Chapter 21 — Hockey Stars Can't Overcome My Figure

The Price of Lies

The final match for the Platinum Cup took place just a few hours after that shocking press conference, in a strange atmosphere that no one on Team White Tiger Bang Giang had ever experienced before - both extremely tense and strangely relieved, as if the whole team had just relieved an invisible burden that had been weighing on their shoulders for many weeks.

Bao Duy, even though his mind was still confused, still played at the request of coach Dai Trong Nghiep. "You can sit out if you need time," he had told him before the match, his voice no longer as stern as before, but containing the understanding of someone who had experienced many incidents. "But if you play, play for yourself, not for any image you're trying to maintain."

The White Tiger Bang Giang team won against the Han River Iron Eagle Team in a tense match until the last minute, but to most of those present in the main hall that morning, the victory seemed to be a secondary event compared to what happened before kickoff.

Immediately after the referee blew the whistle to end the match, confirming the victory for Team Bach Ho Bang Giang, the entire ice rink burst into cheers. But Bao Duy's moment of celebration was unlike any championship he had ever experienced before. He stood in the middle of the field, hockey stick hanging at his side, looking up at the stands, where Yen Thao stood with the technical team, not trying to walk closer to him, not smiling brightly like the surrounding fans.

He understood, in that moment, that the trophy in his hand could not make up for what he had lost along the journey leading up to it.

In the following days, the story about the conspiracy of Dinh Ha Vy and Dinh Ba Vong spread across the newspapers at breakneck speed, but this time, from a completely different perspective. Do Anh Thu, as promised, wrote a long, detailed, fair report, recreating the entire incident from the perspective of the person who once unintentionally contributed to false rumors, and is now determined to correct the mistake with the fullest truth possible.

Kim Vong Group, already on the brink of bankruptcy, is now facing a series of lawsuits from creditors, along with an official investigation from the authorities for medical document falsification and fraud. Dinh Ba Vong was prosecuted for falsifying documents, while Ha Vy faced charges related to exploiting children for financial fraud purposes — even though her lawyer tried to argue that she was also a victim of family pressure, the court still seriously considered her act of intentionally fabricating false evidence that lasted for many years.

The first instance trial took place two months later, attracting great attention from public opinion. Dinh Ba Vong was sentenced to prison for falsifying documents and fraudulently appropriating assets through loans based on fraudulent financial records. Kim Vong Group officially declared bankruptcy immediately afterward, all remaining assets were liquidated to repay creditors. Ha Vy received a suspended sentence with the obligation to financially compensate Thuy Dung, thanks to the court's recognition that she cooperated and honestly reported after the incident was exposed, along with mitigating circumstances related to the family pressure she had suffered since childhood.

Ha Vy's public life completely collapsed. The small advertising contracts she had as a "resilient single mother model" were immediately canceled. The friends and social relationships she had built in the upper class gradually left her when the true story was revealed. She moved to another place, far from Bang Giang, bringing with her a completely different life than she had ever dreamed of.

Vu Trong Nam, at the team's internal championship celebration party a few days later, raised his glass and made a short speech that made the whole room silent for a moment: "This year's championship, I think, belongs not only to those who took to the field to compete, but also to those who silently fought on another front, without medals, without cameras, but requiring no less courage than any match on the ice."

The whole team applauded, many eyes turned towards Yen Thao, who for the first time in four years was publicly mentioned in front of the whole team, not as a vague "backroom staff", but as an indispensable part of what the team has achieved.

As for baby Bin, Cao Viet Anh and his team of lawyers have worked to ensure the best interests of the child. Thuy Dung, after careful consideration and the necessary psychological support, decided to take her son home to raise him, with financial support from a compensation fund established thanks to legal pressure on Kim Vong Group. Yen Thao, although not directly involved in this decision, quietly helped connect Thuy Dung with an organization that provides psychological support for children who have experienced family events, ensuring baby Bin will receive the necessary care during this difficult transition period.

"I don't want to see that child become a victim again," she told Chan Phong, when the two sat together after things had calmed down. "He's already suffered enough because of the adult's plans."

"You have done more than one could expect from someone who has been deeply hurt by this story," Chan Phong said, looking at her with admiration.

"I just did what I thought was right," she replied, smiling slightly, even though inside she still felt the fatigue of a war that had just ended.

Deputy Dinh Khang, in the first internal meeting after the final, had to face an awkward question from Viet Thinh Group itself about the fact that the entire media campaign they invested in had collapsed in a way no one could have predicted. But instead of reacting negatively as many people feared, Viet Thinh's representative, after reviewing the entire development, offered a different perspective.

"The story of a football team that dares to face the truth, dares to defend justice even when it is detrimental to its immediate image, is actually much more valuable than a perfectly staged story," the representative said during the meeting. "We want to continue accompanying Team White Tiger Bang Giang, but this time, on a basis of true value, not a polished image."

It was an unexpected relief for Pho Dinh Khang, who now began to reconsider the entire way he had treated Yen Thao during the past weeks of crisis, realizing he had made a mistake in prioritizing image over truth, and in disregarding the value of a person just because she did not have a flashy official title.

He met Yen Thao privately that weekend, a meeting without any cameras or witnesses. “I owe you a formal apology,” he said, his voice unusually sincere. "I treated you like a risk to be controlled, instead of an asset to be cherished. I hope you will give me the opportunity to correct that mistake."

"I accept your apology," Yen Thao replied, her voice calm. "But I think the best way to fix it is not words, but concrete actions in how the team perceives and treats silent contributions from now on."

"I agree completely," Pho Dinh Khang nodded. "And I have a specific proposal to present to you, but perhaps it should wait until the official board meeting next week."

Yen Thao did not ask further, but a new ray of hope, completely different from what she had allowed herself to expect in the past four years, began to grow in her heart.

That night, when recounting the conversation with Pho Dinh Khang to Chan Phong, she clearly felt a change taking place, not only in the way the team viewed her, but in the way she saw herself. For four years, she got used to shrinking her value to fit into an unnamed role. Now, for the first time, she allowed herself to think about being recognized as she deserved, not as a favor, but as an inevitability that she should have received a long time ago, from the first days she stepped into the tactical analysis room with all the enthusiasm of twenty-one years old, when she had no idea how bumpy and rewarding the road ahead would be.