Chapter 28 — Leaving You, I Shine

"But then I thought clearly - there's no need to force everyone to believe. Just take it step by step on your own, and the end result will speak for you."

The explosive applause was even more resounding than before. Coming off the stage, Phuong Du rushed over and hugged me: "So cool." Luc Dich stood aside, waiting for Phuong Du to let go of his hand before giving me a glass of champagne.

“Congratulations.”

“Thank you.”

“Lam Chieu.”

“Yes?”

He knelt down on one knee. The small box opened, inside was a platinum ring of minimalist design, studded with a very small diamond. Everyone around started cheering. Phuong Du shouted loudly. I looked at him.

“I didn't prepare any fancy words,” he said, “just one sentence – Are you willing to let me continue and not leave again?”

I held out my left hand.

“Put it on.”

He put the ring on my hand, then stood up, amid everyone's whistles, bowed his head and placed a very light kiss on my forehead. On the way home that night, I sat in the backseat watching the neon lights pass by outside the window. Luc Dich held my hand, his thumb gently drawing a circle on the back of my hand.

“Are you nervous?” I asked.

“My legs felt weak for half a minute.”

I burst out laughing.

“Lam Chieu.”

“Yes?”

“Thank you for agreeing.”

“Me too.”

The brilliant night scene outside the car window is like a sparkling galaxy.

—

Five years later. Chieu Bach's ranking in the industry is firmly in the top 3. I no longer handle each task myself, there is a CEO who takes care of daily operations for me. I stepped back to the position of Chairman of the Board of Directors, going to the office 3 days a week, spending the rest of the time with my family. Luc Dich's gallery has expanded from 1 house to 3 houses. We live in a villa in the south of the city with a small garden, in the yard are planted two cinnamon trees - the two trees were picked up from the front gate of the creative industry park. Phuong Du is still the Design Director and shareholder of Chieu Bach. She is not married, but raises two dogs and lives more freely than anyone else. One weekend afternoon, I was in the garden pruning the snake plant - that's right, it's still the same potted plant. The potted plant I brought back from Co Thi nearly ten years ago has been potted several times, and its buds now cover the entire window sill. The phone rang, it was Do Minh Vien.

"Director Lam, there's something you probably want to know. At the meeting of the Board of Directors of Co Thi Real Estate last week, Co Hanh officially resigned. This time he quit completely, transferring all shares to his younger brother."

“I know.”

“He now focuses full time on Phong Hoa Fund, and last month just poured capital into a Chieu Bach competitor company.”

“Which side?”

“Cam Quang.”

“That's okay, that side is doing quite well.”

“Don't you care?”

“It's just commercial behavior, there's nothing to worry about.”

I hung up the phone and continued trimming the leaves of the snake plant. Luc Dich brought two glasses of lemonade from the kitchen, placed them on the garden table, and sat down to look through his collection of paintings.

“Whose phone is that?”

"Do Minh Vien. Tells the story of Co Hanh investing in his opponent."

“Yes. So what?”

“And then it's over.”

He turned to a new page without asking anything else. Sunlight penetrates through the leaves of the cinnamon tree, falls onto the table top, onto the rim of the glass of water, and on the back of his hand. I picked up the dead leaves that I had just cut off and put them in a trash bag, brushing off the dirt on my hands. That rainy night nearly 11 years ago, when I walked out of the elevator on the 42nd floor holding cardboard boxes and potted plants, I had nothing in my hand. No money, no direction, no name of my own. And now - The company's value exceeds hundreds of millions of yuan, ranking top 3 in the industry. A man who truly sees my value, a home that truly belongs to me.