Chapter 18 — Stupid But Strong

Receiving news of Bach Duy and Tang Ninh's visit to the old lawyer's office, Nhieu Trong Khai understood that time was running out. He summoned his trusted accountant to his private office that night, his voice filled with panic mixed with fierceness.

"They went all the way to the old lawyer," he said, slamming his hand on the table. "If we let them gather enough evidence, we'll lose everything — our company, our honor, we could even face criminal charges. You have to think of something more drastic, immediately."

The accountant, even though he was also afraid of being exposed, still tried to maintain a calm and professional appearance. "We need a strong blow, enough to make the public completely skeptical about Ms. Tang Ninh's motives, so that they no longer believe in any evidence she presents later, no matter how authentic that evidence is."

After a few days of thinking, the two came up with a cruel plan — to fake a series of bank statements, showing that over the past few months, Tang Ninh had received many unusually large transfers from a disguised account with a name similar to Bach Duy's, along with fake emails staged as if she was asking him for "financial support" in exchange for keeping quiet about their past.

That set of fake documents was sent anonymously to a series of major newsrooms, along with the explanation that this was "proof of the true motive behind the relationship" — implying that Tang Ninh was taking advantage of her past guardianship to blackmail a famous artist. A few reckless news sites posted it immediately, causing a wave of criticism for Tang Ninh to flare up more fiercely than ever, calling her an "emotional profiteer," "a woman who plans to take advantage of the gratitude of a guy who once owed her gratitude."

The day the slanderous article spread, Vom La restaurant was almost deserted, with only a few closest acquaintances still coming to support. Ha Thuy Duong had to stand in for Tang Ninh to receive guests most of the time, because her friend almost collapsed and did not have the strength to step out of the inner room. There were strange customers who deliberately came in just to drop a few harsh sarcastic words and then leave, making the atmosphere in the shop even more gloomy.

"You can't keep yourself locked in here forever," Thuy Duong said, bringing a cup of hot tea into the inner room for her friend. "If you fall now, that's when they win."

Tang Ninh looked up, her eyes were red and swollen from crying for many hours. "Don't you understand, Duong? The whole world believes that you are a dirty profiteer. No matter what the truth is, this stain will probably follow you for the rest of your life."

"No," Thuy Duong said, her voice resolute, holding her friend's hand tightly. "The truth will be proven. And when that day comes, those who slandered you today will have to bow their heads and apologize. You just need to hold out a little longer."

Tang Ninh, when she heard the news, felt like she was being poured cold water at a time when she was just starting to regain some hope. "I have never received a penny from Bach Duy," she told Lam Nha Thu and Bach Duy in an emergency meeting, her voice shaking with anger and hurt. "The bank account on that statement isn't even your account. This is blatant slander."

"Don't worry," Lam Nha Thu said, her voice harder than ever. "Because this is fake evidence, they will have loopholes. I have contacted a cybersecurity expert and a lawyer specializing in financial crimes. We will prove that the account number in the fake statement never belonged to you, and that email was never sent from your real mailbox."

Bach Duy, even though he was so angry that it was difficult to control, still tried to keep his mind alert. "This is the clearest evidence that the enemy is panicking," he said. "If they were confident in what they were hiding, they wouldn't need to falsify evidence to smear Ninh like this. That means we're on the right track, and they're feeling really threatened."

Over the next three days, Lam Nha Thu's team of experts worked tirelessly, comparing the fake account number with the real banking system, verifying that the account number had never been registered under Tang Ninh's name at any bank, and tracing digital traces showing that the "evidence" emails were created from an IP address indirectly linked to a communications services company that had received payments from the Nhieu family company in the past.

"We have enough basis to confirm that all of this evidence is fake, and most likely comes from Mr. Trong Khai's company," the lawyer reported in the summary meeting. "But to bring the incident to light in the most convincing way to the public, we need a suitable time and method of publication, enough to create a strong impact and not give the opponent a chance to defend or continue to deny."

Tang Ninh, although still shaking after the shock of being slandered, felt a new strength rising in her heart when she heard that the false evidence was about to be exposed. "So what should we do next?" she asked, her gaze more determined than ever.

"We will hold a press conference," Lam Nha Thu said, her voice filled with determination. "Not to weakly justify ourselves like before, but to proactively expose the entire truth - from the old property conspiracy, to the recent campaign of sabotage with false evidence. It's time for us to no longer be on the defensive, but to strike the decisive blow."

That decision marked the biggest turning point in their entire war, and all three of them understood that, once that press conference took place, there would be no turning back for anyone — either the truth would prevail completely, or everything they had tried to build would collapse forever before the public.

As for Nhieu Trong Khai, when he heard that Bach Duy's legal team had traced digital traces related to the media company that had worked with him, he fell into a state of real panic for the first time since the beginning of the sabotage plan. He urgently convened a meeting with the few remaining close associates, his voice no longer holding the calm and calculating look as before.

“If they get here, we won't be able to go back,” he said, pouring a glass of brandy with shaking hands. "Perhaps it's time to consider the last resort — completely deny all accusations, and if necessary, be ready for a direct public confrontation to protect the family's honor, no matter how blatant a lie."

The accountant, at this time, also began to clearly feel the approaching legal danger, remaining silent and not daring to object, but in his heart he also began to consider a plan to protect himself, in case things got out of Trong Khai's control.

The night before the decision to announce the press conference plan, Bach Duy went to Vom La shop, carrying a small bouquet of flowers that he personally bought at a roadside flower stall, and placed it in front of Tang Ninh without saying a word. She looked at the bouquet of flowers, then looked at him, her eyes stinging. "Why do you suddenly give flowers?" she asked, forcing a smile.

"Because I want you to know, no matter what happens tomorrow, no matter how the press conference goes, I will always be here, by your side," Bach Duy said, sitting down and holding her hand. "We have come a long way to get here, Ninh. I will not allow anyone, including Uncle Trong Khai, to destroy what we are trying to rebuild."

Tang Ninh squeezed his hand and took a deep breath to calm down. "I'm scared," she admitted. "I'm afraid that tomorrow, no matter how much evidence we present, the public will still not believe us completely."

"Maybe there will be people who don't believe it," Bach Duy replied, his voice gentle but firm. "But at least we will be able to tell the truth, not live forever in the darkness of slander. That is the most important thing."

Tang Ninh nodded, resting her head on his shoulder for a moment, letting that familiar warmth soothe the fear rolling in her heart. Outside, the streets were lit up, the trellis in front of the shop swayed gently in the night breeze, and both knew that tomorrow would be a fateful day that would decide their entire future. No one said another word, just quietly sat together until late, gathering a little more courage for the most important battle to come.