Chapter 4 — I Have A Boss Who Works Overtime

I raised my head in surprise, just in time to meet his eyes looking at me - there was a ray of comfort and reassurance in them. Co Minh Thanh also reacted immediately, his face darkened, his voice serious:

"Minh Chau, pay attention to what you say. When I marry, I marry Uyen Nhi - her person, not her family background. Tieu Tu is now my daughter, I don't want to hear any words that make her uncomfortable."

He held my mother's hand, his eyes determined:

“From now on, we will be one family, I don't want this old idea of class division to continue in our family.”

Those weighty words made Co Minh Chau's face turn blue and white. She probably didn't expect that her brother, who was always gentle, would embarrass her in front of a crowd of people because of my mother and me.

“Brother, I... I was just asking a random question, nothing else.”

She smiled awkwardly and walked away awkwardly. The storm has finally subsided. My mother's eyes were red. She looked at Co Minh Thanh, her eyes filled with emotion and affection. Co Minh Thanh gently patted the back of her hand, everything did not need to be said. I lowered my head to look at the hand still placed on my shoulder, then looked at the straight back of the man standing next to me. For the first time, in this gorgeous but cold new house, I felt the warmth of being protected by someone. Deep inside my heart, there seems to be a small corner that is starting to silently melt.

04

The storm at the family party, like a stone thrown into a lake, has subsided, but in Bach Vi's heart, the ripples have turned into a rolling tsunami. I don't know where she heard that story from, but the next day her eyes looked at me as if she wanted to peel off her skin and swallow her alive. The western resort project has entered the most critical phase. I lead the team, working overtime every day, perfecting every last detail in the plan. Because of Co Canh Tham's "special attention", the team members were very impressed with me, and the work progressed extremely smoothly. Except for Bach Vi. On the surface, she actively cooperated, but behind her back, she secretly played an increasingly cruel scheming game. On Wednesday, we had to present the final report to our partners. The night before, I finished arranging all the final data sheets and checked them many times before locking them into the computer. The next morning, the meeting took place on time. I stood in front of the projection screen, calmly presenting our planning plan. Everything went smoothly… until I presented the core data analysis. The person in charge of the partner side, a director surnamed Ly, suddenly frowned.

“Miss Trinh, please stop for a moment.”

He pointed to a chart on the screen.

"Is there something wrong with this user growth forecast data? According to a survey by my market department, this number must be at least 5 percentage points lower. The data you gave is too optimistic, even exaggerated."

My heart sank. I immediately turned my head to look at the screen. No way. I calculated this data myself last night, and it's definitely not wrong. But the number on the chart before my eyes was several times higher than my result. Cold sweat broke out from his forehead. Read the full story at Van Ha's love page

“Director Ly, there may be some misunderstanding, please let me check the original data again.”

I tried to stay calm, trying to open the data file. But the more I worried, the more the computer refused to cooperate, causing unspeakable lag. Inside the meeting room, it was as quiet as paper. Everyone's eyes were focused on me, full of suspicion and judgment. At that moment, Bach Vi suddenly stood up, with an expression of both concern and awkwardness on her face.

"General, leaders, there is something I don't know if I should say it or not."

She looked towards Co Canh Tham who was sitting in the chair, her face as calm as a lake before a storm.

“Just say it.”

Co Canh Tham coldly spit out a word.

“Actually... yesterday when I saw Ms. Tu working, it seemed like she was a bit unfocused and kept looking at her phone. I already reminded you, told you to be a little careful, after all, this is a very important project. Unexpectedly… mistakes still happen.”

Her words were like a poisoned knife, stabbing straight into my heart. She is publicly defaming me!

“No such thing!”

I agitatedly objected.

“Bach Vi, how can you speak so ambiguously?”

“Sister Tu, I'm just telling the truth.”

She pretended to be innocent, the corners of her eyes were still filled with tears as if she was very unjust.

“How could I harm you? Aren't we good colleagues?

What a slender white lotus flower! I had no way to explain, I felt like I fell into a carefully planned trap by her. The erroneous data is true, Bach Vi's "testimony" makes everyone believe that I am not responsible. The company's reputation was at stake, and I — the person responsible — was about to become the scapegoat to appease the anger. I felt like the whole sky was falling. I betrayed Uncle Co's expectations, my mother's instructions, and... the opportunity that Co Canh Tham gave me. I looked towards him in despair, but his face was still cold as ice, emotions could not be read.

“The meeting is adjourned.”

Finally he spoke, his voice cold as ice.

“Technical department, immediately go to the meeting room. Investigate all of Trinh Tu's computer operation history, and all surveillance cameras in the office last night."

As soon as his words ended, everyone was stunned. Bach Vi's face immediately turned pale. Half an hour waiting for the results felt like a century to me. I sat in the corner of the room, my whole body cold, my mind blank. Very quickly, the head of the technical department rushed into the meeting room holding a tablet.

"Mr. Gu, it has been thoroughly investigated."

Co Canh Tham did not look at him, but directly projected the results on the big screen.