Chapter 14 — Wind and Snow Falling, Ancient People Return

Follow the Trace

Eleven days. That was the number Diep Khanh repeated in his head countless times when entering the lawyer's office that night, the neon light from the ceiling shining down on the large wooden table filled with documents, receipts, screen prints and notes filled with Viet Bang's handwriting. Since the night Bach Du came to the flower shop, she agreed to let him participate in the process of finding out the truth behind the false debt, although she still kept a certain distance in the way she addressed and behaved. Three people - Bach Du, Viet Bang and Minh Lam - sat together at the lawyer's office one evening, spreading all the collected documents on a large table, like pieces of a map that only when assembled enough, they could see the whole picture of the person hiding behind.

"I found a copy of Van Hoa Cao Nguyen's complete business registration documents." Viet Bang placed a thick file of documents on the table, his voice serious. "This company was established nearly three years ago, initially registered as a one-member limited liability company, with Cung Vinh Vuong as the sole owner."

"But according to information Minh Lam found earlier, there was an initial capital contribution from another individual." Bach Du repeated, his eyes glued to the document.

"Yes, this is the key point." Viet Bang turned to a specific page, pointing to a highlighted passage. "Before being converted into a one-member company, this business had a short period of operation in the form of two capital contributing members, including Ta Bao Tram with an initial capital contribution ratio of up to seventy percent. Just a few months later, the records were adjusted, and Ms. Tram's capital contribution was completely transferred to Cung Vinh Vuong at a symbolic price, almost insignificant compared to the original ownership ratio."

"So that means, legally, Bao Tram no longer has anything to do with this company?" Diep Khanh asked, his arms crossed over his chest, his eyes unable to hide his skepticism.

"In terms of official documents, that's true." Viet Bang nodded, but immediately after that he shook his head. "But I found another notable detail. The actual transaction headquarters address of Van Hoa Cao Nguyen, although registered in one place, according to information from several office rental service providers, this company is actually using an office located in the same building as the headquarters of Lua La Suet, the company owned by Ms. Tram."

The whole room fell silent for a moment, each person rearranging the pieces of information in their heads. Bach Du was the first to speak, his voice was deep and decisive.

"That means that, even though he is not officially named, Bao Tram still has the ability to control Van Hoa Cao Nguyen's operations through Cung Vinh Vuong, who may just be a representative in his name."

"I'm also leaning toward that possibility." Viet Bang nodded in agreement. "But to be able to present convincing evidence to the authorities, we need more than logical inferences. There needs to be specific evidence, such as emails, text messages, or testimony confirming the actual operating relationship between the two parties."

"So where to find that evidence?" Diep Khanh asked, her voice somewhat impatient as she thought about the fourteen-day deadline that was gradually running out.

Minh Lam, who had been listening silently since the beginning of the meeting, suddenly spoke up. "I think we should approach Cung Vinh Vuong directly. If he is just the person in his name, he may also be under considerable pressure or legal risk from this. Who knows, if we approach properly, he will be willing to provide information to protect himself."

"This idea is worth considering." Viet Bang nodded. "But it needs to be done carefully, avoiding revealing intentions too early, making the opponent wary, or worse, destroying remaining evidence."

While everyone was discussing the plan, Diep Khanh took out the letter and the bracelet she found in her mother's old drawer from her pocket, placing them on the table in front of Bach Du. He saw his own handwriting on the yellowed paper, his face froze in a long silence.

"This is..." He picked up the letter, his hands shaking slightly, rereading every line he wrote five years ago. "I remember this letter. I wrote it after not being able to contact you by phone for many days. Then I brought it to the store to give it to you in person, but at that time only Ms. Yen was home."

"Your mother kept it in a drawer for the past five years, perhaps because she was also sick at the time, forgot, or couldn't find the right time to give it to you." Diep Khanh said, her voice choked. "I just found it a few days ago."

Bach Du put down the letter, his eyes looked at Diep Khanh, containing so many mixed emotions. "If this letter had reached you on time, perhaps things would have been completely different."

"Maybe so." Diep Khanh nodded slightly, her voice also lowered. "But looking back now, I think the fact that the letter didn't reach me wasn't simply because my mother forgot. If someone really interfered with the message sent to you that night, it's very likely that person also knew about the existence of this letter, and there was a reason why it never reached me."

Viet Bang, who was listening to the story, suddenly interjected. "If that's true, then the fact that Mrs. Yen suddenly kept the letter, even though there was no clear reason, may not be completely coincidental. It is possible that, at that time, someone deliberately persuaded or pressured her not to give this letter to her child, in the name of wanting the best for her child while she was confused by her own illness."

Lam Tuyen, who was also present at the meeting that night at Diep Khanh's invitation, listened quietly from the beginning, occasionally jotting down a few important points in the small notebook he brought along. She was not good at legal or investigative matters, but her presence, along with her eyes always watching to protect her close friends, gave Diep Khanh a certain sense of security amid the tense atmosphere of the meeting.

"I think, no matter how complicated the truth is, I have to face it." Lam Tuyen spoke up, breaking the heavy silence. "At least now we have many people working together, we no longer have to be alone like before."

That hypothesis made the whole room silent for a moment, each person feeling the sophistication and depth of the conspiracy that they were gradually uncovering clues to. If it was true that there was a carefully arranged plan many years ago, lasting until now with false debt, then the opponent they were facing was not simply an ordinary financial fraudster, but a person with a deep resentment and calculation in his heart, patiently waiting for many years to realize his purpose.

"We need to act quickly but also cautiously." Bach Du said, his voice becoming more serious than ever. "I will try contacting Cung Vinh Vuong in the name of another potential customer to see if I can get any more information while Viet Bang continues to consolidate legal documents."

"What about you?" Diep Khanh asked, her eyes full of determination, not wanting to just stand aside and observe while this was something directly related to her own life.

"I..." Bach Du looked at her, his heart aroused with worry, wanting to protect her from the risks that could occur when confronting Bao Tram directly. "Just continue to operate the flower shop normally, don't reveal anything that shows we're investigating. That's also an equally important part."

Diep Khanh nodded. Although she was still worried and insecure, for the first time in many days, her shoulders felt a little less heavy, as if an invisible weight had just been transferred to the people sitting around the table.

The meeting ended when the clock hands pointed to nearly eleven o'clock at night. Everyone left one by one, only Bach Du stayed behind to help Viet Bang clean up the documents on the table. Diep Khanh stood waiting at the door, watching the two men carefully arrange each piece of paper into a folder, a feeling of deep gratitude rose in her heart. She thought about what she had gone through in just a few short weeks: from a single woman carrying a flower shop and a bad debt, she now had a whole group of people willing to stand by her side, each contributing in their own way.

"Thank you everyone." She said as Bach Du walked out with her, her voice choked with emotion. "I don't know how to express my gratitude right now."

"There's no need to thank me." Bach Du replied, his voice gentle. "We're looking for the truth together, it's not just about me anymore." There is Bach Du, there is Viet Bang, there is Minh Lam, there is Lam Tuyen, all of whom are standing side by side with her on her journey to find the truth, and that, although it cannot dispel all her anxiety, is enough to give her a little more strength to continue moving forward.