Chapter 16 — The Secret Pages of Room Seven

What Nhã Vân feared the most finally happened, but not in the way she had imagined. Not Ms. Cù Bảo Yến, not any loophole in her fake profile, but through a completely different route — Ngọc Diễm.

While quietly investigating more about Mạc Vĩnh Điền's old debt at Nhã Vân's request, Ngọc Diễm contacted a former bank employee who handled his loan application many years ago, hoping to collect more financial evidence. But she did not know that the former employee, due to the pressure of his own debt, had secretly sold information about this investigation to an intermediary connected to Mạc Vĩnh Điền's network, in exchange for a large sum of money.

News that someone was secretly investigating Mạc Vĩnh Điền's old debt quickly reached Chu Bảo Hạnh's ears, along with the name of Ngọc Diễm - Trác Nhã Vân's longtime personal assistant. Just by linking those two names together, along with the fact that Nhã Vân suddenly "took a break to take care of family matters" right at the time of Diệu Kỳ's arrest, and her mysterious disappearance from all public activities for many weeks, it is not difficult for an astute person like Chu Bảo Hạnh to piece together a worrying possibility.

That morning, when Nhã Vân was sitting in the common room, she felt an unusual change in the air as soon as she woke up. Security guards appeared in larger numbers than usual, standing scattered throughout the hallways with unusually tense faces. Tưởng Nhã Kỳ personally checked each patient room in Ward B, her eyes scanned each face with unprecedented attention.

Nhã Vân tried to stay calm, but her intuition told her that something serious was happening. She tried to send a short message to Bách Nguyên through her trusted nurse, just a few words: "There's something unusual, be careful."

Bách Nguyên received the text message right while he was on duty, and just a few minutes later, he received an urgent notification from head doctor Nghiêm Đình Vũ, requesting the entire medical team to gather for an urgent meeting in the hospital's large conference room.

During the meeting, Chu Bảo Hạnh appeared in person, something that rarely happens in regular internal meetings of the department. She stood in front of all the staff, her voice was calm but contained a coldness that made the whole room fall silent.

"We have just received worrying information about the possibility of an individual impersonating themselves and entering the hospital with impure purposes," she said, her eyes scanning every face in the room as if trying to find some unusual sign. "For the safety of all patients and the reputation of the hospital, I request all departments to coordinate to thoroughly review hospital admission records for the last three months, paying special attention to cases where personal information is incomplete or shows unusual signs."

Bách Nguyên sat still, trying to keep his face calm like many other colleagues, but inside he was worried. He knew exactly who Chu Bảo Hạnh was targeting, even though she didn't say the specific name.

After the meeting, he tried to meet Nhã Vân immediately, despite the risk of being discovered. He used the excuse of needing an urgent additional examination to take her to a private examination room, where he could talk without fear of being overheard.

"They have discovered that someone is investigating, although they don't know exactly who it is yet," he spoke, his voice unusually urgent. "Chu Bảo Hạnh has just ordered a review of all recent hospital admission records. You need to leave here now, before they find clues leading to you."

Nhã Vân shook her head immediately, her eyes determined. "I can't leave now, not while Diệu Kỳ is still here, not while we haven't finished gathering enough evidence."

"But if you stay, you're putting both yourself and Diệu Kỳ in greater danger than ever before." Bách Nguyên objected, his voice filled with worry. "If they find out who you are, they will not hesitate to do anything to silence you, including the most extreme measures."

At that moment, Nhã Vân's phone - the hidden secondary phone that she only used to contact Ngọc Diễm in the most urgent situations - vibrated. A message from Ngọc Diễm appeared, with a clearly panicked tone: "Miss Van, I'm sorry, maybe the information about my investigation into Mr. Điền's debt has been leaked. I just discovered that the bank account of the person who provided me with information received an unusually large amount of money right after our meeting. Be careful, maybe they already know who I am, and from there deduce you."

Nhã Vân read the message, a cold feeling running through her body. All the pieces of the puzzle were now clear—it was Ngọc Diễm's loophole in her outside investigation that had accidentally opened a path leading straight to her.

"They'll find me soon," she said, her voice shaking slightly but still maintaining the necessary calmness. "We don't have much time left."

Bách Nguyên grabbed her shoulder tightly, his eyes full of determination. "So we have to act now, before they can act. I will find a way to get Diệu Kỳ out of the quarantine area tonight, and you need to prepare yourself for the worst that can happen." Nhã Vân nodded, clearly sensing an important turning point was approaching. The silent war that she had been pursuing for weeks was now about to enter its most fierce phase, and she knew, there was no turning back for any of them anymore.

Leaving the clinic, Nhã Vân returned to her room with her steps trying to maintain a normal look, but every step was heavy, feeling like there were dozens of eyes watching behind her. She noticed two strange security guards standing at the end of the corridor in Block B, not the familiar faces she had memorized for weeks, and they seemed to be observing the area with unusual attention, their eyes constantly scanning the list of names on a clipboard.

She quickly texted Ngọc Diễm, instructing her to immediately delete all traces of contact that could be traced back to her, and at the same time transfer all copies of the collected evidence to a second secure email address that only the two of them knew, in case the main email address was hacked. She also told Ngọc Diễm to be ready to contact her family lawyer and some trusted relationships in the police if there were any signs that she had lost contact for more than twenty-four hours.

That afternoon, the atmosphere in area B became more and more stuffy. Mrs. Tram came to Nhã Vân during break time, her eyes were full of worry. "What's going on, Lam? I see there are a lot of security guards today, and even Mrs. Chu personally went down to check each room."

"I think they're looking for someone," Nhã Vân replied, trying to keep her voice calm even though her heart was as tense as a string. "Be careful, don't talk to me in front of other people for the next few days." Mrs. Tram looked at her for a long time, then nodded slightly, her eyes clearly showing the understanding of someone who had experienced exactly what Nhã Vân was facing. "You're the person they're looking for, right?"

Nhã Vân did not answer directly, just gently squeezed her hand, indicating enough for her to understand without having to say it out loud in a space that could be overheard at any time. Mrs. Tram nodded, her eyes changing from worry to an unusual determination. "If there's anything you need me to do to help, just say so. I've been waiting for this day for three years, Lam. I'm willing to bet what's left."

Nhã Vân held her hand tightly, moved by the courage of the woman who had endured so much suffering over the years but had never lost her faith in justice. "Thank you, ma'am. I will need you, soon."

That night, when the hallway lights began to dim following the familiar curfew, Nhã Vân sat quietly in the darkness of her room, her hand clutching the code book as the last remaining inseparable object. She knew, from tonight, everything could change at any time, and she had to be ready for every scenario, even the worst scenario that she didn't dare think of.

She looked out the window with thin iron bars, the late moonlight casting a faint streak of silver light on the cold tile floor. In her mind, the image of Diệu Kỳ gradually recovering, the image of Mrs. Tram with her steadfast eyes full of hope, the image of Bách Nguyên with her unwavering devotion over the past few days, all blended together into a new source of strength, enough to dispel some of the fear roiling in her heart. No matter what tomorrow brings, she told herself she would not back down, because behind her was not only her family's honor, but the last hope of so many people who had been and are buried in the darkness of this place.