Chapter 11 — Hockey Stars Can't Overcome My Figure

Thread Leading to Golden Hope

Two weeks after the first meeting, Cao Viet Anh arranged to meet Yen Thao and Chan Phong again, this time at his small apartment in an old apartment complex, where he could spread documents on the table without fear of the curious eyes of strangers. When they arrived, he had prepared a thick file, neatly arranged by category.

"I'll get straight to the point," he said, opening the file in front of the two of them. "Kim Vong Group, under the management of Chairman Dinh Ba Vong, owes a huge sum of money to banks and partners, mostly arising from two failed resort real estate projects in the past three years. According to sources I have access to, this group is facing the risk of being sued by creditors and may have to declare bankruptcy within the next six months if there is not a large capital injection in time."

"And Ha Vy is his only daughter," Yen Thao said, not a question.

"Exactly," Cao Viet Anh nodded. "The only daughter, and according to some insider sources I have access to through old relationships, she also holds a small number of shares in the company in her name. If the company goes bankrupt, her personal assets, which have been partially mortgaged for the company's loans, will also be seriously affected."

He turned to the next page, which printed out a cash flow diagram highlighted in different colors. "This is the most important part. I traced a money transfer from a subsidiary of Kim Vong to a private obstetrics and gynecology clinic called Y Duc Clinic, a satellite facility with a referral link to Bang Giang General Hospital. This money was transferred in three installments, nearly four years ago, right around the time baby Bin was said to be born."

"What is that money used for?" Chan Phong asked, bending down to look more closely at the diagram.

"This is the part I can't confirm one hundred percent yet," Cao Viet Anh admitted, his voice cautious. "But based on the manner in which the money was transferred — in small portions, without a clear bill for medical services, and the timing — the most reasonable hypothesis is that the money was used to pay for some sort of informal service at the clinic, perhaps related to documenting a birth or arranging a child to fit the story that needed to be told."

Yen Thao felt a cold current run down her spine. "You mean baby Bin may not be Ha Vy's biological child?"

"I have another clue that might be related," Cao Viet Anh said, turning the page. "I found information about a woman named Thuy Dung, who worked part-time at the Y Duc clinic about four years ago, then suddenly quit her job and moved to another province just a few months after receiving a large sum of money of unknown origin into her personal account. I haven't been able to contact her directly, but if my hypothesis is correct, this could be the child's real biological mother, hired or persuaded to cede custody of the child under a separate agreement."

The room fell silent for a long while. Yen Thao sat quietly, trying to process all the information she had just heard. If what Cao Viet Anh just presented is true, then the entire story that has shaken her life for nearly two months is just an elaborate drama, not because of unfinished love, but because of a huge debt that needs to be rescued.

"But why Bao Duy?" she asked, her voice hoarse. "Why doesn't Ha Vy find another rich, more approachable man?"

"Because Bao Duy was her ex-lover," commented Chan Phong, "it makes the story a lot more believable than setting up a completely new relationship with a stranger. No one doubts a story of old love reunited, especially when it's told with tears and a pitiful child."

"And once the public believes that story," Cao Viet Anh added, "the pressure on Bao Duy to 'do the right thing' — that is, marry Ha Vy to protect his image — will become an irresistible wave, even if he himself has doubts. Once the marriage takes place, Kim Vong's family will have direct access to his assets and sponsorship contracts, enough to settle all the debt that is threatening the company."

Yen Thao clenched her hands together, feeling a cold anger rising, completely replacing the pain and confusion she had been carrying for weeks. "So what do we need to do next?"

"We need three types of specific evidence," Cao Viet Anh said, counting on his fingers. "First, irrefutably confirm the flow of money from Kim Vong to Y Duc clinic. Second, testimony or evidence confirming the true identity of the child's biological mother — possibly Ms. Thuy Dung. Third, and most importantly, an independent, reliable DNA test result, to prove definitively whether baby Bin is related to Bao Duy or not, regardless of which side the results lean."

"What if little Bin is really his child?" Yen Thao asked, her voice filled with genuine concern, not for Bao Duy, but for the innocent child who was caught up in this whole conspiracy.

"Then at least we will know the truth," Cao Viet Anh replied, his voice calm. "And no matter the outcome, that child deserves to grow up in an environment that is not built on lies, whether it's lies about who he is, or lies about who he is not."

"One more thing," Cao Viet Anh added, his voice becoming more serious. "I need to warn both of you that Mr. Dinh Ba Vong is not an ordinary businessman. Throughout his career, he has overcome many scandals by using connections and money to quell all suspicions before they spread. If he discovers that someone is investigating this plan, his reaction will not be simple denial, but can be much more drastic measures, including targeting the very honor and career of those behind the investigation. check."

"What do you mean we could be in danger?" Chan Phong asked directly.

"It's not physically dangerous," Cao Viet Anh reassured, "but it's definitely dangerous to honor and career. People like Mr. Vong often fight back with the media and legal connections, not direct violence. I've seen many similar incidents, where the person who sought the truth ended up being the one most heavily defamed before the truth could be exposed."

Yen Thao listened to those warnings with a strange calmness, as if she had prepared herself for the worst long before. "I understand the risks," she said. "But I can't continue to live in a false story just because I'm afraid of the consequences. If I have to pay the price for the truth to be exposed, I accept that price."

Cao Viet Anh nodded, seemingly satisfied with her steadfastness. "Then we need to proceed with everything very carefully and methodically. I will continue to dig deep into the money flow and try to contact Ms. Thuy Dung in the near future. In the meantime, both of you need to continue living completely normally, without revealing any unusual signs that could make the other side wary."

That evening, when Chan Phong took Yen Thao home, they were both silent for most of the journey, each lost in their own thoughts about the weight of what had just been revealed. Before she got out of the car, he said a short sentence but enough to somewhat reassure her amid the information storm: "We will find out the truth, Yen Thao. And when that day comes, you won't have to face it alone."

She looked at him in the faint street light shining through the car window, clearly feeling the sincerity and disinterest in every word he said. "I wonder," she said softly, "if you hadn't appeared at this moment, how I would have coped with all of this."

"You'll be fine," Chan Phong replied, "you're a lot stronger than you think. But I'm glad that I don't have to just watch from afar and do nothing." She smiled, got out of the car, stood and watched until the taillights of his car disappeared behind the corner of the street, her heart carrying a feeling of heavy anxiety about what she was about to face, and strange warmth at the unconditional companionship that she never dared to expect to find at the most difficult time of her life.