Chapter 17 — The Creator Cannot Be Erased

That place is intended for short-term consultants and external project personnel. There is no fixed desk. No arguments. Three o'clock in the afternoon. I found two cardboard boxes. In the drawer... Actually, there aren't many things left. Some pens. A box of stomach pain medicine. Two notebooks filled with projects. A photo taken on the day the first five hundred machines were officially released. Old business card box. I carefully placed each item in the box. Thieu Lam stopped by once. She stood at the door. Red eyes. Don't step in.

"General Director Trinh..."

"Can I help you carry your things?"

"I don't need it."

"But... they made me sign a report."

I stopped.

"What is the content?"

"They said that over the past year, you have often skipped the procurement process and directly appointed suppliers."

"It also said that some old contracts did not fully compare quotes."

"Have you signed yet?"

Thieu Lam did not answer. I looked at her.

"Write exactly what you know."

"Don't talk it over for me."

"Don't speak for them either."

"The version they gave me was already written."

"That's not a report."

"It's a unanimous statement."

Thieu Lam tightened his grip on the phone. Finger joints turn white.

"If you don't sign..."

"Will I be transferred to another job?"

"Capable."

"What about you?"

"I'll finish packing first."

I don't force her to choose. Whether a person is willing to risk or not... is their own right. Not because you've followed me for eight years... Then by default you have to sacrifice one more time for me. Late in the afternoon... I carried two cartons downstairs. Old access card... Can still open the building door. Can no longer scan through the gate to the office area. The red light turns on. The guard recognized me. He was about to step forward and open the door to help. However... The head of the system management department stood next to him and spoke up.

"If you don't have access, you can't get in."

"Must register."

The guard was confused.

"In the past, General Director Trinh passed here every day."

"Now the process has changed."

I put the carton down on the front desk. The guest registration book is open. The lines above read: Delivery staff. Supplier. Equipment maintenance techniques. The receptionist gave me a pen.

"General Director Trinh..."

"In the reason for coming, you just need to write 'picking up personal items'."

I write my name. Trinh Thu Ninh. Coming to the Unit box... I stopped for a few seconds. Trung Quang Smart Technology. The person in charge of the system saw it.

"Currently you no longer have access as an employee."

"In the unit section..."

"It's best to write 'old unit'."

"The labor relationship between me and the company still exists."

"But this is the guest register."

"Must be recorded according to system status."

He took the notebook. Right behind the line Trung Quang Smart Technology I just wrote... He added a small line of text. Former Director of Operations. Nine years ago... The first day I walked into that old warehouse... Outside the door... There was no receptionist. There is also no control gate. I was the one who bought the lock. Then play seven more keys. Nine years later... I stand in front of the company I built. Registered... As a guest. The receptionist asked me:

"How long do you plan to stay?"

I looked at those five words. Former Director of Operations. Then slowly write in the Expected time of departure box. 11. Me I don't need him to admit it anymore. Leave the Trung Quang building... I'm not going home right away. Two cartons are in the trunk of the car. The smell of old paper... Mixed with the smell of stomach pain medicine... wafts throughout the car compartment. There are five words left on the registration book... Still lingering before my eyes. Former Director of Operations. For nine years... Every time something happens... The first thing I do is always go back to the company. Supplier stopped delivering... About the company. Customers return products... About the company. The cash flow is only enough to last twelve days... It's still about the company. Just sit down at that table... Peel each problem apart... You'll find the next step no matter what. But this time... I could no longer enter my own office. I drove to a twenty-four-hour coffee shop outside an industrial park. Place on the table... Two project notebooks. Along with a photo taken on the day the first five hundred machines were shipped. I intend to write Chu Dinh Son a letter. Explain that... I did not take advantage of the pre-listing period to bargain. Explain that... I never denied your help in the past. Explain that... I just can't sign those three documents. First line... Write and delete again. Writing for the third time... I suddenly stopped. Over the past nine years... I've explained too much for him. He erased my name. I thought to myself... He just wanted the company's brand story to be more coherent. He handed over my plan to Zhou Kaiming. I told myself again... As long as the project is implemented, it will be good. He removed me from the executive board. I'm still trying to think... Maybe he was just in a hurry to complete the transfer. One person... Every time I cross the line... There is someone standing behind me to help find a beautiful reason. Then that person... Will never have to face what he really did. I closed that letter. Open a completely new document. The title has only nine words. Explanation of risks in management of Trung Quang Smart Technology. And the first line I wrote... No longer was:

"I am the founder."

First paragraph... I clearly state: In the listing documents, the way to identify the founding team has changed dramatically, while there are still actual unresolved disputes between the parties involved. Second paragraph...