Chapter 10 — Reborn: This Hell Is Mine

Wedding Under Flower Lights

The wedding of Đường Ý Vy and Chung Bách Nguyên took place on a late autumn afternoon, in the outdoor garden of a resort on the edge of the city, where pale yellow sunlight filtered through the changing maple trees, casting a gentle light like in a painting on the path of white roses.

Ý Vy stood in front of the mirror in the preparation room, looking at her own reflection in a pure white lace wedding dress. A feeling of both familiarity and strangeness invaded her heart. Familiar because this is the dress she wore at the wedding in her previous life, this same garden, the same decorative details that she came up with the idea herself. It's strange because this time, when she put on that dress, she brought with her a completely different mindset - no longer the naive nervousness of a girl entering marriage for the first time, but the calmness mixed with determination of a person who has gone through a whole life, once died for this very marriage, and now returns to win it in a more steadfast way.

"You're so beautiful," Tuệ Nghi exclaimed as she entered the room, holding a small bouquet of flowers, her eyes shining with emotion that seemed very real. She wore an elegant emerald green bridesmaid dress, her hair was tied in a neat bun, and her face had delicate makeup that was no less outstanding than the bride. "I never thought I would see you in a wedding dress like this one day."

Ý Vy turned around, smiled, and pulled her sister into a gentle hug. "Thank you for always being by my side." That sentence, even though she knew clearly what was really going on behind Tuệ Nghi's gentle appearance, still came from a part of her true feelings in her heart - feelings of more than twenty years of togetherness, even if tainted by calculations, still could not completely disappear overnight.

Tuệ Nghi squeezed her sister's hand, her voice a bit choked. "You know, since I was little, I've always thought that if one day you're happy, I'll be the happiest person." She stopped for a moment, her eyes flashed something very quickly that if one didn't pay close attention, one could easily miss it. "It's just that sometimes I wonder if it will ever be my turn to stand in that position."

Ý Vy paused for a moment and looked straight into her sister's eyes. This is the first time, in both lives, that Tuệ Nghi revealed a statement that almost directly touches the root of the problem, although still wrapped in the shell of a touching confession. She didn't know whether this was a genuine moment of weakness on her sister's part, or a subtle test to see her reaction.

"Then it will be your turn," Ý Vy replied, her voice gentle but sincere. "You deserve to be happy no less than me." Tuệ Nghi smiled, nodded, then quickly turned to help her sister fix her skirt, as if the last sentence had never been said. But Ý Vy, standing there, clearly felt an unnameable complexity in her heart - she believed that, at least in that moment, Tuệ Nghi had told the truth, revealing a hidden corner that truly existed in her heart. That makes Ý Vy even more certain that, behind every plot, behind every trick, there is still a real person suffering because of something unresolved.

The ceremony took place smoothly under the gentle afternoon sunlight. Ý Vy walked on the flower-strewn aisle, her arm lightly wrapped around the arm of Chung Vĩnh Toàn - Bách Nguyên's father, who offered to act as the person to lead her down the aisle when he learned that she no longer had a biological father. He is a man in his sixties, with a stern appearance but warm eyes. He opposed this marriage in the beginning because of concerns about Ý Vy's background, but after many contacts, he was completely convinced by the maturity and sincerity of his future daughter-in-law.

"You did well," he whispered as the two approached the altar, where Bách Nguyên was waiting in a black suit, his eyes never leaving the bride for even a moment. "I've never seen him look at anyone with such eyes."

When Ý Vy stood opposite Bách Nguyên in front of the guests, she saw absolute sincerity in his eyes, without any calculations or doubts left over from previous rumors. He held her hand, his voice warm as he recited the vow: "I promise to always be by your side, to trust you, and to protect you from all troubles, no matter where they come from."

That last sentence, even though it was just a common vow in a wedding ceremony, carried a special weight in Ý Vy's heart. She knew, "all the troubles, no matter where they come from" was not just a fancy way of saying it, but maybe, unconsciously, Bách Nguyên sensed something unstable was lurking somewhere around their happiness.

The wedding took place warmly, filled with laughter and sincere blessings from friends and colleagues on both sides. Ms. Dieu, representing the Ánh Dương Fund and also the closest person left with the memory of Ms. Ninh Diễm Thu, stood up to speak, recalling memories of the founder of the fund, about the love she had for the two sisters Ý Vy and Tuệ Nghi, making many people shed emotional tears.

During the party, Ý Vy noticed Tuệ Nghi moving through many different banquet tables, chatting, laughing with the guests, and especially spending a lot of time chatting with a group of young businessmen that she had not known before. When Ý Vy asked, Tuệ Nghi simply explained that she was a friend in the media industry and was accidentally invited to attend because she knew one of Bách Nguyên's guests.

Ý Vy did not inquire further, but she silently memorized the face of one of those men - a middle-aged man, confident demeanor, sharp eyes observing the wedding space with an attention beyond what was necessary for a normal guest. She didn't know it at the time, but her brief feeling of insecurity about the man would be confirmed just a few months later, when she discovered his true identity.

Before that, while taking souvenir photos with both families, Ý Vy had the opportunity to have a short conversation with Ms. Dieu, the person who holds the most memories of the last years of Ms. Ninh Diễm Thu's life. While everyone was busy arranging photo-taking locations, Ý Vy quietly asked her if, before her death, Ms. Diễm Thu had left behind any special papers or wishes related to the two sisters. Ms. Dieu just laughed, saying that most of Ms. Diễm Thu's assets had been transferred to the general charity fund, while her personal papers and old books were still kept in the old office of the orphanage, no one had time to carefully arrange them. Ý Vy remembered this and told herself she would find a suitable opportunity to return there, recalling Mr. Son's advice about needing to understand the root of the problem before being able to predict the limits of other people's actions.

At the end of the party, when the guests gradually left, Ý Vy stood alone in the corner of the garden, looking at the sparkling lights hanging on the tree branches, letting her mind calm down after a long day full of emotions. Bách Nguyên walked up to her, gently wrapping his arms around her waist.

"What are you thinking?" he asked, his voice gentle.

"I'm thinking, I'm so lucky to have a chance to live this moment to the fullest," Ý Vy replied, resting her head on his shoulder. It was a sentence with two layers of meaning that only she fully understood.

"We will have many more moments like this," Bách Nguyên said, his voice firm. "I promise."

Ý Vy smiled, didn't say anything more, just squeezed his hand tighter. She knew that promise would not suddenly come true. It needs to be protected, fought to preserve, against the conspiracies that are silently forming right at this happy wedding party. But for the first time since she was reborn, she allowed herself to temporarily put aside all caution for a few short moments, to fully enjoy the happiness that she had to go through a death to have a second chance to hold.

From afar, standing nestled in the darkness at the end of the garden, Kỷ Tuệ Nghi looked at the happy couple, his hand clenching the wine glass almost to the point that his knuckles turned white. The middle-aged man that Ý Vy had noticed earlier approached her, his voice low enough for only the two of them to hear.

"Miss Tuệ Nghi, the chairman has been very satisfied with the recent discussions. He wants to personally meet with you next week, instead of just working through me like before, to discuss in more detail some things that can be mutually beneficial."

Tuệ Nghi turned to look at him, her face slightly hesitant before nodding, her eyes turned towards the happy couple one last time before turning and walking away.

"Okay. I'll come."