Chapter 14 — The owner of the car shop behind the school gate

Quynh Chi discovered that the article about the club was not posted by a disgruntled student as everyone thought.

The article appeared on the school's forum at noon, titled: "A green project or a way to pave the way for advertising?". The content quotes two sentences from the meeting, paired with a photo of a sketch with the Van Hung logo. The comments below are divided into two sides. One side says the rich are buying trust. The other side said the students were doing too much, some sponsors even objected.

Quynh Chi did not argue. She downloaded the article, noted the time it was posted, checked the original photo and found the photographer. The photo of the sketch was taken from the projector screen in the meeting room, but that day there were only teachers, representative Van Hung and the club group.

“I'll ask the photo source,” she said.

Huy stopped. "Ask publicly? People will think you're on a witch hunt."

“If we don't ask, we're letting the article do the talking for us.”

Vy reviewed each timeline. The post was posted seventeen minutes after the meeting ended. The account uses the name "The Person Standing Outside the Gate", and has never posted before. There was another photo cropped in the corner where the words “survey sketch” should have been.

Quynh Chi sent a private message, only asking: "Can you tell me where the original photo is and did you attend the meeting?" No cursing, no threats. Three hours later, the account replied that they received the photo from someone "doing media for the project".

Huy looked at the screen. “Someone from the group?”

Vy did not speak. She remembered the meeting room access card and the phones placed face down on the table.

Quynh Chi checks the sharing history of the public folder. A preview of the draft was sent to the student communications team to prepare the release. The person in charge is Huy.

“I didn't post,” Huy said immediately. “I send a fully annotated version.”

“Who receives the file?”

Huy opened the email. There is an off-campus address, in the form of a general event mailbox. He remembered adding a design support person recommended by the marketing department. That person downloaded the file after nine minutes.

The group was silent. No one has proof that the supporter was the source of the post, but at least they know the image didn't appear on its own.

Quynh Chi composed a short response posted on the forum: the photo being circulated is a survey sketch, not a construction decision; The school will announce records, meeting schedules and feedback channels; The club does not ask readers to believe it, it only asks everyone to read enough captions.

Vy read it over and over again, suggesting to add a line apologizing for the group's lack of clear answers. Quynh Chi looked at her. "Are you sure? Sorry might get cut into the title."

"If it's true that I didn't say enough, then I have to apologize. People can cut it, but the truth is still in the full version."

The response was posted at six o'clock. In the first half hour, the number of comments doubled. Some people asked about the cost, some people sent photos of the road that is often flooded. An 11th grade student said her mother uses a wheelchair and cannot go over the ramp behind the garage.

Huy started making a summary table. Khoa asked permission to call Mrs. Man to ask about the condition of the yard. Quynh Chi created a feedback form that does not require names, only asking for location, needs and problems encountered.

By evening, the account "The Person Standing Outside the Gate" deleted the post. Another account posted a screenshot, writing that the club had forced people to stay silent. Quynh Chi sighed, but did not delete the group's response.

“The more you explain, the more they Tell us to act,” Huy said.

“Then don't act,” Khoa replied. “Just record enough and do enough. People may not like it, but they can't tell me to hide it."

Vy suddenly received a text message from her father: "The company's communications team is reviewing the process. Father will replace the person in charge of foreign affairs.” After reading it, she did not feel relieved. Replacing people doesn't automatically fix the way a project views users as numbers.

The next day, she asked the group not to mention Van Hung's name in the survey title. Khoa agreed, Huy hesitated a bit, Quynh Chi immediately crossed out the line "green project accompanying the business" in the letter form.

They agreed on three principles: do not use student photos without permission, do not turn suggestions into customer lists, and do not call an option "finalized" without a decision. The principle sheet is hung next to the financial table.

Before leaving, Quynh Chi gave Vy a printed copy of the deleted article. “You keep it. Not for retaliation. To remember that one piece of information without context can send the whole group running for clarification.”

