Chapter 3 — The Invisible Employee Knows French

I quickly rearranged my words, before Director Truong could speak, he proactively turned to Mr. Herve:

“Monsieur Herve, concernant ce point, je crois qu'il y a un petit mamentendu.”

(Mr. Herve, on this point, I think there is a bit of a misunderstanding.) I paused for a moment, saw him looking over with waiting eyes, and continued:

"En fait, nous avons une proposition alternative. No tests en laboratoire montrent que si nous ajustons legerement l'angle de liaison et augmentations la temperature de traitement de 5%, la resistance du materiau peut etre augmentee de 15% tout en maintenant sa ductilite."

(Actually, we have an alternative. Lab test results show that if we slightly tweak the joint angle and increase the processing temperature by 5%, we can increase the material's tensile strength by 15%, while still maintaining ductility.) Every word I said was precise, my intonation calm, clear—this was no longer a simple translation, but direct participation in a technical discussion. Director Truong was completely silent, looking at me with wide eyes, as if he wanted to stop but didn't dare open his mouth. Mr. Herve's eyes immediately lit up. He turned to whisper with the technical advisor. They both pointed at the design and argued very quickly. A few minutes later, Mr. Herve raised his head and looked at me with eyes filled with appreciation and curiosity:

“Mademoiselle, c'est une proposition tres audacieuse et tres professionnelle. Pourquoi cette solution n'apparait-elle pas dans votre rapport officiel?”

"Nous are considerions comme une solution 'haute performance' reservee a nos partenaires les plus importants et les plus perspicaces. Nous voulions vous la presenter on personne, afin de discuter de son potentiel on face a face."

(We consider this a ‘high-performance’ option, reserved only for the most important and strategic partners. Therefore, we would like to personally introduce it to you to discuss its potential in person.) This explanation is not only reasonable but also cleverly elevates the opponent. Mr. Herve was a bit stunned, then burst into laughter:

“Haha, tres bien! Tres bien! J'aime votre franchise et votre intelligence.”

(Haha, very good! Very good! I like your straightforwardness and intelligence.) The atmosphere in the meeting room immediately changed from cold as ice to warm as fire. For the next hour, the meeting went smoothly beyond expectations. Not only did I excellently fulfill the role of simultaneous interpreter, but also, thanks to my memory of seemingly forgotten documents, contributed important technical analyzes at key points. I was even able to take advantage of pauses in the conversation to cleverly insert a few reminders about typical French commercial habits—for example, that they value long-term cooperative relationships over short-term profits from a single deal. Director Truong's initial state of tension and shock gradually turned to extreme excitement. He almost didn't need to think anymore, just listen to my Chinese translation, then nod or say "yes" and that's it. His eyes looked at me, as if he were looking at a sparkling gold mine. And outside the meeting room, through the transparent glass wall, the face of Mr Vuong Ky also changed with each meeting's progress—clear, vivid, without missing a beat. From the gloating look of waiting to see my antics, to stunned disbelief, to shock, then to pale distorted jealousy, and finally only a color of ash and despair remained. She glared at me, her gaze so venomous that it seemed like it could penetrate the thick glass and burn me on the spot. When the meeting ended, Mr. Herve himself took the initiative to stand up and shake my hand warmly:

“Mademoiselle Lin, votre talent est impressionnant. J’espere sincerement que vous serez la personne de contact pour ce projet.”

(Miss Lam, your talent really impresses me. I sincerely hope you will be the person in charge of this project.) He turned to Director Truong—who was laughing so hard that he couldn't close his mouth—and said loudly in English:

“Manager Zhang, you have an amazing employee!”

(Director Truong, you have a great employee!) Director Truong's face turned red with joy, bowing his head continuously like a machine. I withdrew my hand, calmly nodded to Mr. Herve:

“Merci pour votre confiance.”

(Thank you for your trust.) In my heart, there is no joy, no emotion. There is only a calm after the storm, like the dust has settled. I know, from today—things will never be the same again. News of the successful meeting spread like wings, and in less than half an hour it spread to every corner of the company. When I walked out of the meeting room, what awaited me was an automatic passageway opening into the crowd—and countless complicated looks. There was surprise, there was admiration, there was even jealousy—but there was absolutely no trace of the naked mockery like before. I have become a "celebrity" in the company.

"Lam Van, you're really amazing! You're really hiding your job!"

"That's right, that's right! Where did you learn French? Can you give us some tips?"

A colleague who had previously ignored me now graciously gave me a glass of water, his face smiling like a flower, full of flattery. I politely accepted it, said thank you, then quietly returned to my seat. The seat is still that hidden corner—but now, that hidden corner seems to have a spotlight shining down on it. Every look, whether intentionally or unconsciously, sneaked past where I sat. Vuong Ky did not come close. She sat motionless in her seat, her back facing me. But that tense back made it clear—her heart was churning. I vaguely heard the sound of her arguing with someone on the other side:

"What's hiding talent? She's just lucky!"

"I bet she secretly learned about the survey team in advance and memorized the conversation patterns! Otherwise, how would she know a bunch of technical specifications?"

"Just wait and see, she's just a paper tiger, if you tease her, she'll break!"

The rumor began to spread like a virus, creeping everywhere in office whispers. I don't care.