Chapter 13 — When I Learn How to Bloom Again

Working with Luc Triet Vien and the “Tinh Tam Creation” team… was a very pleasant experience. Their professionalism, meticulousness… and obsession with every detail… opened my eyes a lot. Before starting construction, we held three planning meetings. Each time… it lasted all afternoon. Luc Triet Vien brought along structural engineers, electrical and water engineers... Reviewed every detail on the drawings with me. From the direction of a pipe… To the location of a switch. They provide expert opinions. But the final decision... always belongs to me. They respect me... The "general designer" of this project. That feeling… was magical. I am no longer a tenant who only knows how to give orders. Which becomes the center of a collective. Together we… create something. My confidence… little by little, was rebuilt. I started to like the feeling of being at the construction site every day. Wear a protective helmet and construction clothes. Look at the steel and concrete… Little by little… turning into my drawings. That feeling of accomplishment… No luxury item can replace it. Luc Triet Vien is present almost every day. You don't look like a boss... But like a real worker. He personally checked the straightness of the wall. Join me in debating how to lay a brick. We often quarrel... over very small details. But not to win or lose. But to reach perfection. Every time after an argument... We all looked at each other and burst out laughing. It's like... meeting someone on the same level. Besides work, we sometimes talk about other things. I just found out... You graduated from a top architecture school. Used to work abroad, in a famous design company. A few years ago... I just returned home and set up my own studio. His dream... Is to create designs that have heat... have soul. Not copying soulless commercial spaces. That philosophy... Completely coincides with mine. Sometimes I feel like... We've known each other for a long time. That chemistry… and that spiritual resonance… I have never had in ten years of marriage. That afternoon, the construction site manager called me. The batch of cement imported from Italy has arrived at the port. But the color... seems to deviate from the requirements. I need to go to the warehouse to check. I immediately prepared to go. Luc Triet Vien stood nearby and heard.

“I'll go with you.”

“The port warehouse is both large and messy, it's not safe for you to go alone.”

I don't refuse. Sitting in his car, we talked... we quickly arrived at our destination. Large warehouses, containers stacked like mountains. Trucks come in and out constantly. We found the shipment. I bent down and carefully compared the color chart. Indeed, the color is two tones darker than I would have liked. Although the difference is very small, when spread over a large area, it will affect the entire feeling of space. I shook my head: "No, this batch cannot be used, I have to return it, ask them to send it again."

“But then progress will be delayed by at least half a month.” Luc Triet Vien looked at me and said.

"I know." I looked straight at him, my voice firm. "But Mr. Luc, we are making a work, right? The work... cannot have flaws."

He looked at me for a moment, then smiled. That smile is like the afternoon sunlight, warm and bright. “Okay, I support you, contact the Italian side so I can handle it.” At that moment, my phone vibrated, it was a text message from Trieu Tinh, a message link ie. The headline read: “The famous businessman Chu Mo of this city, on suspicion of tax evasion and commercial bribery, was arrested by the authorities according to the law.” The illustration is a photo of Chu Van Bac being handcuffed and escorted to a police car. In the photo, his hair is disheveled, his face is haggard, his eyes are empty, completely lacking his previous appearance. I looked at that photo, feeling strangely calm, without the slightest gloating, nor the slightest bit of pity, like I was watching the news of a stranger who had nothing to do with me. This man spent ten years turning me into a woman full of resentment, and I only used three months to completely cut him out of my life. In the end, everyone comes to their own end.

"What's up?" Luc Triet Vien saw me looking blankly at the phone and asked softly.

I put my phone away, shook my head, and smiled with relief. “Nothing, just saw a story that should have ended a long time ago… finally closed.”