Chapter 4 — CEO Phong, Stop Chasing Her—She Already Has a Marriage Certificate

Marina Grand Hotel stands tall on the shore of the bay, the early morning sunlight sparkles on the skyscraper's glass surface. Nhã Kỳ stood in front of the large hall, her heart pounding like when she was a student anxiously waiting for the results of her graduation project defense. She pulled her suitcase, walked inside, asked the receptionist for Chính Nguyên's room number with his full name and documents proving the couple's relationship, in accordance with the security regulations of a five-star hotel.

The receptionist, after checking the information, smiled politely but somewhat hesitantly. "Yes, ma'am, Mr. Phong is not in the room right now. According to the hotel schedule, he has registered to attend a private event tonight at the Orchid Ballroom, starting at seven o'clock in the evening."

Nhã Kỳ paused slightly. "What's the event?"

"Yes, it was a private birthday party for a special guest, rented out the entire hall by an event organization. I don't have more detailed information."

She thanked the receptionist and went up to the hotel room that had been reserved for her on a lower floor. An indescribable feeling began to arise in her heart - not really doubt, but like a thin mist had just covered her inherently clear morning. The room was much smaller than her husband's suite, but she didn't mind, because the purpose of her trip was not to enjoy luxurious amenities, but to be with the people she loved most at her own important moments. She thought to herself, perhaps it was a party for an important partner, and Chính Nguyên only attended because of business etiquette, which was completely normal for his position.

She spent the afternoon walking around the Marina Bay area, looking at the modern buildings reflecting on the water, trying to maintain a relaxed mood to prepare for the unexpected meeting in the evening. She stopped by a small flower shop and bought a bouquet of white phalaenopsis orchids - the flower Chính Nguyên once said he liked for its purity and simplicity, one of the few statements about his rare personal preferences he shared with her in the early years of their marriage.

At six o'clock in the afternoon, she returned to her room, took a shower, put on a carefully prepared emerald green silk dress, applied light makeup, and sprayed a little jasmine perfume that Chính Nguyên had bought as a gift for her on his first overseas business trip after the wedding. She stood in front of the mirror, looking at her own reflection, and in that moment, she felt like she was back to being the twenty-six year old girl seven years ago, full of hope and belief in love.

She asked the receptionist about the location of the Orchid Ballroom lobby, and was instructed that it was a private area, only guests with names on the list could enter, but there was a glass corridor looking down from the upper floor, which the hotel often arranged so that guests who were not attending could still see the decorations of large events without disturbing the party.

Nhã Kỳ decided to go there first, standing from afar and observing, waiting for the right moment to step in, creating the most complete surprise for her husband.

While waiting, she stood in a corner of the hallway, her hand tightening the handle of her bag, feeling both nervous and secretly proud. She imagined herself walking down the stairs, her emerald green dress gliding over the marble steps, and all eyes in the hall would be on her—not because she wanted to show off, but because she wanted, just once in seven years, to be at the center of an important moment in her husband's life, instead of always standing in the background, minding unnamed matters.

She remembered the times she personally prepared Chính Nguyên's birthday party every year - even though he never asked, even though he usually only sat at the table for exactly fifteen minutes and then returned to the office right after cutting the cake, she always ordered a custom cake according to his taste, always preparing a small, personal gift, not expensive technology items that she knew he would definitely buy himself if needed. She believes that it is the small details and perseverance year after year that truly connect two people, far more than lavish gifts.

But standing here, looking down at the meticulously prepared banquet hall down to every rose petal and every candle, she suddenly realized: never, not even once, had she seen Chính Nguyên invest so much effort in her own birthday. In seven years, he has never once personally placed flowers, personally chosen a location, or personally drawn up the guest list for his wife's special day. That thought made her chest ache with a dull pain, though she still tried to push it aside, telling herself that she was thinking too much.

From the glass hallway upstairs, she looked down at the banquet hall lavishly decorated with hundreds of dark red roses and shimmering candlelight, and a small orchestra was playing gentle music. This was clearly not an ordinary work event — it had a cozy, private atmosphere, like a birthday party thoughtfully prepared by someone who truly cared about the person being celebrated.

She saw Chính Nguyên standing in the middle of the lobby, wearing a gray suit she had never seen him wear at home - he must have just bought it specifically for this business trip. Next to him is Bảo Nhiên, wearing a pink princess dress, holding a small bouquet of balloons, her face radiant and excited.

And opposite them, was a woman Nhã Kỳ had never seen before - slim figure, long black hair loose, wearing a tight wine red evening dress, standing out in the entire banquet hall. The woman was smiling, a smile so bright that her whole face lit up under the light.

Nhã Kỳ stood silently, her heart seemed to stop beating for a beat. She tried to reassure herself that this could just be an important partner, an old friend of the family, that Chính Nguyên was only here out of common courtesy. But a part of her, the intuitive part of a woman who had lived seven years alongside her husband's coldness, had begun to sense that something was wrong, something that went beyond the usual work partnership.

She took out her phone and quietly checked the business trip schedule that Chính Nguyên's secretary had sent to his family before he left - there was no mention of a private event like this. This was clearly an appointment outside the official work schedule, an appointment that Chính Nguyên kept secret, not saying a word to his wife before leaving.

Nhã Kỳ stood there, still holding the bouquet of white Phalaenopsis orchids, the box containing the silver bracelet and the passion fruit cake lying silently in her bag, waiting for a moment to enter the banquet hall, introduce her presence, and destroy that strange cozy atmosphere with the fact that she was the wife of the man standing in the middle of the hall.

But something stopped her. Perhaps it was a vague fear of what she was about to witness if she continued to stand and watch for a few more minutes. Perhaps her self-protection instinct told her to observe more carefully before acting, so as not to regret a hasty decision.

She stood silently in the darkness of the glass hallway, the lights from the banquet hall cast flickering streaks of light on her face, and in her heart, a cold feeling began to spread, slowly but surely, like ice slowly seeping into each vein, freezing her heart, which was always warm and patient.

This was not the warm surprise moment she had imagined during the long flight. This was the beginning of something completely different — something that she, despite having prepared herself for many scenarios, had never dared to think about.

She looked at her watch, the hand pointed to exactly 7:20 p.m. Below, the host walked out into the middle of the hall, holding the microphone, his voice booming: "Ladies and gentlemen, please join us in raising a glass to celebrate Ms. Diệp Uyển Thi's birthday!"

That name, the first time it rang in Nhã Kỳ's ears, did not carry any special meaning - she was completely unfamiliar with it, did not know that it was the sister of her husband's deceased best friend, did not know that behind that radiant smile was a long story of loss and resentment that lasted nearly a decade. To her right now, that name is simply the name of the woman standing next to her husband, receiving a smile that she has never seen in the past seven years.

Nhã Kỳ stood still, the light from the banquet hall shining on her face, and in that moment, she suddenly realized that her hands were shaking slightly, not because of the cold, but because something deep inside her was gradually crumbling, slowly but unstoppably.