Chapter 3 — I Am Bigger Than The Hurts

In the tea room, opposite me was a man with gray hair but a very clear mind. He looked at me, his eyes gentle.

“Especially the eyes.”

I raised my cup of tea.

“Uncle Tran, how did you know I came to Singapore?”

"Tham Van Hai from Thuy Thinh is my old friend. He mentioned that there was a girl from Hai Thanh who had just arrived, her last name was Tham. When I asked her name, I immediately knew it was you."

“What are you looking for me for?”

He did not answer immediately. Take a sip of tea. Then he said something that almost made me drop my cup.

“Tieu Dao, before he passed away, your father... left you something.”

I looked at him.

“A trust contract.”

“The beneficiary is me.”

“Amount—8,000,000 yuan.”

My fingers tightened on the rim of the cup.

“Eight million?”

"In the early 2000s, when cooperating with me to make construction materials, my father earned some money, then sold his share to me. That money did not go all to Dinh Huy but set up a trust fund in Singapore."

“The beneficiary is listed as the grandchild.”

"He asked me to keep a copy of the contract. He told me to wait until you grow up and tell you when the time is right."

“So why are you saying it now?”

Tran Kien Quoc put down his cup of tea. His face changed.

“Because the year my father passed away, my mother looked for me.”

"She said she knew about the trust fund and asked me to give her a copy to handle."

"She said I'm still young and not suitable to manage such a large amount of money, so it's best for her to manage it."

“At that time… I believed it.”

His voice lowered.

“I gave her a copy.”

“Then I heard that you stayed at Dinh Huy to work as an ordinary employee, your mother gave all her assets to your sister, and the remaining 8,000,000 yuan—you knew absolutely nothing.”

"Recently when I heard that you left Hai Thanh and went to Singapore, I thought... I couldn't hide it anymore."

I sat still in my seat. Immobility. Dad left me eight million. As for my mother— She not only took the company and the shares, but also took the capital that belonged to me. Then he turned to me and asked—“where is my conscience?”

“Uncle Tran.”

I spoke up.

“That trust fund…is it still there?”

Tran Kien Quoc nodded.

“The trust fund was still there, but that year my mother used the title of guardian to freeze it, the reason being 'the beneficiary was underage'.”

“I'm twenty-seven this year.”

“Yes, you are completely qualified to release and receive money.”

“But you need the original contract or a court-certified copy, along with your child's identification documents.”

“Where is the original contract?”

Tran Kien Quoc looked at me.

“In your mother's hands.”

The next morning, I immediately transferred everything Tran Kien Quoc said to lawyer Ma. He was silent for a long time.

“Tham Dao, if what you say is true, your mother's problem doesn't just stop at pressuring share prices anymore.”

“I know, you tell me what I should do.”

"Step one, we start with the trust fund management company in Singapore, look up the original registration documents, confirm the existence status, reason for freezing and release conditions."

"Step two, about the transfer of shares before your father's death, especially the signature during the time in the ICU, I am also investigating in parallel, both directions are proceeding."

“How long will it take?”

“If it's fast, it's two weeks, if it's slow, it's a month.”

I hung up. That whole day I handled work mechanically, but in my head I kept repeating Tran Kien Quoc's words. In the end, my father was so insecure about me come on, silently prepared a way for me to retreat so early. But the person he trusted the most—my mother—took what he left for me, then turned to ask me "where is my conscience?" Nearing the end of work, my work inbox received an email. The sender is a domestic real estate development company. I know this company. They are preparing to deploy a commercial complex project in Southeast Asia and are looking for a consultant. In the email, it was clearly written that they had been in contact with Dinh Huy in Hai Thanh, but because the team's capacity did not meet expectations, the cooperation did not go further. Now they want to work with me. I looked at the email for a long time. Tham Gia, the bait was put in his mouth but he couldn't swallow it. I forwarded the email to general manager Tham. Five minutes later, he was standing right next to my desk.

“What is the project scale?”

“The initial phase consulting fee is about two million Singapore dollars.”

“You're in charge.”

He took two steps and then turned back.

“That Dinh Huy… what does it have to do with you?”

I raised my head.

“Old company.”

“I quit.”

He looked at me, didn't ask any more questions, turned around and left.