Chapter 4 — The Invisible Employee Knows French

I understand—in this world, the weakest thing is an explanation. Only ability is the only passport. That afternoon, director Truong's assistant personally called me and politely invited me to his office. As soon as he entered, director Truong immediately stood up from his high-class swivel chair, with a "gentle" smile on his face that I had never seen before.

“Lam Van, come in, come in, sit, sit!”

He personally poured me a cup of tea—the refreshing aroma of high-quality tea leaves made me immediately realize it was different from the instant coffee I drink every day.

"This time, I really thank you very much! You are a great hero of the company! On behalf of the company, on behalf of the sales department, I would like to send my deepest thanks!"

He rubbed his hands as he spoke, his tone was so sincere that if I had never seen his disdainful eyes before, perhaps I would have believed him to be a leader who truly loves his subordinates.

“The director is too talkative, that's what I should do.” I replied calmly.

“That's right, that's right, we should do it, we should do it.” He waved his hands frantically, then suddenly leaned towards me, his voice turning questioning:

"Lam Van, when did you learn French? Does anyone in your family live in France?"

He's trying to find out. I want to know what "origin" a person who graduated from a third-rate school like me has, and can speak French so fluently that even the French would praise him. I lifted the teacup and gently blew on the layer of tea leaves floating on top—the steam fogged the glasses on my face.

“It's nothing special,” I replied nonchalantly, “I just liked it since I was a kid, and then I learned it myself.”

“Watching a lot of French movies, listening to a lot of French music, over time I got used to it.”

The answer was as bland as snail water, but left a lot of echoes. A person who learns a language to that level just because he "likes" it is either a natural genius, or he has a stronger will than others. Whatever the case, it's enough to make people respect you. The smile on Director Truong's face paused for a moment, then was quickly replaced by an even brighter smile. He began endlessly expressing his "admiration" for me, assuring me that this month I would receive an extremely generous bonus, and that my future in the company was certainly extremely bright. I just listened quietly, nodding occasionally. I don't believe a word of those words. I know clearly that what he values is not me - Lam Van, but the tool "knowing how to handle the French" sitting in front of him. As soon as I stepped out of the director's office, I immediately received a new task: full responsibility for connecting the next items with the headquarters in France. This title is like a heavy bomb, blowing up the entire sales department. A person who has only been working for three months, was once considered a joke, and was rumored to "rely on connections in the company"—now makes the leap to become the person in charge of the most important project in the entire company. Such a thing has never happened before. When Director Truong announced the decision in the department meeting, the first person to stand up was Vuong Ky.

“Director, I object!” – Her voice became distorted because of excitement.

"Lam Van is just a new employee, with absolutely no experience in project management! Giving such an important project to her is too risky." dangerous! I suggest letting me be in charge, I have followed many big deals and have much more experience than her!”

His words were sharp, his eyes looked at Director Truong without any humility—full of challenge and dissatisfaction. Immediately someone chimed in:

“That's right, director, Ms. Vuong Ky is right, it's better to just do it for sure.”

“It's okay to let Lam Van assist with the translation, but handing over the main authority would be too reckless.”

Director Truong's face darkened. His mind was full of Mr. Herve's words: "I hope she will be the person in charge of the project." He doesn't have the heart to listen to these objections.

“Enough!” – He slammed on the table, the whole office immediately fell silent.

“Whether this project is won or not, the key lies in communication with the French side! Lam Van's ability—everyone has seen it clearly! This matter is decided, she is in charge! All of you—must cooperate with all your might! Whoever dares to play tricks behind your back, don't blame me for not being polite!”

These words were said to be aimed at the whole room, but were clearly sent directly to Vuong Ky. Her face turned red and then turned white. She glared at me fiercely, her eyes looking like she wanted to devour me. She reluctantly sat down, but I knew it—the storm wouldn't stop here. In a hidden corner that I couldn't see, a new conspiracy was silently forming. The next day, I needed a document about the cooperation history of the project partners.