Chapter 14 — Reborn: This Hell Is Mine

Two People, One Battle Line

After the fake information leak, Bách Nguyên began to proactively review the entire internal security system of Chung Nguyên Group, not only stopping at confirming the suspicion about Tuệ Nghi, but also discovering many other signs of instability that in the past, because he was too busy with business expansion, he had never paid enough attention.

Phó Nhật Khang, who was assigned to directly review with him, discovered a number of suspicious internal transactions in the finance department - small, petty but regularly repeated expenses, disguised as operating costs, were actually indirect money transfers to an unidentified third party. When traced further, the trail led to a shell company account related, albeit indirectly through many layers of intermediaries, to Hưng Thịnh Group.

"It seems that this is not just a simple information leak," Phó Nhật Khang reported in a closed meeting attended only by him and Bách Nguyên. "It is likely that there was a systematic sabotage plan targeting our group from Hưng Thịnh, lasting over a period of time, through many different channels."

Bách Nguyên was thoughtful, his eyes glued to the financial report spread on the table. He had no doubt that this threat was much more serious than a single information leak. This was a deliberate, carefully planned operation, and the person who carried it out, while perhaps not the main mastermind, was certainly closely connected to his family.

That night, when he got home, he told Ý Vy his entire discovery, hiding nothing, including his growing suspicion that the scale of this conspiracy could be far beyond what they had thought.

"I think, this is not simply Tuệ Nghi wanting to prove herself or earn more income," he said, his voice heavy. "Someone is behind it, using her as a pawn in a much larger plan, aimed squarely at weakening the entire corporation." Ý Vy listened, nodded, and decided this was the right time to share more of what she knew, although still careful not to reveal the true origin of that knowledge. "I've been quietly hiring someone to investigate for a while now," she said, showing him part of the files she had collected, of course carefully selected to not reveal too sensitive details related to when she knew everything in advance.

Bách Nguyên looked through the file and couldn't hide his surprise and heartbreak when he saw the level of detail and systematicity in what his wife had quietly collected. "Since when did you have doubts?" he asked, his voice a little choked.

"From small signs, right after our wedding," Ý Vy replied, an answer that wasn't entirely the truth but wasn't an outright lie either — she just omitted the time before that, a time that only she, with the memories of a past life, could fully understand.

"Why didn't you tell me sooner?" There was no blame in his voice, only the gentle hurt of someone who felt he had been kept behind in an important matter directly related to his family.

"Because I'm afraid, if we act too early when the evidence is not solid enough, we will alert Tuệ Nghi, giving her the opportunity to erase her traces and deny everything," Ý Vy explained, holding his hand. "And I'm also afraid, if you know too soon, the anger and hurt might make you react in a way that makes things more difficult to control. I need time to prepare everything firmly, because I know, once the truth is revealed, there will be no turning back for any of us." Bách Nguyên was silent for a long time, looking into his wife's eyes, then finally nodded and squeezed her hand. "I understand. And I trust the way you handle things. From now on, we will investigate together, not hiding anything from each other anymore."

From that night, the couple officially became a unified front line, combining resources and information from both sides - the group's internal resources from Bách Nguyên and Phó Nhật Khang, along with the external evidence that Mr. Son had collected for Ý Vy. They created a joint investigation plan, carefully shared information in each stage, and at the same time began to build a more comprehensive response strategy, not only to expose Tuệ Nghi but also to expose Vệ Đắc Thịnh's entire role in the plot to sabotage the group.

They decided that, instead of acting hastily, they would continue to let the plot develop for a while longer, while silently strengthening the security system in the most important areas, gradually isolating sensitive information flows from Tuệ Nghi's reach without revealing signs of caution, and at the same time preparing a strict legal plan with the advice of the group's own team of lawyers, to ensure that when the time for confrontation comes, all of their actions are legal, leaving no traces behind. any openings for the opponent to counterattack.

Phó Nhật Khang was assigned the task of setting up a fake information flow system, similar to what Ý Vy did before but on a larger and more methodical scale. He divided internal data into many layers, each layer only accessible to a few people, and installed separate markings into each version of the document so that if there was a further leak, they could determine exactly which channel the information had leaked from and through whose hands. This is a job that requires absolute meticulousness, because with just one small mistake, the entire tracking plan can be revealed, causing the opponent to be wary and retreat completely, making the long-standing effort of collecting evidence meaningless.

Ý Vy, for her part, continues to maintain a normal relationship with Tuệ Nghi, not revealing any change in attitude. This was probably the most difficult part of the whole plan — having to sit and eat, talk, and laugh with the sister she knew was secretly betraying her, without revealing any trace of true emotions. There were nights, after Tuệ Nghi left home, Ý Vy sat alone for a long time in the living room, feeling exhausted not from work, but from the burden of having to play a dual role for many months.

Bách Nguyên, realizing that fatigue in his wife's eyes, often quietly made her a cup of warm tea, sat next to him without saying anything, just letting her lean on his shoulder in silence. I understand that there are burdens that cannot be completely shared with words, but can only be eased with a persistent, steadfast presence.

"We will get through this," he said one such evening, his voice firm even though he didn't know exactly how many obstacles the road ahead had. "And when it's all over, we'll have a life where we won't have to look at anyone with judgmental eyes anymore." Ý Vy just nodded and said nothing, but in her heart she silently thanked fate for giving her a second chance so she wouldn't have to bear everything alone like in her previous life.

That weekend, the two spent a quiet evening reviewing the entire investigation's progress, comparing each piece of evidence with a large whiteboard placed in their private office at home — a place Bách Nguyên jokingly calls the couple's "war room." On the board, the interlaced lines show the connections between Tuệ Nghi, Đắc Thịnh's assistant, shell companies, and unusual financial transactions, all gradually coming together to form a complete diagram of the entire sabotage network.

"There is only one missing link," Phó Nhật Khang commented when invited to look over the diagram the next morning, "which is evidence that Vệ Đắc Thịnh himself directly directed, not just his subordinates acting spontaneously. Without this link, he could completely wash his hands of it and blame all the responsibility on his employees." Ý Vy nodded and noted this on her next to-do list. She knew this would be the most difficult part, because people like Đắc Thịnh always knew how to keep a safe distance from illegal acts, leaving the faintest trace possible. But she also believed that once the pressure became great enough, once Tuệ Nghi felt she was about to be abandoned or betrayed, she might be the one to accidentally reveal that last link.

During those weeks of working together, Ý Vy realized something more valuable than collecting evidence: the bond between her and Bách Nguyên, forged through common challenges, became stronger than ever. This was no longer a marriage built on simple love and trust, but also on true companionship in adversity—something she had never fully experienced in her previous life, when she endured every trauma alone.

"No matter what happens later," Bách Nguyên said late one night, as they both sat reviewing a thick stack of documents, "I want you to know, I'm on your side, not because you're my wife, but because I believe in the rightness of the way you handle things."

Ý Vy smiled, leaned her head on his shoulder for a moment, feeling a warmth spread throughout her heart. She knew that even though the road ahead was full of hardships, at least this time, she no longer had to face the darkness alone like in her previous life.