Chapter 11 — I Return From The Deep

So let's teach him this time. Luc Tham took me back to the motel. When I was about to get off the bus, he called me back.

“Your performance just now was very good.”

I turned my head to look at him.

“Don't be provoked by her,” he said, “This is very important.”

I smiled bitterly: "I'm just lazy to talk nonsense with her."

“No.” He took off his glasses and wiped them, revealing sharp eyes underneath. “You are different from 4 years ago.”

“How do you know what I was like four years ago?”

“Tieu Ho once said,” he put his glasses back on, “That you used to be the type of person who would kneel in the snow and beg for others.”

I said nothing. Right. Four years ago I would have knelt down. Will cry. Will beg. Will put all my hope in others. Not now. The second lesson prison taught me——relying on others is the only way to die.

“Go back and rest,” he said. "Wait for the committee's results. If the hard drive hasn't been wiped clean——this matter is considered a sure win."

I nodded. Push the car door. Take two steps, then turn around.

“Luc Tham.”

“Huh?”

“Thank you.”

He didn't respond, just waved his hand once. The glass door raised, the black Accord disappeared at the end of the alley. I stood in front of the shabby rolling door of the motel, looking up at the sky. It's late afternoon. The horizon is a dark red streak. My chest started to ache again. I pressed my hand to my chest. Enter the house.

—

【Chapter 4】 The council's evidence preservation results are available. Three days later, Wen Nhuoc Duong called. Her voice could not hide her excitement.

“Nien So, the hard drive has not been completely erased.”

I jumped up from the bed. “What do you mean?”

"Tong Uyen Nghi—or the person she sent—indeed formatted that old computer. But the format only deleted the file directory, the original data remained. The council invited a technician from the Academy of Information Technology to restore the data."

She took a deep breath.

"Niem So, among the recovered data, there is a complete electronic device registration sheet. It is recorded very clearly——at 11 p.m. on March 14, 2020, Tong Uyen Nghi's own access card entered the laboratory, using the data input terminal."

“Meanwhile, the time Professor Trieu Dung reported the unusual data was the morning of March 15.”

“The timeline completely coincides.”

I held the phone tightly, my hands were wet with sweat.

“In other words…”

“The chain of evidence is closed.” Wen Nhuoc Duong's voice was low, "Tong Uyen Nghi arbitrarily edited the data on the evening of March 14. The next day when Trieu Dung discovered it, she immediately turned around and accused Trieu Dung of cheating. The entire accusation was intentionally fabricated by her from the beginning."

My eyes suddenly became hot. Can't hold back. This time, tears fell. Not out of self-pity. It's because of Ms. Trieu. She is already clean. Four years. She was finally vindicated.

“But it's not over yet.” Wen Nhuoc Duong's tone turned serious, "The current Board has only confirmed the conclusion of the internal review, the official handling decision needs to be approved by the Board of Directors. Furthermore——"

“More than that?”

"Tong Uyen Nghi has invited a lawyer."

“Is she going to complain?”

“No.” Wen Nhuoc Duong hesitated for a second, "She is applying pressure. Her lawyer sent a warning letter to the council, citing 'improper investigation process' to request a temporary halt to the review. The reason is——you, as a related party, are not qualified legal as the applicant for review.”

I smirked. “She's buying time.”

“Yes. As long as the process is stuck, the decision to handle it will not be made. But she can take advantage of this time to prepare more work to clean up the aftermath."

I bit my lip. Six months. I only have six months left. Cannot be extended any longer.

“Professor On, is there any way to bypass this regulation?”