Chapter 14 — I Never Made It to Nam Thanh With You

She did not mention my name, yet she wrote at length about the school’s single available summer camp placement. She wrote about the ancient house restoration project. She spoke of how, due to her humble background, she had to borrow secondhand clothes and jewelry from others just to assemble a portfolio. She even alluded to someone who "had it all," someone so consumed by petty jealousy that they forbade her from getting close to the person she loved. At the end of her post, she wrote: "I do not blame anyone. It is just that, sometimes, I wonder—if I also had a wealthy father, would I have to bow and beg others for favors time and time again?"

The post was quickly forwarded to our class group chat. Someone asked if she was talking about me. She did not reply. Co Nghien Le remained silent as well. Ten minutes later, he messaged me directly. "Uyen Ninh is just having a bad day; please do not hold it against her. The engagement was arranged by our parents, but you could clarify things in the group so people stop misunderstanding her."

I stared at those words, and then, quite suddenly, I burst into laughter. Tong Uyen Ninh had written a post reeking of insinuations against me, yet Co Nghien Le was demanding that I go and explain myself on her behalf. All because I was the one betrothed to him, and she was not.

Just as I was about to turn off my phone, a photo popped up in the class group. It was the promotional booklet for the grand opening of the Moon Pavilion. Under the "Youth Innovation" section, the first name listed was Co Nghien Le. The second name was Tong Uyen Ninh. I was shoved to the very bottom, with four words trailing behind my name: "Project Support Staff."

I opened the booklet to inspect it. The images of the Moon Pavilion occupied two full pages: the moon-shaped windows, the weathered brick walls, the winding corridors, the skylight. Every single corner was a place I had personally sketched, personally revised, and personally supervised during construction. "Primary Innovator (Youth): Co Nghien Le." "Co-creator of Imagery: Tong Uyen Ninh." "Project Support: Lam Kien Nguyet."

So this was what they called a "collaborative work." Co Nghien Le was responsible for claiming the prestige; Tong Uyen Ninh was responsible for sharing the glory; and I was relegated to mere "support."

Someone in the group chat immediately asked, "But Tong Uyen Ninh didn't participate in the restoration of the Moon Pavilion, did she? How did she become a co-creator?"

After a few minutes, Tong Uyen Ninh replied, "I was only responsible for a small portion of the filming. Nghien Le felt I had a rather refined understanding of ancient architecture, so he added my name." She sounded incredibly humble. Co Nghien Le immediately followed up: "Names are just a matter of task delegation; they do not represent the magnitude of one's contribution."

In my past life, he had consoled me with the exact same sentiment—that a name was merely a formality, and that as a couple, we shouldn't keep score. Yet, when it came to Tong Uyen Ninh, he seemed acutely aware of exactly what a single name could signify.

I saved the booklet to my phone, then messaged Ms. Vuong. "Who authorized the final draft of this brochure?"

Ms. Vuong replied promptly. "Director Ha gave the final approval. Young Master Co said that Ms. Tong was in charge of the visual presentation for the opening ceremony, so he asked to add her as a co-creator. As for your title, it was originally listed as 'Project Designer,' but Director Ha said that you and Young Master Co are family, so there was no need to draw such rigid lines between you."

Family. What a convenient term. When they needed to pilfer my work, we were family. When it came time to credit others, I was nothing more than "support."

I took a screenshot of the authorization documents I had signed just a few days prior and sent them to her. "My design drawings and field investigation records were licensed strictly for the display purposes of the Moon Pavilion's grand opening. I do not consent to their use in Tong Uyen Ninh’s personal academic applications, nor do I consent to the omission of the original author in any public promotional materials."