Chapter 1 — Justice, Six Years Later

My father-in-law was a bus driver for his entire life. To rush a destitute student, who had suddenly fallen into a seizure on his bus, to the hospital, he ran three consecutive red lights. The girl was saved, but she used her real name to report him to the authorities. My father-in-law only wanted to save a life, yet the company used the pretext of a serious violation to fire him, stripping him of his retirement benefits entirely. The girl who reported him was named Dao To. Thanks to that report, she received a scholarship for legal compliance. I went to her with my father-in-law’s termination notice, demanding an explanation, but she only looked at me with an expression of pure innocence.

"Regulations are regulations. A driver who runs red lights is treating the lives of passengers like a joke. Even if it is to save someone, it is not allowed."

Years later, she passed round after round of competitive selections. The final employment contract for her successful application to a major corporation was delivered to me—the Human Resources Director. Right in front of her, I threw the contract into the shredder.

"Regulations are regulations. Your background check indicates issues with your character, and your immediate family has a history of financial delinquency. I cannot sign this."

"Director Luc, what you just shredded was not my contract; it was your own career."

Dao To did not stoop to pick up the scraps of paper. She unclipped the button-sized camera from her lapel and placed it on my desk. The red light was still glowing. Outside the meeting room, the hallway was packed with candidates waiting for their final interviews. The glass door was not fully sealed; every word I had spoken had carried outside. Dao To turned her phone screen toward me. The number of viewers in the live stream had exceeded eighty thousand. The headline was only one line.

"Human Resources Director of a publicly listed company engages in personal vendettas, suppressing his father-in-law’s lifesaver."

The comments scrolled by so quickly I could only catch a few.

"Just because she reported his father-in-law?"

"Does an HR Director have that much power?"

"This isn't recruitment; it's a personal vendetta."

Dao To held the background check report firmly.

"Director Luc, my father’s debt was only twenty-seven hundred yuan. The court has already issued a certificate of full payment."

"According to the company's recruitment policies, a settled civil delinquency record is not grounds for disqualification."

"As for your claim that my character is flawed, may I ask for your evidence?"

I looked at her.

"Using your real name to report someone who saved your life—does that count?"

"Is reporting a violation of the law considered a character flaw?"

Her eyes began to redden, but her voice did not tremble.

"Then should the legal compliance awareness month that this company holds annually also be canceled?"

"Should the suggestion box be sealed shut as well?"

"In the future, if an employee discovers financial fraud, must they investigate whether the violator once saved them before they are allowed to report it?"

Outside, someone raised a phone. Dao To tilted her face slightly toward the lens, revealing a faint scar behind her ear.

"This is the scar left from the craniotomy I had back then."

"I lost consciousness on the bus; I had no idea where the driver intended to take me, nor was I capable of expressing an opinion."

"After I woke up, I learned that a bus full of passengers had been forced to follow him through those three red lights."

"I did not report the act of saving a life."

"I reported the fact that without the consent of the passengers, he gambled the lives of over forty people on my own life."

She spoke calmly. As calmly as if she had rehearsed the story hundreds of times. The Head of Legal, Han Trac, burst into the room.

"Luc Kieu, turn off the live stream."

Dao To took a step back.

"Director Han, the company has regulations prohibiting the forced confiscation of a candidate’s personal devices during an interview."

Han Trac’s face turned pale.

"Who told you that I am Director Han?"

"The leadership profile on the official website."

She pulled a stack of papers from her folder.

"Article seventeen of the company’s Recruitment Management Rules states that once a candidate passes the final interview and the approval process is complete, unless there is evidence of severe deception, the company may not rescind an employment offer due to the interviewer’s personal reasons."

"My entire approval process was completed as of last night."

"Today, Director Luc is only responsible for the signature."

Han Trac looked at me immediately.

"Is the approval complete?"

I picked up the process sheet from the table. The Deputy General Manager of Sales, the Head of Finance, and the Compliance Department had all signed. My signature box was the last one. The deadline for recruitment acceptance was twelve noon today. There were twenty-seven minutes left. Dao To stared at the clock on the wall.

"Director Luc, you have twenty-seven minutes."

"If you do not sign before twelve, the company will be seen as withdrawing the offer without just cause."

"Based on the other jobs I have declined, the compensation will be no less than six hundred thousand yuan."

"Naturally, I would prefer that the company offer a public explanation."

Han Trac lowered his voice.

"Turn off the stream first; the contract can be reprinted."

"Why turn it off?"

Dao To looked into the lens.

"Director Luc dared to do it; why shouldn't I let others see it?"

Outside the door, a ripple of whispering began. Someone had recognized my father-in-law’s old case.

"I found it, the driver of the number nine bus."

"The company’s announcement back then said he acted impulsively and refused to follow dispatch orders."

