Chapter 8 — No Resentment, No Forgiveness

I offered only one response:

“While you are recovering, you should not let your emotions fluctuate. Let us speak only after you have been discharged from the hospital.”

It was the third time. He was waiting for me at the gate of my apartment complex, clutching a bouquet of flowers. I bypassed him, taking a different path without even glancing back. From behind me, he shouted, “Nhuoc Tinh!”

“Do you really intend to just let it all go like this?”

I stopped and turned to face him. “Let what go?”

I looked him straight in the eyes. “Chu Minh Hien.”

“I do not owe you a single penny.”

“I have never done anything excessive or unreasonable toward you.”

“When your mother was hospitalized, I paid the medical bills.”

“When we broke the lease, I covered the compensation fees myself.”

“As for the post on my social media…”

“I only posted the truth.”

“So, you tell me—what exactly have I let go?”

Chu Minh Hien tightened his grip on the flowers. His lips trembled, but he could not find an answer. I offered a faint, cold smile.

“Conversely… have you thought this through?”

“If your mother asks, how exactly do you intend to explain this to her?”

With that, I turned and walked into the building. As for the bouquet—I have no idea where it ended up. I only know that it never had the chance to cross the threshold of my home. Yet, things were far from over. As for Lam Tu Vu… she was causing a far greater stir than I had anticipated.

The post on my social media had spread through the wedding industry like ripples on water. Chu Minh Hien was a professional wedding photographer active within the city’s wedding circuit. It is a small professional circle where everyone knows everyone. The moment his name was mentioned, most people knew exactly who he was. As for Lam Tu Vu, she was a planning assistant at a wedding event agency. In other words, she and I were effectively in the same line of work. Just then, To Dao called, her voice full of malicious delight.

“Nhuoc Tinh, do you know what kind of connection Lam Tu Vu has with your company?”

I held the phone, suddenly sensing an invisible cord tightening around me. “Tell me.”

“She is the cousin of Assistant General Manager Ngo. She visited your company to work with clients once before. It was precisely then that she met Chu Minh Hien.”

To Dao paused before continuing. “Nhuoc Tinh, those two met right at an event organized by your own firm.”

I sat silently in my chair, only speaking after a few seconds had passed. “You mean to say that when Chu Minh Hien came to my company to sign his photography contract, he already knew Lam Tu Vu?”

“Yes.”

I closed my eyes, the events of the past slowly crystallizing in my mind. Back then, it was I who introduced Chu Minh Hien to the company, helping him land his first photography contract. Afterward, he used that opportunity to secure countless other clients, and his reputation began to grow. As for Lam Tu Vu, being the cousin of the assistant to the General Manager, the two of them had crossed paths during that very period. Thinking of this, I let out a sharp laugh. So, their romance had blossomed on the very path I had personally paved for Chu Minh Hien.

The line remained silent for a long time before To Dao tentatively asked, “Nhuoc Tinh, are you okay?”

“I am fine,” I replied calmly. “I am just thinking about one thing.”

“What is that?”

“Whether I should let General Manager Ngo know about this.”

To Dao was stunned. “Are you planning to report them?”

“No,” I shook my head. “I was the one who connected the two parties in the first place. Now that things have turned out this way, I must warn him. If the assistant or Lam Tu Vu ever does anything to compromise the company’s procurement process, we will at least not be caught off guard.”

To Dao was silent for a moment before she chuckled. “Nhuoc Tinh, what do you call this move?”

I replied with cold composure, “Blocking their retreat.”

The following day, I arranged a meeting with General Manager Ngo. He was over fifty, a man who had traveled widely and possessed a deep understanding of the world.