Chapter 9 — The Beggar Husband Turns Out to Be a Dragon

Less than a week after the accident on the bridge, Chan Hung Group suddenly fell into the most serious crisis in its twenty years of operation. It all started with a series of online articles appearing simultaneously, accusing this group of being involved in using low-quality materials in a number of recent construction projects, accompanied by "evidence" so elaborately staged that it was difficult to distinguish the truth from the fake.

Giang Chan Hung sat in the group's emergency meeting room, his face tense like never before, surrounded by department directors with equally worried expressions.

"Our stock has dropped fifteen percent in just three days." The CFO reported, his voice trembling. "Three major partners have sent letters to temporarily suspend cooperation, citing concerns about brand reputation. If this situation continues, we are at risk of losing the contract to build a new urban area, the largest contract in the group's history."

"Who is behind this?" Giang Chan Hung asked, his voice was low but full of murderous intent, his hands clenched on the table.

"We have conducted a preliminary investigation." The head of the legal department spoke up, his voice reserved. "There are signs that these fake articles and evidence were released in such an organized and coordinated manner that they cannot be the spontaneous actions of a single individual. We suspect the hand of Vuong Tin Group is behind it."

Giang Chan Hung gritted his teeth, his eyes flashed with anger. Vuong Tin Group, headed by Do Thanh Lam, has been Chan Hung's direct competitor in many large real estate projects for many years, and the relationship between the two sides has never really been smooth, even though on the surface they still maintain politeness when meeting each other at business events.

In fact, Do Thanh Lam had quietly planned this many months ago, when he heard that Chan Hung Group was preparing to bid on a new urban area project worth thousands of billions of dong, a project that, if Vuong Tin won, would strengthen their position far ahead of Chan Hung in the regional real estate market.

"Boss, everything is ready according to plan." A trusted assistant reported to Do Thanh Lam in his private office, his voice filled with complacency. "Chan Hung's shares are plummeting, major partners have begun to fluctuate. With just one or two more blows, we can force Giang Chan Hung to sell shares of the new urban area project at a cheap price."

"Very good." Do Thanh Lam took a sip of wine, his eyes clearly showing pride. "Giang Chan Hung is known as the God of Wealth. Let's see if this time, his luck will work again. Continue to put pressure on their partner banks, I want Chan Hung to kneel before this month ends."

In fact, the feud between the two men leading these two corporations had been simmering for more than ten years, when Do Thanh Lam once lost a major bidding deal to Giang Chan Hung, lost a huge investment and almost had to sell the company headquarters to pay off debt. Since then, he had always held a grudge, silently waiting for the opportunity to take revenge, and now, when he heard rumors that Chan Hung was having some internal turmoil over his daughter's marriage, he saw this as a golden opportunity that could not be missed.

"Boss, do you need me to prepare a backup plan in case Chan Hung finds a way to counterattack?" The assistant asked further, his voice cautious.

"No need." Do Thanh Lam waved his hand, his voice filled with overconfidence. "Giang Chan Hung is only good at investment intuition, not good at fighting tricks like me. This time, he has no way to reverse the situation."

Meanwhile, at the Anh Duong villa, the atmosphere was equally tense. Mrs. Lam Bich Van, although previously maintaining a cold attitude towards her daughter because of marriage, is now openly worried about the company's situation, constantly calling her husband to check on her husband, and even suggesting solutions that she thinks can help, although most are not feasible.

Tuyet Nhi, hearing that the family company was in danger, was also extremely worried, often going to her father's office to help with the work she could do, even though her knowledge of business administration was still limited compared to the scale of this crisis.

"Dad, is the situation that bad?" She asked, when she saw her father sitting absent-mindedly in the office, his hair had turned a few strands of gray in a few short days.

"It's quite serious." Giang Chan Hung replied, his voice tired. "If we can't find a way to prove that these accusations are fabrications, and we can't find a new source of capital to make up for the shortfall caused by the partners' withdrawal, I'm afraid the group will have to sell off a portion of the shares in the new urban area project, and thus, a large part of the twenty-year effort to build it will be considered to have gone down the drain."

That afternoon, at the Anh Duong villa, Giang Bao Son, who still had a grudge against Bach Tranh, suddenly became unusually quiet when he heard the news that the family company was in danger. His father had originally assigned him to be in charge of a small part of the business department, and for the first time, he realized the true weight of family responsibility that he had only seen as an obvious privilege before.

"Mom, what if the company really collapses?" He asked Mrs. Lam Bich Van with a rare worried voice. "Are we going to lose everything?"

"Don't say bad things." Mrs. Bich Van was angry, but in her eyes she could not hide her insecurity. "Your father has been in business for decades, he will find a way."

But both mother and daughter understand that this time is much more serious than any previous crisis the group has experienced, when the opponent not only competes with ability but is also willing to use nefarious tricks to destroy the opponent.

Tuyet Nhi held her father's hand tightly, feeling pain but not knowing what to do to help. She returned home that night with a sad face and told Bach Tranh the whole situation.

"That opponent, Do Thanh Lam, is truly cruel." She said, her voice filled with indignation. "They spread false rumors and used false evidence to harm my father's company, just because they wanted to win a project. If we don't find a way to prove the truth, my father will lose a lot."

Bach Tranh listened attentively, his eyes darkened, anger welled up in his heart for the family that had treated him well, although not completely smoothly, but still gave him a home, a chance to start life again. He remembered the knowledge and relationships he had gained before leaving Long Uyen, the knowledge of how to operate underground information networks, how to follow the traces of elaborately plotted plots, the skills he had been trained to prepare for succeeding the throne of Dragon King in the future.

"Don't worry too much." He spoke, his voice was low but contained a certainty that made Tuyet Nhi look up at him. "I will find a way to help."

"Can you help?" Tuyet Nhi asked, her eyes both hopeful and skeptical. "This is a large-scale business war, it's not a simple matter."

"I don't promise to solve everything." Bach Tranh replied, his voice careful. "But I have some old relationships that can help find clues about those fake evidence, and perhaps, can also find some temporary sources of financial support for your father's company to get through this difficult period."

Tuyet Nhi looked at him, curiosity and appreciation arose in her heart. She didn't understand clearly what the "old relationships" he mentioned were, but she trusted him, believed in the promise he had just made.

"Thank you." She said, hugging him, her voice choked up. "I don't know what I would do without you right now."

Bach Tranh hugged her, his eyes looked far away through the window, and in his heart he began to draw up a plan. He knows that to help his wife's family overcome this crisis, he will have to use some of the abilities and connections that he has tried to bury for many years, and that means he will have to accept the risk of revealing more traces to those who are hunting him.

But when he saw the worry in Tuyet Nhi's eyes, he knew he couldn't stand by and watch her family collapse without doing anything. That night, after Tuyet Nhi fell asleep, Bach Tranh quietly got out of bed, stood alone in the dark living room, holding the Dragon Seal in his hand, his eyes looking at it intently, as if telling himself that it was time to act, even though he knew that every action he took from now on could be a step closer to being discovered by the enemy.