Chapter 22 — The Heiress and Her Scholarship Friend

Three days after the meeting at the coffee shop, Minh Dang and Ms. Hanh went to an independent medical laboratory as arranged by Mr. Lam to take DNA samples to compare with Mr. Tran Bao Quoc's sample - a process that was carried out very discreetly, avoiding any possibility of information leaking to the outside before the official results were available.

On the way back from the test, when their car stopped at an intersection with a red light, a minivan suddenly approached the adjacent lane at a suspicious speed, causing the private driver that Mr. Lam sent to escort him to have to steer quickly to avoid a collision, the car's horn blaring shrilly in the middle of passersby.

"What's up?" Mrs. Hanh asked, her voice panicked as she clearly felt the danger that had just passed by so narrowly.

"Maybe it was just a careless driver," the escort driver assured, although his eyes through the rearview mirror were still glued to the truck that was gradually turning in another direction in an unusual way. "But to ensure safety, I will change my route home and take another route."

Minh Dang held his mother's hand tightly, clearly feeling the trembling in it, realizing that this was most likely not a random traffic incident, but a more direct warning from the mysterious enemy who was watching them closely.

As soon as he arrived home safely, Mr. Lam called to confirm worrying information: the security team he sent to remotely monitor recorded the truck's license plate number, determining that it belonged to a small transportation company indirectly connected to one of Tran Bao Long's close business partners.

"We can't confirm with one hundred percent certainty," Mr. Lam said over the phone, his voice serious, "but this is strong enough evidence to immediately increase security for both mother and child. I will send additional security guards to discreetly monitor around the house in the coming days."

That news made Minh Dang indignant at the audacity of the person behind all these threats. "We need to face this person directly," he said, his voice resolute despite the fear in his heart. "The longer it goes on, the more dangerous it becomes for both grandfather and those around him."

Mr. Lam agreed and proposed a bold plan: speed up the process of getting DNA test results, and proactively organize an official meeting, witnessed by lawyers and media close to the family, to publicize the incident before the hidden enemy could carry out any other dangerous actions.

Meanwhile, unaware of the dangers lurking around Minh Dang, Khanh Vy at the Do Gia villa is experiencing an equally stressful evening when presenting a new capital mobilization plan from Mrs. Tuyet's connections to her father.

"I have found three investment funds interested in pouring capital," Khanh Vy said, spreading the documents she had painstakingly prepared over the past two days in front of Mr. Thanh Nam. "If dad agrees to meet them this week, we can have an alternative before the engagement takes place."

Mr. Thanh Nam carefully examined the numbers, his eyes gradually revealing surprise mixed with pride at his daughter's initiative in growing up. “Did you do all this in secret?” he asked, his voice somewhat emotional.

"I don't want to sit still and wait for my fate to be decided for me anymore," Khanh Vy replied, her voice determined. "I know this might just be a slim chance, but I think we should at least try before giving up completely."

Mr. Thanh Nam pondered for a long time before nodding in agreement, promising to arrange a meeting with the investment funds in the next few days. "I'm proud of you," he said, his voice rarely sincere. "Perhaps, it's time for dad to listen to you more, instead of always imposing decisions in the family's traditional way."

That moment, although it did not completely resolve the crisis surrounding the family, still gave Khanh Vy a new hope, along with a deeper connection with her father that she had never felt so clearly for many years.

The next morning at school, Khanh Vy happened to meet Minh Dang in the hallway near the laboratory and immediately noticed dark circles under his eyes - a sign of an almost sleepless night. Even though she was still trying to keep her distance as her grandmother requested, she couldn't help but move closer.

"You look so tired," she said softly, her voice filled with worry. "Is your family still not okay?"

Minh Dang looked at her, still torn between sharing the whole truth or continuing to protect her from the dangers surrounding him. "It's getting clearer," he replied, trying to reassure even though his voice still clearly showed the fatigue. "But maybe it will take a little more time before I can tell you everything."

"I respect that," Khanh Vy said, although she couldn't help but feel a little sad at the prolonged openness. "But I also want you to know, I just found a new direction for our family's finances. Maybe we will have more time before the engagement is forced to take place."

Minh Dang's eyes lit up with hope at that news. "Is that so? Can you tell me?"

Khanh Vy summarized the conversation with Mrs. Tuyet and the unexpectedly positive reaction from her father, her voice filled with excitement that has been rare for many weeks. "There's still a lot of work to be done," she admitted, "but at least for the first time I feel like I'm not completely helpless in the face of fate anymore."

"I'm very proud of you," Minh Dang said, his voice deeply sincere. "You have proven that you can completely decide your own destiny, without having to depend on anyone else."

The two stood there in the empty hallway, that brief but warm moment was like a precious spiritual medicine amidst the countless storms that surrounded them both from completely different directions - one person faced the secret of their identity and lurking danger, the other struggled with the pressure of a marriage contract and the family's financial crisis, but both still stubbornly sought to hold on to a fragile glimmer of hope for a future that they could freely choose for themselves.

That evening, in his private office, Tran Bao Long received a call reporting the failure of the staged "accident" on the road. His voice was cold and full of disappointment. "Can't you do such a simple thing?" he growled over the phone. "If this continues, the test results will be released before I can take any further action."

The other end of the line reassured him that the security team protecting Minh Dang and Ms. Hanh had been significantly reinforced by Mr. Lam immediately after the incident on the road, making any further direct intervention much riskier. Bao Long gritted his teeth, realizing that the path to using brutal force was increasingly narrowing.

"Then we'll change course," he said, his voice gradually regaining its calculating calm. "If I cannot prevent the truth, I will find a way to control it. Prepare all legal options to dispute the inheritance as soon as the DNA results are announced — based on the reason that the child was raised outside the family for fifteen years, not eligible to inherit according to the grandfather's original will."

This new plan, although less directly violent than what he had previously considered, contained an equally cold, cruel calculation - turning the emotional reunion between Minh Dang and Mr. Bao Quoc into a long legal battle, full of traps that a high school student like Minh Dang had never had experience dealing with.

Unaware of the new plot being plotted, Minh Dang returned home that night in a slightly relieved mood after a hopeful conversation with Khanh Vy, completely unaware that the real war to protect the legitimate rights of himself and his mother was probably still ahead, in a much more sophisticated and dangerous form than he had ever imagined — a war that would no longer take place on lonely, risky streets, but would soon turn to war. A field of laws, paperwork, and complex wills that he has no experience facing, a battlefield where he will need the help of people who are truly on his side.