Chapter 6 — Brilliant Youth Ahead

On one side is a recording of Luu Phoi scolding others like shrimp and fish. On one side is irrefutable evidence of Pho Hao's marital betrayal and shady relationship with the suspect's relatives. The two sides are so clearly opposed to each other, right - wrong, good - evil are distinguished in an instant. The previous article "Tearful denunciation" immediately became a ridiculous farce. The netizens who scolded me so harshly now seemed to have lost their collective memory, turning around without hesitation: "Oh my god, the twist is so harsh! It turns out the mother-in-law is the 'final boss'!" "That cursing voice sounds even more disgusting than a TV show." "The son had an affair, leaked confidential information and still defended it. Where are the morals of this whole family?" "Poor Ms. Tham, she mistakenly married a toxic family." "Whoever cursed Ms. Tham should apologize. "I'm one of them." The flood of public opinion poured towards the Pho family with a speed and intensity a hundred times stronger than when it was aimed at me. Liu Phoi completely collapsed. She couldn't understand why she had just made me a criminal, but after just one night, the person who was put on the "shame column" was herself. She frantically called her relatives to ask them to remove the posts, but discovered that all the posts were locked and could not be deleted. She contacted the reporter again, but no newspaper wanted to have anything to do with her. The media battle that she worked so hard to prepare ended up destroying herself and the entire Pho family, making them the laughing stock of the whole city. Amidst the uproar on the internet, Captain Trieu's investigation also made a breakthrough. He called me back to the police station. This time, there was no longer any doubt or caution in his eyes, but instead there was admiration mixed with seriousness. He pushed a thick file towards me with the explanation: "We have checked all of Luu Phoi's bank accounts over the past three years and discovered a large amount of money of unknown origin." "That amount exceeds eight digits." I was shocked. Eight digits — this number far exceeds the living standard of a normal retired family. “Most of this money was transferred to stock investment accounts and foreign financial funds,” he continued, his voice increasingly low. “The special thing is, the times she bought or sold suspiciously coincided with major economic policy announcements or fluctuations in key corporations.” “This is no longer simple investment. This is insider trading — insider trading — with unusually high accuracy." I looked at the tangled series of numbers on the bank statement, feeling a cold breeze run down my spine. "Where did she get the information from?" "We are still investigating," Captain Trieu interrupted me, "but the scope of suspects has narrowed a lot." "Such high-level information cannot be leaked from ordinary people." “There must be someone else behind Luu Phoi.”7And at this point, I finally understood — Pho Hao was just a pawn. Liu Phoi and those behind her are the real "big fish" in this case. I looked at team leader Trieu and asked directly: "Brother Trieu, is there anything else I can do to help?" He looked at me, pondering for a long time, seemingly making a difficult decision: "Pho Hao... has applied to meet you." I was stunned. "He said he had something important to tell you. I think... maybe he was trying to find out the situation outside." "Tham Nguyet, I know this may make you uncomfortable, but the fact that you met him could play a key role in the investigation. We need to know how much he really knows." about Luu Phoi's affairs." I thought for a while, finally

took a deep breath and nodded: "Okay, I'll go see him." The meeting was held in the interrogation room in the detention center. Through a cold iron table, I once again faced Pho Hao. After just a few days, he completely changed. No longer the dashing, confident man like before, but instead a man with a shaggy beard, dark circles around his eyes, tired and worn out. Seeing me walk in, his eyes seemed to brighten a little: "Nguyet Nguyet..." His voice was hoarse, dry, filled with fatigue and regret. I sat down, my face expressionless, my voice cold: "If you have something to say, say it." Pho Hao smiled bitterly: "Nguyet Nguyet, do we have to go to this step?" "I know I'm wrong... I really know I'm wrong." "You shouldn't be blinded by desire, and you shouldn't be bewitched by that woman Hua Dao." "Can you give me another chance? Let's start from the beginning... I swear, I will definitely treat you well from now on..." I coldly interrupted: "Shut up. At this point Okay, do you think empty words of regret are still effective? "You thought I came here to hear your repentance?" He looked at me confused: "So... what did you come for?" I looked at his haggard face and slowly asked: "What is the tens of millions in your mother's account...?" Pho Hao's pupils constricted violently, his face immediately turned pale. He reflexively tried to deny: "I... I don't know what you're talking about..." "Don't know?" I threw on the table a bank account statement that Captain Trieu had given me. "How many years have you been a police officer? Don't tell me you can't understand this."