Chapter 17 — Sunlight on the Red Book

As expected, the district People's Committee's temporary suspension of reviewing documents related to Song Xanh Company Limited made Mr. Vo Thanh Dat angry. Instead of continuing to put direct pressure on the Lam family or Mr. Sau Tam's family, he turned to a new, more sophisticated tactic - attacking Ha Vy's personal reputation.

One morning, when Ha Vy went to the office to work as usual, Mai Anh was waiting with a worried look on her face. "Honey, there's something you need to know right away," she said, showing Ha Vy an article on a local social network that had been shared quite widely in the past few hours. The article, in the name of an "angry citizen", accused Ha Vy of having an opaque romantic relationship with the Lam family, implying that the outcome of the land dispute may have been biased because of the personal relationship between her and Dang Khoa.

Reading those malicious words, Ha Vy couldn't help but feel shocked and angry. “This is clearly an intentional smear,” she said, her voice shaking with anger. "Someone is deliberately discrediting me, to cast doubt on the objectivity of the entire case handling process."

"Who do you think is behind this?" Mai Anh asked, even though they both implicitly understood the answer.

"I believe, this is a retaliation by Song Xanh company," Ha Vy replied, her voice was steadfast even though she couldn't help but feel confused. "They cannot directly attack the legal process, so they turned to attacking my personal reputation, hoping to shake the results that have been achieved."

The news spread so quickly that Ha Vy couldn't help but worry about its impact on her professional reputation, as well as on her relationship with Dang Khoa. She immediately reported the incident to Mr. Tran Quoc Hung, who also appeared very serious about this situation.

"This is a serious act of slander, directly affecting the reputation of state officials on duty," Mr. Hung said, his voice filled with indignation. "I will direct the legal department to verify the origin of the article, and consider necessary legal measures to protect her honor."

"Thank you for your support," Ha Vy replied, her voice still filled with worry. "But I'm worried that even if the matter is clarified, the damage to personal reputation will be difficult to completely erase in the eyes of some people."

That evening, when Dang Khoa heard about the slanderous article, he immediately went to see Ha Vy, his face full of worry and anger. "I'm sorry for unintentionally subjecting you to such malicious rumors," he said, his voice filled with guilt. "Perhaps, I should keep my distance from you at work, to avoid causing unnecessary suspicion."

"No," Ha Vy replied immediately, her voice determined. "I will not let such baseless slander affect our relationship, or cause me to hide what I truly feel. If we back down from such dirty tricks, it would be like admitting we have something to hide."

Dang Khoa looked at her, his eyes filled with gratitude for that steadfastness. “Thank you,” he said, his voice sincere. "I will always be by your side, no matter what rumors I have to face."

A few days later, thanks to the involvement of the legal department, along with technical support from the police, the source of the slanderous article was identified - a fake social network account, created just a few days before the article was posted, with technical traces related to an IP address at the office of Song Xanh Company Limited.

"This evidence is enough to prove that this is an intentional act, aimed at defaming the honor of state officials," Mr. Tran Quoc Hung announced when the verification results were available. "We will officially send a request to the police for investigation and handling in accordance with the law."

News about the true origin of the slanderous article was quickly published widely, helping to restore Ha Vy's reputation, and at the same time further clarify the lack of transparency and willingness to use all tricks of Song Xanh Co., Ltd. in pursuing its business interests.

The people of Con Sen, upon learning the truth behind the slanderous article, not only no longer doubted Ha Vy, but on the contrary, became even more impressed and confident in her integrity. People in the neighborhood, every time they met her on the street, gave her sincere greetings and encouragement, as a way to show support for what she had to go through.

"Don't be sad because of those false rumors," an old woman selling goods at the commune market told Ha Vy when she stopped by to buy vegetables. "Everyone knows that you are a good person and helped Mr. Sau Tam's family regain their land fairly. No one believes those nonsense rumors."

"Thank you," Ha Vy replied, her voice warm with that sincere trust. "Your support is the biggest motivation for me to continue trying."

Meanwhile, the police, after receiving all the evidence, officially invited representatives of Song Xanh Co., Ltd. to work to clarify responsibilities related to the act of creating fake accounts and spreading slanderous news. Mr. Vo Thanh Dat, when summoned, initially tried to deny all involvement, but in the face of clear technical evidence, he finally had to admit partial responsibility, even though he tried to blame a subordinate employee for "acting arbitrarily".

"No matter how hard he tries to deny responsibility, this incident has caused his company's reputation to seriously decline in the eyes of the local government and the people," Mr. Tran Quoc Hung commented when informing Ha Vy of his work results. "I believe, after this incident, it will be difficult for them to continue operating smoothly as before in our district."

That evening, while sitting with Dang Khoa on the porch, watching the sunset dye the whole sky of Con Sen red, Ha Vy couldn't help but sigh with relief. “Finally, everything is clear,” she said, her voice filled with a mixture of exhaustion and relief.

"You were very brave when facing this," Dang Khoa said, holding her hand tightly. "I really admire your steadfastness, despite having to endure such malicious slander."

"With you by my side, I feel like I have a lot more strength to overcome all challenges," Ha Vy replied, resting her head on his shoulder in that rare moment of peace. "I believe, after the rain, the sun will shine again, just like what we have experienced together from the first day we met until now."

Dang Khoa gently kissed her hair, his eyes looked far away towards the river sparkling under the sunset. "No matter how many challenges there are on the road ahead, I believe we will always overcome them together, just like we have done until today."

A few days later, Ha Vy received news from Mr. Tran Quoc Hung that the provincial business registration office had begun a comprehensive inspection of Song Xanh Co., Ltd., after receiving many similar complaints from other localities where this company had implemented projects. "It seems that this is not the first time they have used non-transparent tricks to achieve their goals," Mr. Hung said, his voice thoughtful. "The incident at Con Sen may just be one of many similar cases they have carried out."

That information made Ha Vy think about the true impact of the work she was doing. She realized that her determination not to yield to pressure, and not accept any form of compromise with wrongful acts, not only protected the rights of families in Con Sen, but could also contribute to preventing similar acts from continuing in other places.

"Sometimes, a small, consistent and correct action can create a much greater impact than I ever imagined," she shared with Dang Khoa on a quiet evening. "That makes me even more confident in the path I have chosen."

"That's why I always admire you," Dang Khoa replied, his voice full of appreciation. "You not only simply do your job well, but you also truly create positive values, spreading to places you have never been to, touching the lives of countless people you have never met."