Chapter 5 — The owner of the car shop behind the school gate

Rumors in An Hoa run faster than a bicycle with a new chain.

Early in the morning, a piece of paper appeared on the board of class 11A3: "Miss Van Hung opened a club to sell electric cars." Below is a drawing of a car with a crown and four wheels of different sizes.

Bao stood in front of the paper, looking serious. "I object to this drawing. Bicycles do not have four wheels."

Quynh Chi took out her phone and took a picture. “I object to taking pictures before taking them down.”

“I took the photo as evidence.”

“Evidence also needs to know where to put it.”

Vy looked at the text and saw that the name Van Hung was no longer just a drawing. He went into the classroom, stood on the board, and waited for her to react.

Gia Huy asked if she knew about the advertising project. Vy said she only knew the sketch and had not seen the contract. Huy said that she should ask her father. Vy replied that her father was not the only one who decided. Huy shrugged, saying the person whose name is on the project usually knows more.

Khoa appeared at the classroom door. He looked at the paper, then looked at Vy. “Do you want to remove it?”

“No. Quynh Chi needs to check.”

Quynh Chi nodded. She took the paper, put it in a folder, wrote down where she found it and the time. Bao asked if fingerprints were needed. She said no, because the club is not an investigation team.

In the afternoon, a post appeared in the student group: "The car repair club is just a stepping stone for the Van Hung showroom. The person in charge is the son of the company owner." The poster used a photo of Vy holding a set of keys, taken from the back of the garage. The photo does not show Khoa's face, but there is a tool table in the back.

Quynh Chi read the article and did not immediately comment. She checked the posting schedule, photo sources, and quoted sentences. One line said the school had signed a contract, but there were no documents attached.

“This article is partly true, partly unconfirmed and partly speculative,” she said.

Vy asked: "Should I say the correct part?"

"You should say what you have the right to say. As for the unconfirmed part, write it as unconfirmed."

Khoa looked at her. “Do you want to tell the class?”

Vy saw that the question was similar to the first time he asked her about her identity, but this time things were more serious. “I want to tell the club first.”

The meeting took place in the equipment room. The loan board is placed in the middle of the table. Ms. Van allowed, but reminded everyone not to write the name of the person posting.

Vy said she was the daughter of Mr. Mai Duc Thanh, owner of Van Hung Auto. She transferred schools because she wanted to work for herself without using the company name. The sketch of the area behind the gate has the Van Hung logo, but she does not know the content of the contract and does not represent that decision.

Huy asked if her father wanted to set up a showroom, would she object?

“I will ask who the project affects, who bears the costs and whether the club can continue.”

“And what if your father says girls can't interfere?”

"I'm still a student using the garage. But I don't decide to change the school myself."

Khoa asked: "Are you planning to use your family's rights to get the records?"

Vy looked at him. “No. I will apply according to the school's procedures.”

Khoa nodded, but didn't say anything comforting.

Bao raised his hand. “If people don't believe it, can we sell real electric cars to prove it?”

Quynh Chi threw him a rag. “Wipe the table.”

After the meeting, Vy stood in the garage. A 10th grader walked by and asked her if she was really the boss. Vy asked what "mistress" meant. You say you only need one phone call and everything is resolved.

“If so, then it's not,” Vy replied. “I called three times today and still nothing have the answer.”

She laughed, then asked if she could learn to pump the car. Khoa gives you the pump. Vy stood next to him, showing him how to hold the valve. The rumors have not disappeared, but there is something real happening right before our eyes.

At night, father called. He didn't ask about the post, just what she had said to the club.

“I tell the truth to the extent I know.”

“You said the company is setting up a showroom at the school?”

“You said the sketch had a logo and the club didn't know the contract yet.”

“I do not have the right to publish internal documents.”

“I do not publish documents. I said what everyone saw.”

Father was silent for a moment. “Vy, you're damaging the negotiations.”

“If the negotiation is only okay when students are not asked, then is it okay?”

“You talk like someone who doesn't understand business.”

"Maybe. But I understand that the garage has users.”

Dad turned off the phone. Vy put down the phone and felt her hand tremble slightly. She didn't want to argue with her father. She just wanted him to hear the question.

