Chapter 4 — The Ten-Million-Dollar Patent

He swept his gaze across the grand hall, and the moment he locked onto my position, his eyes brightened with recognition. He began walking straight toward me, his pace purposeful and urgent. Nearby, guests began to whisper in bewilderment.

"Is that General Manager Tran of the Thinh Hang Investment Fund? He is a titan in the venture capital world of the Hai Thanh! Why is he here?"

"Given his stature, he should have no reason to grace a wedding like this with his presence."

General Manager Tran reached me in moments, producing a business card with a flourish and speaking with immense enthusiasm. "Dr. Khuong, we have invested in three separate start-up projects involving brain-computer interfaces, but every single one of them has hit a wall with the algorithms. Whenever you find a moment, we are prepared to fly to the Capital immediately to consult with you!"

I accepted the card, offering him a polite, professional smile. No sooner had he finished speaking than a woman hurried over from the head table.

"Greetings, Dr. Khuong. I am Chairwoman Dinh of the Hai Thanh Chamber of Commerce. Would it be convenient to exchange contact information?"

One after another, the most influential figures in the business world swarmed around me, eager to strike up a conversation. Their attitudes were sycophantic and desperate.

"Dr. Khuong, I am Ly Minh from Hang Thuy Pharmaceuticals..."

"Dr. Khuong, the Hoa Thien Investment Fund would very much like to schedule a formal appointment with you..."

Business cards were presented to me like falling snowflakes. My mother stood frozen in place, her mouth agape, unable to utter a single sound. On the stage, Khuong Tu Tu gripped the microphone so tightly that her knuckles had turned a ghostly, bloodless white. Khuong Thanh stepped forward, his face twitching as if he intended to interject. The wine glass in Cong Thong's hand hovered mid-air, his eyes wide with an expression of utter, hollow disbelief.

"How is this possible?"

Tong Mien forced a strained smile. "Duong Duong, I never imagined your career had become so successful. I am truly happy for you."

I cast a side-long glance at her. "Tong Mien, if your fingertips weren't on the verge of digging into your palms, perhaps these words would be slightly more convincing."

Tong Mien's gaze hardened, and her smile faltered into a grimace. Finally, my parents recovered their senses. The fury that had once marred my mother’s features vanished without a trace, replaced by a desperate, fawning look I had never before seen her wear. She rushed to Elder Chu’s side, smiling so broadly that the creases around her eyes deepened into desperate lines.

"Elder, please, set your heart at ease. Duong Duong is my own flesh and blood; any collaboration will certainly be a success! Let us finish the wedding ceremony first, and then, as one big family, we can sit down and discuss the details at our leisure..."

"One family?" I repeated the words, my voice barely above a whisper. "When you were throwing me out just moments ago, why did you not mention that we were one family?"

The banquet hall plunged into a suffocating silence. Khuong Thanh’s face flickered between shades of ash and crimson, while Cong Thong stared at his shoes, wishing he could vanish into the cracks of the floor. Then, a young man's voice cut through the stillness.

"Grandfather."

The man wore a dark blue suit, impeccably tailored, his features bearing a three-part resemblance to Chu Tu, though his brow was etched with a sense of stability and strategic cunning. Khuong Tu Tu had once posted photographs of him on her private social media. This was Chu Canh Xuyen, Chu Tu’s cousin and his fiercest rival for the family inheritance.

"There is a matter that I believe you ought to know."

Chu Canh Xuyen approached Elder Chu, bowing respectfully. "Just now, in this very hall, the entire Khuong family colluded to drive Dr. Khuong away. Chu Tu, as well..." He glanced at Chu Tu, his eyes veiled in a performance of feigned regret. "He also explicitly ordered Dr. Khuong to leave this venue."

"Dr. Khuong is of vital importance to the Chu Corporation. This act by Chu Tu has severely wounded Dr. Khuong’s pride and irreparably damaged the alliance between the Chu family and her."

Chu Tu’s face drained of all color. He opened his mouth to explain, but his previous words had been spoken before thirty full tables of witnesses; any defense now would be utterly meaningless. Elder Chu remained silent. The stillness lasted only a few seconds, yet it was enough to bead cold sweat onto Chu Tu’s forehead. A cane tapped lightly against the tiled floor. Elder Chu fixed his gaze upon Chu Tu.

"If this wedding finds no room for Dr. Khuong, then so be it. The ceremony may continue, but Dr. Khuong and I shall take our leave."

With those words, he turned, gestured toward me with a graceful, inviting wave of his hand. Chu Tu’s face went white as a sheet.

"Grandfather!"

He lunged forward to intercept the elder, his voice trembling violently. "Grandfather! Today is my wedding day! You cannot leave!"

Elder Chu looked at him, his eyes brimming with profound disappointment. "Do you have any idea how much effort I expended, how many favors I had to call in, just to secure a meeting with Dr. Khuong?"

"And look at the result! You and your fiancee teamed up to chase her away."

"Do you truly believe you have the audacity to ask me to stay?"

He looked no further at Chu Tu, instead turning his head to offer me a courteous nod. "Dr. Khuong, please."

I gathered my bag and walked through the crowd toward the exit. Behind me, Khuong Tu Tu’s voice finally lost its composure, and she cried out in a choked, desperate tone: "Sister..."

I did not look back. Inside the tea room, Elder Chu poured a cup of tea for me with his own hands. The scent was crisp and clean—rare Wuyi mountain tea that he had brought personally.

"Dr. Khuong, today, the Chu family has behaved with inexcusable disrespect."