Chapter 3 — It's Too Late, Doctor Vu

On Wednesday at the beginning of the week, the atmosphere at Anh Duong International Hospital was much more tense than usual. From early morning, the cleaning team cleaned the entire main lobby, the signs were polished, and the notice boards were carefully rearranged down to the smallest detail. At the briefing session at 7:00 a.m., Chairman of the Board of Directors Ton Ba Thanh was personally present, standing in front of all the heads of the faculties for a final understanding.

"Tomorrow afternoon, the appraisal team of Meridian Healthcare Investment Fund led by Mr. Ly Thanh Dat will come to directly survey our hospital for three consecutive days." Mr. Thanh spoke, his voice serious, his eyes scanning each person in the meeting room. "This is a deal that we have been negotiating for the past two years. If successful, the hospital will have the capital to expand into a regional chain, and the lives of all employees will be significantly improved. I need all departments to coordinate closely, ensuring all professional processes are demonstrated at the highest international standards."

He stopped and looked towards Dinh Vu who was sitting in the front row.

"Doctor Vu, I especially want to emphasize to you. Mr. Ly Thanh Dat has reviewed the entire hospital profile, in which your image - a top surgeon, devoted to his profession, not having to worry about his own family so he can devote all his time to patients - is one of the most important highlights that makes this investment fund interested in us. They want to build a brand story around dedicated people like you. I hope you understand the importance of this investment fund's interest in us. keep this image throughout the time the appraisal team is here."

Dinh Vu nodded, his face still maintaining its usual calmness, but in his heart there was an indescribable feeling of heaviness. "I understand, Mr. President."

The meeting ended, everyone left the room one by one, only Phung Dac Nguyen, a doctor in the Department of Surgery and also Dinh Vu's best friend, lingered and patted his shoulder as they both walked out into the hallway.

"Are you okay?" Nguyen asked softly, only enough for two people to hear.

"Fine." Dinh Vu replied, but his voice could not hide his fatigue. "It's just that the whole thing feels more and more ridiculous. They're promoting an image that isn't real, and my wife and children have to live like shadows."

"How many times have I told you, the longer you leave it, the harder it is to remove." Nguyen shook his head. "But that's for later. Right now the most important thing is to pass this appraisal."

Dinh Vu did not answer, just nodded and returned to the office, where Lam Nhi had prepared a tight schedule for the next three days - high-tech demonstration surgeries, interviews with the appraisal team, and evening receptions where he had to appear as the face of the hospital.

All day long, Lam Nhi busily ran back and forth between departments to prepare documents, print bilingual documents introducing the professional capabilities of the Cardiology Department, and rearrange the consultation room according to the standards required by the communications department. She was also the one who directly received the call from Mr. Ly Thanh Dat's office to confirm the schedule. Her polite, professional voice did not reveal any trace of the woman who was still worried about her small family. In the afternoon, she had to stay later than usual to review the introduction file with the marketing department, which had an entire page dedicated to praising Dinh Vu's "devoted lifestyle, without personal entanglements" - words that every time she reread, she felt like she was reading about a stranger with her husband's face.

That evening, while Lam Nhi was preparing dinner at home, her phone rang. It's a message from On Bich Van, a former colleague who is still working as a nurse at the Cardiology Department.

"Nhi, I just overheard the brothers and sisters in the administrative office talking. Tomorrow's appraisal team will not only survey the hospital, they also plan to visit Dr. Vu's residence, as if to 'get a feel for the lifestyle' of that representative. Be careful, I heard that they may come suddenly and without warning to see the reality."

Lam Nhi stood still in the middle of the kitchen, still holding the wooden spoon, her heart beating rapidly. She immediately called Dinh Vu, her voice urgent.

"Mr. Vu, I just heard that the appraisal team might stop by our house, like an unannounced physical inspection."

On the other end of the line, Dinh Vu was silent for a second, then his voice became tense. "When?"

"Not sure, it could be tomorrow night, or anytime during the three days they're here."

"Okay, let me call and ask Chairman Thanh's secretary to see how accurate the information is." He said, then was silent for a moment before continuing, his voice low, full of guilt. "Nhi, if it's true that they have that plan, you and Mien will have to stay away for a few days. I'm sorry, I know this request is too much, but—"

"I understand." Lam Nhi interrupted him, her voice had regained its inherent calmness. "I will arrange it."