Vy folded the paper and put it in the notebook. Outside in the yard, Khoa's bicycle bell rang. He was instructing a junior to adjust the saddle. Vy looked at that scene and understood: trust is not built with a post or a big promise. It's built with hundreds of small, testable things.

Quynh Chi continued to follow the source of the photo, but she did not want to turn herself into a detective. She sent an official request to the media department, asking who had the right to download the sketch and how long it could be kept. The communications department responded slowly, because they had to check public mailboxes.

While waiting, a new account posted a post mocking the group. Huy wants to respond with a photo of the cost table. Quynh Chi stopped him, saying real data could also be used to fuel arguments. They just post a link to the meeting minutes and note the date of the update.

A student sent news that the person in the photo was his cousin, working as a design collaborator. She doesn't know where he sent the photo. Quynh Chi did not call directly, just passed the information to Ms. Van. Vy feels that respecting the process sometimes makes people impatient, but it helps not to involve unrelated people.

The media department eventually confirmed the file was downloaded by three accounts: Huy, a teacher, and an off-campus collaborator. The collaborator said he sent the account "The Person Standing Outside the Gate" to ask for opinions, not thinking that person would post photos without captions. There is no evidence that anyone intentionally created rumors.

Quynh Chi announced the test results and apologized for not locking the folder from the beginning. Huy himself proposed a training session for student media workers. He doesn't blame the collaborators.

Vy asked Quynh Chi if she was afraid that the announcement would cause the group to lose face. She said it's better to lose face once than to keep making a mistake and then repeat it. Readers can criticize, but they also see how the group handles it.

A teacher suggested that the group create a “source ledger”, each image has its code, source, usage rights and deletion date. Huy thought it was too picky, but after trying with ten photos, he found it easier to find. Khoa added the column "how the person being photographed consented".

In the afternoon, Vy helped Khoa adjust the saddle for his junior. She sat sideways because the saddle was too high. Vy asked if she was in pain, then lowered herself down step by step. Khoa said don't just look at the posture, ask if the pedal touches the ground when stopping Are not.

The little girl tried the bike, rode it around, then came back and said it was okay. Vy feels that even a seemingly simple matter needs to be asked by the right person, it cannot be guessed from the outside.

Quynh Chi took a photo with only her hand placed on the ruler, asked permission before saving it. The photo isn't good enough to make a poster, but it's good enough to illustrate a process. Huy said maybe that was the type of group photo that should be had.

Vy folded up the test results sheet and kept it next to the minutes. The rumor did not disappear completely, but it was no longer the only story. Next to it there was a sequence of actions with dates, people in charge and clear boundaries. Faith that begins with others is not blind faith.

After announcing the results, the account "The Person Standing Outside the Gate" sent an apology message. The writer is a former student who was worried that the business project would take over the field. They posted the photo too early because they were afraid that if they waited, people wouldn't have time to protest. Quynh Chi asked if they wanted to post a correction. That person said he was afraid of being attacked.

Vy suggested posting a joint statement, without naming names, admitting that the photo was separated from the caption and both sides responded quickly. Quynh Chi composed, Ms. Van approved, and the sender agreed. The post didn't get many likes, but some students said they understood better.

Huy asked what if his ex didn't apologize. Vy said the group still had to fix their part. He said it wasn't fair. Quynh Chi replied that being fair, not everyone can fix it at the same time; is that each person is responsible for the part they control.

The school suggested that the group conduct a media training session. Huy stood in front of the class, talking about original photos, captions and consent. He showed a photo of an oily hand and asked everyone if they could guess the person in the photo who wanted to appear. The whole class was silent. He said he couldn't guess, he had to ask.

Vy told me about the time she hid that she was a sponsor's child. She did not tell her personal story, just said that her silence made others fill in their own motives. A friend asked her if she regretted what she said. Vy replied at one point, but regretted it not enough to go back and hide it.

Faculty at the back of the classroom, write down the names of students who want to participate in car repair. When the class ended, he asked Vy if she thought the group would be called "media workers". She said if so, they would show people the cost book and repair schedule. The answer made Khoa laugh.