Chapter 9 — Reborn On The Night Of Fraud

His voice is hoarse,

“Afraid of someone covered in blood like you…”

Khuong Mien Mien didn't answer, raised her head and kissed him. That kiss was very light, like a feather passing by. Trinh Du stood still, his pupils twitching violently.

“Tribute,”

Khuong Mien Mien blushed and backed away a bit.

“The first day I was reborn and came back to find you, I wasn't afraid.”

“What… reincarnation?”

At this point, Khuong Mien Mien decided not to hide it anymore. She told everything - In her previous life, she drugged Trinh Du, the Khuong family forced him to become a son-in-law, and then how he took revenge...

“So…”

She choked up and said,

"I came back to correct mistakes, so you don't hate the Khuong family anymore..."

Trinh Du's facial expression gradually turned from surprise to complexity.

“So…” His voice was tense,

“You approached me, just because you wanted to make amends?”

“That was the beginning.”

Khuong Mien Mien honestly,

“But now…”

Before she finished speaking, Trinh Du stood up, his face cold and scary.

“Trinh Du?”

“Go home.” His voice is icy,

“It's late.”

Khuong Mien Mien panicked:

“Listen to me until I finish! Now I'm really—”

“I said, GO BACK!”

Trinh Du almost roared. Khuong Mien Mien was scared, tears welled up in her eyes, she turned around and ran away, not seeing Trinh Du's hand reaching out halfway and then withdrawing again. That night, Khuong Mien Mien couldn't sleep. She regretted it to death — Why did she choose that moment to confess? Clearly… just a little more and they…

“Knock knock knock.”

It was just dawn when there was a knock on the window. Khuong Mien Mien jumped up and opened the window - Trinh Du stood there, his eyes were dark, clearly he hadn't slept all night.

“Come here.”

He spoke hoarsely. Khuong Mien Mien quickly climbed through the window. Before she could stand, Trinh Du pulled her to the pile of straw behind the house.

“I've been thinking all night.” Trinh Du gets straight to the point,

“About what you said — ‘rebirth’.”

Khuong Mien Mien tensed and twisted the corner of her shirt.

“If what you say is true…”

Trinh Du stared into her eyes,

“So you finally took revenge on the Khuong family?”

”… Yes.”

“What did you do?”

Khuong Mien Mien bit her lip:

“You… you made my father go to jail, my aunt crazy, and me…”

“What about you?” Trinh Du interrupted,

“How do you treat me?”

Khuong Mien Mien was stunned. In his previous life, Trinh Du... actually didn't do anything to her. Even when other people in the Khuong family suffered retribution, she was the only one who remained safe.

“I…” She said softly,

“I forgive you.”

Trinh Du's eyes suddenly softened.

“Khuong Mien Mien,” he sighed softly,

"I never thought you would take revenge on everyone, but only spare me - why?"

Khuong Mien Mien looked at him blankly. Trinh Du took out a tattered piece of paper from his pocket and opened it for her to see - It was a copy of the "Grant of Marriage Agreement", dated ten years ago, with bloody fingerprints.

“This is…”

“I found it at my old house last night.” Trinh Du said softly,

“That year, they forced my father to sign.”

Khuong Mien Mien immediately understood - Trinh Du hated the Khuong family for forcing him to become a son-in-law, because it reminded him of the humiliation of the past when his father was forced to sign a contract to sell himself.

“Mian Mien,” Trinh Du suddenly knelt on one knee and grabbed her hand,

"If I could do it again, I would still choose to take revenge on the Khuong family..."

Khuong Mien Mien's heart trembled slightly.

"But I still choose to forgive you."

He raised his head to look at her, his eyes gentle unprecedented:

“Because from beginning to end, the person I hate is always them, never you.”

Khuong Mien Mien's tears flowed out like a broken dam.

“Now, answer me one question.”

Trinh Du stared at her:

“Last night you said 'now it's sincere' – what is sincerity?"

Khuong Mien Mien was so choked up that she couldn't speak, she could only throw herself into his arms. Trinh Du hugged her tightly, squeezing so tightly that he was almost suffocating.

“Me too.”

He whispered in her ear,

“Honestly.”

In the distance, the sun gradually rose, the working group's convoy was entering the village gate. Behind the pile of straw, a couple finally resolved all misunderstandings and hugged each other tightly under the sunrise. On the third day the working group entered the village, Dai Ha village exploded like a bee's nest. Khuong Mien Mien squatted by the river washing vegetables, surrounded by the gossip of gossips.

"Have you heard? Trinh Du is about to return to Beijing!"

“What? Isn't he the son of a bourgeoisie?”

"Psst! People have been exonerated! His father is now a great scientist!"

The vegetables in Khuong Mien Mien's hand fell into the river and were swept away by the water. Trinh Du... is about to leave? She clearly knew this day would come, but when she actually heard the news, her heart still ached as if it was being squeezed. She mechanically crunched the vegetables, her mind a mess — Is he still coming back? They just confirmed their relationship last night but...

“Mien Mien!”

Nhi Nha ran panting,

“Hurry and go home! Someone is coming to find you!”

Khuong Mien Mien blindly followed Nhi Nha home. From afar, she saw a black car parked in front of her yard - a rare thing in the countryside in 1980!

“Who is that?” She asked softly.

Nhi Nha's eyes widened:

"The big mandarin came from Beijing! He said he was Trinh Du's uncle!"

Khuong Mien Mien's legs were soft, almost kneeling on the spot. Trinh Hoai Le?! Is he the person that Trinh Du hates so much?! She tried to muster the courage to enter the yard. In the living room was a middle-aged man dressed in Trung Son clothes. His appearance was similar to Trinh Du's, but he looked more elegant and intellectual. Her parents stood awkwardly next to her, on the table were two exquisite breakfast boxes.

“This is Mien Mien, right?”

Trinh Hoai Le stood up and smiled.

“What a clever girl.”

Khuong Mien Mien looked at him warily:

"Hello, Uncle Trinh."

“Don't stress.”

Trinh Hoai Le said gently,

"I came to thank you. Listen to Tieu Du, you've taken care of him a lot these past few years."

Tieu Du? Khuong Mien Mien almost choked — Did Trinh Du know that he called her that?!

“Teaching him…”

She asked cautiously,

“Are you really going back to Beijing?”

“That's right.”

Trinh Hoai Le sighed,

"His father - also my brother - has been exonerated. The organization decided to restore honor and treatment for the whole family. Tieu Du can return to Beijing to study at university."

Study at university! Khuong Mien Mien's heart trembled. In his previous life, Trinh Du was self-taught and passed the Bac Dai exam, later he became successful in the business world.

“When are you leaving?”

Her voice trembled.

“Tomorrow.”

So fast?! Khuong Mien Mien's nose stung and she quickly lowered her head to hide her tears. Trinh Hoai Le looked at her for a moment, then pulled out an envelope from his briefcase:

“Tieu Du asked me to give this to you.”

Khuong Mien Mien took it, it was heavy, inside there seemed to be the sound of a key colliding.

“Did he say anything else?”

Trinh Hoai Le hesitated for a moment, then just shook his head:

“It says… see After the letter, you will understand.”

Khuong Mien Mien ran back to her room, her hands trembling as she opened the envelope. Inside was a letter, a key, and a train ticket to Beijing Station — the departure date was three days later. The letter was in Trinh Du's strong, neat handwriting: Mien Mien: I have to go back to Beijing to handle some matters. This key is from the old house, the address is written on the back of the envelope. In three days, if you're willing to come, I'll wait for you at the train station. If you don't come, I understand.

— Presentation