Chapter 42 — Shrimp Street Without Name

Ms. Hong officially quit her job at Dai Duong three days after the meeting with Hai Yen, bringing with her a small hard drive containing all her work emails and internal documents that she had quietly backed up over the past several weeks, since she began to have doubts about what was really going on in the company. She went straight to lawyer Hoang's office to present her official testimony, in the presence of Hai Yen.

“I held the position of head of the quality department for seven years,” Ms. Hong said, her voice much steadier than when she called in a whisper of fear before. “I knew, without being directly involved, that a parallel reporting system existed within the company — one set of official metrics submitted to certification bodies, and another, more accurate set of internal metrics that circulated only among the few people with the highest access rights.”

“Do you have specific evidence about these two parallel systems?” Lawyer Hoang asked, her hand taking notes quickly.

“Yes,” Ms. Hong replied, opening the hard drive in front of them. "In here are internal spreadsheets that I was accidentally granted access to while replacing an IT employee on sick leave, before they could revoke the permissions. I backed them all up before being discovered."

Lawyer Hoang quickly scanned the content, her face showing the suppressed excitement of a lawyer who has just found an important piece of the puzzle for a complicated case. “If this data is verified to be authentic, this could be decisive evidence, proving systematic fraud, not a single error as the Ocean side still tries to justify.”

At the same time, at another location in the city, another emergency meeting was taking place without Hai Yen's knowledge. In his private meeting room, Mr. Bao sat opposite two new lawyers from Ho Chi Minh City, his face much more tense than the calm image he tried to maintain in public.

“We need to know exactly how serious the situation is,” one of the lawyers said, his voice cold, professional. “If that auditor really has internal data, we need a new strategy, not just denial.”

“You just do what you need to do,” Mr. Bao replied, his voice heavy, a rare tiredness evident on his face. "Just make sure, no matter what happens, nothing related to the main investor is revealed. That is an absolute line that cannot be crossed."

The second, younger lawyer spoke up, his voice cautiously examining. "If so, we suggest a solution: you should consider letting a few low-level personnel take full responsibility for specific violations, in exchange for long-term financial security. This is the most effective way to limit the damage, preventing the investigation from spreading to higher levels."

Mr. Bao was silent for a long time, his eyes looking out the conference room window, where he could see the whole factory area bustling with activity as usual, unaware that the decisions being made behind that closed door could affect the livelihoods of hundreds of people working below.

“I need to think about it,” he said finally, his voice holding a rare hesitation. “There are people who have stuck with me from day one. I'm not sure I could easily sacrifice them as chess pieces.”

“This is no time to hesitate, sir,” the older lawyer said, his voice sharp. “In this situation, hesitation is the ultimate luxury that you cannot allow yourself to have.”

The meeting ended without any final decision being made, leaving Mr. Bao alone in the empty meeting room, his face carrying a torn look that no one in the company, including those closest to him, had ever had the opportunity to witness.

That conversation, even though Hai Yen was not present to witness it, would only be known to her many weeks later, through the words of Ms. Hong herself, who overheard part of it through the half-closed meeting room door before officially leaving the company. But even though he didn't know it at the time, it silently shaped the entire course of what was to come: a cornered Mr. Bao, forced to protect secrets much bigger than himself, willing to do anything to keep the true identity and role of those behind him hidden.

Returning to lawyer Hoang's office, after completing her testimony, Ms. Hong sat quietly for a moment, as if she had just relieved a burden that had been on her shoulders for many months. “I thought, when I'm done with this, I'll feel relieved,” she said, her voice thoughtful. “But actually, I was more scared. Having worked there for seven years, I know well what they can do when they feel threatened.”

“Do you need us to arrange any protection measures?” Lawyer Hoang asked, her voice serious.

“I moved my child to live with his grandparents in the countryside temporarily,” Ms. Hong replied. "As for me, I think I can take care of myself. I just hope everything ends soon so I can return to normal life."

Hai Yen held Ms. Hong's hand, a gesture of gratitude more sincere than any words. “You gave us an important piece of the puzzle. I promise, I will do everything to keep you and your family safe.”

On the way home, Hai Yen sat in the car, looked out the window, thinking about two meetings taking place in parallel in the same afternoon - on one side were the people who were courageously stepping into the light, on the other side were those who were cowering in the darkness to protect their secrets. She understands that this war, after all, is not only a battle between evidence and legal arguments, but also a battle between courage and fear, between those who choose to face the truth and those who choose to bury it at all costs.

That night, she called Mr. Duc, telling him about the new data source from Ms. Hong, asking if it could be integrated into the official audit report. Mr. Duc, after hearing it, appeared cautious but no less excited.

“If that data is verified to be authentic, as you describe, it will significantly strengthen our audit conclusions,” he said. “But I need time to compare carefully before putting it into the official report. We cannot let any small mistake undermine the legality of the entire record.”

“I understand,” Hai Yen replied. “Just follow your professional process. I trust in your prudence.”

After the call, she sat alone, reopened the draft of the article she had drafted the night before, reread every word, and considered whether it was time to publish it or not. Not yet. She decided to wait, at least until the case was officially questioned at the People's Council, so that her story would have more weight from the official context that was gradually forming around the whole story.

Before going to bed, she wrote down a short line in her notebook, summing up that day: "Every day, one more person chooses to stand on the side of light. Every day, we take one more step, however small, toward the full truth." That line, simple but containing the faith and hope she was trying to nurture through each challenging day, became a kind of spiritual anchor that helped her maintain her determination in the midst of a storm that still showed no signs of abating.

Lying down on the bed, she thought of the image of Mrs. Hong giving lawyer Hoang a small hard drive, her hands shaking but her eyes steadfast. She thought about how many other people, maybe right now, were facing a similar choice, weighing their own safety and conscience. She secretly hopes that each story like Ms. Hong's will give more courage to those who are still hesitant, so that in the end, the light of truth will completely overwhelm the darkness of silence that has covered this land for too long. With that thought, she gradually fell asleep, a sleep that was not completely peaceful but still carried a ray of hope bright enough to guide the way for tomorrow, a day that she knew would bring many new challenges, but also, new allies ready to step out of the darkness, continuing the journey that so many people had built together over the past weeks, one small brick at a time, towards a more complete truth for everyone, a truth that she believed in. Surely, sooner or later, it will be fully recognized by the whole land.