Chapter 2 — I Am Bigger Than The Hurts

He looked at me for a few seconds. Then burst out laughing.

“Okay, girl, this report is not bad.”

“Send me the complete valuation next week.”

“If I can keep this level, I will sign this contract.”

I stood up.

“Okay, I'll send it to you next Monday.”

Stepping out of the hotel, the white Singapore sunlight poured down. I stood on the side of the road and sent general manager Tham a text message.

“Hoang Kien Dong project, submit the plan on Monday.”

Thirty seconds later, he replied with one word. The following Monday morning, I placed the completed pricing plan on General Director Tham's desk. Forty-six pages, every data has a source, every assumption has a clear inference. He turned to the last page and raised his head.

“Valuation is 18% higher than before.”

“Yes, it was undervalued before.”

“Will Hoang Kien Dong be satisfied?”

“He looked at the draft and said if the original version could maintain this level, he would sign it immediately.”

He looked at me for a moment. Close the document file.

“This afternoon, bring the contract to meet him, Trinh Vien will go with you.”

That afternoon, at Hoang Kien Dong's office, the signing went surprisingly smoothly. He turned the contract over, made two small corrections to the wording, and then signed it firmly.

“Tham Dao.”

After signing, he put down his pen.

“How long have you been in Thuy Thinh?”

“It's only been two weeks.”

"Yes, from now on, you will be in charge of my project. I won't accept anyone else."

Trinh Vien stood next to him, his face very special. Returning to the company, general director Tham was already standing in the common working area, clearly waiting. He nodded, glanced at Trinh Vien but said nothing, then looked at me.

“Not bad.”

In Thuy Thinh, the two words "not bad" that came out of his mouth were of very high value, Trinh Vien told me so. That night, I returned to the apartment and texted Hua Nhien.

“Everything is fine.”

She answered immediately.

"Stop it, don't act alone, don't worry about your mother's side, lawyer Ma said the letter has been sent, Dinh Huy's reaction is - temporarily no response."

Temporarily do not reply. My mother's familiar move, stretching. Pull until I can't stand it, pull until I go into the water. But this time, she couldn't pull it anymore. I turned off the phone. Outside it's Singapore night, bright lights, sparkling neon. A completely different city from Hai Thanh. But they are similar in one point. No one cares who you are. You have to prove yourself. Even though you're poor, even if you're miserable. At least, every step is my own choice. On the fourth week of work, Hua Nhien sent me a text message. A screenshot. Post on local forum Hai Thanh, title is:

“Dinh Huy's Dong Thanh renovation project stalled, suppliers came to collect debts.”

I clicked to see. The article said this project is Dinh Huy's key focus this year, with a total investment of nearly 200,000,000 yuan. Previously, I was in charge of working with the investor and the government. After I left, Tham Gia took over. The investor, the person in charge is Mr. Trieu, directly refused to meet Tham Gia with the reason "insufficient capacity, nothing to say", causing the project progress to be delayed for a month, the violation clause in the contract was triggered, the suppliers came to demand money one after another. Hua Nhien's note had only four words.

"Deserve it. Retribution."

I turned off the photo. Don't delete, don't share. The things I should worry about, I've already taken care of. Things that shouldn't be worried about, I don't want to get involved in any more. In progress I was about to put down the phone when lawyer Ma called.

“Tham Dao, there is a situation.”

"I looked up Dinh Huy's business registration change records in the last five years and discovered a problem."

“What's the problem?”

"Under her father's name, she initially held 40% of Dinh Huy's shares, but after his death, the process of inheriting and transferring these shares had several inconsistent timelines."

My hand stopped in mid-air.

"Doesn't match? What do you mean?"

“The date of her father's death was April 17 five years ago, but the date of registration to change shares was April 12.”

“In other words, five days before your father passed away, all 40% of the shares were transferred to your mother's name.”

“The problem is—on April 12, your father was already in the ICU.”

My back stiffened in the blink of an eye.

“You mean… the signature on that transfer form…”

“I can't conclude yet, but this is worth investigating.”

"I'm continuing to check, I'll let you know as soon as I have the results."

I hung up. Sit down on the floor. The palm of the hand is cold. The day Dad left... what happened? A man named Tran Kien Quoc asked me to meet him at a tea shop near Clarke Quay. Hua Nhien helped me look up your information. Sixty-two years old, permanent resident of Singapore, left Hai Thanh to do business in the late 1980s. Used to be my father's partner. The two of them once opened a construction materials business together in Hai Thanh. After that, Tran Kien Quoc went to Singapore to develop, and my father stayed behind, each going his own way but still keeping in touch. The year my father passed away, he returned to Hai Thanh to attend the funeral. It is said that he was in the temple for a whole day. After that it no longer appeared.

“You look a lot like your dad.”