Chapter 9 — The Dignity of a Signature

I hold the microphone. When my lips got closer, I could feel my heart beating very fast. But when the sound came out... My voice was extremely stable.

"Hi everybody."

“My name is Lam Ha.”

I stopped for a beat.

“‘Quy Khu’ from the first stroke to the last…”

“It's all done by me.”

The whole hall was silent.

“I have another identity.”

I turned to look at Tham Hao next to me.

“She is Tham Hao's wife.”

“Married secretly for four years.”

Tham Hao took a step back. Below, there was an immediate uproar of surprise. But I don't stop.

“Master Phuong.”

I looked at the big screen.

“Please open the last file.”

Phuong Tri Vien nodded. The big screen switched again. This time it shows up… A screenshot of an internal email. Recipient: September sixteenth. Email subject:

“The problem of submitting works for the Golden Crane Award.”

The first line of the content clearly states:

"Tu Tu, from today onwards, all the signatures of 'Quy Khu' will be changed to your name. Lam Ha will be handled by me, you don't need to worry about her."

That moment— The entire hall completely exploded. The livestream commentary even lagged for three seconds. Tham Hao rushed to grab the microphone— The moment Tham Hao grabbed the microphone, the most important thing I wanted to say was already said. What will he do next? How will you face all this? After snatching the microphone, the first thing Tham Hao did was turn off the power switch. But to no avail. Because there are still three spare microphones at the scene. Two other cameras were also recording his face from different angles. And the livestream signal... From the beginning, it wasn't just transmitted through a single channel. Tham Hao stands in the middle of the stage. Mouth opens and closes. Like a fish just thrown onto the shore. Below, the light from mobile phones shined throughout the hall. Everyone is recording videos. I received a spare microphone from the staff next to me and turned on the switch.

“General Shen.”

My voice rang out through the sound system, even calmer than before.

“Is there anything else you want to explain?”

He suddenly turned to look at me. A short laugh emerged from his throat. As if to say:

“Just wait there.”

But in the end, I still couldn't put it into words. On the big screen, Phuong Tri Vien gently pushed his glasses.

“I would like to add one more point.”

He said slowly:

“During this year's Golden Crane Awards, when I watched 'Quy Khu' over and over again, I felt that the design technique of this work was extremely familiar."

“Then I found the documents of the international design exhibition five years ago…”

“And it is confirmed that the creator of this way of handling space light…”

“It's Lam Ha.”

He stopped for a second.

“Lam Ha is one of the most gifted young designers I have ever met.”

“Five years ago I invited her to join the pool of experts at the International Design Association.”

“But she refused.”

“She said… she wanted to return home to help her husband start a business.”

Phuong Tri Vien did not say more. He doesn't need to say more. That sentence alone... It was enough to make the entire hall tremble. The chatter below grew louder and louder.

“It turns out that the company's core designer Tham Hao is his wife?”

“She helped her husband start a business and then ended up being robbed by her husband?”

“This is no longer a robbery another work... is stealing his wife's efforts."

“Too disgusting.”

“What about Hua Tu Tu? Does she know about it or not?”

I turned my head to look at the main desk. Hua Tu Tu is no longer sitting there. The chair was tilted to one side. The glass of water on the table has also fallen. Water splattered on the white tablecloth, forming a wet patch. I glanced towards the exit of the hall and saw a figure wearing a wine-red suit walking quickly towards the door. It's Tran Due. Behind her is Hua Tu Tu. The two of them, one in front and one behind, almost ran out. Security does not block. Tham Hao also saw it. The last expression on his face that was still trying to maintain composure finally shattered. He threw the turned off microphone on the floor, turned around and walked quickly towards the door. After taking two steps, he suddenly stopped and turned to look at me. His voice was not loud, but in the suddenly silent hall, it was strangely clear.

“I won.”

“But don't forget, you are also Tham's person.”

"The company collapsed, I'm nothing anymore."

I looked at him.

“Shen Hao.”

I calmly said:

“This company, from the first customer to the largest order, the core plans are all done by me.”

“You really think that after losing me…”

“…is it still worthy of being called Tham Thi?”

He didn't answer.