Chapter 13 — The Child You Never Knew

Khuong Niem looked at the big screen and suddenly stood up. She walked towards the side of the stage. The backroom staff tried to stop her, but she didn't stop.

“Miss Khuong, you can't go on stage now, the review is playing.”

Khuong Niem ignored him and went straight to the director's control platform in the middle of the stage.

“I asked to play a video.” Her voice wasn't loud, but it was as clear as a knife cutting through glass.

The director looked confused: "What video? What are you talking about?"

"Your compilation is an edited version. I here have the original surveillance camera of that episode." Khuong Niem pulled out a memory card from his pocket, "The real image of that episode is Wen Tam Duyet, while the camera was turned away, threatened my son, telling him that if he didn't listen, he would tell the program to kick us out."

The director's face changed. "Where did you get this? The surveillance camera while recording is a confidential document."

“It doesn't matter whether the document is confidential or not.” Khuong Niem looked into his eyes, "The important thing is that the content in this surveillance video is real. Now you have two choices: One, you broadcast this video, let the 48 million viewers judge for themselves. Second, you don't broadcast it, I will post this video on my social network account."

I, attach a complete chain of evidence of your organizers altering documents and covering up for guests." Her voice was calm from beginning to end, like she was reading a menu. The director turned his head to look backstage. The producer - Mr. Ton - rushed out from behind the scenes, his head covered in sweat, and leaned close to the director's ear to speak. Wen Tam Duyet sat in the judge's chair. She probably couldn't hear the conversation over here, but her eyes were always fixed on Khuong Niem. Her hands were placed on the table, her fingertips tapping on the table top, twice as fast as usual. Comments on the livestream noticed the anomaly: *"What's going on? After broadcasting the summary, why don't you announce the results?", "Is that person walking to the middle of the stage Khuong Niem?", "What is she holding in her hand?"* Mr. Ton's face changed three times in a row. Finally, he gritted his teeth and said something to the director. The director took a deep breath and took a defensive stance towards the control room. The composite image on the big screen disappeared. Instead, there was a light gray surveillance video. The image is the shooting room of the puzzle task. Wen Tam Duyet and Tieu Chau sat on the floor, in an angle where the filming camera could not see. On the screen, Wen Tam Duyet bent down and put his mouth close to Tieu Chau's ear. Because the sound was enhanced in post-production, her voice, although small, still transmitted clearly into every sound speaker in the hall.

"Your mother is a terrible woman who is hated by everyone. If you don't listen to her, the program will kick you both out, and your mother will never be on TV again. Do you want to make her sad?"

In the screen, Tieu Chau's shoulders were tense. The boy did not cry, just lowered his head and continued to form the puzzle. The boy's lips moved, but the sound was too low for the surveillance camera to pick up. The picture stops here. Livestream with 48 million people online. Dumbfounded. The comments section was blank for a full four seconds. Then, it was like the floodgates were opened. *”Oh my god.”* *”On Tam Duyet is threatening a five-year-old child?”* *”She said Khuong Niem is a bad woman? What right does she have to speak to a child like that?”* *”Is this the honest angel you praise? Playing psychological manipulation tricks on a five-year-old child?”* *”So nauseous. It really makes me feel nauseous."* On Tam Duyet's face turned pale under the light. Her lips opened and closed again, sweat beading on her forehead. The manager next to her rushed over from the edge of the judge's chair, bent down and urgently said something in her ear. Wen Tam Duyet pushed the manager's hand away, stood up, and said into the microphone: "That video has been edited, I have never said such words. This is Khuong Niem trying to harm me. She used this trick three years ago." When she spoke, her voice trembled, but her expression still tried to maintain composure. Khuong Niem stood in the middle of the stage, looking at her. “That surveillance footage was not edited at all. The time code is continuous, the image has no breaks. The technical staff present here can verify immediately.” She turned to the technical control area next to the big screen. A technical manager wearing glasses was pushed away, looking awkward, but still spoke into the microphone: "Our technical team has just checked the metadata of this video, the time code is continuous, and there are no traces of cutting or patching detected." Wen Tam Duyet's breathing clearly became rapid. She grabbed the edge of the judges' table and turned her head to look backstage. At the backstage entrance, Pho Tu Nien's figure appeared. He stood in the dark, did not go on stage, did not say anything. His hands were stuffed in the pockets of his dinner jacket, expressionlessly watching everything happening on stage. When Wen Tam Duyet saw him, it was as if he had grabbed the last life-saving rope. “Tu Nien, tell them, this is not true. Khuong Niem is taking advantage of this situation to destroy me. I know you best, I know you wouldn't do something like that." Pho Tu Nien did not respond. Comments from the 48 million people in the hall poured in, line by line like fire. Wen Tam Duyet waited three seconds, five seconds, ten seconds. Pho Tu Nien still stood still, not moving.

“What do you mean you don't say anything?” Wen Tam Duyet's voice became harsh, "I promised you. You said you would protect me.”

Pho Tu Nien finally moved. He took two steps forward, from the darkness to the edge of light. The light shined on half of his face, his expression was as deep as a rock at the bottom of the water.

“Bullying video from three years ago.” He spoke, his voice was not loud, but the microphone brought every word into the ears of 48 million people, "I have reinvestigated. The original material and the published version are not the same. At that time, it was her team who cut and collaged it before releasing it."

On Tam Duyet's body staggered.

“I need you to give me an explanation for this.” Pho Tu Nien looked at her, in his eyes there was no bias and protection like three years ago, only coldness, "Not to explain to me, but to explain to her."

His eyes deviated a bit, falling on Khuong Niem standing in the middle of the stage.