Chapter 17 — Old Painting Restoration Workshop

The letter arrived on a Thursday morning, brought to the factory door by a professional courier wearing a law firm uniform, asking Secretary Mien to receive it directly. She opened the envelope as soon as the postman left, her hands shaking slightly as she pulled out formal printed pages with the title of a large, famous law firm in Hanoi.

The content of the letter, although written in polite legal language, still exuded a clear and unmistakable threat. Tinh Hoa Auction House, as a co-sponsor and with direct interests related to the work "Vong Nguyet", officially requests Bach Nien workshop not to conduct any actions "that may damage the integrity, commercial value, or academic reputation" of the work, including but not limited to "publishing scientific analysis results that have not been verified by recognized competent authorities". The letter also reminded that, according to the terms of the restoration contract, Bach Nien workshop was obliged to keep information related to the work confidential, and any violation could lead to immediate termination of the contract, accompanied by a claim for damages.

Mien Thu read the letter three times, feeling cold all over. This was no longer a veiled threat via a face-to-face encounter — this was an official legal document, which could be used as the basis for an actual lawsuit if she did not comply.

She immediately called Au Bao Tran, her close friend from college, now working as a lawyer at a small law office but famous for its dedication to clients. Bao Tran, after hearing Mien Thu recount the entire situation over the phone, arranged to meet her that afternoon.

"Let me take a look at this letter." Bao Tran said, putting on her glasses, carefully reading every word in her small office, where the afternoon sunlight penetrated through the thin curtain and shone on the stack of legal documents neatly stacked on the table. "In terms of wording, they are quite clever — they don't explicitly say they forbid you from investigating or publishing the truth, but just use vague words like 'damage to academic reputation' that can be interpreted in any direction that benefits them later."

"So am I violating the contract if I continue to investigate?" Mien Thu asked, her voice filled with worry.

Bao Tran pondered for a moment, then turned over the original contract that Mien Thu brought with her. "Technically, your restoration contract with the museum does not prohibit you from carrying out the necessary technical research to ensure the quality of the work — it is even part of your professional responsibility. The problem is that Tinh Hoa is not the party directly contracting with you, they are just the sponsor of the museum. In theory, they have no direct legal right to require you to do or not do anything, unless they can prove that your actions cause harm. real harm to them."

"So why are they still sending this letter?" Mien Thu asked.

"To scare you." Bao Tran replied directly, without beating around the bush. "This is a common tactic of organizations with large financial resources — they don't need to win the case, they just need to scare the other side into voluntarily withdrawing, because the cost of pursuing a lawsuit, even if you're right, can be a terrible burden on a small factory like yours."

Mien Thu sat quietly, clearly feeling the cold calculation behind that strategy. "So what should I do?"

"In the immediate future, I will prepare an official response letter, clearly affirming that the Bach Nien workshop fully complies with its contractual obligations with the museum, and at the same time emphasizing that all technical research activities are within the scope of standard professional responsibilities of a restoration unit." Bao Tran started taking notes. "That will show them you're not easily intimidated, and also protect you legally if they actually pursue litigation later."

While the two were discussing, Mien Thu's phone vibrated continuously - many messages and missed calls from the workshop's regular customers, asking about the "rumors" spreading among small collectors about the Bach Nien workshop "having problems with professional capacity" during a recent large project.

"What is this?" Bao Tran asked when she saw Mien Thu's expression change.

"Someone is spreading rumors." Mien Thu said, her voice shaking with anger and worry. "Saying that my workshop is incompetent might ruin the painting."

She opened a post on a small art forum that a friend sent her, where an anonymous account asked a meaningful question about "whether small-scale restoration workshops, lacking modern equipment, are capable of handling works of high historical value", accompanied by a few supporting comments from other accounts, including a familiar name that Nguyen Vu had mentioned — Duong Chi Cuong, a famous appraisal expert, who, according to Nguyen Vu, had a relationship close relationship with the Chau family.

"This is not a coincidence." Mien Thu said, her voice was sharp. "This is an organized campaign to destroy my factory's reputation before I can announce anything."

Bao Tran put her hand on her friend's shoulder, her eyes full of sympathy but also full of determination. "Then we need to prepare more thoroughly and faster. You are not alone in this, Mien Thu. I will help you legally, and I believe you also have other allies standing by your side."

Mien Thu nodded, thinking of Nguyen Vu, Ms. Dieu Lan, Thuy Chi and Mr. Le - who, although each in their own way, were on her side in this unequal battle. She felt a warmth creeping through the anxiety that surrounded her, a belief that, no matter how powerful and resourceful her opponents were, she still had something they didn't have — the truth, and people willing to defend it with her to the end.

That evening, when she recounted the entire day's events to Nguyen Vu over the phone, there was an unusual silence in his voice on the other end of the line before answering, making her have a feeling that there was something he was hiding.

"I also have something to tell you." He spoke finally, his voice lowered, for the first time using more intimate pronouns without either of them noticing the change amid the tension. "This afternoon, a person who was my old superior at Tinh Hoa called, inviting me to return to work with a much higher position than before, with a salary three times the current salary. He spoke very cleverly, without mentioning 'Vong Nguyet' or me a word, just saying it was 'a good opportunity you shouldn't miss'."

Mien Thu held her breath. "What do you answer?"

"I refuse." Nguyen Vu replied without hesitation. "But I want you to know this, because I think you need to know you're not the only one being pressured. They're trying to separate us, isolate each of us one by one, hoping one of us will waver."

"You don't regret refusing, do you?" She asked softly, her voice carrying a sincere concern for him more than for herself.

"Not a jot." He replied, his voice becoming warmer. "I learned from last time that there are opportunities that look attractive, but in return is the price of staying silent about something you know is wrong. I don't want to live the rest of my life with that choice again."

Mien Thu felt her heart warm in the midst of a turbulent day. "Thank you," she said softly, "for always choosing to be on the right side, even when it was much harder."

"We choose together." He replied, and in that voice, she heard a tenderness that went beyond the framework of a normal working relationship.

They talked for a while longer, no longer revolving around investigative plans or legal tactics, but about small, everyday stories — about the noodle soup in the alley that Nguyen Vu had just discovered, about the fact that Thuy Chi had just ruined a batch of solvents because she was too busy texting with her boyfriend, about the book he was reading on his desk. Those small stories, amidst the surrounding tension, brought a rare feeling of normalcy that both of them cherished.

Before hanging up, Nguyen Vu hesitated a bit, then added. "Sleep well. And don't let Tinh Hoa's letter keep you up at night. We'll find a way through, step by step, like we always do."

"Me too." She replied, a slight smile flickering on her lips despite the long and tiring day. "Good night, Mr. Vu."

Hanging up the phone, she sat quietly for a moment in the quiet darkness of the workshop, clearly feeling that, no matter how great the pressure from the outside was, she still had something to believe in and cling to - a growing affection between her and the man who had chosen to stand by her side, not out of obligation, but because of a common belief in truth and righteousness.