Chapter 9 — The Child You Never Knew

“Is that the man in the gray shirt?”

“Chau Chau.” Khuong Niem walked over and sat next to her child, "I asked you a question. If one day, someone said he was your father and wanted to take you away, what would you think?"

Tieu Chau put down her pen and thought seriously. “Why is he only coming now?”

“Because he didn't know me before.”

"So why didn't he know before? Was it because he didn't care?"

The corner of Khuong Niem's mouth curled up a bit. “The situation is quite complicated.” Tieu Chau nodded: "Then I don't want to go with him."

"Because you are my mother. I just want to be with you." Tieu Chau's tone was calm as if he was reporting that one plus one equals two, "I don't need other people."

Khuong Niem pulled her child into her arms. This small body is warm and sturdy, and has been her only support for the past three years. At eleven o'clock that night, there was a knock on the door. Khuong Niem opened the door, the person standing outside was Ha Than. He was wearing a dark coat, and the expression on his face had a hesitation that was completely different from his usual public-private expression.

“Miss Khuong, I'm sorry.” He said in a low voice, "The Deputy President asked me to come and deliver a sentence. He can postpone the lawyer's letter, on the condition that you agree to bring the child to attend the Pho family's party this weekend."

“Family party?”

"It's Lady Fu's idea. She wants to see the baby."

Khuong Niem leaned against the door frame, looking at Ha Than. “How many years have you been following Pho Tu Nien?” Ha Than was stunned for a moment. “It's been seven years.”

“So how much of the documents that condemned me three years ago passed through your hands?”

Ha Than's eyes lowered a few inches, falling on the hallway floor. He said nothing.

"Tell Pho Tu Nien," Khuong Niem's voice was without any warmth, "Don't go to the family party. Just send him a lawyer's letter. If he forces me into a corner, I guarantee, his loss will be a hundred times greater than mine."

She slammed the door shut. Ha Than stood outside the door and heard the soft sound of the door locking from inside. He stood for a few seconds, turned and walked towards the elevator. In the elevator, he hesitated for a long time, then finally opened his phone and sent Pho Tu Nien a text message: *"She refused. In addition, there is something I think I should report to you. Today Ms. On's assistant was in the program's editing room for two hours. I don't know what she was doing there, but after work, the editor's face was not normal."* The message was sent, read, but no response. Khuong Niem did not come to the Pho family party. But Pho Tu Nien's mother - Mrs. Pho - still appeared. It was the last day of filming of the preliminary round. According to the rules, the two lowest-ranked families out of six will be eliminated, and the remaining four families will enter the finals. The deputy lady wore a dark cheongsam and a jade necklace. She was accompanied by two people into the filming base. Her appearance made the organizers even more nervous than Pho Tu Nien. Pho Tu Nien is just an investor, but Mrs. Pho is the female owner of the entire Pho family, her position in the Lam Giang business world is even more senior than her son.

“Are you Khuong Niem?” The deputy lady stood in the middle of the hallway to block Khuong Niem, who had just finished filming a mission and was leading Tieu Chau home.

Khuong Niem stopped walking. Opposite is a woman about sixty years old, well maintained, but the wrinkles around the corners of the mouth bear traces of command and judgment all year round. The deputy lady observed her for two seconds, her eyes scanning from her old sneakers to her faded sweatshirt, then stopping on Tieu Chau's face next to her. Tieu Chau was looking up at this strange old woman, there was no fear on her face, only scrutiny. The deputy lady stared at Tieu Chau's face for a full ten seconds, as if she was identifying something. Then her lips trembled a little, but she quickly suppressed it.

“This baby belongs to Tu Nien, right?”

Not a question. Khuong Niem did not answer. Tieu Chau held her finger, stood quietly, eyes unblinkingly staring at the Vice-Madam.

“It looks exactly like him when he was little.” The deputy lady withdrew her gaze and looked at Khuong Niem, "You hid the baby for five years, and now you bring it to a variety show. What do you want to do?"

“I don't hide it.” Khuong Niem's voice was calm, "It's because no one is looking."

Mrs. Fu's face darkened a degree. “You follow me, I have something to tell you.”

“I'm so embarrassed, the next filming session is about to start.”

“I told you to follow me.” Lady Pho's voice was not loud, but there was a majesty in her tone that did not allow disobedience, "Do you think you can use this child to threaten the Pho family forever?"

Khuong Niem paused. She turned around and faced the Deputy Lady directly, her voice clear in every word: "Vice Lady, I'm not threatening anyone. Your son sent a lawyer to find me, not me to find him. I put my son on the show to make money to support the family, not to act like a family adoption act for anyone to see." The Deputy Lady's lips pursed tightly.

"If your family wants to adopt this child, fine. Just follow the legal process, according to the rules. But if you want to use the method of blocking my way in the hallway, pressuring me in front of my son, then forgive me, I don't have time to cooperate."

Khuong Niem led Tieu Chau past Mrs. Pho. From behind came the sound of the Deputy Lady talking to her entourage, trying to suppress her anger, unable to hear clearly. Tieu Chau walked a dozen steps before opening her mouth: "Mom, the person named 'Tu Nien' that the old woman talked about, is that the man in the gray shirt?" Khuong Niem bowed her head and looked at her child.

“I saw his name on TV.” Tieu Chau said, "On the cover of the magazine in the hotel lobby there is a picture of him. Pho Tu Nien, Chairman of the Pho Group."

Khuong Niem took a deep breath. This child's observation and memory sometimes make her feel scary.

"Chau Chau, don't think about this too quickly. Mom will handle it."

“I know.” Tieu Chau nodded, hesitated for a moment, then continued, "Mom, that old woman said you hid me, but actually her son doesn't need us first, right mom?"

Khuong Niem squatted down, holding her child's small face with both hands. "There is no one who doesn't need you. You are my greatest treasure."

“I know you need me.” Tieu Chau was very calm, "I mean him."

Khuong Niem opened her mouth, but couldn't say a word. From afar, the back-office staff's rallying call echoed, interrupting this conversation. Khuong Niem stood up and led Tieu Chau towards the studio. After taking a few steps, she felt her son's fingers tighten a little, then again loosen up.