Chapter 16 — Reborn: This Hell Is Mine

Repeat Old Destiny

Tuệ Nghi called Đắc Thịnh's assistant on a Thursday evening, her voice shaking but with a clear decision. "I will provide the schedule. But you must promise me, no one will be seriously injured, just a slight accident enough to scare her, so that she will voluntarily step back, giving me space to have my own place in the Chung family."

That was the last lie she clung to, a fragile illusion that she could still control the severity of what was about to happen, that she wouldn't really become a murderer, just the person who caused a small incident to change the situation.

Đắc Thịnh's assistant responded with a reassuring voice, promising that everything would be handled carefully and safely. But Tuệ Nghi did not know that behind that promise, Đắc Thịnh had a completely different plan, much more cruel than what he revealed to her - because for him, a slightly injured, regained consciousness Đường Ý Vy could be a much greater danger than eliminating her completely.

Ý Vy, thanks to continuous reports from Mr. Son about the unusual frequency of communications between Tuệ Nghi and Hưng Thịnh in recent days, sensed a worrying change in the pace of the plot. She knew, based on her previous life's memories, the most dangerous moment - the time when Tuệ Nghi finally took action by destroying the car's brakes - was coming very close, possibly earlier than what she had experienced in her previous life, because in this life, the pressure of being suspected had pushed Tuệ Nghi into a dead end earlier.

She immediately implemented the prevention plan that she had quietly prepared many weeks ago. The car she often used to travel alone at night was sent to a reputable repair workshop, under the guise of routine maintenance, but in fact, a hidden dashcam system and navigation device were installed. At the same time, the entire brake system was thoroughly checked and reinforced by the trusted mechanic with whom she had quietly built a trusting relationship over the past many months, without going through any familiar garage that Tuệ Nghi or anyone else could know in advance.

More importantly, she asked Mr. Son to arrange for someone to discreetly monitor every parking area she often used, especially at times when she knew she would have to travel alone.

The fateful day fell on a Saturday evening, when Ý Vy had an appointment to meet Mrs. Dieu privately at the Sunshine Foundation office to complete some procedures related to the new scholarship program - a schedule that, not coincidentally, she proactively arranged and revealed to Tuệ Nghi two days in advance, as part of the plan to lure the other person into action at the exact moment she was most prepared.

That evening, after leaving the Ánh Dương Fund office, Ý Vy drove along the familiar route, going through a deserted mountain pass leading to the villa area. She knew clearly that this was exactly the road where, in her previous life, the fateful accident had happened.

About midway through the pass, as expected, she felt the car's brakes had unusual signs - the sensitivity was significantly reduced compared to normal. But this time, thanks to the previously carefully reinforced brake system, the car did not completely lose control like in the previous life, there was only a short period of slower reaction than usual. Ý Vy, mentally prepared and skilled in handling the situation in advance - she had quietly taken an advanced safe driving course in recent months, a detail she had never told anyone including Bách Nguyên - calmly shifted to a low gear, used the handbrake in a controlled manner, and pulled the car safely to the side of the road.

She sat in the car for a while, her heart beating rapidly even though she had prepared herself mentally for a long time. The feeling of repeating the fateful moment of her previous life, even though this time it ended safely, still made her whole body tremble for several minutes. She took a deep breath, regained her composure, then immediately called Mr. Son and the security team arranged not far away.

Less than ten minutes later, another car appeared and parked nearby. The mechanic got down to check the underbody of Ý Vy's car under the flashlight, and after just a few minutes, confirmed what Ý Vy already knew for sure: the brake fluid pipe had a delicate cut, made by a professional, enough to cause the brakes to gradually lose their effectiveness after a certain distance of travel, but cleverly disguised to look like natural wear and tear if not carefully inspected.

At the same time, Mr. Son's surveillance team, stationed in the parking lot where Ý Vy had left her car overnight two days earlier, confirmed that they had recorded an unknown man approaching the underside of the car on Friday night before leaving quickly. Comparison showed that the man was a mechanic with a criminal record who had been investigated for a similar incident years earlier but not prosecuted for lack of evidence. He was currently working unofficially for several underground operators once connected to Hưng Thịnh Group.

Ý Vy sat in the car of the security team taking her home, looking out the window, a feeling of both relief and pain invaded her heart. Relieved that I had survived, because the careful preparation over the past nearly three years had finally taken effect at the most important moment. Painful because this is the final, clearest, irrefutable evidence, confirming that Tuệ Nghi was truly ready to take her life - no longer a vague suspicion, no longer a possibility that could be interpreted in many different ways, but a deliberate murder plot, carried out by the hands of the sister she once loved with all her heart.

When she got home, she told the whole incident to Bách Nguyên, who stood motionless for a long time, his face pale as he heard the details about the brake fluid pipe being cut. He hugged her, squeezing so tightly that it almost hurt, his voice trembling with both fear and anger.

"If you weren't prepared... if this happened without you knowing..." he couldn't finish the sentence, just hugged her tighter.

"But I'm okay," Ý Vy replied, wrapping her arms around his back, feeling his heartbeat pounding through his shirt. "And now we have the final proof we need."

That night, after calming down, the couple sat with Mr. Son and Phó Nhật Khang, reviewing the entire chain of evidence they had collected over the past three years — from the first anonymous post, the suspicious bidding process, the fake information leak, to the murder plot that had just been successfully prevented. All is enough to form a complete picture, leaving no room for any denial.

"There is only a lack of direct evidence to accuse Vệ Đắc Thịnh," Mr. Son said, his voice serious. "The mechanic can declare who hired him, but we need to make sure that testimony has enough weight before the law, and we need to act carefully so as not to alert Đắc Thịnh, giving Đắc Thịnh the opportunity to erase all related traces before we can act." Ý Vy nodded and looked out the window at the dark night, her heart feeling both relieved and heavy. She knew that the most difficult stage, also the most decisive stage of the entire rebirth journey, had finally come. There is no way back for anyone in this game anymore — not for Tuệ Nghi, not for Đắc Thịnh, and not for herself.

Deputy Nhật Khang suggested reporting to the police immediately with the available evidence, but Bách Nguyên, after a moment of consideration, shook his head. "If we act now, we will only arrest the mechanic, and Đắc Thịnh and possibly Tuệ Nghi will have enough time to deny it and hire a good lawyer to cover everything up into a personal case of an employee. We need a plan to force both to appear at the same time, in front of witnesses who cannot be bribed or threatened." Ý Vy agreed, proposing a plan that she had been silently thinking about for a long time: waiting for the group's upcoming biggest event - the anniversary party of Chung Nguyên Group's establishment, where a large number of shareholders, partners, press and the entire board of directors gathered. That will be the perfect stage to expose the entire conspiracy in front of the most powerful witnesses, where Đắc Thịnh and Tuệ Nghi cannot easily deny or silence anyone.

"In the meantime," Mr. Son added, "I will continue to collect more evidence of the direct financial connection between the mechanic and Vệ Đắc Thịnh, and ensure absolute safety for Ms. Ý Vy in every move from now until then. We cannot let them have a second chance."

Bách Nguyên held his wife's hand tightly, his eyes determined. "From now on, you won't go anywhere alone anymore. I will arrange a personal guard, discreetly, so that no one will suspect you." Ý Vy nodded, not objecting, because she understood that no matter how carefully prepared, absolute caution in this final stage is still more necessary than ever.