"And now his son-in-law is taking revenge on the whistle-blower?"

The corners of Dao To’s mouth curled slightly, then quickly dropped. The gesture was identical to one from years ago. That year, when she received her scholarship, a reporter asked if she was worried the driver would lose his job, and she had pursed her lips just like that. She had said:

"Adults must be held responsible for their illegal actions."

Han Trac grabbed my arm.

"Luc Kieu, sign it."

I did not budge.

"Her background check still has issues."

"What issues?"

"During her university years, she used her real name to file reports seventeen times. At three internship locations, people were disciplined because of her."

Dao To chuckled.

"Is it wrong to identify a problem rather than staying silent?"

"You reported the cafeteria aunt for giving an extra spoonful of meat to a poor student."

"The cafeteria uses fixed portions; taking more is a violation."

"You reported the dormitory manager for opening the door in the middle of the night for a student running a fever."

"The access control system mandates that doors must be locked after midnight."

"You reported your internship mentor for using a personal account to advance money for a client’s refund."

"The company forbids private monetary transactions."

Every time she answered, the number of people supporting the "rules" in the live stream increased. For the first time, I realized she did not fail to understand human nuance. Instead, she turned every human sentiment into clauses that served her own interests. Dao To pushed the pen toward me.

"Director Luc, only nineteen minutes left."

"You don't have to like me."

"But your personal likes and dislikes are not part of the company regulations."

I picked up the pen. Outside, someone suddenly shouted:

"The Chairman is here."

The crowd parted. Chairman Trieu Hang, accompanied by the Public Relations head, walked forward quickly, followed by two cameramen. He did not ask about the situation, immediately snatching the background check report from my hand.

"Luc Kieu, you are suspended from your position."

"Chairman Trieu, her background check has risks."

"Right now, the biggest risk is you."

Trieu Hang placed the contract before Han Trac.

"Initiate the substitute signature process."

Han Trac picked up the pen, his hand hovering over the page. Finally, Dao To smiled.

"Director Luc, do you see? Regulations do not lose their validity just because someone holds a higher position."

I stared at the red light blinking on her chest. Over a hundred thousand people were watching as my employee badge was removed. Before twelve, she would trample on my father-in-law’s termination notice and step into the HR department I had once managed. Trieu Hang urged Han Trac in a low voice.

"Sign."

"The contract cannot be signed. She concealed the fact that she was live streaming."

I held onto the final page firmly. Han Trac immediately pulled his hand back. Dao To turned the camera toward herself again.

"I am under no obligation to inform the offender of my methods for collecting evidence."

"The regulations for company visitors clearly state that unauthorized filming in work areas is prohibited."

"This is the interview area."

She took out her phone and opened the invitation message to the company.

"The notification did not include a ban on filming."

"The receptionist did not ask me to surrender my devices."

"Management loopholes cannot be used to frame the candidate as deceptive."

Trieu Hang glanced at the number of viewers, which was still rising.

"Luc Kieu, let go."

I did not let go.

"She is intentionally creating public pressure. Her motive for wanting this job is not pure."

Dao To stepped forward.

"My motive is to get a job."

"From the written exam to the final interview, I ranked first in all three rounds."

"It is you who brought personal grudges into the company, sabotaging the normal recruitment process."

She reached out and snatched the contract. The paper stretched between us, and the edge of the sheet sliced my fingertip. Blood dripped onto the offer letter. In the comments, someone immediately claimed that I was "shamed into rage." Trieu Hang pried my hands away.

"Security."

Two guards entered and pushed me aside. Dao To retrieved the contract, gently smoothing out the wrinkles.

"Director Luc, was your father-in-law the same back then?"

"Clearly, the steering wheel should not have been decided by him alone, yet he stubbornly held on and refused to let go."

The words pierced me, rendering the pain in my hand meaningless. Years ago, when I arrived at the transportation company, my father-in-law was clutching his uniform. Thirty-seven years of work were crammed into a single cardboard box. The company demanded he sign the disciplinary notice. He refused. The investigator said that if he only admitted to driving impulsively, the company could downgrade the firing to a resignation, allowing him to keep part of his benefits. My father-in-law sat there for the entire afternoon. Finally, he only asked one question.

"Next time, if there is someone dying on the bus again, am I not allowed to save them?"

No one answered. At that time, Dao To was still in the hospital. I went to find her to ask her to drop the complaint, but she was giving a media interview. The reporter handed her the scholarship certificate for legal compliance. She said her family background was difficult, her father had debts, and rules were the only thing she could trust. I asked her if her life was saved by rules. She hugged the certificate and looked at me.

"Your father-in-law could have stopped the bus and called an ambulance."

"He had no right to risk everyone else’s safety."

"The fact that no accident occurred this time does not mean his choice was correct."

After that, my father-in-law sold the small house he had prepared for his old age.