Chapter 26 — Recruitment Spots Stolen

21The original evaluation file that Tham Man brought... Has become the final evidence, enough to destroy all denials. Inside is the entire complete scorecard of the Young Talent Program seven years ago. I topped the written test. Top the professional interview round. Top the foreign language test. In the final interview round, all judges unanimously reached the following conclusion: Recommend recruitment, and at the same time include reserve personnel for international projects. There is no such thing as a moral hazard. There is no exposure to benefits. There is no way to know the interview content in advance. The hat of "questionable morals" has weighed heavily on me for seven years... It was fake from the beginning. The audit team projects two sets of documents in parallel on the screen. One set is the original assessment file. One set is a record stored in Thinh Hoa's historical data warehouse. In the original profile, behind my name is clearly written: Recruitment. In the archives, the back of my name changed to: Disqualified for risk. In the original documents, Luc Giai Di was completely not on the final admission list. But in the archives... She became an additional candidate for admission that same day. Each edited record. Each timeline rotates. Each account usage log. All were restored one after another. Nham Canh Hoa used Ha Minh Xuyen's account. The Office of the President directly initiates the approval completion process. Luc Khai Son through the Strategic Cooperation Committee to promote the exchange of resources. Phuong Man is responsible for preparing the results announcement script and cleaning up all candidates' files afterwards. All are in the same chain. No one can claim to be just an outsider anymore. Luc Khai Son still intended to open his mouth to justify. But the text messages that were just recovered from Luc Giai Di's phone... Have blocked all his last avenues of retreat. The Chairman sat quietly in his chair. The walking stick is placed horizontally on the knee. He stared at the evidence on the screen for a long time. In the end, just say one sentence.

"I enlist resources for Thinh Hoa."

"I'm not wrong."

Lam Lam looked straight at him.

"Where are you wrong..."

"...treated the entire company as his own chess board."

"It's even more wrong when..."

"...seeing other people's lives as bargaining chips."

The Chairman closed his eyes. Don't say another word. That evening. The Audit Committee issued an internal notice. The Chairman temporarily suspended his position to serve a specialized investigation. Nham Canh Hoa was dismissed from the Presidential Office, and the file was transferred to the next processing agency. Phuong Man was suspended from work for investigation, and all recruitment records under her responsibility over the years were reviewed. All strategic cooperation projects related to Luc Khai Son were also paused to review conflicts of interest. Luc Giai Di's recruitment process officially ended. When leaving the meeting room... Her steps were very light. Walking to the door, she suddenly turned her head to look at me.

"If that hadn't happened seven years ago..."

"...will you stay in Thinh Hoa?"

I thought for a moment.

"Perhaps yes."

The edges of her eyes were red.

"...did I steal your life?"

I looked at her.

"Not all."

"But I did once robbed..."

"...a starting point that originally belonged to me."

Luc Giai Di bowed his head. Don't say another word. A few days later. Thinh Hoa officially sent me a letter of apology for wrongly eliminating me in the Young Talent Program seven years ago. That letter was not written with flowery words. But every sentence and every word has been confirmed by the legal department, the Audit Committee and the independent monitoring unit. Thinh Hoa officially admitted... The "moral hazard" conclusion in my historical records is completely false. Admitting that the talent recruitment that year was swapped illegally. At the same time, I admit... My professional reputation has suffered unnecessary damage. The day I received the correction document. It's a beautiful sunny day. Ha Minh Xuyen stood in front of the ground-level window. In his hand he held another set of documents.

"The complete reform of the recruitment system..."

"...do you still want to continue?"

I looked at him.

"Aren't you afraid that I'll turn Thinh Hoa upside down?"

He smiled softly.

"But what I fear more..."

"...is to let it rot where no one can see it."

I received the documents.

"Then..."

"...let's start with a public apology."

One month later. Thinh Hoa officially reopened the recruitment period. All audio and video recordings during interviews are stored by default. The interview question bank must go through a uniform appraisal process. All recruitment cases based on internal referrals are required to disclose the relationship of interest. Candidates have the right to request feedback after the interview. Any comments that discriminate against age, marriage, childbirth or insult education... are considered invalid and will be prosecuted. The date of the first screening interview. I sat in the same conference room that year. The window seat is still there. The air conditioner is adjusted warmer than before. Tuong Viet sat opposite me. Now, he has become the person in charge of recruitment compliance. He gave me a copy of the file.

"Advisor Khuong."

"This candidate is thirty-seven years old."

"There was a three-year hiatus from work."

"But her previous projects were excellent."

I opened the file.

"Then just ask about the project."

"Don't ask..."

"...why do you still dare to apply for a job at thirty-seven years old?"

Tuong Viet burst out laughing. Outside the door. A candidate gently knocked on the door. She looks very stressed. Clutching his resume in his hand. Like so many people before. I raised my head to look at her. After sitting down, the first thing she said was:

"Sorry..."

"...my English isn't very good."

I smiled.

"It's okay."

"Today..."

"...let's just talk in Chinese first."

"Let me understand your abilities."

She paused. The eyes gradually brightened. Right at that moment. I suddenly felt... The door that was closed in front of me seven years ago... was finally opened again... ...in front of someone else. The story should also end. It's not because all injustice in the world has disappeared. But because in the end... Someone understood that... A door should not only be opened for those who are good at showing off their feeling of superiority. It should also leave... A clean and fair path... For those who are truly capable.