Chapter 11 — Fake Lover Turns Out to Be Fiancee

On the first Monday morning of the week, the atmosphere at Duong Gia Group headquarters became unusually heavy. Gia Khue entered the meeting room and saw the department heads already seated at the table, everyone's faces showing concern.

"What's got everyone gathered so early?" She asked, placing the briefcase on the table, her eyes scanning each tense face.

The head of sales, a middle-aged woman who has been with the company for many years, stood up to present, her voice filled with anxiety. "Dear Ms. Khue, last week's sales dropped nearly thirty percent compared to expectations. We checked and discovered that an anonymous article was spreading on social networks, accusing our company's pharmaceutical and cosmetic products of using poor quality ingredients, and even posting fake images of test results."

Gia Khue frowned, picked up the document that printed out the article that was causing a stir, and skimmed through it with increasingly serious eyes. The article was cleverly written, convincing enough to sow doubt in the hearts of consumers, but lacked concrete verifiable evidence, a clear sign of an intentional smear campaign.

"Who is behind this?" She asked, her voice cold, completely different from the gentleness she had shown in recent days when she was with Bach Dang.

"We have not determined the exact origin, but there are some indications that this post was posted from many different accounts at the same time, in what appears to be a well-organized campaign." The head of the communications department added, his voice also filled with tension.

At that moment, a supply room employee hurried in, his face pale. "Miss Khue, I have another bad news to report. My main supplier of precious herbs in the highlands has just announced a sudden cancellation of the contract, saying that there is another partner paying twice the price, they cannot refuse."

Gia Khue clenched her hands so tightly that her nails dug into her palms. Her voice turned cold when she spoke, each word steady as if she was trying to hold back an anger that was about to spill out of her lips. That herbal supplier was a long-time partner, having provided key ingredients for the company's most high-end product lines for many years. The loss of this supply while false rumors were spreading will deal a heavy blow to Duong Gia's reputation and revenue.

"Who was the partner that outbid that supplier?" She asked, her voice sharp.

"We are looking into it, but there are rumors that it is someone from Hung Thinh Group." The employee replied, his voice shaking.

That name made the entire conference room silent for a moment. Hung Thinh Group, headed by Luong Khac Binh, has been a direct competitor of Duong Gia in the pharmaceutical and cosmetics segment for many years, and has repeatedly tried to suppress the company with unfair competition tactics, but has never acted so blatantly to this extent.

The meeting ended in a heavy atmosphere, each person was assigned a specific task to handle the crisis, but everyone understood that this was only a temporary measure, the core problem was still how to find alternative sources of supply and quell false rumors before it caused irreversible damage.

Returning to her private office, Gia Khue sat down in her chair, holding her head in her hands, feeling the pent-up pressure making her almost exhausted. Bach Dang, standing guard outside the door as usual, noticed the abnormality in her appearance and immediately walked in.

"What's wrong with you? You look very tired." He asked, sounding genuinely worried.

Gia Khue recounted the entire situation to him, her voice gradually becoming tired as she listed all the mounting difficulties that were weighing heavily on her shoulders. "This company is my father's lifelong passion. I can't let it collapse just because of a few dirty tricks from my competitors."

Bach Dang listened attentively, his own thoughts began to form in his mind. Although he is not familiar with modern business, herbs and ingredients are fields he has a deep understanding of thanks to the years he was taught by his master in the mountains.

"You call that 'media crisis'?" Bach Dang suddenly interrupted, pointing at the file containing the anonymous article. "On the mountain, if anyone puts bad things to harm others, all they have to do is invite them to the patriarch's temple to confront them and it will all come out. There is no temple here, so who should we invite?"

Gia Khue paused, amidst all the pressure that was weighing her down, almost burst out laughing at that serious, naive question. "They call lawyers here, brother, you can't invite anyone to the altar." She shook her head, but the frustration in her body was somewhat relieved thanks to that carefree question. "What kind of herbs did you say the old supplier specialized in selling?" He asked again, this time his voice was serious again.

"Mainly precious medicinal plants that grow in high mountains, such as Ngoc Linh ginseng, Panax notoginseng, polygonum multiflora, and a few other endemic herbs used to extract essences for high-end product lines." Gia Khue replied, not understanding why he asked for these details.

Bach Dang nodded, his eyes flashing with a confident light. "I know those herbs very well. On Vo Danh Mountain, the area around Tieu Dao Coc grows many similar precious medicinal plants, some even more rare than what you just mentioned. My master taught me how to recognize, harvest and preserve them properly since I was young."

