Chapter 10 — Summer On The Terrace

Diem My discovered that the audio file was cut when she heard Co Mai's voice again. The paragraph between the two sentences was connected too smoothly, the sound of breathing disappeared, like someone didn't want the listener to know she was hesitant.

“I didn't cut this part,” My said.

Vy opens the edit log. The file was uploaded to an unfamiliar computer after My sent a preview to Long. Long said he only transferred the file to the student union's communications department, not to the company.

“I didn't know they were forwarding,” Long said.

“I don't know,” Quan replied.

Long blushed, but this time he didn't react. He pulled the email history, showing that an account outside the guild had downloaded the file. The address belongs to the New Sun domain.

My did not want to publish the original version because the interviewee had not agreed to let the company hear it. She called each person, explained that the file had been accessed and asked them to make a decision. Ms. Mai requested that the audio version be deleted from all of the group's systems, keeping only the text recording. Ha agreed to keep her share of the kitchen but wanted to cut the cost figures.

Vy said: "Deleting does not mean losing evidence."

Hanh instructed to make a record and keep a sealed copy to prove the violation of rights, but not to replay it publicly. My followed.

Army checks the heat sensor. The main sensor has an additional intermediate device that sends data to an off-campus server. He took it apart, took pictures, and didn't throw it away.

“Can you track down who installed it?” Vy asked.

"Need to log in. Don't access the server yourself."

“I want to know.”

“Knowing the wrong way can destroy evidence.”

Vy was upset. “You always say to wait.”

“Because I used to do it quickly and let the drawing be used.”

“Are you talking about me?”

“I'm talking about us.”

Vy im. The statement did not push the blame on her nor did she pull him away. Together they made a log retrieval request to the information technology department.

Bao Long received a call from Ms. Nhan. She said the company only used aggregated data and that the audio file was outsourced to the media. Long asked the contractor's name, she refused.

“I can't continue to act as an intermediary if I don't know who receives the data,” Long said.

“You will lose your sponsorship opportunity.”

“I'm gone.”

Long turned off his computer, then sent an email to the student union to temporarily suspend data access until there was an investigation. The chairman of the association replied that a meeting was needed.

In class, Vy was asked by the instructor why her personal project used garden data. She explained that the group project had common use rights, but her project needed separate permission. Ms. Huong asked her to separate the drawings and not use unpublished data.

Vy returned to the terrace and saw Quan setting up an information board: actual measured temperature, error and date of measurement. You didn't write down the best number.

“You did it alone?”

"Uncle Sau helped drill. Ha recorded the schedule."

“Don't wait for me?”

“You have a project.”

Vy looked at the board. “I'm sorry for thinking you wanted to control everything.”

Quan put pen to paper. “I'm also sorry for speaking as if everyone did something wrong.”

“You can talk longer.”

“I'm trying.”

The two laughed. The smile was short, but broke some of the tension.

In the afternoon, the technology department sent the log. Intermediate devices are connected during company survey hours, using a guest account issued by the administration. It is unknown to the user, but the time coincides with the time the worker measured the frame.

Ms. Nhan texted: "If you put this information out, the company will consider it slander."

Vy did not answer. They sent it to Hanh and Ms. Huong first.

That night, My broadcast a podcast episode includes the sound of wind through the luffa trellis and an introduction to data rights, no interviews. Short episode, few listens, but no one is turned into content.

Ha asked: "Are you sad because few people listen?"

My said: "Yes. But being sad is not a reason to take more."

At the end of the episode, My reads the sentence: "The terrace is not a photo. It is a place where many people have put their time, labor and choice."

Vy heard and found that sentence to be more true than any slogan they had ever thought.

Before locking the door, Quan discovered a new shoe print on the soil next to the sensor. That person came in after hours. The company's blue tape still stuck to the sole of the shoe.

My makes a record of the cut file, recording the hash code, time and place of saving. Ms. Mai read it and said she did not want her name to appear in public records. Hanh said you can remain anonymous, but you must keep your consent private.

The military sent a request to the technology department to check the intermediate equipment. They confirmed that the adapter was not part of the school directory and was plugged in by a guest account during survey hours. The company said it may have been the subcontractor's fault.

“Who is the subcontractor?” Vy asked.

