Chapter 16 — Coffee Pairing Queen

Furthermore, the lighting and background of the "internal photos" were clearly taken elsewhere. But the average reader doesn't notice. The comment section exploded. "Shocked! I drink Lam Son every day!" "Unbelievable big brand!" "I won't drink it anymore!" I thought for a moment. Call Tham Viet. "Did you see it?" His voice was tired. “The stock price has dropped two points. The public relations department is preparing a statement.” “Those photos are fake.” I said. "I know. But consumers don't know." "What do you need me to do?" Tham Viet was silent for three seconds. "You agree to help?" "You are my old company. Furthermore, if this is due to someone maliciously short-selling... I cannot stand by and watch." "So... can you post a statement as an independent third party?" "Not to help Lam Son, but to use your professional perspective to analyze the loopholes in the article." "Okay. But I have one condition." "What condition?" "You let me into your roastery to do an independent inspection. If there really is a problem... I will speak frankly." "If there is no problem... I will also speak frankly." Tham Viet smiled. "Agreement." That night, I wrote an analysis. Not vouching for Lam Son, only analyzing the technical loopholes in the denunciation... the photo context does not match, the process description is wrong, the timeline is inconsistent. Two hours after posting, the number of reads reached five hundred thousand. The next day, the food blogger deleted the original post and posted an apology: "The information has not been verified, I am extremely sorry." I heard it was a writer hired by a competitor. Lam Son stock price recovered. Tham Viet transferred me an inspection fee. I charge the correct market price, not a penny extra. We are in a partnership, not a romantic relationship. That is what independent third party means. PART 26 Two years later. The number of people watching "That Cup of Coffee" exceeds one million two hundred thousand. The studio moved from sixty square meters to two hundred square meters. The team from just me became six people. Two expert tasters, both Q-Graders trained by me; a food safety specialist; a new media operator; an administrative officer; an intern. Annual income... sorry, this is not convenient to make public. But it can be said that it is three times higher than when I worked in research and development in Lam Son. Furthermore, this is my own career. No one can use "bonus points" to intimidate me, nor can anyone use "big picture" to shut me up. That afternoon, I received an email. The sender's name is a name I don't know. But the content of the email stopped me. "Hello Ms. Khuong Ninh, I'm Phuong Di." "Maybe you don't want to see my message. But I still want to write to you." "I have finished serving my probation." "Tran Ban's story from beginning to end was planned by him. I don't intend to use that as an excuse. I am an adult, I participated, I plead guilty." "But there are a few things I want to clarify with you." "Before coming to your company, Tran Ban told me to eliminate you first. Because he investigated your background and knew you were a Q-Grader. If you still help people match orders, people won't switch to drinking from me." "So the bonus point thing... I brought it up on purpose." "I looked at your application data in advance, planned my words, and deliberately chose a time when the office was crowded to say it." "I know it's disgusting." "Sorry." "You don't need to answer. I just want you know the truth.”I looked at that email for a long time. Then close it. Not forgiveness. It's just… it no longer matters. PART 27 Three years have passed. Industry Summit. I was invited to give a speech on:

“Independent Quality Control – The Third Pole of China's Coffee Industry”. Below were more than five hundred people sitting. Brand representatives, supply chain people, media, investors. Tham Viet was also present. He sat in the second row, nodding at me. Co Nhien sat in the last row, using her phone to record video. I said forty minutes. From supply chain transparency, third-party quality control business models, to the consumer right to know. Don't tell those dramatic stories. Just talk about data, real cases and methodology. After finishing, the applause lasted for a long time. People from three investment organizations gave business cards. The CEOs of the two chain brands expressed their desire for long-term cooperation. There was also an industry association that offered to invite me to be a member of the standards committee. As I walked off the stage, a young girl stopped me. She was over twenty years old, clutching a notebook in her hand, so nervous that her face turned red. "Miss Khuong Ninh! I'm a master's student majoring in food safety. I've been following 'That Cup of Coffee' for two years." "Your article 'Confessions of a Q-Grader' is the reason I chose this direction of research." "Can I... can I take a photo with you?" I looked at her, remembering myself three years ago.