Chapter 2 — Seven Years of Silence, One Life of Freedom

Every move I make is calm, neither fast nor slow. I adjusted the hem of my vest, pushed my chair out and walked straight towards the meeting room door. Tran Thieu Quan's voice rang out from behind.

"The meeting hasn't ended yet."

I didn't turn around, just reached out and grabbed the door handle.

"General Su, please stop."

A female voice suddenly rang out from the hallway. Urgent but extremely clear. I stopped. Wei Nhien stood outside the door, his high heels tapping on the stone floor making "clack" sounds. As soon as he ran in, he immediately raised his hand to block the door. She is twenty-five years old this year and is an assistant secretary in the corporation's legal records department. Normally quiet, working carefully, there is almost no sense of existence in the company. But right now, she stood right in front of the door, her chest heaving slightly, her face pale, and her eyes strangely calm.

"Nguyen Nhien?"

Lam Hieu San frowned.

"What are you doing?"

Wei Nhien did not look at her. She just looked at me, took a deep breath and raised her voice loud enough for the entire meeting room to hear clearly.

"Boss, don't rush to leave."

She stopped for a beat. The next sentence was like a rock thrown straight into a calm lake.

"The chairman of the board has not yet spoken."

The entire meeting room, which was already silent, now seemed to be completely frozen. The calm expression on Tran Thieu Quan's face stiffened. The smile at the corner of Lam Hieu San's lips also froze in place. The expressions of the entire leadership changed from being curious to being truly bewildered. Chairman of the board? Which president? Isn't the Chairman of Thua Thinh Biological Group... Tran Thieu Quan himself? Tran Thieu Quan's voice broke the quiet atmosphere, carrying just the right amount of majesty.

"Wei Nhien, what are you talking about?"

Only then did Wei Nhien turn her head to look at him.

"General Manager Tran."

Her voice did not tremble.

"He is the CEO of Thua Thinh Biological Group, and also holds 32% of his personal shares."

"But the real controlling shareholder of the group is the Niem Vien Fund."

As soon as the four words Niem Vien Foundation were mentioned, Tran Thieu Quan's eyes immediately changed. That is an angel investor from the early days of establishing the group. For many years, he has never appeared in public, only through a family trust fund to hold 51% of the group's absolute controlling shares. Over the past seven years, this fund has never interfered in management. To the point that the entire leadership team is used to seeing it as a symbol that exists on paper only.

"So what?"

Tran Thieu Quan tried to keep calm.

"The beneficiary of the Niem Vien Fund has never been revealed. Today is just an internal matter of the group regarding the stock incentive plan, there is no need..."

"That person has already appeared."

Wei Nhien interrupted him. She took out a file from her briefcase, turned around, and respectfully handed it to me with both hands. Authorization letter to represent shares. In the lower right corner, the signature clearly shows three words. Wei Nhien's voice echoed in the quiet room.

"As the sole beneficiary of the Niem Vien Foundation, and the actual controller of Thua Thinh Biological Group, you have the right to veto any resolution passed in today's meeting."

She raised her head, her eyes swept over each of the dumbfounded leaders, finally stopped on Tran Thieu Quan's pale face.

"Including..."

"The equity incentive plan is used to humiliate yourself."

Sunlight slanted through the window at the end of the hallway, shining into the meeting room. The world in this room has completely changed. The silence lasted nearly five seconds. After that, everyone seemed to wake up from a dream at the same time. The sound of chair legs scraping against the floor echoed continuously. Some people unconsciously sit up straight. Someone bowed their head and flipped through the documents in front of them, as if hoping those few thin sheets of paper could give them an explanation. Lam Hieu San was the first to speak up.

"Where did this document come from?"

She stood up, still trying to keep her voice calm, walked in front of me, her eyes stopped on the authorization paper.

"Nguyen Nhien, what department do you belong to? What qualifications do you have..."

"Legal record storage room."

Wei Nhien calmly looked at her.

"Responsible for storing and appraising all records related to the corporation's shares."

"This authorization letter is issued by the lawyer's office entrusted by the Niem Vien Fund. The original copy is kept in the company's charter file."

She looked straight at Tran Thieu Quan.

"General Manager Tran, you must have seen it before."

Tran Thieu Quan's eyes were fixed on the documents, not moving at all. The leaders in the room began to quietly exchange glances. R&D Director Tham Tue leaned close and whispered a few words to the Deputy General Director of Sales next to him. The other person nodded slightly. I received the power of attorney. Don't open it. Just gently place it on the table top.

"General Manager Tran."

I spoke up. This was the first time since the meeting began that I officially spoke.

"You said just now..."

"The division of shares is based on dedication."

"Not based on relationships."

Tran Thieu Quan looked at me, something seemed to be wavering in his eyes.

"So today we will talk about dedication."

I didn't raise my voice at all, but every word that came out was as heavy as if it weighed on people's hearts. Lam Hieu San's face immediately changed. She glanced quickly at Tran Thieu Quan. He slowly stood up, stepped down from his chair position and stopped in front of me, only two steps away. He called my name in a very quiet voice.

"What are you doing?"