Gia Khue raised her head, her eyes flashing with hope. "Are you telling the truth? But how can we access the source of that herb? Where is Anonymous Mountain located, is it far?"

"It's not too far, it only takes about a day to travel by car and then walk a little further." Bach Dang replied. "But the problem is, no one exploits it commercially in that area. People around the area only pick it for household use or sell it retail at the market. If you want to have a stable supply and large quantity, you will need to be more organized."

"So if we cooperate with local people, build a formal supply chain, do you think it is feasible?" Gia Khue asked, her mind quickly operating according to her inherently sharp business thinking.

"I think it's feasible, but it will take time to convince people, and someone who understands the mountainous terrain as well as their farming practices will be needed to act as a bridge." Bach Dang replied, then smiled. "Luckily, I'm the best person for the job."

Gia Khue looked at him, a new hope rising in her heart after a long day full of pressure. "Are you willing to help me with this?"

"Of course." Bach Dang nodded firmly. "You helped me get through the first days of being helpless in a foreign land, now it's my turn to help you overcome these difficulties. Furthermore, this is also an opportunity for me to use what I learned in the mountains for something useful, instead of just standing guard all day."

Gia Khue smiled, a feeling of relief spread throughout her body after a long and stressful day. She did not expect that a man from a remote hermit sect could become the key to solving one of the most difficult difficulties her family company is facing.

That evening, the two sat down to discuss the details of the plan, Bach Dang sketched out on paper areas on Vo Danh Mountain that could sustainably exploit herbs without affecting the natural ecosystem, and Gia Khue calculated financial options, contracts, and ways to build long-term cooperative relationships with local people.

"If this plan is successful, it will not only solve the immediate supply problem, but can also open up a long-term sustainable development path for the company." Gia Khue said, her eyes shining with enthusiasm, different from her tired look in the afternoon.

"I believe we can do it." Bach Dang replied, looking at her with encouraging eyes.

On the other side of the city, in another luxurious office, the desk lamp was still on even though it was past midnight — Luong Khac Binh was sitting closely watching every move of the Duong Gia Group, and he would not easily let this counterattack plan go as smoothly as the two were hoping.

Luong Khac Binh's office is located on the top floor of a brightly lit commercial tower, overlooking the entire city at night. He sat behind a shiny mahogany desk, flipping through the report on Duong Gia's decline in sales that his subordinate had just presented, the corners of his lips curling up in a calculating smile.

"Sales are down thirty percent, and the main herbal supplier has also switched contracts with us." The assistant stood and reported, his voice respectful. "At this rate, in just a few months, Duong Gia will have to sell some shares to rotate capital."

"Very good." Luong Khac Binh nodded with satisfaction and put the report on the table. "That Khac Nguyen Street thought that maintaining traditional quality was enough to stay in the market, but in these times, whoever controls the supply, whoever controls public opinion, is the winner."

"Sir, there's something strange we just discovered." The assistant continued hesitantly. "Recently, Ms. Duong Gia Khue appeared frequently with a strange man of unknown origin. This person defeated the three gangsters we hired to put pressure on the warehouse in less than a minute, causing all three to flee."

Luong Khac Binh frowned, his sharp eyes stopped on the assistant's face. "Defeating three armed men in less than a minute? Are you sure you're not exaggerating?"

"We reviewed the security cameras in the area around the warehouse. Although the person's face was not clearly shown, the person's movements were so fast and precise that they were not like a person who normally practices martial arts and sports." The assistant replied, his voice a bit reserved.

Luong Khac Binh stood up, walked out the window and looked down at the sparkling city lights, a new vigilance arose in his heart. He is inherently a cautious person, never disregarding any variables that could affect his plans.

"Find out carefully who that person is, where he comes from, and what relationship he has with the Tang family." He ordered, his voice cold. "If Duong Gia Khue finds such a powerful assistant, our plan needs to be adjusted accordingly. I don't want any unexpected events to ruin the hard work we've put in."

"Yes sir, I will have someone investigate immediately." The assistant bowed his head and hurried out of the room to carry out the order.

Left alone in the office, Luong Khac Binh stood silently looking out at the city at night for a long time, and in his mind began to map out many different backup plans. He tapped his finger lightly on the window glass, confident that with just a few more phone calls, all the unknowns would be resolved as neatly as any other deal he had arranged. He never expected that the name "Tieu Dao Coc" that his subordinate had just mentioned was about to pull him out of the familiar world of contracts and stocks, throwing him straight into a playground where money could not necessarily buy him a way out.