Chapter 1 — Check for Twenty Million and Trillion Billion

“20 million yuan (about 70 billion VND), is that enough?”

Phuong Cam Hoa pushed the check towards me. Red-painted nails lightly tapped twice on the marble table, the cold sound like a warning. The jade bracelet on her wrist sparkled under the light, so bright that it made others uncomfortable. I bowed my head and glanced at the number on the check. Hung Hoa Bank, 20 million yuan, drawer: Phuong Cam Hoa.

“Diep Tri Thu, I don't like beating around the bush.” She took a sip of coffee, not even bothering to look at me once. "You and Dien Chu have been together for three years, that's enough fun, right? The Luc family's doorstep is not the kind of girl like you who works at a bookstore to enter."

I didn't speak up.

“20 million yuan, in this city, buying two houses is still enough.” She put down the cup, her tone was light but each word cut like a knife. "Take the money, live your little life. Stop clinging to my son."

I reached out and picked up the check. The corner of Phuong Cam Hoa's lips curled slightly, clearly she thought I was reasonable. I took out my phone and dialed a number.

“Hello, VIP line of Hung Hoa Bank, is this Ms. Diep?”

The voice on the other end was so respectful that it almost bent over the phone. Phuong Cam Hoa's hand holding the cup of coffee stopped.

“Help me check, the account is called Phuong Cam Hoa, there is a check for 20 million yuan, is the balance enough to pay?”

The other end of the line was silent for two seconds.

"Miss Diep, please wait a moment... The current balance in Ms. Phuong Jinhua's account is 19,874,000 yuan. Not enough to cover this check."

I hung up the phone and gently placed the check back on the table.

“Uncle Phuong, this check of yours… is still 126,000 yuan short.”

Phuong Cam Hoa's face immediately turned pale.

“You… how could you look up my account information?”

I picked up the cup of tea on the table and took a sip.

“Forgot to tell you, the largest individual shareholder of Hung Hoa Bank... is me.”

The coffee cup in Phuong Cam Hoa's hand slid down. The dark brown liquid splashed, staining her Chanel suit worth hundreds of thousands. But she didn't realize it at all.

“No way… you're just a girl running a bookstore…”

“Bookstores are just my hobby.” I stood up, picked up my bag. “And the thing about you wanting me to leave Luc Dien Chu—”

I looked straight at her.

“You should ask first if your son is willing to leave me.”

As I turned around, I heard the sound of a chair being pushed hard and scraping against the floor.

"Diep Tri Thu! Come back to me!"

I don't look back. Stepping out of the private club's turnstile, Khuong Tieu Ngu's car was already parked outside. She rolled down the window.

"What's wrong? How much did the future mother-in-law give?"

“20 million yuan.”

“Is that all?” Khuong Tieu Ngu burst out laughing. “Last month you poured more money into Hung Hoa Bank than that amount.”

I opened the car door and sat in the passenger seat.

"The important thing is... she hasn't collected enough of this 20 million yet."

Khuong Tieu Ngu stepped on the accelerator and the car glided into the night.

“So you turned over your cards?”

“No. Just let her know that the check cannot be cleared.”

“So does she know that you are Diep Tri Thu of Thu Thach Capital?”

"Not yet." I leaned back in my chair. “She only knows that I am a shareholder of Hung Hoa Bank.”

Khuong Tieu Ngu whistled flute once.

“Does Luc Dien Chu know that you went to see his mother today?”

At that moment, my phone vibrated. On the screen appeared the name—Luc Dien Chu.

“I know.” I stared at the screen.

“Do you hear that?”

I swiped to receive the call.

“Tri Thu, is it my mother looking for you?”

Luc Dien Chu's voice was urgent.

"Where are you? Don't listen to her, I immediately—"

“Luc Dien Chu.” I interrupted.

The other end of the line immediately went silent.

“Your mother gave me a bad check.”

"Her account doesn't have enough money to pay. The Luc family... is something going on?"

