Chapter 3 — I'm an Orphan, So Where Did My Mother Come From?

Chu Man Man took me to the small meeting room next door. She said this place was quieter, suitable for talking. I don't refuse. Because there is a surveillance camera right in front of the door, there are also people passing by in the hallway. More importantly, I want to see how much they can still act. As soon as Tuong Hong Mai sat down, he spoke:

“I give you one last chance.”

“Give the money back, I will withdraw the lawsuit.”

“If you still stubbornly refuse to accept, I will go to your school to cause trouble.”

“I even went to the embassy to report you.”

“Let's see where else you can go.”

I took out my phone and sent a text message to lawyer Khau Hao. He was my senior in college, who later became a lawyer. I took a photo of the entire petition, agreement and balance confirmation and sent it to him. Very soon, a reply message appeared.

"Don't transfer money."

"Continue to record audio and video."

"Ask her to present documents proving family relations."

"You were right to call the police first."

I put my phone away and raised my head to look at Tuong Hong Mai.

“She said she raised me.”

“So where do I live after the age of seven?”

Tuong Hong Mai answered immediately without thinking:

“Live in my house.”

“Old neighborhood.”

“Specific address?”

She immediately choked up. Chu Man Man quickly interjected:

“Tri Nam, such small details do not need to be argued.”

I coldly glanced at her.

“Whether or not it is necessary, the police will judge for themselves later.”

Tuong Hong Mai began to get impatient.

“You used to live in an orphanage!”

“City Children's Camp, right?”

“When you were eighteen, you received a sum of money!”

“You are now in apartment 1502 Tan Giang street!”

“Last year you worked at Thinh Vien Consulting Company!”

“You are applying to study at a school in America!”

"So you still dare to say I don't know you?"

The more she spoke, the colder my heart became. That information is all correct. But that information is also in my study abroad application. Rental contract, employment confirmation, bank statement, guardianship certificate... I have submitted them all to Khai Do. I raised my eyes to look at Tuong Hong Mai.

“It's data.”

“Not evidence of mother-child relationship.”

Tuong Hong Mai slammed on the table.

“You're still speechless!”

Chu Man Man looked at me, her tone began to lose patience.

“Hua Tri Nam, he can say so much information, it shows that he really understands you.”

“I always claim that I am an orphan, but orphans can also have adoptive mothers.”

“You reacted so harshly, are you afraid you won't get your money back?”

I opened my phone camera and pointed it directly at her.

“Say that again.”

As soon as she saw the camera, Chu Man Man immediately turned away.

“What are you doing?”

“Recording.”

“You can use my records to slander me.”

“Then I also have the right to record the process of you forcing me to transfer money.”

Chu Man Man's face became even more unsightly. She reached out to grab my phone. I immediately retracted my hand.

"Do not touch."

At that moment, Tuong Hong Mai suddenly laughed coldly.

"Okay."

“You want proof, right?”

She rummaged through her bag and took out a photo. In the photo is the day I graduated from college. I wore my bachelor's gown and stood in front of the school gate. Next to it was a woman. It is Tuong Hong Mai. She slammed the photo on the table.

“See?”

“Is this you?”

I looked down and almost burst out laughing. My original photo was taken with three roommates. In this photo, all three people have been cut off. Instead, Tuong Hong Mai's picture was grafted onto the side. The border is so blurry it's funny. Even the direction of the shadow under her feet was completely opposite to the direction of my shadow. I raised my head.

“Are you planning on using this to trick me?”

Tuong Hong Mai still tried to argue:

“You already have a photo and you still want to deny it?”

I took a photo and sent it to Khau Hao. Include a sentence.

"Examine this picture too."

At this point, Chu Man Man finally couldn't sit still anymore. She lowered her voice.

“Hua Tri Nam, I'll remind you one last time.”

“The bigger this thing gets, the more disadvantageous it will be for me.”

“You are a customer of our center.”

“Your passport, original I-20, and all your visa documents are still here.”

“If you want to leave the country smoothly, don't make the relationship too tense.”

I looked straight at her.

“Are you threatening me?”

Chu Man Man smiled softly.

“I'm just telling you the reality.”

“My parents are both gone.”

“No one can stand up for me.”

The smile on my face immediately disappeared. The temperature in his eyes also cooled little by little. My parents died in the line of duty. That's my pride. Not something for anyone to use as a tool of intimidation. I stood up, preparing to go out. But Chu Man Man immediately blocked the door.

"The matter hasn't been resolved yet, you can't leave."

Tuong Hong Mai also quickly stood up and reached out to grab the file bag on the table. Inside was my passport, original I-20, admission letter, vaccination certificate and a stack of notarized documents. I immediately tightened my grip on the file bag.

“Let go.”

Tuong Hong Mai refused to let go.

“If you don't pay, you won't get your stuff back.”

Chu Man Man turned out the door and called out:

“Tieu Luu, come here for a moment.”

Two guards quickly stepped forward. One of them I once met was a security guard in the building below. He seemed quite awkward.

“Manager Chu, what's going on?”

Chu Man Man pointed at me.

“The customer is having a dispute, don't let her leave for now.”

I laughed coldly.

“Does your study abroad center still have the right to restrict the physical freedom of others?”

The polite mask on Chu Man Man's face finally disappeared.

“Hua Tri Nam, don't say such harsh words.”

“She took money from an old person and planned to leave the country.”

“Now I'm just asking you to explain clearly.”

“If you are truly pure, then what are you afraid of?”

Outside the meeting room, there were still many people who had not left. Many people gathered in front of the door to watch the excitement. Seeing more and more people, Tuong Hong Mai started her familiar crying scene again.

“Everyone, help me decide!”

“His parents died early, I kindly adopted him!”

"Now that he's fully grown, he wants to take my retirement money and run away!"

“I'm so old, I don't have money for medical treatment!”

“No money for food!”

“He wouldn't give me even a penny!”

A parent frowned at me.

“Girl, the old lady is like that, don't make a big deal out of it anymore.”

Others also chimed in:

“1,800,000 yuan is not a lot, but if you really take it It's okay to return part of it."

I suddenly felt extremely ridiculous. Just a few sheets of paper. Just a few tears. It's enough to convict a person. I bowed my head and opened the cloud storage. For many years now, all my important documents have been backed up. Certificate of parents' death while on duty. Decision to recognize martyrs. Death certificate. Application for deletion of household registration. Custody records of the City Children's Camp. Certificate of termination of guardianship when I turn eighteen years old. A detailed list of benefits paid by the veterans administration agency. I connected my phone to the presentation screen in the meeting room. Chu Man Man's face immediately changed. She rushed forward to unplug the connection wire. But I'm one step faster. The file has been opened. On the big screen, the first page clearly showed my father's profile. Hua Huong Vinh, male, 35 years old, member of the City Fire and Rescue Team. Sacrificed during the rescue of the Thanh Kieu mountain landslide, recognized for his death while on duty. The second page is my mother's profile. Lam Van Tinh, female, 33 years old, doctor at the City Emergency Center. Sacrificed during the same rescue mission, recognized for dying while on duty. The entire meeting room immediately fell silent. I continued to video call Aunt Quy.