Ms. Nhan said she would provide it after checking the contract. The group does not accuse, just waits.

Long voluntarily withdrew access to the entire server during the investigation period. Some people thought he was pretending. Long still does it.

“I used to open the door too much,” he said. “Now play a part yourself.”

The student union sent someone to cross-check the data. My instructions are that they do not copy the audio file, only view the log. The process took time, but no one could say the group was hiding it.

Vy edits heat table: real data, advertising data, deviation. Quan checked the chart and saw that the advertisement took the lowest value in the shade and recorded it as the average. He wrote a short explanation, not calling it cheating when he didn't know who did it.

“You're too careful with words,” Vy said.

“Words are also data.”

My made the second podcast episode, reading how the group asked for permission and how to delete lyrics. Ms. Mai listened and agreed to give a short sentence about vegetable money. She doesn't want to say she's miserable, she just wants listeners to know that the kitchen needs to be calculated.

The episode was shared by the student association. A lecturer sent an email asking for accreditation support, but did not want the name of the department behind the dispute. Hanh said it is possible to participate professionally without exercising.

Quan asked if the lab could recalibrate the sensor. They agreed, asking the group to return the supplies. Long added to the budget.

The terrace had its first lesson after the expansion. Quan checked the number of people, Vy guided the way. When a student pulled a chair into the restricted area, another student reminded him instead of Quan.

“The regulations are starting to live,” Ha said.

“It can still die,” Quan replied. “Must be updated.”

At the end of the session, the sign "New Sun Companions" appeared next to the stairs even though it had not been approved. Ms. Nhan said the contractor hung it up wrongly. My took a photo and sent a request to remove it.

Vy doesn't want to continue having to check every word on the sign. Quan said that's why the contract needs to be clear.

“If we keep finding mistakes, they will say the group is difficult to cooperate with.”

“Cooperation does not mean ignoring.”

Vy nodded.

At night, a freshman sent a message that someone entered the terrace after hours and placed another sensor under the plant bed. On the device there is a company code.

The group does not disassemble itself. They locked the area and called Ms. Nhan and the board of directors. Ms. Nhan arrived with a technician and confirmed that the device was used for independent measurements but did not report it yet calendar.

Quan requested to make a record and hand over the data to the general laboratory. The technician agreed.

Vy looked at the device and saw a flashing number ten degrees lower than her thermometer. This time they have a testable question, not just a doubt.

The two sides agreed to let the two devices run in parallel for forty-eight hours. Quan put up different colored tape, recorded the on and off times, and placed a mercury thermometer as a landmark. Mrs. Nhan sent a technician named Duy to stay at the beginning. Duy is young and speaks little, but when Quan asked about the type of sensor, he gave both the product code and calibration documents.

Vy asked him if he knew where the device was placed before. Duy said he only received the location from the company map, not on the ground. He admitted that he saw discrepancies in the data, but thought it was because the terrace had many shadow areas. Quan explained that the shadow area is not an error if the measurer clearly notes the conditions. Duy nodded, took a pen and marked "building shadow" in his diary.

During the first two hours, the difference decreased to three degrees. When the sun changed direction, the company's equipment was six degrees lower. Ha placed a basin of water next to the two sensors and asked if steam had an effect. Duy checked the protective cover and discovered that the company's one had an air vent facing the wall. He said he would send a request to change the location, not fix it himself on the spot.

My stood on the stairs, listening to the group talk about air vents and wondering why small details could change the whole discussion. She wrote a question for the podcast: “When two numbers are different, do we look for someone who is wrong or look for the conditions that make them different?” She hasn't recorded it yet, just left the questions in the notebook.

At night, the team checks server access. The guest account was locked, but there was a file download at noon. Long sent the log to the technology department, asking them to confirm that no files were changed. The technology department replied that the data is intact, but recommends turning on two-step authentication. Long immediately turned it on, then printed out the backup code and put it in a sealed envelope at the student union office.

On the morning of the second day, the notice of trial dismantling was still not withdrawn. Ms. Nhan called and said the company needed results before asking for a signature. Vy replied that the result is only valid if all conditions are written together. Ms. Nhan was silent, then said she would bring an independent engineer. For the first time, both sides have the same thing to do instead of just waiting for the other side to make concessions.