Chapter 23 — Love Awakens After Leaving

People in the House

News about the relationship between Bach Vu and Tuyet Nhi, along with her true identity, quickly spread throughout the mansion and the entire corporation in the following days. Contrary to Tuyet Nhi's initial worries about people looking at her with disdain or disdain, most of the reactions she received were surprise mixed with admiration at her touching story of loyalty and silent love for twenty years.

In the corporation, the working atmosphere was also gradually changing in a positive direction. Colleagues who once only knew Tuyet Nhi through her sharp, professional appearance now look at her with much more respectful eyes, as the story of her silent sacrifice for twenty years was gradually spread through admiring stories. Some people even joked that it turned out that the "mysterious woman" that the upper class had been speculating about for so many years had a more touching back story than any rumors they had ever imagined.

The afternoon after the family meeting, Mr. Chi Kien personally went to the backyard, an unprecedented action in many years, making Mrs. Lanh and the other maids surprised to see the group chairman appear right in front of their small house.

"Uncle Lanh," Mr. Chi Kien said, his voice solemn but sincere, "for more than twenty years, you have devotedly served our family, not only with your effort but also with all your heart, raising an excellent daughter like Tuyet Nhi. I come here today to represent the entire Doan family, officially inviting you and your mother to move to the main house, as true members of our family."

The other maids standing around, witnessing this unprecedented scene, could not help but whisper and talk with admiration and emotion on behalf of Mrs. Lanh, who had silently devoted herself for more than twenty years without ever receiving any special recognition until now. Mrs. Lanh stood there, so emotional that she couldn't speak for a moment, her trembling hands clutching the hem of her shirt. "Mr. Chairman, I... I don't dare to accept such great favor. I'm just a housekeeper, fulfilling my duty is enough."

"You don't have to be so humble." Mr. Chi Kien shook his head, his voice determined. "You have sacrificed too much over the years, letting your daughter suffer silently because of the boundaries that our family accidentally created. This is the least we can do to make up for what you and your mother have gone through."

Tuyet Nhi, standing next to her mother, holding her hand tightly, her voice was equally choked. "Mom, let's accept. I think it's time for you to rest, you don't have to work so hard doing laundry anymore."

Mrs. Lanh looked at her daughter, then at Mr. Chi Kien, and finally nodded, tears of happiness rolling down her wrinkled cheeks. "I would like to thank you, Mr. Chairman. I will always remember this gratitude."

The process of moving to the main house took place in a warm atmosphere, with the enthusiastic help of many people in the mansion, who had silently admired the devotion of Mrs. Lanh and Tuyet Nhi for many years but had never had the opportunity to express it publicly. Chu Bich Ngoc even took half a day off from work to help her friend arrange things, unable to hide her joy on behalf of her close friend.

"Hey Nhi, you can finally live what you deserve." Bich Ngoc put the old books back into the carton and spoke, her voice full of emotion. "I'm truly happy for you."

"Thank you, Bich Ngoc." Tuyet Nhi replied, her hands carefully wrapping the small wooden box containing childhood mementos, the most precious item she brought with her from her old room. "If it weren't for your encouragement during the past difficult days, I don't know if I would have had the courage to get through it."

Bich Ngoc smiled, looked around the simple small room that was about to become a memory, then looked at the splendid main house in the distance where Tuyet Nhi was about to move. "You know, no matter where you move to live, to me, you will always be the kind and thoughtful Nhi that I have loved since the first day I joined the company. Your position or place of residence cannot change who you really are."

In the following weeks, Tuyet Nhi gradually adapted to her new life, no longer having to live two separate lives as before. She still continued her job as Bach Vu's special assistant, but now she no longer had to hide anything, no longer had to rush out of the office to avoid being discovered, no longer had to walk from a faraway intersection to keep her home address secret.

The family members, after an initial period of confusion, gradually accepted Tuyet Nhi with sincere respect, not only because she was the person Bach Vu loved, but also because of the abilities and qualities she had shown over many years of work, as well as the touching story of her loyalty and silent sacrifice that spread throughout the mansion.

The elderly cousin, who was famous for being difficult in the family, who had nodded slightly apologetically to Tuyet Nhi at the meeting the day before, one day even proactively stopped by the main house, carrying an heirloom jade bracelet, placing it in Tuyet Nhi's hand with a rare solemn expression. "This is the gift I want to give you, as an apology for previously doubting you because of some baseless rumors. You deserve to be treated much better than that."

One evening, at the first family meal, Mr. Chi Kien, Bach Vu, Tuyet Nhi and Mrs. Lanh sat around the large dining table in the main house. A cozy atmosphere enveloped the whole room, completely different from the solemnity and aloofness that Tuyet Nhi still imagined about meals in this noble family.

"Uncle Lanh," Mr. Chi Kien said, picking up food and offering it to her, "this soup is so delicious, did you cook it?"

"Yes, I cooked it according to the recipe my mother passed down." Mrs. Lanh replied, her voice still a bit embarrassed at this unexpected intimacy.

"So from now on, don't call me Mr. Chairman anymore, just call me Mr. Kien like old friends, okay?" Mr. Chi Kien smiled, a rare smile that Tuyet Nhi had never seen him show during his three years working at the corporation. "Anyway, we're about to become married."

Mrs. Lanh blushed and smiled awkwardly, while Tuyet Nhi and Bach Vu looked at each other, both unable to hide their happy smiles at the warm family atmosphere that was gradually forming. This was what Tuyet Nhi never dared to dream of during the years she had to live hidden behind the backyard door - a real family, where she and her mother were welcomed not as servants, but as loved ones in the house.

After the meal, when Bach Vu took Tuyet Nhi for a walk around the mansion's garden under the moonlight, the two stopped at the exact place where the ferocious dog incident had occurred in the past, which had now been converted into a corner of a beautiful flower garden.

"Do you remember this place?" Bach Vu asked, his hand gently squeezing her hand.

"How could you forget?" Tuyet Nhi smiled, her eyes looked around at the familiar scene that had changed over the years. She quietly opened the small bag she brought with her, took out an old film photo with frayed corners, and placed it in his hand without saying a word.

Bach Vu took the photo, his fingers trembled slightly when he saw his younger self holding up his fingers in a V shape, standing next to a girl with red ribbon braided hair, smiling widely, holding a guava that he had just picked. He laughed out loud, a laugh that was both warm and choked halfway through. "I remember this photo. I still remember telling you to keep it a secret and not show it to anyone, not even adults."

"And yet you kept that secret for twenty years, even better than I expected." Tuyet Nhi replied, her eyes curved into a smile. "This is where everything between us began, and where everything was rewritten in a more complete way."

Bach Vu pulled her into his arms, looking deeply into her eyes under the gentle moonlight. "From now on, we will continue to write this story together, no longer having to hide or fear anything."

The night wind gently shook the surrounding flower branches, carrying a gentle fragrance that spread throughout the garden. Tuyet Nhi leaned her head on Bach Vu's shoulder, listening to his steady heartbeat, fully feeling the peace that she had never dared to dream of in her twenty-six years of life. She remembered every night she stood by the small window in the back yard, looking at the light of Bach Vu's office without daring to hope for anything, and now, that man was hugging her tightly in the middle of a garden filled with both of their childhood memories.

"Do you think," Tuyet Nhi asked softly, her voice carrying a bit of sadness, "if the dog hadn't rushed in that day, would things between us have been different?"

"I don't know." Bach Vu replied, his hand gently caressing her hair. "But I believe, no matter how different the paths are, in the end we will still find our way back to each other, because that is what fate has arranged since those distant childhood days."