Chapter 1 — The Dignity of a Signature

Three years into our secret marriage, my husband had no idea that the famous designer who was famous all over the internet was actually me.

“General Shen, Tu Tu is still young, she needs to solve this Golden Crane more than your wife.”

Backstage at the awards ceremony, Tham Hao held my shoulder tightly. The five fingers squeezed so hard that I almost bent over in pain. I looked at the intern on stage, who was wearing a tuxedo designed by me, holding my award-winning work and talking endlessly in front of hundreds of cameras. I said nothing. Tham Hao thought that I would still be like the past three years, continuing to patiently swallow all my frustrations. Unknown to him, I soon contacted the president of the jury of the International Design Association. The moment the big screen suddenly displayed the original design file with the creation timestamp, the smile on Tham Hao's face began to crumble little by little.

"Ms. Hua, is this year's Golden Crane Award-winning work yours? It's so outstanding! Such a young person has won the highest award in the design industry, the future is truly limitless."

A guest raised a glass of champagne and smiled flatteringly at Hua Tu Tu. Hua Tu Tu smiled, very skillfully bowed his head slightly, his tone was modest enough:

"Thank you, General Manager Trieu. Actually, it's mainly thanks to Mr. Tham always guiding me, I'm still very far behind."

After speaking, she tilted her head to look at Tham Hao. Tham Hao stood next to her, smiled and patted her shoulder:

"Tu Tu is too humble. This girl has talent, I just pushed her a little."

I sat in the last corner of the hall, the program in my hand had been crumpled into a paper tube. The dress Hua Tu Tu is wearing is a hand-embroidered tuxedo I just completed last month. Tham Hao said the company needed it for the year-end party, so he urged me to work overtime. At that time, I stayed awake for three consecutive nights. And now, it is draped over Hua Tu Tu's body, exalting her like a beauty stepping out of a painting. Behind the stage, the backdrop clearly states: The twelfth Golden Hac Design Award Ceremony. Award-winning work: "Quy Khu". Designer: Hua Tu Tu. It was a work that took me eight months and eleven drafts to complete. From the first sketch to the final version, every line is drawn by myself. Every time I edit a color scheme, there is a history saved on my work computer. But in the signature column, my name is not there.

“Miss Hua, your design that combines Eastern aesthetics with modern structures is truly bold…”

A person in the industry stepped forward to start a conversation. Hua Tu Tu responded very naturally, translating my entire design philosophy into her own words and recounting it. Even though some things are wrong, dealing with people outside the industry is more than enough. I put down the program and prepared to stand up. My shoulders suddenly felt heavy. I don't know when, Tham Hao came up behind me. His hand was placed on my shoulder, the force was terrifying. He bowed slightly, still wearing the same polite smile on his face as before, but his voice was so low that only I could hear.

"Sit down."

I raised my head to look at him.

“Lam Ha, don't cause trouble.”

His smile remained unchanged, but his tone had cooled somewhat.

"Tu Tu is young, she needs this award more than you. You are my wife, what happens to the company, you should understand."

I stared at him. Table The hand on my shoulder paused for a few seconds before withdrawing. He even conveniently adjusted my collar, an action so natural that it looked like a husband being gentle with his wife. The person next to him probably only thought that Mr. Tham was quite concerned about his "assistant". In this company, my identity is Tham Hao's personal assistant. No one knows I'm his wife. No one knows that the work that won the Golden Crane Award is mine. Hua Tu Tu led general manager Trieu to another table to receive guests. Her gait is very beautiful, every step is precise. Occasionally he tilted his head and leaned closer to say something to Tham Hao. Tham Hao would nod slightly and sometimes even laugh. Several colleagues at the table all saw Tham Hao holding my shoulder just now. No one spoke up. Phuong Khiet in the administrative office sat next to me and quietly poured me a glass of water:

“Assistant Lam, drink some water.”

I took it and quietly said thank you. The water is cold.

“The dress Ms. Hua wears is really beautiful.”

Tieu Tran in the design room suddenly spoke up, his tone very calm.

“I heard that Mr. Tham specially hired someone to custom-make it?”

Someone immediately chimed in:

“General Shen really cares about Tu Tu very much.”

Phuong Khiet gently touched my elbow, deliberately changing the subject:

“Assistant Lam, documents to connect with the supplier tomorrow…”

But what she said behind me, I couldn't hear clearly anymore. I'm looking at Hua Tu Tu. She was now standing at the main table chatting with a few judges. One person asked:

“Miss Hua, where does the idea of ‘Retreat’ in this work come from?”

Hua Tu Tu paused for a moment then smiled:

"I grew up by the sea from a young age, so I have always been fascinated with images in Eastern mythology. In the Son Hai Kinh, there is a saying that Quy Khu is the place where hundreds of rivers converge. So I want to incorporate that image into the design of modern space..."

That's the original text I wrote on the third page of my design notebook. Not a single word wrong. I lowered my head to look at the phone. On the screen appeared an unread message from the contact person noted as "Teacher Phuong".

"Participation has been confirmed. The livestream signal has also been adjusted."

I turned the phone face down on the table, with the screen facing down.

“Phuong Khiet.”

I turned my head to look at her, my voice very calm.

“Let's talk about the supplier later.”

Phuong Khiet was stunned: The light in the hall was very soft, a warm yellow color covering everything as if adding a layer of metallic luster. The Golden Crane trophy on the stage reflects sparkling light. That was my trophy.