hoa project has been distorted into a completely different version. In that version. I am a scheming woman. First, intentionally reject the project to force the company to make concessions. Then take advantage of relationships with outside experts to polish your name. Finally, rely on the title of Best Innovator of the Year nomination to put pressure on the company. Force the Chairman to stand up for you. The article also insinuated that there was an "unjustified relationship of interest" between me and Chu Hac Minh. Ha Than finished reading and was so angry that he was shaking.

“This is definitely Hua Uyen Thanh's doing!”

"Sure!"

“Do you have proof?”

"Do not have."

“Article posted by anonymous account.”

“Unable to look up registration information.”

“But the writing style.”

“Internal details are mentioned.”

“It can't be anyone else besides her.”

I put down the phone.

“Don't rush.”

“How can you not be in a hurry?”

“This article has been read more than 20,000 times!”

“The comment section is full of people cursing you!”

“Just let them curse.”

Ha Than looked at me in confusion.

“Why aren't you worried?”

“Do you know why?”

“Because next week is the National Brand Innovation Summit.”

“More than three hundred core industry figures will be present.”

“When they see my speech with their own eyes.”

“So how much trouble can an anonymous post create?”

Ha Than was stunned.

“What do you mean…”

“Public opinion cannot be won by writing.”

“We have to win with people.”

“When everyone important has met you.”

“I heard you talk before.”

“I've seen your abilities with my own eyes.”

“A fabricated article is like a piece of discarded paper.”

I hold the bag carry it up.

“Book flight tickets.”

“Go to Beijing.”

National Brand Innovation Summit. Beijing National Mau Convention Center. Third floor lobby. More than three hundred guests attended. All are famous figures in the industry. Brand leadership. Founder of major advertising companies. Industry association member. Academic professor. My name is printed in the main forum guest book. Was the third speaker. Only upon arrival. I just realized how big the status of the two people who spoke before me was. First person. Creative Director of the largest advertising group in the country. Second. Creative Director who won the Gold Award at the Asia-Pacific Advertising Festival for three consecutive years. Just comes from a mid-range media company in Hai Thanh.

“Tense?”

Chu Hac Minh stepped forward from the crowd. In hand holding a cup of tea.

“It's okay.”

“It doesn't have to be 'fine'.”

He took a sip of tea.

“You originally had no reason to be nervous.”

He stopped for a moment.

“Ah yes.”

“I read that article.”

I didn't speak up.

“This circle is very small.”

“Write for someone to see.”

“Everyone understands.”

“You don't need to respond.”

“Let the work speak for itself.”

He patted my shoulder. Then turned around and left. It's my turn to go on stage. There were more than two hundred people sitting in the hall at that time. The light is very bright. I could barely see the face underneath. After the host introduced my name. A few sporadic applause rang out below. Not too enthusiastic. Very normal. Most people have never heard of the name Tham Nhuoc Tinh. I walked to the center of the stage. Open the presentation file. The first page appears. It's a photo. Photo of my mother at twenty-five years old. Black and white photo. She stood in a weaving factory. In front of it spread a sketch of the pattern. Head bowed. Concentrate on drawing each stroke.

“This is my mother.”

I spoke up.

“She worked as a designer for twenty years.”

“Draw more than a thousand patterns.”

“Her work helped a small factory become the largest textile enterprise in the province.”

“But in her entire life she had never once signed her own work.”

The whole hall was silent.

“I am thirty-five years old this year.”

“I've been doing advertising for ten years.”

“The past ten years.”

“I do over three hundred projects.”

“Won twenty-three awards.”

I move on to the next page.