There was a long silence.

“…How do you know her account doesn't have enough money?”

"I have my way. Answer me."

Silence again. Luc Dien Chu's voice lowered.

"Tri Thu, there are some things I haven't told you yet. The company is nearby..."

“How have you been lately?”

“The capital chain… has some problems.”

Khuong Tieu Ngu next to him straightened his ears to listen. I glanced at her and she immediately acted like "I didn't hear anything".

“How much is missing?”

“You don't need to worry—”

“How much?”

“…300 million yuan.”

Three hundred million. For the Luc family's real estate group, this number is not too large. But if even Phuong Cam Hoa's personal account was withdrawn to less than 20 million, then this loss... I'm afraid it won't just stop at three hundred million.

“Tomorrow I will come to your company.”

“No need, Tri Thu, I can handle it—”

“I said, I'll come tomorrow.”

I hung up. Khuong Tieu Ngu looked straight ahead, as if driving attentively.

“Stop pretending, you heard everything.”

"The story about Luc Thi's capital chain having problems, Chu Ngan mentioned it to me last week." She spoke very softly, as if telling something that was not worth worrying about.

Chu Ngan is the CEO of Thu Thach Capital, and is also the only person besides Khuong Tieu Ngu who knows my true identity.

“What did he say?”

"It's said that Luc Thi's Hai Van Loan project was set up in a trap. The partner suddenly withdrew capital, the bank started tightening the debt again. Someone was playing tricks on them."

"Still investigating. But Chu Ngan said, recently a group named Thinh Dat is secretly purchasing Luc Thi's suppliers, choking their source."

I remember this name. The car stopped in front of the gate of my neighborhood. It's called a luxury residential area, but it's actually just an old six-story building with no elevator. I'm on the fifth floor. It's because I deliberately chose it. No one can connect a girl living in an old house, working at a bookstore... with the person who holds 80 billion yuan in assets of Thu Thach Capital.

"Are you sure you won't transfer it back to the Thang Than Nhat Pham apartment in your name?" Every time he brought me home, Khuong Tieu Ngu asked this question.

"Sure."

“You have 80 billion yuan and in this place, your assets are probably crying silently.”

"Good night."

I closed the car door and went upstairs. Opening the door, the lights in the mysterious entrance were already on. Luc Dien Chu is sitting on the sofa in the living room.

“You came so quickly.”

He stood up and walked towards me. He's one meter eighty-five tall, his suit hasn't been changed yet, his tie is half loosened, and his hair is a bit messy. Eyes full of red blood.

"Sorry." The first thing he said was an apology. “What happened to my mother… I didn't know she would—”

“Not the first time.”

His hand dropped to his side, clenched tightly.

“I will make it clear to her.”

“I've said it many times.”

He was silent.

“Luc Dien Chu, I don't care what your mother thinks of me. But just now, you lied to me.”

“I don't—”

“Three hundred million?”

His face changed.

“How much is actually missing?”

He turned away.

“…Eight hundred million.”

Eight hundred million.

“What are you going to do?”

“I'm negotiating some investments. Next week there will probably be results.”

“Negotiation with whom?”

“…The Song family.”

Song family. Tong Thanh Man's house.

“Your mother told me to leave you today… is it related to this?”

He finally looked straight at me, his eyes filled with fatigue.

“The Song family set conditions. You can invest capital, but you have to get married.”

“Tong Thanh Man?”

He nodded.

“You refused. So your mother—”

“So your mother came to find me, wanting to send me away first, so that you would have no reason to refuse.”

He did not deny it. I put the bag on the shelf in the mysterious entrance.

“Luc Dien Chu, you hear me clearly. First, I won't leave because of a bad check. Second, your capital problem… I have a solution.”

“You?” He was stunned. “Tri Thu, this is not a small number—”

“I said I have a way.”

“But you—”

“Do you believe me?”

He looked at me, his eyes complicated.