Chapter 3 — Healing After Days of Neglect

I got in the car and closed the door. The driver looked at me through the rearview mirror.

“Miss Lam, are you going to Binh Giang Nhat Hao?”

The car started and rolled through the alley that I had been walking for twenty-six years. This time, I didn't look back. On the fifth day, I went to the company. Not going to work. It's to quit my job.

“Lam Van, have you thought about it carefully?” The department head frowned.

“Think carefully.”

"I've been working here for three years, this year I was originally going to officially transfer it to you. Now that I have time off, my year-end bonus is considered lost."

"No problem."

“So what are you going to do when you take a break?”

“Do some work yourself.”

"What to do? Do you have capital? My monthly salary is 3,500—"

“Where to sign?”

The department head looked at me for a long time, then pushed my resignation letter over. I signed my name and tidied up my things on my desk. A cardboard box is enough. Three years, more than a thousand days sitting in a cramped cubicle, everything I have... packed in just one box. When he walked out of the company building, Phuong Vien was waiting.

"Done?"

"Done."

“And then what?”

“Company registration.”

“What company?”

"I studied design, wanted to open my own design studio. Started small."

Phuong Vien clapped his hands.

“How much to invest?”

“In front of 5,000,000 yuan, test the waters.”

"5,000,000 is called testing the water. Lam Van, do you know what a normal person would think when hearing this sentence?"

“You are not a normal person.” I looked at her. “You are my partner.”

Phuong Vien was stunned.

"Annual salary 300,000 yuan, plus 10% shares. Can you do it?"

Phuong Vien stared at me for five seconds.

“I'm going to write a resignation letter right away.”

Company registration takes two weeks. The company name is "Van Chu Design", the registered address is right on the ground floor of Binh Giang Nhat Hao area. I bought a 160 square meter commercial space, priced at 8,000,000 yuan. Phuong Vien is in charge of operations, I am in charge of design. The first month, there were no applications. The second month, thanks to Phuong Vien's relationship, she received a small project, interior design for a coffee shop, with a quote of 80,000 yuan. Not much, but a start. The plan was made directly by me. The shop owner finished looking at it and decided on the spot.

"Miss Lam, your design skills are truly professional. Where did you work before?"

“A small company, doing odd jobs.”

"What a pity. With this level, joining a big company costs at least 500,000 yuan a year."

“I prefer to do it myself.”

After the work was posted, there was a sudden buzz on social networks. The third month, orders began to increase. First, a restaurant chain sought me out to do brand identity design, quoting a price of 200,000 yuan. Next is a model house project from the real estate party, quoted a price of 500,000 yuan. Phuong Vien was so busy that her feet couldn't touch the ground.

"Lin Van, did you know? Our company's revenue is about to hit 800,000 yuan in these three months."

"How calm are you? That's 800,000!"

“My account has more than 30,000,000 yuan, what makes me excited about 800,000?”

“You really deserve to be beaten when you say this.”

I smiled softly. Money is part of it, but more importantly... I'm doing what I like. That feeling is better than winning the lottery. At the end of March, one day I stayed at the company overtime to fix the plan. The doorbell rang. I opened the door, outside the door was Co Tham. He was wearing a gray suit, holding a file in his hand.

“Are you opening a company here?”

“Yeah, how did you find this place?”

“I was upstairs. When I went down to get something, I saw it sign. 'Van Chu Design', that's a good name."

He glanced at the drawing on my computer.

“Do design?”

“Interior design and branding.”

“What a coincidence.” He gave me the documents. “My company is about to build a new office, do you want to accept it?”

“What is the area?”

“1,200 square meters.”

I received the document and flipped through it. The company name is clearly printed on it. Tham Nguyen Capital. This name... I'm sure I've seen it somewhere before.

“Are you from Tham Nguyen Capital?”

"Founder."

I raised my head to look at him. Tham Nguyen Capital, last year just completed capital round C, the management scale exceeded 5,000,000,000 yuan. My neighbor... is a hidden tycoon.

“Receive it?” he asked.

“What price do you accept?”

“I set a price.”

“Complete design for 1,200 square meters of office space, 1,200,000 yuan.”

He didn't even blink.

“Tomorrow I'll tell my assistant to bring the contract over.”

He turned around to leave, then looked back at me.

“Oh right, there's a gathering upstairs on Friday night, do you want to come over?”

“What gathering?”

“Neighbors have dinner, just get to know each other.”

“I will consider it.”

“2301, seven o'clock in the evening.”

He left. Phuong Vien rushed out from the room.

“Lin Van! Order 1,200,000 yuan!”

“And that man is so handsome! Did your neighbor say that?”

“The founder of Tham Nguyen Capital! Do you know how much that company is worth?”

“And yet you're still so calm?”

“He's a customer, that's all.”

“Just a stiff mouth.”

Friday night, I went to Co Tham's house. His home's style is minimalist, all black and white and gray, but each piece of furniture is designed by masters. The living room hung an abstract painting. I glanced at it and immediately recognized it... a real painting by Trieu Vo Cuc. There weren't many people, just four or five neighbors. A person working in foreign trade, a doctor head of a major hospital, a university professor, and a young couple working in the internet industry. Everyone is very polite.

“Is Miss Lam a designer? He's so good, he opened his own company at such a young age."

“General Manager Co appreciated you very highly and said your plan was approved right from the beginning.”

"Let's talk more later, my wife wants to renovate the house."

I held the glass of wine, smiled and responded to each sentence. These types of social interactions… I had never experienced before. Before, at home, I didn't even have a place to sit on the sofa. And now, people worth hundreds of millions are clinking glasses with me. Not because I have money. It's because I have the ability. That… is more important than anything. Near the end of the session, Co Tham walked over.

“Are you drunk yet?”

“No, my alcohol tolerance is fine.”

“Are you free tomorrow? I want to discuss more details about office design."

“Is ten o'clock in the morning okay?”

"Okay. At your company?

He walked me out the door.

“Your plan, I've looked at it over and over again several times.”

“Is there a problem?”

"Do not have." He looked at me, his eyes deepened. “It's just… the person who came up with this plan shouldn't have just earned 1,200,000 yuan.”

“So how much are you going to pay?”

“This project is still 1,200,000. But if you're interested, I have three more projects.”

“What project?”

“Let's talk about it some other time.”

He closed the door. I stood in the hallway, my heart beating a little fast. Not for money. Well... I don't want to admit it's because of something else. In April, the call I least wanted to receive… still came.

“Van Van, something happened to your sister.”

My mother's voice choked.

“What?”

"Hao Yu's material store was cheated, imported fake goods, lost more than 600,000 yuan. There was also a lawsuit, lawyer fees were more than 100,000 yuan. My sister was so worried that she cried, Tieu Bao also cried when she saw it."

"Do you have money? Let your sister borrow it for a bit."

“Mom, I just quit my job for three months and the company hasn't made a profit yet.”

"You quit your job? When? Why didn't you tell your family?"

“Having said that, it doesn't change anything.”

"Lam Van, what are you talking about? You quit your job without discussing it with your family, and now when something happens to your sister, she says she has no money?"

“I really don't have any free money.”

"How much can I spend alone? A month's living is at most 3,000 yuan, no matter how much I work for three years, I have to have some savings, right? Even if I only take out 20,000–30,000 yuan, it's fine!"

"Mom, the 4,200,000 yuan in compensation money was all given to you. Now you have a loss of 600,000, and you're asking me to give you 20,000–30,000?"

The other end of the line was silent for two seconds.