Chapter 17 — Anonymous Drawing

The weekly meeting of the board of directors of Kien Nguyen Group took place on Monday morning, and as usual, Mr. Ngo Bach Dien was the first to arrive, sitting at the head of the table opposite his brother's position, preparing a thick financial file. But that morning, instead of starting with the quarterly financial report, he opened with a different topic.

"I want to ask about the bidding results for the Old Port project," he said, his voice calm but with something searching in his eyes. "I heard that the winning architect is Khoi Nguyen's old classmate, right?"

The entire meeting room was silent, all eyes focused on Khoi Nguyen, who still remained calm even though he had anticipated that this question would soon appear.

"That's right, sir," he replied frankly, without evading. "Ms. Chu Dieu Linh was in the same high school class as me eight years ago. But I would like to confirm that I did not participate in the grading process, nor did I know in advance that she would participate in the bid until the final round list was announced."

"I don't doubt your honesty," Mr. Bach Dien said, his voice still outwardly gentle, but every word carefully considered. "But I also understand that in business, sometimes the truth is not as important as the perception of outsiders. If the press or partners learn of this personal relationship, they may question the transparency of the entire bidding process, even though in fact everything is completely fair. That can affect the corporation's reputation."

"I asked architect Lam Viet Hoa, chair of the jury, to confirm in writing the independence of the scoring process," Khoi Nguyen replied, his voice still steady. "I am willing to make all grading records public if necessary to demonstrate transparency."

"That's good," Mr. Bach Dien nodded, but then continued, his voice somewhat more stern. "But I suggest that, to avoid any unnecessary risks, you should withdraw from the role of investor representative directly working with this architectural office throughout the project implementation process. Let another person in the project management board be in charge of contact, you just need to follow the overall report and that's enough."

That suggestion made Khoi Nguyen pause, feeling a sense of anxiety rising in his heart - not only because he didn't want to lose the opportunity to work close to Dieu Linh after eight years of separation, but also because he understood that if he completely withdrew from the project at an early stage, it could be misunderstood in another way - as if he was trying to avoid responsibility, or worse, as if he was admitting there was something hidden to hide.

"I would like to disagree with this proposal, sir," Khoi Nguyen said, his voice more determined. "The Old Wharf project is a project I proposed and pursued from the first days, I have the responsibility to ensure it is implemented according to the original vision. Suddenly withdrawing from the representative role, right after knowing the winning bid results, is the thing that is most likely to raise suspicions - people will question why I am avoiding you, is it because there is something to hide or not."

Mr. Bach Son, sitting in the chair of the meeting, observed the debate between the two uncles and nephews for a while, then spoke decisively to end the escalating tension.

"I think Khoi Nguyen has a point," he said. "Suddenly changing the person in charge right after the new results are out is really what creates unnecessary doubts. We just let everything happen according to the announced process, transparent from start to finish. If there are any complaints or questions from outside, we have full records proving the independence of the scoring process to respond."

Mr. Bach Dien did not object further to his brother's decision, but his eyes when looking at Khoi Nguyen still had a bit of lingering doubt. "Okay, I respect your decision. But I hope Khoi Nguyen understands, I say this not because I doubt you, but because it is my responsibility to protect the common interests and reputation of the entire corporation, shareholders, and thousands of employees who depend on the stability of this company."

"I understand, and I thank you for your caution," Khoi Nguyen replied, his voice softening, admitting his uncle's worries were not unfounded. "I promise to keep all interactions with this architectural office at a completely professional level, with complete and transparent records so that anyone can double-check if necessary."

After the meeting, when everyone had left the room, Mr. Bach Son kept his son for a few more minutes.

"Are you truly confident that you can maintain professional boundaries?" he asked, his eyes full of concern. "I don't doubt your morality, but I understand that old feelings are sometimes harder to control than you think."

"I'm not completely sure," Khoi Nguyen admitted, his voice low. "But I know, if I let my personal feelings affect the fairness of this project, I will lose the very thing that makes Dieu Linh trust me again — if that ever has a chance to happen. I will be careful, father."

Mr. Bach Son nodded, patted his son's shoulder, did not say anything more, but in his heart he secretly hoped that this time, his son would find a way to balance work responsibilities and personal feelings much better than what he himself did eight years ago.

Meanwhile, at Uncle Huan's office, Dieu Linh is also facing similar questions, although in a different direction. An editor of an architectural magazine who had previously published an article introducing her social housing project contacted her and asked to be interviewed about her latest victory, but the first question made her pause.

"I heard some colleagues in the industry whispering that you had a prior acquaintance with representatives of Kien Nguyen Group," the editor said over the phone, his voice cautious but unable to hide his professional curiosity. "Can you share about this relationship? Readers will definitely be interested."

Dieu Linh was silent for a moment, feeling a dull anger rising, not because of the sudden question, but because she realized that no matter how hard she tried to win with her own strength, the past still had a way to creep back, threatening to lower the value of the effort she had spent.

"Mr. Ngo Khoi Nguyen and I went to high school together, that's right," she replied, her voice steady, not avoiding the truth. "But I suggest you contact architect Lam Viet Hoa directly, chair of the independent jury, to verify the scoring process. I believe that if you look through my portfolio and technical explanation, you will see clearly that this victory does not need any personal relationship to explain."

"I understand, sorry for the sensitive question," the editor said, somewhat confused by her frankness. "I will focus the article on the technical aspect of the project, as you suggested."

After hanging up the phone, Dieu Linh sat silently for a while, her hands clenched on the chair, feeling both angry and tired because she had to constantly prove her worth in front of suspicious eyes, just because of a truth she had no intention of hiding but also never wanted to have to explain publicly. She called Khanh Thu to tell the story, her voice still filled with frustration.

"It's true that life is unfair," Khanh Thu sighed over the phone. "You won with your strength, worked day and night for weeks, but still had to stick your neck out to explain. But you handled it right, just let the facts and records speak for themselves, don't let people's tongues confuse you."

"I know," Dieu Linh replied, her voice softening somewhat. "It's just, I didn't expect the past to still affect me so much, even after I've been trying to completely step away from it for the past eight years."

"Then we have to do this project well," Khanh Thu said, her voice encouraging. "So that in the future, when people mention the Old Wharf project, they remember the quality of the design, not the nonsense rumors. You can do it, I believe in you."

That encouragement made Dieu Linh feel a little more relieved, even though she knew that the road ahead, with pressure from both sides - external public opinion and within the investor group - would be more challenging than what she had ever imagined when deciding to participate in bidding on this project, and she would have to learn to stand alone amidst all that pressure, as she has always done for the past eight years.