Chapter 20 — The Rain Stops, I Also Awake From Dreaming

“But we have to wait until the evidence is fixed before processing.” Tran Nha nodded. Her eyes were empty. “I thought I had the second half of my life figured out.” “Unexpectedly, what was grabbed was a knife.” I did not respond. Because I used to think like that before. The rain outside the window was lighter. Gray-white light shines into the hospital room, leaving no place to hide the struggle on each person's face. About half an hour later, the assistant finally returned. In his hand he held a sealed bag of documents, his expression more serious than before. “General Manager Manh.” "The parking lot took Ms. Manh's computer bag." “The computer case has signs of being pried open, the portable hard drive is gone.” My heart immediately sank to the bottom. Father's voice was cold as iron. “Who took it?” The assistant shook his head. “Still investigating.” He stopped and then gave another phone to lawyer Han. “Something happened to the company too.” “Tieu Ngo, Tham Hao's subordinate, has gone missing.” “The safe in the office was opened.” “There's only one copy left inside.” Lawyer Han received the photo, his eyes glanced over it, his face immediately changed. Father asked: "What is it?" Lawyer Han raised his head and looked at me, lowering his voice very low. “It is a denunciation filed in the name of Ms. Manh.” “Subject of accusation.” “It's her father.” 19 I looked at the photo in lawyer Han's hand and my spine grew cold. The accused is my father. The accuser is me. On the paper was not only my name but also a copy of my ID and a paragraph called a statement. I said I held evidence of my parent company's illegal transfer transactions for many years. I said those documents are all on the portable hard drive. I also said I was willing to use my real name to coordinate the investigation. Father stood next to the bed, his face dark but unmoved. I know he's not without anger. I'm just afraid I'll panic even more. When I spoke, my throat was tight. “Dad, I don't write.” Father bowed his head and looked at me. “I know.” Lawyer Han enlarged the photo. “The signature appears to have been transferred from a blank page.” “The paper edge has photocopy marks, not the same as the original.” I stared at that text. “The hard drive is gone.” “Are they planning to put fake documents in there?” Father looked at his assistant. “The camera in the parking lot and the towing company must get it immediately.” The assistant nodded. “Someone is already there.” Phuong Mai curled up next to the door, her face as white as paper. Just now she wanted to cause trouble. Now when I hear the two words denounce, I even forget to cry. I looked at her. “Do you know about this?” Phuong Mai immediately shook her head. "I do not know." “What does an old woman like me understand about denunciation?” Tran Nha suddenly lowered her voice: "She knows." Everyone looked over. Phuong Mai shouted: "Don't talk nonsense!" Tran Nha held the back of the chair, her face looked very poor. “I heard it in Tham Hao's office last month.” “His mother said that if Manh Duong refused to sign, she would drag her father into the water.” “She also said that people with money are most afraid of having their reputation tainted.” Phuong Mai rushed towards her and tried to hit her. Nurses and police officers immediately stopped it. Phuong Mai struggled and shouted: "You are an outsider, don't divide our family!" Tran Nha's eyes were cold. “When she told me to give birth to a son, she didn't say I was an outsider.” “Now something happens, I become an outsider again?” Father didn't pay attention to them, just asked lawyer Han: "If this document is sent to me
What will be the consequences? Lawyer Han said: "If it's just a fake document, it can eventually be investigated clearly." “But in the short term it will affect the project and personal reputation of General Director Manh.” "More troublesome is that if they put fake data on the hard drive, then create a trace that Ms. Manh actively submitted it, it would cause chaos." My palms started to sweat. My work documents are also on that hard drive. Inside are company project records, customer contracts, and personal backups. Tham Hao knows what I fear most is getting involved with my father. So he kept this card. Not for self-protection. It's to keep me quiet about the divorce. Outside the hospital door, footsteps were heard. The assistant who went to check the parking lot has returned. In his hand he held a printed camera photo. “General Manager Manh, it has been investigated.” “After the truck was brought to the parking lot last night, someone approached the trunk of the car.” “That person was wearing a raincoat and his hat was pulled down very low.” Father asked: "License plate?" “He walked in.” “But when I left, I got on a technology car.” The assistant brought another photo. “The information on the platform has been collated.” “The passenger's phone number is Tieu Ngo's.” I raised my head. “Sham Hao's subordinate?” The assistant nodded. “Where he got off the bus was a courier station in the north of the city.” Lawyer Han immediately asked: "Has the goods been sent?" The assistant's voice became deeper. “Sent.” “The receiving unit is a communications office.” Father's eyes suddenly turned cold. “Stop it.” The assistant said: "The delivery point has been contacted." “The parcel hasn't left the warehouse yet.” As soon as I breathed a sigh of relief, the assistant said again: "But Tieu Ngo is missing." “He turned off his phone.”