Chapter 17 — Reclaim My Company

I stand on stage. Quietly look at that screen. Proposal to restructure the Board of Directors... Approved. Strategic capital contribution plan... Approved. Proposal to dismiss Luc Hanh Chu... Passed. Proposal to hold responsible leaders accountable... Approved. Khai Minh Khoa Tech... Has returned to my hands. Lam Dao covered his mouth. Tears fell silently. Tran Du raised his hand and wiped his face vigorously. I grabbed the microphone tightly. Palms are sweaty.

"Thank you all shareholders."

My voice is a bit hoarse.

"Next..."

"Khai Minh will publicize all investigation results in accordance with the law."

"Recover all illegal profits to the end."

"At the same time, reevaluate all positions in the company."

I stopped for a moment. Looking down at the people... Who were once silent. Used to follow along. Used to pretend to be deaf and mute. Someone bowed their head. Some people's faces turned pale. There are also people who don't dare look at me.

"One more thing."

"Until last night..."

"A lot of people still think..."

"...silence will not pay."

The whole hall was silent.

"But from today..."

"...in Khai Minh..."

【Chapter 12】 One month later. Luc Hanh Chu was officially prosecuted and investigated. Hua Man returned the house and all the money received due to the violation. Date of moving out of the company dormitory. She was blocked by reporters in front of the door. Wear a mask. The whole person became noticeably thinner. Luc's mother stood in front of her. The mouth still kept cursing. The camera recorded Luc's mother pushing the reporter. Right at that moment. Hua Man suddenly sat down on the ground and burst into tears.

"I just want a roof over my head."

But the comment section... No one believes it anymore. Someone asked her:

"When you destroyed someone else's roof..."

"...why aren't you crying?"

Chu Thua's case also made progress. His assistant confessed. The release of anonymous documents online was directed by Chu Thua. The old report was also taken from the backup data warehouse and edited by him. The day Chu Thua was taken to testify. He saw me in the parking lot. Standing between two escorts. He suddenly burst out laughing.

"Tham A Hanh..."

"I won."

I looked at him.

"I lost..."

"...doesn't mean my goal is just to defeat you."

The smile on his face immediately stiffened.

"I still have a lot of work to do."

"No time..."

"...see me as the end point."

Chu Thua's eyes turned red. Lips moved slightly. Finally... He didn't say another word. Quietly being taken to the car. Khai Minh's internal affairs fired seven leaders involved in the incident. Recovered more than thirty million yuan in violation proceeds. At the same time, rebuild the entire financial approval process and legal compliance system. Some people even sarcastically hinted at the company group when they quit, saying that Khai Minh had changed ownership and that there was no more humanity left. Tran Du immediately replied:

"When there was still love, who was that love for?"

The group immediately fell silent. I saw that sentence and smiled slightly. After laughing, my stomach started to hurt again. Lam Dao put the medicine on my table.

"General Manager Tham, the doctor said that if you don't eat on time, the only option is to be hospitalized."

I picked up the medicine.

"I know."

She stared at me. I had to pick up the lunch box. Suddenly someone knocked on the office door. Trinh Nghien walked in, holding the share transfer documents in hand.

"The final round of procedures has been completed."

I took it and signed it. The tip of the pen glides across the paper, making a soft rustling sound. With the stroke of a pen, Nghien Thach Investment Fund officially became a strategic shareholder of Khai Minh. Trinh Nghien looked at me.

"Aren't you afraid I'll really destroy your company?"

I pushed the file back.

"According to the agreement, there will be three times the compensation for violations. Just try it."

He laughed.

"You're still so hard to fool."

"I've been fooled enough."

The sunlight outside the window shined down on the table, illuminating the documents and also illuminating the old needle marks on my wrist. That trace has faded a lot. Trinh Nghien suddenly asked:

"Are you free tonight?"

I raised my head. His expression was very calm.

"At the celebration party for the Phi Van project, General Director Tuong will also be present. It's not a private invitation."

I looked at him, then asked after a few seconds:

"Tell Lam Dao to put it on the schedule."

He nodded, turned around to leave. I called him back.

"Trinh Nghien."

He turned his head.

"Half a year ago, why did you give me the purchasing plan?"

He looked at me for a moment.

"Because I have seen all of Khai Minh's public documents, I know who is really supporting this company. Luc Hanh Chu stands in front of the stage, and you stand behind all the important documents."

I said nothing. He continued:

"Once at an industry summit, my stomach hurt so much that my fingers trembled while I was still editing my speech backstage. Luc Hanh Chu took the manuscript and walked up to the stage, not even bothering to look at the author's name page."

I remember now. That day I was in so much pain that I had to squat in the emergency exit, cold sweat soaked the back of my shirt. Trinh Nghien passed by and gave me a bottle of water. I didn't accept it, I thought he came to see the joke. It turned out that there were people standing on the opposite side, looking at me more clearly than anyone. There are also people who always stand by my side, but just want to rob me of everything that belongs to me.

"I got it."

After Trinh Nghien left, I opened the drawer. Inside is an old photo. The leaky office, the boxes of instant noodles, the whiteboard and me from my younger years. I took out the photo, cut out the half with Luc Hanh Chu, and threw it into the shredder. The machine hummed softly, swallowing that face whole, cutting it into small strands. In the other half of the photo, I stood in front of the whiteboard, my sleeves rolled up to my elbows, my eyes so bright they were blinding. I pinned half of that photo to the first page of the new file. At 7 p.m., party to celebrate the Phi Van project. This time there was no more champagne tower, no more truth-telling game, and no one forcing me to be generous. General Manager Chiang raised his glass.

"General Manager Tham, I wish us a smooth cooperation."

Tran Du and the research team sat next to him, everyone laughing comfortably. Lam Dao quietly gave me a cup of warm water. Trinh Nghien sat across the table, looked at me and didn't say anything. I raised my glass, the warmth from the water spreading into my palm. Outside the window, the city lights lit up one after another, layer after layer, like a road had just opened up again. The phone suddenly vibrated. An unknown number sent a text message. Ah Hanh, I'm wrong, can I meet you once? I looked for two seconds, blocked number and then delete the message. Lam Dao asked:

"General Manager Tham, who is it?"

I placed the phone face down on the table.

"Spam messages."

She paused for a moment, then burst out laughing. I also laughed. The two cups gently touched each other, emitting a clear "clang" sound. At that moment, I finally understood clearly. The years of being hidden in a veil of deception... It's over. From now on, I will not pave the way for anyone else. My path... I will continue on my own.