Chapter 8 — I Hide Eight Languages For Three Years

Never use simple words. This is no longer chat. This is a true test of ability. And I… took it. Each specialized term. Logical transition step by step. Tien Quoc An sat next to him, occasionally adding a few sentences. The three of us formed a smooth, frighteningly smooth conversation. The call lasted forty-two minutes. When the phone hung up, the whole room was silent for three seconds. The first person to speak was Tham Vien.

“What did Fernando mean by that last sentence…?”

Tien Quoc An translated: "He said, 'With Ms. Luc here, I feel very secure. I will propose to headquarters to expand the scope of cooperation.'" Tham Vien looked at me.

"Expanding the scope of cooperation. Do you know what that means?"

I shook my head.

“One hundred million… could become two hundred million.”

Luu Phong slammed the table: "Too good!" Tran Lam's eyes turned red. I sat there, my hand holding the pen shaking slightly. Not out of fear. But because... this is the first time, I used my real ability to do something honestly and honestly. No one takes credit. No one sees me as a tool. That feeling... indescribable. The first month of the project, everything went smoothly beyond expectations. Me and Tien Quoc An cooperate well. I am in charge of foreign affairs, he is in charge of document censorship. Fernando's side responded extremely positively. Three video meetings, each time the other party participated on time, the exchange efficiency was at least five times higher than before. Sofia even messaged me privately, saying this was the first time she felt like working with a Chinese partner without a language barrier. Everything is going in the right direction. Until week five. At three o'clock on Friday afternoon, I received an anonymous email. Sent from the company's internal system.

"Luc Vy hid her language skills for three years, causing the company to lose more than hundreds of millions. Now, not only has she not been prosecuted, she has also been promoted and given a raise. Where are the company's standards for using people? Where is the fairness? We recommend a serious investigation and answers for all employees."

The email was sent simultaneously to Tham Vien, the head of human resources, the union president and all department heads. After reading it, my heart sank. Five minutes later, the union group exploded.

“Have you read the email?”

“It makes sense, the damage is hundreds of millions, isn't she responsible?”

“I see the boss is biased.”

“If I had kept it that way, I would have been fired a long time ago.”

“Just because it's valuable now, should we ignore it all?”

Ten minutes later, the head of human resources came to me.

"Boss Tham told me to go to the meeting room at five o'clock. The union requested an official response."

"I know."

“Also…” she lowered her voice, “that anonymous email… I found the source and sent it from the administrative office's public computer.”

I don't ask more. I know who it is. Five o'clock in the afternoon, Tham Vien's office. There were more people present than I thought. Tham Vien, head of human resources department, union president Lao Phuong, Tran Lam, Luu Phong... and Hua Lam. Hua Lam sat in the corner, her face cold. Tham Vien gets straight to the point:

"Regarding the content of the anonymous email, today we will officially discuss it. Luc Vy is here, anyone who has an opinion can say it directly."

Lao Phuong spoke first:

"General Shen, the union has received a lot of feedback. The core demands of the employees are very clear - Luc Vy has hidden her abilities, leading to losses for the company. So does responsibility... need to be determined? Are not?"

Tham Vien nodded: “Reasonable question. Luc Vy, please answer." I stood up.

“First, about 'hiding abilities'. When I started working, the company asked me what language I knew, I answered English. It's the truth. CV is also only written in English. The human resources department took photocopies of all my certificates according to standard procedures, but in the past three years... no one has ever seen or asked about it."

Hua Lam interjected: "You know that those certificates are in the file, so you have to proactively say it."

“Ms. Hua, in the recruitment form there is a 'skills' section, clearly stating: please fill in the skills related to the position applying for. I applied for the position of English commercial assistant. English is a related skill. Other languages are my personal resources. The company does not require full disclosure, so I have no obligation to actively disclose it."

Hua Lam's face froze.

“But you know the company needs—”

“I know.” I interrupted, “That's the second point I want to make.”

I looked at Tham Vien.