Chapter 16 — The Mask Isn't Real

"The 'Masters of Southeast Asian Folk Craft' auction will take place next Saturday, in Singapore, with a global online livestream." Nhat Vu read aloud from the laptop screen, his voice a bit excited and nervous. "This is Indochine's biggest auction of the year, with three new lots 'attributed to Dang Ba Tuyen' included in the catalog, along with five other lots belonging to artisans on the list I have verified."

Uyen Nhi sat up straight, her heart beating fast. "Three new batches? Does that mean the production line is still continuing, even after Mr. Tuyen and Ms. Boi Tran stopped?"

"Perhaps Ho Bao Ky has found someone else to replace him, or there is still inventory from before." Nhat Vu frowned. "In any case, this is the perfect time to act. If we release the evidence right before this auction, the impact will be as big as possible — the entire collector world, the international press, is watching this event."

The plan was outlined in detail in the following days. Nhat Vu completed a long investigation, comparing each shipment with the evidence collected, accompanied by excerpts from Boi Tran's recording, photos from the secret workshop in the reed lawn, and a detailed analysis of the differences between real and fake crescent moon marks provided by Uyen Nhi herself - for the first time she agreed to make public part of the professional secret that her teachers had told her to keep secret, because she understood that, sometimes, a secret needs to be sacrificed to protect something great. more.

"Are you sure you want to make this detail public?" Nha Uyen asked when she heard Uyen Nhi share that decision, her voice full of worry. "Once made public, anyone can learn how to fake it more sophisticatedly."

"I know." Uyen Nhi nodded, her eyes determined. "But if I keep this secret forever just to protect the Moon Painting workshop alone, while five other artisan families continue to be deceived without any way to protect themselves, then what does that secret mean? I think my teacher, if he were still alive, would choose to share to save more people, instead of keeping it a secret to preserve himself."

In parallel with completing the article, Uyen Nhi and Nha Uyen drafted an official letter sent to the senior management of Indochine Heritage Auctions in Hong Kong, attaching all evidence, requesting them to immediately withdraw eight lots related to Dang Ba Tuyen from the upcoming auction, and open an internal investigation into the role of Ho Bao Ky and "appraiser" named Thomas Yeoh.

Nha Uyen, with her business English accumulated over many years of working with international clients, took on the responsibility of translating and presenting the letter in a way that was both legally serious enough and not too harsh to the point of causing the other side to immediately close all communication channels. She sat at the computer until midnight, editing every sentence, consulting with an intellectual property lawyer friend she had known many years ago.

"This letter must be sharp enough for them to understand we have real evidence, and professional enough so they can't ignore it like they ignored you the first time." She explained to Uyen Nhi, her eyes still glued to the screen. "An emotional letter, no matter how legitimate, is more likely to be taken lightly by them than a document with a clear legal structure."

Uyen Nhi sat next to her, re-reading each paragraph, giving her suggestions on areas that needed to be clarified in terms of professional techniques — how to present the difference between hand-carved wooden molds and pre-cast plaster molds, between natural colors and industrial paints, so that even someone not knowledgeable about papier-mâché masks could imagine the sophistication of the counterfeiting.

The letter was sent on a Tuesday morning, just four days before the auction. The whole group sat tensely waiting for a response, each passing hour felt as heavy as a day.

By Wednesday afternoon, a brief email response came from Indochine's legal department, with a cautious, bureaucratic tone: "We have received the information and are conducting internal verification. We will respond as soon as possible." There is no commitment to withdraw shipments. There are no specific moves.

"They're buying time." Nhat Vu said, typing hard on the keyboard. "Perhaps they are trying to find a way to handle things smoothly, to maintain their image, but don't really want to publicly admit their mistakes. I can't wait for them to be self-aware anymore."

"So we publish the article now?" Uyen Nhi asked.

"Not yet." Nhat Vu shook his head, his eyes calculating. "I think I should wait until the right time for the auction to start, when the media and the eyes of the entire collector community are focused on it. Publishing too early, the news could be lost before the auction takes place. Publishing at the right time, while everyone is watching live, the impact could not be greater."

Uyen Nhi felt a tremor run through her body, both scared and determined. She looked out the factory door, where the sunset was dyeing the sky of Yen Lieu village red. There were only three days left before all the secrets, all the silent investigation efforts over the past month, would be exposed to the whole world.

That night, she received an unexpected call from a strange phone number. The voice on the other end of the line sent chills down her spine - it was Ho Bao Ky, his voice still holding the familiar politeness, but underneath it was an unmistakable threat.

"Miss Uyen Nhi, I heard that you are preparing an 'article' related to my company." He spoke, his voice still calm and chilling. "I think you should think carefully before doing something that could cause unnecessary harm, not only to me, but also to the people you are trying to protect. I have more connections than you think, Miss Uyen Nhi."

"Are you threatening me?" Uyen Nhi asked directly, trying to keep her voice calm even though her hands were shaking, her eyes glanced out the partially closed workshop door, suddenly realizing she was alone in the middle of the night, more than a hundred meters from the nearest residential house.

"I'm just giving honest advice." Ho Bao Ky replied, his voice still gentle and chilling, then hung up immediately, without waiting for her to answer further, leaving a steady beeping sound echoing in the quiet night of the factory.

Uyen Nhi stood silently in the middle of the workshop, her phone still warm in her hand, her heart pounding. She looked around the quiet factory, the only bright desk lamp casting her long shadow on the cement floor, and in that moment, she suddenly felt very small in front of the power and relationships that a person like Ho Bao Ky could mobilize with just a few phone calls. But then she remembered Tuyen's face when she heard her request to invite him back to work under her own name, remembered Boi Tran's eyes when she decided to hand over the evidence despite knowing the risks, and that small feeling gradually gave way to a stronger determination.

She immediately called Nhat Vu and recounted the entire call, her voice still shaking.

"That just proves one thing." Nhat Vu said, his voice was also tense but did not waver. "He already knows, and is really scared. No one threatens others if they feel safe, Uyen Nhi. We're on the right track." He was silent for a second and then added, his voice quite serious: "But from now on, don't stay alone in the workshop at night anymore. I'll come stay for a few days, at least until the article is published."

Uyen Nhi nodded. Although her body was still shaking, she felt a new determination in her heart, sharper than ever. She looked up at the photo of Mr. Tuyen on the wall. His calm eyes in the old photo seemed to be giving her a little needed courage for the next three days.

Before going to bed, she texted the group to inform them about the threatening call, asking everyone to be more careful in the coming days. Nha Uyen texted back immediately, her worried voice clear through every word: "Do you need me to send someone to stay with you? I don't want you to be alone in the workshop right now." Uyen Nhi was touched by the concern, but still refused, replying that she needed to keep her head clear and didn't want anyone else to be in danger because of her. Tuyen also texted, briefly but full of determination: "If he dares to do anything to you, I will testify immediately, without waiting for the scheduled date." Boi Tran sent a small fist emoji, along with the words: "We have come to this step, there is no turning back."

Uyen Nhi read each message, clearly feeling that for the first time during this lonely journey, she no longer had to face everything alone.