Chapter 12 — From the Ashes to the Pinnacle

As for Trieu Ngoc Phan— I didn't mean to listen, but news in the small city spread very quickly. One time, Aunt Ho called Tham Ve Quoc and mentioned—Trieu Ngoc Phan lived at the location for another half a month, then moved to Lam Phong's grandmother's old house. It was an old two-bedroom apartment with an old living room left by Lam Kien Quoc's mother. She and Lam Phong live there. No source of income. Relying on subsidies from the Department of Civil Affairs and the occasional change earned by helping others sell vegetables at the market to make ends meet. Life is extremely poor. But she didn't come to see me anymore. Also did not contact Tham Ve Quoc. After signing, it was like she was uprooted from my world. Clean, decisive. She was also like that in her previous life. To me, she has never had a feeling called "not being able to let go". I am just a “tool” that can bring in pension money. When the tool is no longer effective, it will naturally be thrown away. This type of person is not worthy of hatred. But it's worth her regret. Two months later. Friday night. Tham Ve Quoc's usual phone call came in. "Wei Duong, have you eaten yet?" "Have you eaten?" "How's studying?" "Okay. Final exam next month." "Are you sure?" "Yes." "... Don't let yourself be too tired. Go out and play a little on the weekend." "I know, dad." "So..." He stopped: "Dad, tell me something." I said "yes". "Your company... something happened." My finger stopped. on the notebook. "What's going on?" "There's a partner who violated the contract and owes me money for a shipment. About more than seven hundred thousand yuan." "The other side doesn't admit it?" "It's not that they don't admit it... but the other side's company is about to collapse. They have more debt than assets." I was silent for two seconds. "Do you need me to see the contract?" The other end was silent for a long time. "What contract... did you see?" "A while ago I was studying law by myself." This is the truth—I bought a few textbooks. economic law and contract law. With my past life experience and re-learning in this life, I can understand basic commercial disputes. "Dad, take a photo of the contract and send it to me." "Let's see if there are any provisions that can apply measures to preserve assets." Shen Wei Quoc was silent again for a long time. Then sighed. “This kid…” “Okay. Dad sent it to you.” Ten minutes after hanging up, I received more than ten contract photos on WeChat. I zoomed in to see each page. A contract to supply standard construction materials. But there is one detail—in the other party's warranty terms, there is a section: "Party A uses the real estate under its name at No. XX, XX Street, XX District, Guangzhou City as security for contract performance." I looked up that address. If the opposing business is indeed insolvent and enters bankruptcy proceedings—this real estate, as collateral for a specific debt, may be given priority for payment. But the condition is—debt registration and asset preservation must be completed before the other party officially files for bankruptcy. I picked up the phone and replied to Tham Ve Quoc with a long message. List the analysis, proposed treatment steps, and agencies to contact. Five minutes later, Tham Ve Quoc replied with one word: "Dep." Ten seconds later, he texted again: "Tomorrow I will ask lawyer Ha to do as you say." Five seconds later: "Ve Duong." "If there's anything you're not sure about in the future, can you ask me?" I smiled slightly. Type: “Anytime.” This is not simply to help Tham Ve Quoc. I am building my self-worth. Let Tham Ve Quoc know—I am not a “child” that you need to raise. I'm your partner. Is your support. He is someone worthy of your 100% trust. This layer of trust is stronger than blood relationships. Because

it is exchanged for ability. One week later. Lawyer Ha handled it according to my suggestion—complete the asset preservation before the other party filed for bankruptcy. The debt of seven hundred thousand yuan was finally recovered by six hundred and thirty thousand yuan through the sale of that real estate. Tham Ve Quoc laughed on the phone. "Wei Duong, if it weren't for you discovering the collateral clause in this matter, I would have lost at least four hundred thousand yuan." "No need to be polite." "It's not a matter of being polite..." He stopped: "The card I gave you, I transferred another three hundred thousand yuan." "Dad..." "Don't refuse." His voice was very firm: "It's the money I earned back. You deserve it." The call ended. I looked at the balance in the banking app. Six hundred thousand yuan. Fourteen years old. I have six hundred thousand yuan in cash in my hand. Not much. For those who are truly wealthy, it's just a very small portion. But for me now— This is the second knife. The first thing is knowledge. The first knife is knowledge. The second knife is money. Relationship. But now is not the time yet. First, the final exam must be resolved. The third da.a.o—wait until you reach high school before sharpening it. December. Final exam. This time, I didn't continue to hide. Or should I say—I just hid it a little.