Khoa went to the tool room to get a set of hexagons. He saw the look on her face and didn't ask right away.

“Your father is angry?”

"Maybe."

“Do you want me to say something?”

“Speak kindly.”

Khoa thought for a long time. “This hexagon set is missing one piece.”

Vy looked at him. “That's not a nice sentence.”

“I'm trying to help you get back to real work.”

“I don't need to go back right away.”

“Then sit here for five minutes. Then check the loan board.”

Vy laughed even though her eyes were still hot. She sat down on a low chair. The department checked the hexagon and noted that one was missing. He doesn't pretend that everything will be okay. He was just there, doing a small confirmatory thing.

The next morning, Quynh Chi sent the group a public response. “The club involves students and teachers,” she wrote. Information about the project behind the gate is waiting for the school to announce. No speculation about individuals.”

Vy read it and asked why she didn't mention her name.

“Because the club is not your story.”

Khoa nodded. “Yes.”

Vy looked at the two people, then wrote in the notebook: "Do not use one person's name to replace the entire problem."

At the end of the day, the thirteen wrench was returned. The borrower is a classmate of class 10A2, who repaired his younger brother's car. She apologized for missing the date, then corrected the table herself. Vy looked at the new text, remembered the first week at school and saw that the rumor was like a tool in the wrong place: to bring it back to the right place, you couldn't just yank it; You must know whose hands it has passed through, what it is used for, and who needs to be notified.

The next day, Vy proactively talked to Ms. Van about the rumor. She didn't want the group to turn it into a whitewashing campaign. Ms. Van asked what scared Vy the most. Vy replied that she was afraid that people would think she had planned it in advance, that her close relationship with Khoa was just a way to use the worker's story as an image.

“You cannot control other people's thoughts,” Ms. Van said. “I can only let them check what I do.”

Vy asked for permission to open an expense book even though there were no accounts yet. Huy laughed because the board was full of zeros, but still helped with the design. Quynh Chi added the update date and the person responsible. Faculty post the sign where anyone can see it, even if they are not members.

One student asked if the group could use the garage to film the video. Vy said it was okay if she didn't get in the way, didn't turn away people who didn't agree, and didn't call it a sponsor's activity. The other person asked why everything was so complicated. Khoa replied: "Because everyone has the right to enter a frame does not become a product.”

Huy started listening more. He deleted an advertisement from the script and replaced it with registration instructions. Ms. Lan from Van Hung sent a text message asking if the group needed uniforms. Quynh Chi replied that the club only needed name tags and gloves, and did not need shirts with logos.

Vy typed the message herself, waited a few minutes before sending. Ms. Lan responded that the company understood. No one knows whether it was a real understanding or an understanding to avoid controversy, but at least the answer was recorded.

In the afternoon, a class 10A2 student brought back the repaired car. His younger brother fell because of old brakes, but now he can run again. You asked Vy if she could post a photo of the car. Vy asked her brother if he agreed. The boy nodded, but just wanted to grab the wheel and the hand.

Huy took the photo exactly like that. He did not add a logo, did not adjust the color too bright. Under the photo, Quynh Chi wrote: "The car ran again after replacing the brake lines; costs incurred by users purchasing spare parts themselves; technical support club.”

The post had fewer likes than the sponsor's glossy photos, but another friend sent a message asking how to sign up. Vy sees that as the kind of spread she wants: people come because they need help, not because they're being dragged into a campaign.

At the end of the week, her father sent her a new sketch, removing the advertising area in the center. He asked her how she felt. Vy replied that there was not enough data to comment, then sent back the list of questions. Father is not displeased. He added a line: “I will ask the design department to respond.”

Vy put away her phone and looked at the board with a thirteen wrench. The rumors didn't go away, but the team had markers for others to check. She realized that fame was not something she could ask people to return; it is something that must be built with deeds that allow others to say: “I have seen, and I know where it comes from.”

That night, Vy opened a chat with the class, posting only the meeting schedule and document links. She did not mention whose child she was. One person asked why he didn't use his connections to ask for more tools. Vy replied that the club will consider all support according to the same process. Khoa dropped a nod icon. Vy finds that a short response can also be a way to confirm that she is on the right track.