Chapter 10 — Guess, MVP Heiress Has Returned

Since the tense meeting with Lam Dac Uy, Bach Khang began to quietly expand his scope of observation beyond the scope of his professional competition. As a manager, he has access to the entry and exit schedules of all personnel related to the team, including media partners from sponsors. He did not rush to conclude anything, just quietly took notes, compared, and looked for recurring irregularities.

On Tuesday afternoon, when Yen Chi finished her private practice session and stopped by the management office to submit a self-assessment report on her performance according to internal regulations, she saw Bach Khang sitting in front of two screens, one side was the building's entrance and exit schedule, the other was a list of internal calls between the team communications department and the marketing department of Anh Kim Group.

"Have you found anything?" she asked, setting the report down on the table.

Bach Khang looked up and signaled her to sit in the chair opposite. "There are a few notable points. In the past three months, Y Nhi has had a total of eleven times in and out of Anh Kim Group's office outside of official training hours, mostly late in the evening, not part of any official promotional schedule registered with the team."

Yen Chi frowned. "Eleven times in three months is not a small number. If it's just regular advertising photo shoots, there must definitely be a clear registration schedule with the team's image management department."

"Exactly," Bach Khang nodded. "And what's more remarkable, among those eleven times, three times coincided almost perfectly with the time right before the hidden posts appeared on her personal page, or right before the wave of anonymous comments criticizing you started to appear on the fan forums."

Yen Chi was silent for a moment, feeling cold down her spine when she heard those specific numbers. She had guessed that there was some arrangement behind it, but when she saw concrete evidence in the form of data, that feeling became much heavier than a vague hunch.

"So what can we do with this information?" she asked.

"Currently, it's not enough to conclude anything official," Bach Khang said, his voice cautious. "Coincidence in timing is not proof of a causal link. We need more data — maybe the content of the exchanges, maybe the flow of money, maybe the statements of insiders. But at least, this is a starting point so we know where to focus our investigation."

Yen Chi nodded, then suddenly remembered a detail. "I remember hearing a conversation between two logistics staff, they mentioned that Y Nhi often met privately with someone in the sponsor's media department. If we can determine who that person is, perhaps it will be easier to find clues."

"I will try to approach this issue delicately," Bach Khang said. "It's not possible to investigate publicly because it would attract unnecessary attention, but I have some connections in the industry that could help with a more private investigation."

In the following days, Bach Khang quietly contacted an old friend who used to work in the field of public relations, who clearly understood how underground media campaigns worked in the entertainment and e-sports world. Through a few discreet conversations, he gradually determined that the team in charge of Y Nhi's image at Anh Kim Group had an employee named Bui Dac Long, who had previously been involved in a small scandal related to editing false advertising data for another brand, but the case was resolved smoothly thanks to Lam Dac Uy's relationship.

"Bui Dac Long," Yen Chi repeated that name when Bach Khang shared the information, "is that person that Y Nhi often meets privately?"

"Very likely," Bach Khang replied. "But I don't have direct evidence to confirm the identity of the person mentioned by the two logistics staff. We need to be cautious, we cannot make accusations based on speculation."

Yen Chi understands that clearly. She remembered the painful lesson of her past life — it was because of the lack of concrete evidence, relying only on words and beliefs, that she was unable to defend herself against the baseless accusations leveled against her. This time, she is determined not to make the same mistake again, whether as a victim or as a seeker of truth.

“We need to collect evidence patiently and systematically,” she said, her voice firm. "Don't be hasty, don't act without thinking, but don't ignore any clues either."

Bach Khang nodded in agreement. "I propose we start a separate tracking file, recording every unusual development in chronological order, with concrete evidence when it can be collected — screenshots, meeting minutes, entry and exit schedules. This record will be an important foundation if we later need to present it to tournament organizers or even law enforcement."

Yen Chi agreed immediately. She took out her notebook and began jotting down today's conversation as the first entry in the track record that was slowly taking shape. She carefully wrote down the date, the specific numbers Bach Khang had provided, the name Bui Dac Long, and her own premonition that things were not as simple as they seemed.

That night, after Bach Khang left the office, Yen Chi sat alone, looking out the dark window of the management building. She thought about the coming months, about how she would have to maintain her top performance while silently monitoring a plot that was gradually unfolding. That burden was not small, but she felt stronger than ever, not because she had forgotten the pain of her previous life, but because she had learned how to turn that pain into motivation to act consciously and strategically.

She closed the notebook, put it in a locked drawer along with the hard drive that stored the competition data, telling herself that from today, each piece of evidence collected will be a brick to build a solid wall of protection for her own future.

A few days later, Trinh Gia Linh accidentally discovered Yen Chi sitting and taking detailed notes during lunch break, and asked curiously. Yen Chi considered for a while and then decided to share part of the story with the only close friend she trusted absolutely in the team, even though she did not reveal all the sensitive details.

"I suspect there is someone behind the scenes pulling the strings in the recent scandals," Yen Chi said quietly, making sure no one around could hear. "It's not simply a family matter anymore."

Gia Linh frowned, her voice worried. "What are you planning to do? Is it dangerous?"

"I don't know for sure yet," Yen Chi admitted, "but Bach Khang and I are carefully gathering information. I just want to ask you a favor, if you hear anything unusual in the team, especially related to Y Nhi or the sponsor, please let me know, even if it's the smallest detail."

"Okay," Gia Linh nodded firmly, "you can trust me. But you also have to be careful with yourself, don't get caught up in this to the point that you forget to take care of your health and performance."

Yen Chi smiled, touched by your sincere concern. "I'll be careful. Thank you for always being by my side."

That same evening, Yen Chi received another unexpected call from Dinh Quoc Bao, who had previously appeared shaken by rumors about her. His voice was somewhat hesitant.

"Hey Yen Chi, I happened to see Y Nhi texting someone with the saved name 'Mr. Long' while borrowing his phone to transfer files. The content mentioned 'next week's plans' or something. I didn't mean to read it secretly, it was just that the screen lit up right in front of my eyes. I thought it probably had nothing to do with it, but I remembered what you told me the other day so I called to let you know."

Yen Chi tightened her grip on the phone, her heart beating faster. "Thank you for telling me, Quoc Bao. This may be more important than you think. Do you remember the exact content of the message?"

"I just glanced at it, I don't remember every word clearly," Quoc Bao replied, "but the words 'match data' and 'safety assurance' were mentioned, which sounds a bit strange."

Yen Chi thanked Quoc Bao again, then hung up the phone and sat silently in front of the desk, her anxiety clearly rising. "Match data" and "safety guaranteed" — those two phrases, when combined with the name Bui Dac Long that Bach Khang had just identified, made her shudder at a terrifying possibility: whether Y Nhi and her accomplices were planning to do something directly related to her own match data.

She immediately texted Bach Khang, telling him everything Quoc Bao had just provided. He responded immediately, his tone through the text message much more serious: "We need to be doubly careful from now on. If they are targeting match data, they may be hatching a slanderous plan related to competition cheating. Meet me early tomorrow, we need to discuss how to protect your match data more thoroughly."

Yen Chi put down the phone, a cold feeling spread throughout her body. This was exactly the scenario that had ruined her in her previous life—false evidence of competition cheating. But this time, she knew beforehand, she had allies, and most importantly, she wouldn't let history repeat itself in the same way.