Chapter 9 — Reborn to Love the Perfect One

Three days after the conversation with Ánh Vy, Bách Nam suddenly presented to the board of directors an official proposal to reform the trust fund management mechanism for key personnel, including a provision allowing a number of selected individuals to directly manage and make decisions regarding their shares in the fund, instead of having to go through the approval of the entire board as before.

The proposal was cleverly presented, disguised as creating motivation and giving autonomy to young employees, making a few older, open-minded board members somewhat dissatisfied. In particular, Tưởng Bảo Long, vice chairman of the board of directors, who is always looking for opportunities to expand his personal influence in the company, publicly expressed his support for this proposal, saying that this is a necessary reform step to retain young talents.

Ánh Vy sat in the meeting room, listening to every argument, secretly on high alert. She knows that if this proposal is approved, Bách Nam will have enough legal authority to arbitrarily manage and then transfer the assigned shares, exactly like what happened in the previous life, the only difference is that this time everything is done publicly and legalized from the beginning, making it even more difficult to prevent later.

"I have some concerns about this proposal," Ánh Vy spoke, her tone was calm but full of weight. "Giving autonomy to young employees is something that should be encouraged, but we need to have a strict monitoring mechanism to avoid cases where power is abused without anyone having time to detect it."

"Ánh Vy, I think you're being too cautious," Tưởng Bảo Long spoke up, his tone somewhat sarcastic. "We need to believe in the young talents that the company has worked hard to train, and cannot always maintain such a rigid management mindset."

Ánh Vy looked straight at him, not flinching at all. "I fully support trusting young talents, Mr. Tưởng Bảo Long. But trust needs to be accompanied by transparency and a clear control mechanism, that is the way to sustainable corporate governance. I propose that if the board decides to adopt this mechanism, it is necessary to add provisions requiring monthly reports on all transactions related to the shares authorized to be managed, and all transfer transactions must have the approval of at least two independent board members."

This additional proposal made the entire meeting room silent for a moment. This is a reasonable request, difficult to refute without raising suspicion, but creates a significant barrier to any attempt to take advantage of the new mechanism for personal gain.

Vệ Thành Lâm nodded in agreement. "Ánh Vy has a point. We can adopt a mechanism to grant autonomy, but it must be accompanied by a strict monitoring mechanism like my daughter just proposed."

Ánh Vy's additional proposal was passed with a majority of votes in favor, making Bách Nam unable to hide the disappointment that flashed across his face before regaining his composure. He knows that with this new monitoring mechanism, any illegal transfer of shares will be difficult to bypass the board of directors.

After the meeting, Ánh Vy quickly contacted Dịch Phong to update the situation. The two met in a small meeting room with few people on the fifth floor of the company building.

"Thank you for preparing the review report on the trust fund management mechanism. Thanks to that, I have enough basis to propose timely addition of supervision provisions," Ánh Vy said, her tone sincere.

"I'm just providing information, the decision and ability to answer before the board is yours," Dịch Phong replied, his eyes looking at her with a clear respect. "To be honest, I was quite surprised by the way you handled today's situation. Very few people can maintain such softness and ensure such strict principles in the face of such a cleverly disguised proposal."

"Maybe I've learned to look a little further," Ánh Vy replied, the corner of her mouth slightly raised in a fleeting sad smile. "Mr. Dịch Phong, I want to ask you one more favor. I need you to help me set up an independent tracking system for all transactions related to the trust fund, especially the shares that Bách Nam will be assigned to manage in the near future. I want to know immediately if there are any unusual signs."

Dịch Phong looked at her for a long moment, his eyes carrying a discreet scrutiny. "Do you suspect Mr. Bách Nam will do something improper with this share of shares?"

Ánh Vy was silent for a moment, considering how much to reveal. "I don't have specific evidence, just the hunch of an older sister who has observed her younger brother long enough to recognize recent unusual changes. I want to prepare in advance, so that if the worst happens, I still have enough evidence to protect the company and protect him from irreversible mistakes."

That answer, although not completely true, was not a lie either, making Dịch Phong nod, his eyes softening. "I understand. I will set up a tracking system this week, ensuring every transaction is fully recorded and stored, even the smallest transactions."

"Thank you, really very much," Ánh Vy said, her eyes looking at him were full of sincere gratitude.

"There's no need to thank me, ma'am," Dịch Phong replied, his voice unusually warm. "I'm just doing what I think is right, and if that can help you avoid unnecessary hurt, I'm willing to do more."

Ánh Vy looked at him, a strange warm feeling rising in her heart. She didn't know if Dịch Phong realized it or not, but at this moment, the tracking system he was about to set up was the first brick in the entire foundation of evidence that she would use to overturn all upcoming plots, a foundation that she had never had in her previous life.

True to its promise, within just one week, Dịch Phong completed an independent monitoring system, directly connected to the internal control department but established in the name of a project to upgrade the financial data management process, avoiding attracting unnecessary attention from anyone in the company, including Bách Nam itself.

"This system will automatically record all transactions related to the trust, with immediate alerts if any unusual signs are detected, such as transfers to related parties who have never had a transaction history with the company before," Dịch Phong explained when he brought the system demo to Ánh Vy to see in her private office.

Ánh Vy looked at the system interface and nodded with satisfaction. "You work really meticulously and discreetly. I believe with this tool, we won't miss any unusual signs anymore."

"You can rest assured," Dịch Phong replied, his eyes looking at her with deep respect. "As long as you and I keep information about this system private and not reveal it to the public, anyone who intends to take advantage of the trust fund will have a hard time hiding their actions."

"Then, all that's left is to wait for the right moment," Ánh Vy said, her eyes looked out the window, where the city at night sparkled with lights. In her heart, a feeling of both nervousness and peace of mind mixed together, nervous because she knew the storm was still silently gathering ahead, but relieved because for the first time, she no longer had to prepare for that battle alone.

"Miss Ánh Vy," Dịch Phong suddenly spoke up before leaving the room, his tone was somewhat hesitant. "Can I ask you a sudden question?"

"You just ask," she replied, a little surprised by his unusual hesitation.

"Have you ever felt that sometimes you have to become colder towards the people you love, just to protect them from their own mistakes, but still feel endlessly tormented?" He asked, his eyes looking at her with a strangely deep understanding, as if he were talking about his own experience and not simply a social question.

Ánh Vy was stunned for a moment, feeling like someone had just touched the deepest corner of her heart. "Why do you ask this question?"

"It's just that I feel that your recent decisions have not been easy, even though you always maintain a calm appearance on the outside," Dịch Phong replied, his tone was softer. "I believe, behind that alertness is a heart that still has a lot of hurt and concerns. If there is anything I can share, please don't hesitate."

Ánh Vy looked at him, her heart filled with a feeling of understanding that she had never felt from anyone else, even from Gia Hạnh, her closest friend. "Thank you, Dịch Phong. Maybe, one day soon, I will tell you the whole story."