Chapter 4 — Me Five Years Later

I can only take advantage of the time to study and work. One time, the instructor asked me: "Tham Vy, why do you have to risk your life like that?" I smiled: "Because there is no way back for you." That's right, other people who fail can still go home, with their parents to protect them. I don't. Behind me is a ten thousand feet deep abyss. I can only keep running forward. If I don't stop, I can have the life I want. Then, an algorithm model researched and developed by my team won a gold medal in an international competition. Overnight, we became famous. My phone almost exploded with calls from investors. Reputable corporations continuously issue invitations. My group grew from a few people to a few dozen people, then from a few dozen people to hundreds of people. The company's value went from zero to one billion, then from one billion to one hundred billion. I followed the wave of development of the times, enjoyed all the advantages, and finally stood at the top of the industry. All thanks to the messages my future self sent seven years ago. People who looked down on me. People who said I couldn't do it. People who thought I wasn't worthy. I left them behind a long time ago. Including my parents and younger brother. Over the past few years, I've changed my phone number, deleted all my social media accounts, and completely cut off all ties with the past. I know my parents and younger brother tried to find me, but to no avail. 6. The meeting the next day went extremely smoothly. The partner side is led by the director of a leading hospital in the country. We discussed in depth about technical plans, data interfaces, privacy protection and many other details, initially reaching the intention of cooperation. In the evening, we met at a five-star hotel to discuss the next cooperation plan. While the drinks were going back and forth, I got used to flexible communication and calm negotiations. At that moment, out of the corner of my eye I caught a glimpse of a figure. In the corner of the restaurant, a woman wearing a waitress uniform was cleaning stains on the floor. She looks very old, her hair is white, her back is slightly bent. Even if I only saw half of his face in profile, I still couldn't make a mistake. My mother. That woman clearly saw me too. Her movements stiffened, the cleaning tool in her hand almost fell down. She widened her eyes and stared at me. Her lips were slightly parted, as if she wanted to say something, but in the end, no sound came out. For the next hour, I didn't look in that direction again. But I can feel those eyes still clinging to me. It wasn't until the negotiation ended and everyone else had left that the woman grabbed my shirt tightly. Her eyes were red, her lips were trembling, she wanted to say something, but she didn't seem to know where to start. Seven years without seeing her, she has aged a lot. Her hair was almost white, the wrinkles on her face looked like they had been carved by a knife, her eye sockets were deeply sunken, her waitress uniform had been washed until it was faded. "Vy Vy..." Her voice was hoarse, almost inaudible. "Vy Vy, is it you? Is it really you? I thought you were dead!" I looked at her, silent for a few seconds. In the end, the sarcastic words remained unspoken. I sighed: "Long time no see." Tears immediately welled up in my mother's eyes. She covered her mouth, not letting herself cry out loud, her shoulders shaking violently. "You... have you lived well these past few years?" She asked chokingly, reaching out to hold my hand. I calmly took half a step back, avoiding her hand. Her hand stiffened in mid-air, then slowly dropped. "Yes, that's right. You must be alive."

Good." She smiled bitterly. “Those people just now seem to be very afraid of you, and also very respectful of you…” “Mom… you and your father, even your younger brother…” Mom bowed her head, her voice getting quieter and quieter. “We don't live very well…” I didn't continue. “Vy Vy… your father has stomach cancer. He had surgery but recovered poorly, now he still has to take medicine." Mom wiped her tears. “My younger brother was also diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. I've had surgery several times but the disease still metastasizes..." The more she spoke, the more distorted her voice became. "At first, when your father was diagnosed, your younger brother advised him not to treat it. He agreed, but then Tham Minh was also diagnosed with the disease, and the two of them had a big argument." "We sold the house, borrowed from all the places we could, and finally gathered enough money to treat both of us. But now money is becoming less and less. Your father's medication has been stopped for two months, and your younger brother..."I listened silently, without any changes on my face. In fact, I had known this news for a long time. Over the past few years, many partners have looked into my background and investigated my past. They used to gloatly tell me these stories, hoping I would be happy to achieve their goals. I even knew that their family had a lot of debt. I knew everything. But I didn't feel happy. or gloating. I no longer care. "Vy Vy, I know I'm sorry for you!"