Chapter 13 — Sunlight on the Red Book

Just as Ha Vy predicted, after learning about the possibility of the agreement being canceled, Mr. Vo Thanh Dat refused to give up easily. A few days after the tense meeting at the commune committee office, he tried to approach Dang Phong in a different direction, inviting him to a private meeting in the city, away from the supervision of the local government.

Dang Phong, even though he was a bit more wary after what happened, still decided to come meet, partly because he wanted to officially announce the termination of the agreement, partly because he was curious to know how the company would react. The meeting took place at a luxury restaurant, where Mr. Dat had prepared an intimate atmosphere, trying to defuse the situation.

"Mr. Phong, I understand your concerns," Mr. Dat began, his voice much softer than the previous meeting with Ha Vy. "But I hope you reconsider your decision. We are willing to adjust the contract terms to suit the actual land area, ensuring your rights are not affected too much."

"I appreciate your goodwill," Dang Phong replied, his voice now much calmer and more cautious than before. "But after what happened, especially when you offered to bribe land officials, I no longer trust the transparency of your company's ways of working."

Mr. Dat's face changed color slightly at those straightforward words. "It was just an unfortunate misunderstanding," he tried to explain, his voice somewhat awkward. "I just want to show my willingness to cooperate, I have no bad intentions at all."

"I think both you and I clearly understand the true nature of that 'goodwill'," Dang Phong replied, his voice determined. "I have decided to officially request to cancel the deposit agreement between the two parties. I will refund the deposit received, in accordance with the terms signed in the original contract."

Mr. Dat was silent for a long time, his eyes full of calculation. "Are you sure about this decision?" he asked, his voice turning somewhat menacing. "Canceling a contract midway can lead to many legal problems, time and costs for both parties."

"I have considered carefully, sir," Dang Phong replied, undeterred by that implicit threat. "I would rather accept possible legal troubles than continue to cooperate with a partner who has committed such serious violations of the law."

Leaving the meeting, Dang Phong immediately called to inform Ha Vy of his official decision, as well as all the developments of the meeting with Mr. Dat. “I think you should know about this,” he said, his voice still laced with tension. "I'm worried he might try to cause trouble, retaliate somehow."

"Thank you for the notice," Ha Vy replied, her voice appreciative of Dang Phong's positive change. "I will report the situation to Mr. Tran Quoc Hung, to have necessary precautions."

Just as both feared, just two days later, Ha Vy received news from Mai Anh that an inspection team of unknown origin suddenly appeared in the commune, requesting to inspect the entire document processing process related to the Lam family's land dispute, citing "receiving an anonymous complaint about signs of violations during the processing process".

"I think, is this a trick of Song Xanh company?" Mai Anh asked, her voice filled with worry as she informed Ha Vy this news.

"Very likely," Ha Vy replied, her voice calm despite the tension in her heart. "But I believe that our handling process is completely transparent and in accordance with regulations. We have nothing to worry about, we just need to fully cooperate and provide all necessary documents to the inspection team."

Despite maintaining a calm appearance on the outside, Ha Vy could not help but feel a vague worry in her heart, when she realized that the fight to protect justice that she was pursuing might still face many more sophisticated and unpredictable tricks from forces whose interests were threatened.

The next morning, the inspection team officially arrived at the commune committee office, led by a middle-aged man named the team leader, carrying the stern, rigid demeanor of an unexpected inspection. Mr. Tran Quoc Hung, although surprised by this appearance, still maintained a fully cooperative attitude and directed Ha Vy to prepare all relevant documents to serve the inspection work.

"We need to review the entire process from receiving information, taking field measurements, to taking testimonies and making decisions to adjust land boundaries," the head of the inspection team said, his voice serious, not revealing any emotions. "The anonymous complaint said that there were signs that cadastral officials had abused their power and arbitrarily made false conclusions, causing damage to a related party."

Ha Vy, even though she couldn't help but feel nervous under this unexpected pressure, still maintained the necessary calmness, presenting in full and detailed every step in the handling process she had implemented - from the initial detection of deviations, to the verification process, taking Mr. Ba Dat's official testimony, to the independent measurement session with the witness of all relevant parties.

"The entire process is carried out openly and transparently, with full minutes and signatures of confirmation from relevant parties at each step," she explained, her voice calm but confident. "I am willing to provide all relevant documents and records to serve the inspection work."

The inspection team spent the entire morning carefully reviewing each page of documents, comparing them with current legal regulations. At noon, the delegation leader, after completing the preliminary inspection, somewhat changed his attitude, no longer maintaining the strict appearance as before.

"Through preliminary inspection, I see that your handling process is quite complete and strict," he said, his voice less tense. "We will continue to verify some more details, but initially, we have not detected any signs of serious violations as stated in the complaint."

Mr. Tran Quoc Hung, standing next to watch the entire process, could not hide his relief. "I have complete confidence in the transparency of Ms. Vy's work," he told the inspection team. "We are always ready to fully cooperate with any inspection and supervision activities from above, to ensure all decisions are in accordance with the law."

In the afternoon, after the inspection team finished its work and left, Ha Vy truly felt relieved, even though her body was tired after a long, stressful day of dealing with unexpected pressure. "I think, this is definitely a trick of Song Xanh company, to cause difficulties and delay the processing progress," she told Mr. Hung, her voice still filled with frustration.

"I think so too," Mr. Hung replied, his voice thoughtful. "But fortunately, her process is completely strict, not leaving any loopholes for them to take advantage of. This is also a valuable lesson, reminding us to always be careful and meticulous in each step of handling work."

That evening, Dang Khoa stopped by the commune committee office to visit Ha Vy after a stressful day that he heard about through Mai Anh's story. "I heard, today you have to face a surprise inspection team," he said, his eyes filled with sincere concern. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine," Ha Vy replied, smiling slightly at that concern. "Everything has been resolved well, my process is completely transparent, there is nothing to worry about."

"I believe so," Dang Khoa said, his voice warm. "But I still can't help but worry, when I see that Song Xanh company is ready to use all kinds of tricks to put pressure. I'm afraid, they won't stop here."

"I think so too," Ha Vy admitted, her voice low. "But I believe, as long as we stand firmly on the foundation of truth and due process, they will not be able to do anything to us."

Dang Khoa nodded, his eyes filled with admiration for her. “I really admire your steadfastness,” he said. "Not everyone is brave enough to face such great pressure and still maintain calm and clarity at work."

Ha Vy blushed slightly at that compliment, feeling a familiar warmth spreading in her heart every time Dang Khoa was by her side. Amidst the turbulent days of work, his silent but steady companionship became a valuable spiritual fulcrum, giving her more motivation to continue steadfastly on the path she has chosen.