The next night, as feared, Dinh Vu called home at nearly ten o'clock, his voice unusually urgent. "Nhi, they just told Chairman Thanh that they want to visit your residence tonight to do a short report on the 'daily life of a devoted doctor'. There is also a reporter with the group. I have to take Mien away now."

Lam Nhi didn't have time to ask anything else. She immediately woke up baby Mien, who was sleeping soundly, and quickly packed some clothes, milk, and her favorite toys into a large bag. It started to rain outside, heavy raindrops pattering on the eaves, making the hurried scene in the night even more gloomy.

"Mom, where are we going?" Little Mien rubbed her eyes, her voice was sleepy, and she hugged the teddy bear tightly in her arms.

"Let's go hang out at Aunt Van's house for a bit, be good." Lam Nhi tried to keep her voice gentle, even though her hands were shaking because of haste and because of a feeling of self-pity welling up in her heart.

She carried her child to the car and drove away in the torrential rain. The windshield was fogged with steam, and the wipers were working at full capacity and still couldn't keep up with the amount of water pouring down. In the car, little Mien fell asleep again in the back seat, while Lam Nhi drove with one hand and quickly wiped the tears rolling down her cheeks with the other - not because of fear of the rain, but because of the feeling of having to rush to leave her own home like a fugitive, just to preserve an image that did not belong to her.

She drove to On Bich Van's apartment in Cau Giay area and called in advance so he could open the door. Bich Van came out to welcome her and saw Lam Nhi soaking wet, holding her baby in her arms in the middle of the rainy night, and couldn't help but feel sad.

"Oh my god, Nhi, you're all wet. Come inside quickly."

Inside the house, Lam Nhi put her child on the bed in the spare bedroom, carefully covered her with a blanket, then sat down on the sofa, letting her long-held tears flow.

"What's wrong with you?" Bich Van gave you a dry towel and sat down next to you.

"I'm okay." Lam Nhi wiped her tears and tried to smile. "It's just... sometimes I wonder whose life I'm living, Van. In the middle of the night I have to hold my child and run away from my own house, just because I'm afraid someone will see my existence."

Bich Van held her friend's hand, didn't say anything, just quietly stayed by her side, giving Lam Nhi space to vent all her pent-up emotions for many years. The two sat like that for a long time, the rain continued to fall outside, the sound of water flowing on the corrugated iron roof mixed with the sigh of a woman who was tired of living two lives at the same time.

"Do you remember when you first graduated?" Bich Van asked softly, trying to steer the conversation to a lighter direction. "At that time, you and Dr. Vu often secretly looked at each other through the glass window of the on-duty room. Me and the other kids in the department even bet with each other to see when the two of us would dare to go public."

Lam Nhi laughed softly between tears, a bitter laugh. "Yet it's been five years and I still haven't been able to make it public, Van. There are times when I wonder if I'm waiting for something that will never come. But every time I'm about to give up, I see his eyes looking at the child, at me, seeing that it's still as intact as the first day, so I feel like I can wait a little longer."

"You're too gentle." Bich Van sighed, squeezing your hand tighter. "But okay, just get a good night's sleep tonight, we'll continue tomorrow."

Nearly one o'clock in the morning, Lam Nhi's phone vibrated, it was a text message from Dinh Vu: "The appraisal team just left my house, just stayed to take a few photos outside and then left without going inside. It's considered okay for now. You and Mien are resting at Van's house, tomorrow morning I will take the opportunity to pick you and your mother up early before going to work."

Lam Nhi looked at the message, not knowing whether to feel relieved or more bitter. She put down the phone, pulled the blanket back to cover her daughter sleeping soundly next to her, and told herself that this was just another difficult night among the countless difficult nights she had gone through, and everything would be okay, as Dinh Vu always promised.

She closed her eyes, listened to the sound of rain outside Bich Van's window fading into discrete drops on the corrugated iron roof, then fell asleep with the only remaining thought - remember to stop by the villa tomorrow morning to pick up a princess dress for her child, lest she become sad again after a night that had been so chaotic. She didn't expect that small promise to a four-year-old child would be the thing that pushed her back to her house earlier than planned - earlier than the time when no one should have been there.