Chapter 2 — Five Years of Unjust Prison

"This high-end custom-made dress suits you very well, Tieu Van. You can definitely become the youngest dean."
Before she finished speaking, she saw me. The moment their four eyes met, the smile on her face immediately froze. She walked quickly, her eyes raking over the cleaning uniform on my body and the dirty rag in my hand.
“You… in a place like this… doing this?”
Her voice was very low, like a razor blade. I didn't speak, I bent down and continued to clean the floor.
“Co Tram!”
She grabbed my wrist with such force that it burst the blister on it. Yellow pus was all over her hands, she didn't seem to see.
"Look what you look like now! Who are you trampling? Trampling yourself!"
"If it spreads out, how will others see my mother? How will I see your father? Where will we put our faces?"
I forcefully withdrew my hand and looked straight at her.
“So when you took me to prison, weren't you afraid of others watching?”
She choked, her face turned blue and white. Taking a deep breath, she tried to calm her voice down:
"Tieu Tram, stop making trouble, let's talk properly. You're in a place like this... I'm heartbroken."
"Heartbreaking?"
I pulled the corners of my mouth.
"Are you heartbroken because of me, or are you heartbroken because your son who sweeps the toilets makes your great professor look bad?"
Her face turned red, her chest heaved.
"Co Tram! How long are you going to cause trouble?!"
"The company in your house refuses to come, they insist on staying here to sweep the toilet, intentionally confronting us, right?!"
I stopped moving and turned to look at her.
"Mom, that year you clearly discovered that To Van's thesis revealed national secrets. You can completely retract the thesis and publicly correct it. With your ability, you can completely get rid of her."
I took a step forward, staring at her:
"But you guys didn't do it. You guys waited for it to make a fuss, so I, the kind person who helped her collect data for her thesis, plead guilty instead and quickly get rid of the trouble. You guys have less work to do, and To Van can keep her record."
"Only I was thrown into prison by you, ruining everything. There must be a limit to gratitude!"
These details I dug up little by little from old news during countless sleepless nights. The more you understand, the colder your heart becomes. It's not that they don't have a way, it's just that they chose to sacrifice me. My mother's lips moved, her eyes avoided, she couldn't say anything.
"Investigate your parents? Co Tram, we gave birth and raised our children, but you repay us like that? You're so narrow-minded!"
A low, angry voice interjected. My father strode from the other side of the shopping center, his face pale. Behind him was the bald manager, looking uneasy.
“Lawyer Co, Ms. Chu, this…” Manager Vuong rubbed his hands, wanting to reconcile.
My father basically ignored him, turned around and said seriously to the manager:
"Manager Vuong, my son has mental problems, we cannot let him work here, to avoid affecting the shopping center and others."
“This… Lawyer Co, this is not in accordance with regulations…”
“Regulations?”
My father laughed coldly. “Need me to talk to you about labor laws, or about fire safety risks in your shopping center?” The intimidation not hidden at all. The manager's face changed, he looked at me and sighed:
“…Co Tram, pack your things and go quickly.”
I know I can't get that salary anymore.
"I'm embarrassed! Let's go!"
My father stopped looking at me and turned to To Van. She was wearing a luxurious lady-like dress, standing in a bright place looking at me. As for me, wearing rubber boots and work pants, my whole body smelled of disinfectant and putrefaction. The contrast was so dazzling, blood immediately rushed straight to the top of his head.
"Okay! You guys are cruel enough!"
"Then I'll talk online! Bring out the story of that year, expose everything you guys did! Let's see who loses more face!"
My father's pupils shrank, and in his anger flashed a trace of reserve. He was silent for a few seconds, then when he opened his mouth again, his voice had softened a bit:
“We are not here to force you.”
"You caused chaos at the celebration party, causing a bad influence on To Van. Some important people have become suspicious of her."
To Van just in time took a step forward, with a moderately pleading look on her face:
"Junior brother, thousands of mistakes are all my fault. Can you watch this? I recorded a video, saying that it was my fault that year, it had nothing to do with us, now I have repented, I hope everyone will not misunderstand. I will compensate you five hundred thousand."
My father looked at the broom in my hand and said in a giving voice:
"As long as you record this video, we will guarantee that we will not force you to go home again. You can also continue... doing your current job."
A deep feeling of helplessness came over me, I knew I was no match for them.
"...I'm filming. But I don't need the money, you guys just let me go."
To Van and my father looked at each other and gritted their teeth:
"Okay! But you must accept the money, otherwise I won't feel at ease."
I was stunned. The desire to escape suppressed the insecurity in my heart.