Chapter 19 — The Dignity of a Signature

Lu Thanh Hoa continued:

“The reason they gave was…”

“You and Phuong Tri Vien have a very close relationship.”

"Furthermore, she arbitrarily contacted outside judges without going through the company to manipulate the award results."

“What about the second thing?”

“He is contacting some designers in the industry…”

“…wanted to collect so-called ‘evidence’.”

“To prove that for the past four years you have worked at Tham Thi as a ‘company official’…”

“…not personal creation.”

“He found three former employees who used to work at Tham Thi.”

“Want them to write a certificate.”

“Say that you completed the design plans under the direction and support resources of the company.”

“Trieu Phong.”

“Ngo Dinh.”

“Doan My Hoa.”

Trieu Phong is Tham Thi's former accountant. Ngo Dinh used to be an administrative manager. Doan My Hoa is the former head of human resources department. Three administrative people... Stand up to prove ownership of the design work. This operation alone is full of holes.

“He wants to use those to refute my request for signing rights?”

“Though the tricks are quite crude.”

“But if those certificates are submitted to the investigation team…”

“…will prolong the dispute.”

“The longer it goes on…”

“…the more beneficial it is for him.”

“Because he needs time to settle down with the remaining customers.”

I thought for a few seconds.

“What about the defamation case against Phuong Tri Vien?”

“From a legal perspective, it is completely untenable.”

“It's just an attack on honor.”

“But if the announcement is released…”

“…public opinion will definitely have a backlash.”

“You need to prepare a response plan in advance.”

“No need for my response.”

I took out my phone to make a call. The bell rings two times then connects.

“Master Phuong.”

"Tham Hao is about to publish a defamatory article, implying that there is an illicit relationship between me and the teacher."

The other end of the line was silent for two seconds. Phuong Tri Vien burst out laughing. A sixty-three-year-old international judging expert, with decades of fame in the design world... When he heard that his junior's ex-husband was about to throw a puddle of mud on him... He burst out laughing again.

“Just let him post.”

He said.

“I will tell my wife an hour in advance…”

“…so that she can also prepare herself for entertainment.”

I also laughed. After hanging up the phone, I looked at Lu Thanh Hoa.

“What about the other three certificates?”

“Do you have evidence to disprove it?”

“I have something better than a rebuttal.”

I opened the photo album and scrolled down to the bottom. There is a photo of the document there. Is the first page of an agreement. The title is:

“Agreement to contribute capital to found Tham Thi Design Co., Ltd.”

There are two signers. The signing date was four years ago. The third clause clearly states:

“Party B (Lam Ha) contributes capital through technology, accounting for thirty percent of the company's shares.”

“Party B's entire design plan belongs to party B's personal ownership.”

“The company only has the right to use, not the right to sign.”

Lu Thanh Hoa read it three times. Then he raised his head and looked at me with extremely complicated eyes.

“Do you always keep this copy?”

“Does Tham Hao know you still have it?”

"Don't know."

"Maybe he still thinks I'm the same type of Lam Ha as before..."

“…a person who never takes precautions.”

Lu Thanh Hoa leaned back in his chair, his fingertips lightly tapping on the table top twice.

“The best moment to launch this agreement…”

“…that's when he played it announcement tomorrow.”

“Let him make the first move.”

At nine o'clock the next morning, Tham Hao's announcement appeared on the websites of three industry newspapers on time. The title is:

“The truth behind the Golden Crane Award dispute: The secret relationship between Lam Ha and the famous judge.”

The article uses many types of half-hidden and half-open leads. Don't speak directly. But every sentence and every word implies that between me and Phuong Tri Vien there exists a "personal relationship beyond the level of teacher and student". They also quoted an "anonymous insider" saying that I relied on my relationship with Phuong Tri Vien to get resources in the industry. At first, there were a few wavering voices in the comment section:

“Could it be true?”

"If it's true, Lam Ha is not clean at all."

"To drag down Phuong Tri Vien's reputation is too much."

But those voices... Only lasted less than two hours. At eleven o'clock in the afternoon, Lu Thanh Hoa issued a statement on my behalf. Very short statement. There are only three paragraphs. First paragraph: Attach the entire scanned copy of the "Founding Capital Contribution Agreement for Tham Thi Design". The third clause is highlighted in red. Second paragraph: Attached is the entire conversation history between me and Phuong Tri Vien over the past five years. From start to finish there are only three types of content: Design discussion. Exhibition invitation. Academic exchange. The earliest time to make WeChat friends was after the Shenzhen design exhibition five years ago. More than five hundred messages. Not a single line is left out other than work. The third paragraph has only two sentences:

“Mr. Tham Hao.”

“In your capital contribution agreement, it is clearly written that the signing right belongs to me.”

“As for what you hinted at…”

“…I believe that after Mr. Phuong's wife sees this entire chat, the person who will feel embarrassed will be you.”