Chapter 11 — Reborn to Love the Perfect One

After the financial crisis was resolved satisfactorily, Ánh Vy and Dịch Phong gradually had more opportunities to work together. Her father, after witnessing Dịch Phong's outstanding ability, officially promoted him to the position of strategic analyst team leader, which means he will directly participate in more important meetings with Ánh Vy than before.

One Friday afternoon, after completing a long meeting about the plan to expand the market to the surrounding area, Ánh Vy and Dịch Phong stayed in the meeting room to finalize the detailed plan. Outside the window, the sunset dyed the city sky orange, reflecting on the glossy glass table.

"Thank you for supporting me so much in the past," Ánh Vy said, putting down her pen and leaning back in her chair, tired but comfortable after a stressful day of work. "Since you moved to the new position, my work has become much easier."

"I'm just doing my part," Dịch Phong replied, but the look in his eyes carried a gentleness that was hard to hide. "Seeing you focus on more important issues without worrying about small details makes me feel that my efforts are meaningful too."

Ánh Vy smiled, a strange warm feeling rose in her heart. She realized that moments like these, simple conversations after work, had gradually become an indispensable part of her daily life. She looked forward to them, looked forward to his calm but warm eyes, and looked forward to his deep voice that always brought her a strange sense of peace of mind.

"Mr. Dịch Phong," she said, her tone somewhat hesitant, "where is your family? I realized that in all the time we've been working together, I've never heard you mention your personal life."

There was a moment of silence that flashed across Dịch Phong's face, his eyes seemed to be weighing between continuing to keep it a secret and wanting to share more with her. "My family is also in this city, it's just that the family business is quite busy so I rarely mention it in the office environment."

That vague answer did not make Ánh Vy uncomfortable. On the contrary, she appreciated the fact that he did not blatantly lie, simply choosing not to reveal the whole truth. She understood that everyone had the right to keep private whatever they were not ready to share, and she was willing to wait until he trusted her enough to open up.

"I understand," she replied, the smile on her lips still remaining sincere. "Everyone has their own personal things. I don't mean to pry, just a little curious."

"I know you don't mean anything else," Dịch Phong replied, his tone was gentle. "And I also hope that one day, when the time is right, I can share with you more about myself."

Those words made Ánh Vy's heart tremble slightly. It was not simply a social answer, but also seemed to contain a promise about a future that both of them implicitly expected.

That evening, when Ánh Vy recounted the conversation to Gia Hạnh over the phone, her best friend burst into laughter. "Oh my god, Ánh Vy, you already like him, there's no denying it anymore. I can clearly see it through your tone when telling this story."

"I don't know, Gia Hạnh," Ánh Vy replied, her tone somewhat confused. "I just feel, being with him, I have a feeling of safety and understanding that I've never had from anyone else before."

"Then that's love and nothing else." Gia Hạnh smiled, her tone full of mischief. "I support you wholeheartedly. Mr. Dịch Phong seems to be a decent, mature, and talented person. Be bold and learn more, don't miss the opportunity."

Ánh Vy was silent for a moment, her eyes looking out the bedroom window where the moonlight was illuminating the quiet garden. She thought about her past life, to the last moment when she realized the sincere feelings that Dịch Phong had for her, a feeling that she had missed all her life because she was too preoccupied with other wrong relationships. This time, she told herself, she wouldn't let herself repeat that mistake again. She will cherish and nurture this budding love slowly but surely, so that it has the opportunity to bear the fruit it deserves.

"Thank you, Gia Hạnh," she said, her tone was warm. "I'll think more about this."

Putting down the phone, Ánh Vy lay down on the bed, closed her eyes, and in her mind, Dịch Phong's calm but warm face appeared more clearly than ever, carrying a hope that she had never dared to let herself cherish since the day she returned to this life.

That weekend, on the occasion of the company organizing a small picnic for departments to strengthen team spirit after the recent crisis, Ánh Vy was accidentally placed in the same group as Dịch Phong in an exercise game that required good coordination between the two. With the bustling cheers of their surrounding colleagues, the two had to overcome a path with many obstacles together, hand in hand to maintain balance.

When crossing a swaying wooden bridge across a small lake, Ánh Vy almost slipped, but Dịch Phong quickly held her tightly, pulling her into his arms for a brief moment where both could clearly hear the other's heart beating rapidly. The cheers of her colleagues echoed around, but for Ánh Vy, all sounds seemed to become distant, leaving only the warmth of his arms and his worried eyes looking at her.

"Are you okay?" He asked, his tone still a little panicked.

"I'm OK," she replied, her voice was soft, not daring to look directly at him for fear that the other person would notice her blushing cheeks. But she still noticed that, in that moment, his hand was not in a hurry to let go of her, as if he was also attached to the rare warmth between the two of them.

In the evening after the picnic, when everyone had returned home, Ánh Vy sat alone on the balcony, remembering the feeling of being hugged tightly by him in the middle of the wooden bridge this afternoon. She asked herself, was this simply a feeling of gratitude for being helped, or was it really the first vibrations of life that she had never fully experienced in her previous life, when her mind was always so busy with worries for Bách Nam that there was no room left for any other concerns.

She remembered that in her previous life, she also had a few short-lived dating relationships, but never once did she feel a genuine vibration like what she was experiencing now. Perhaps, because her mind always puts Bách Nam first, considering taking care of him as the most important responsibility in her life, she had never truly opened her heart to receive love for herself.

Now, when she had learned to love more moderately, she realized that her heart still had the ability to vibrate, but it was previously buried under too many unnecessary burdens of responsibility. And the person who rekindled that ability was none other than the man who was calm, discreet but always silently by her side when she needed it the most.

On the first Monday of the following week, when Ánh Vy passed by the mixing area on the working floor, she happened to see Dịch Phong waiting for water. The atmosphere between the two of them, since the picnic, had been somewhat different, a gentle but pleasant awkwardness crept into each everyday greeting.

"Have you rested well after the picnic?" He asked, his tone still maintaining the familiar calmness, but his eyes somewhat avoided her direct gaze, a rare expression that she had never seen before in this always confident and calm man.

"I'm fine, thank you for asking," she replied, the corner of her mouth curled up in a smile. "Thank you for helping me in time that day, otherwise I would have fallen into the lake."

"That's what I should do," he replied, his tone lowered a bit. "Seeing that you are safe, I can rest assured."

That simple sentence carried a significant emotional weight, making Ánh Vy feel her heart beat faster. She realized that both of them were trying to keep a sufficient distance, wanting to get closer to each other, while also being afraid of the invisible barriers that perhaps only Dịch Phong could understand most clearly, which was his true identity that he was still hiding.

Watching his back as he left after that short conversation, Ánh Vy told herself that even though the road ahead was still unclear, she would wait patiently, so that the love between the two of them would have enough time to grow naturally and sustainably, without haste, without forcing, just like what a sincere love deserves to be nurtured.