Chapter 21 — CEO Phong, Stop Chasing Her—She Already Has a Marriage Certificate

The week after the fateful night, the story of the dramatic fashion show of "NK Atelier" spread throughout the newspapers, not with negative headlines like Uyển Thi had hoped for, but on the contrary, becoming an inspirational story about the bravery of a woman who dared to stand up after a breakdown, daring to face slander head-on with her own careful preparation and integrity.

The event company where Uyển Thi worked, after learning the entire incident, decided to immediately terminate the labor contract with her, citing the clause on protecting corporate reputation. The promotion plan to the position of deputy general director that she had hoped for also went up in smoke. Many partners and friends in the upper class who knew her gradually distanced themselves, not wanting to be associated with a name that was just associated with an elaborately staged scandal that failed miserably.

Uyển Thi, after a few days holed up in the apartment, finally contacted Chính Nguyên again, not to continue arguing, but to ask for one last meeting.

Chính Nguyên considered very carefully before agreeing to meet Uyển Thi again one last time. He consulted with his mother, Nhã Kỳ, and the family's own lawyer to ensure this meeting did not create any additional legal or emotional risks for both parties. Nhã Kỳ, when asked for her opinion, only said briefly: "Just meet, if you think it will help close everything more completely. I believe you are alert enough not to repeat old mistakes."

They met at a quiet cafe, with no cameras and no audience. Uyển Thi sat opposite Chính Nguyên, her face was much more haggard than the sharp, confident look everyone usually saw.

"I don't expect you to forgive me for what I did," she said, her voice dark and sad. "I just want to say sorry, even though it's probably too late. I've let pain and resentment cloud my reason for so many years, to the point where I can no longer distinguish between true justice and what's just greed disguised in the name of reclaiming justice."

"I accept your apology," Chính Nguyên replied, his voice no longer angry, only the calmness of a person who had let go of the burden of the past. "And I also apologize to you, for unintentionally letting my guilt become a loophole that caused things to go too far. I hope, from now on, you can find true peace for yourself, not by clinging to the past or taking over other people's lives." Uyển Thi nodded, her eyes were red but no tears fell. "I'm going to leave this city for a while. Maybe I need a new start, in a place where no one knows the past story."

"I hope you find that," Chính Nguyên replied, then stood up, ending the last meeting between the two, completely closing a stormy chapter in both of their lives.

Before leaving the cafe, Uyển Thi looked up at him one last time. "Mr. Nguyen, if there is an afterlife, I hope I will never see your family again. Not because of resentment, but because I want to live a life completely of my own, without being entangled with any debts and resentments from the past."

"I hope so, for both of us," Chính Nguyên replied, then turned and left, not looking back again.

A few days later, Uyển Thi left Hanoi, without saying goodbye to anyone in the upper class she had been trying to break into for nearly a year. She left behind her luxury apartment, moved all her personal belongings to a small coastal city where no one knew what had just happened, and started again with a normal job, no longer related to the flashy media industry she was once associated with. Bảo Nhiên, when her father gently informed her that "Miss Thi had moved to another place to live", just nodded, not showing much sadness or regret, just like what Chính Nguyên had gradually realized - the feelings between his daughter and Uyển Thi were never deep enough to become a wound that was difficult to heal.

At the Phong family's villa, the atmosphere gradually returned to peace after the storm. Mrs. Ngọc Hân, chatting with her son one evening, could not hide her relief.

"I'm glad it ended this way, Chính Nguyên," she said. "Even though I had to go through a lot of pain to realize the truth, at least I was brave enough to face it and fix it, instead of continuing to live in silence and avoidance like before."

"I'm grateful mom always reminds me at the right time," Chính Nguyên replied, his eyes were now much more relieved than they had been for many months. "But I still have a long way to go, to prove to Nhã Kỳ that my change is truly sustainable, not just a temporary reaction to the crisis."

Mrs. Ngọc Hân placed her hand on her son's shoulder, her voice sincere. "That path has no shortcuts, Chính Nguyên. You can only prove it with time, with consistent actions every day, not with a single heroic moment on stage. But I believe, if you are truly sincere, Nhã Kỳ will recognize it."

As for Nhã Kỳ, after a turbulent show, "NK Atelier" received unprecedented attention from the media and the public. Orders skyrocketed, many large partners proactively contacted them to request distribution cooperation. She became an inspirational symbol for many women who are looking for independence and bravery after the breakdown of their married life.

Tú Anh wrote a long article about Nhã Kỳ's journey, from a talented design student who put her dreams aside for the sake of her family, to a brave woman who stood up to rebuild her career from scratch, then faced directly a plot to harm her on the most important debut night of her life. The article touches the hearts of thousands of readers, especially women who have experienced similar struggles between family, love and personal passion.

Lâm Bảo Duy, in a subsequent strategy meeting, suggested that Nhã Kỳ should take advantage of this attention to expand its business scale, possibly considering opening the brand's first official flagship store. "This is a golden time, Nhã Kỳ. The public is trusting and supporting you more than ever."

"I will consider carefully before making the decision to expand," Nhã Kỳ replied, still maintaining the necessary caution even at the peak of attention. "I don't want to rush after temporary success and lose the core values I have worked so hard to build."

But amidst all the praise and massive attention, Nhã Kỳ still maintained the necessary alertness. She understands that success in her career does not mean that all the wounds in her heart have automatically healed. She still needs time to thoroughly reflect on her relationship with Chính Nguyên, about whether she is really ready to open her heart and trust him again, after everything they have both been through.

That night, after sending Bảo Nhiên back to bed, Nhã Kỳ sat alone in the small apartment, looking out the window at the sparkling city lights in the distance. Her phone lit up with a text message from Chính Nguyên: "Thank you, for giving me the opportunity to stand with you to face everything that night. No matter what the final result between us is, I'm grateful for it."

Nhã Kỳ looked at that message for a long time, not rushing to reply immediately, her mind was full of thoughts that could not be clearly arranged.

She remembered the moment Chính Nguyên stepped out from the audience, standing next to her in the midst of a storm of slander, without hesitation, without any calculation of harm to his personal image or family reputation. It was the first time, in seven years, that she saw him act purely for her, not out of responsibility, not out of pride, but out of something close to the real love she had been waiting for all those years.

But she also understands that one moment of courage, no matter how beautiful, is not enough to completely erase the hurt that has accumulated for seven years. She needs to see that change maintained, proven over a longer period of time, before she can truly trust and open her heart again. She typed a few short lines of response: "I'm also grateful that you were brave enough to face the truth, even if it was late. Let's just let everything happen naturally, without haste."