Chapter 7 — People Whose Achievements Are Stolen

My thesis. My data. My topic. My chance. He transferred everything to Ha Uyen Thanh. But what he gave me back... were just two bags of cold bean milk with the same sentence:

“I'm for your good.”

I closed my laptop. The streetlight outside the window shined in, leaving a pale yellow streak on the floor. The sound of a key turning in the lock rang out. Ly Phong is back. He opened the door, saw the dark living room, and saw me sitting on the sofa.

“Why don't you turn on the lights?”

He groped his way over and turned on the lamp standing next to the sofa. Warm yellow light immediately shone on his face. In his hand he was also carrying a bag of fruit. Apples and oranges were mixed in a transparent plastic bag.

“Have you eaten at the office today?”

“Working in the general office... can you adapt?”

“Just adapt for a while first.”

"After Uyen Thanh goes abroad, I will talk to Director Tien and arrange a lighter topic for you."

A light topic. He stole my topic and gave it to someone else. Now he wants to give me a "light topic". I said nothing. He put the fruit bag on the tea table and went to the bathroom to wash his hands. The sound of rushing water. I stared at that bag of fruit. Suddenly remembering three years ago when we first got married... He was also like that. Every day after work, I bring a bag of fruit home. At that time I thought it was love. Now I understand. That is atonement. It's a hush fee. It's because in his heart he knows clearly that he did something unclean... So he has to use a little gentleness from everyday life to cover the dust on his conscience. After washing his hands, Ly Phong walked out and sat down on the other side of the sofa.

“Nien Niem, there is something I want to tell you.”

“In a few days, the institute will open a mid-year academic evaluation committee.”

“Currently I am no longer in a research position, but several groups of my previous experimental data are still in the review process.”

“I mean, if these data are eventually published in the name of a research group, it will be beneficial for you to return to a research position in the future.”

“Consider it the result of my participation.”

Participation results. Experiment I did. Data I run. The manuscript I wrote. Through his mouth... It turned into "participate" again.

“What is the order of signatures?”

“The first author is Uyen Thanh.”

“Second is Dao Vien.”

“Third is you and me.”

"Ha Uyen Thanh has never stood next to the experimental table, yet let her be first?"

“She contributed to the direction of the topic.”

“What contribution?”

“The overall framework of the project was her arrangement.”

“Overall framework?”

I laughed.

“That framework was written by me when I created the project at the institute three years ago.”

“You were still my partner then.”

“In my heart, I know better than anyone else.”

Ly Phong's lips moved slightly. Hand placed on sofa armrest, ring finger lightly tapped twice on the leather.

“Nien Niem, can you stop dwelling on these details?”

"Publishing the thesis, considering titles... is a matter of the whole team."

“If you keep emphasizing your personal merits like that, how will others view you?”

“How will others view me?”

I turned my head to look at him.

“The guy who stole my stuff is standing on the podium receiving his reward.”

“And then told me not to pay attention to the signature.”

“How do you think other people will see me?”

“What do you mean by that?”

His voice I'm half a beat higher.

“Who stole my things?”

“Tham Niem, what happened to you recently?”

"I've already explained about the admission to practice, it's for my family."

“Adjusting the topic is also the institute's decision.”

“If you have any objections to these arrangements, just follow the official process.”

“Don't cause trouble at home for no reason.”

Unreasonable cause of trouble. I looked at his righteous face and suddenly felt that the person in front of me was strange and scary. He faked my pregnancy certificate. Block national project invitations. Use my data to lift another woman up. Then sat across from me... Telling me "don't cause trouble".

“Then I will follow the official process.”

He stopped. It was like I didn't expect me to be so calm.

“That's good.”

“If there is any problem, just ask the Director of Money Exchange.”

After speaking, he stood up and went to the kitchen to wash the fruit. In the kitchen, there was the sound of running water and the sound of apples hitting the pot. I picked up my phone and sent a text message to a contact.

“Chu Man, those documents you mentioned… when is it convenient to give them to me?”

Two minutes later, the reply message came.

"The afternoon after tomorrow. Conference room on the east side of the second floor, two thirty-five."

"At that time frame, Dao Vien will definitely go to Principal Tien's office to report."

The other day afternoon. Small meeting room on the east side of the second floor. When Chu Man arrived, she held a yellow-brown paper envelope in her hand, with a transparent document bag wrapped around it. As soon as she entered the door, she looked at both ends of the hallway first before closing the door.

“There are three things in total.”

"The first."

“The first draft of the core article that Ha Uyen Thanh sent for approval last July.”

“The file attribute information shows that the original file creator is your computer account.”

“She used her original file, changed the name and submitted it.”