Chapter 7 — Reborn to Love the Perfect One

On the weekend evening, Ánh Vy accepted an invitation to attend the launch party of a community art project organized by a charity fund affiliated with Vệ Thịnh Group. This was originally a small event, more of a social exchange than a work one, but she still decided to attend because she knew that Bách Nam would also be there.

Entering the party space decorated in a contemporary art style, Ánh Vy quickly found Bách Nam standing and chatting with a group of people at the bar. And right next to him, a young, beautiful woman with loose curly hair, wearing a wine-red silk dress that stood out from the crowd, was laughing and chatting, her eyes constantly glancing at Bách Nam with carefully calculated admiration.

Kiều Ý Nhi.

Ánh Vy stood still for a moment, feeling as if all the painful memories of her previous life came rushing back at once. She clearly remembered this face, this smile, the way that woman skillfully took advantage of Bách Nam's greed and lack of confidence to gradually lead him down the path of betrayal. She still remembers that it was Kiều Ý Nhi who came up with the idea of illegally transferring shares, who staged all the fake evidence to slander her before the board of directors, and who stood behind the scenes and sparked the scandal that caused her to lose everything.

She took a deep breath, trying to regain her composure before stepping closer. She knew that she could not reveal any hatred or excessive caution right from this first encounter, because that would only make Kiều Ý Nhi wary, making it even more difficult for her to monitor and collect evidence later.

"Hello, I didn't expect to see you here." Ánh Vy approached, her tone was warm as if she was greeting a normal acquaintance.

Bách Nam was a little startled when he saw her and quickly regained his natural look. "Miss Ánh Vy, are you also coming to this event? Let me introduce, this is Kiều Ý Nhi, a new friend of mine, currently working as a freelance media manager."

Kiều Ý Nhi smiled, reached out to shake Ánh Vy's hand with perfectly polished politeness. "Hello, I heard Mr. Bách Nam mention you a lot. You are truly the person who inspired him all these years."

"Thank you for saying that," Ánh Vy replied, the smile on her lips remained calm, but her eyes carefully observed every small gesture of the woman in front of her. She realized that the way Kiều Ý Nhi talked, the way she skillfully promoted Bách Nam while still keeping a sufficient distance to not appear too intimate in front of others, were all carefully trained social communication skills, not the naturalness of a normal new acquaintance.

"I heard that you work as a freelance media manager, so you must have many connections in the business and entertainment world," Ánh Vy asked, deliberately leading the conversation.

"Yes, my job is mainly to connect brands with influential people, so I also have the opportunity to meet many people," Kiều Ý Nhi replied, her eyes flashing with a light that was hard to detect. "Actually, I am also looking for opportunities to cooperate with some real estate projects of Vệ Thịnh Group. If there is a chance, I hope you and Mr. Bách Nam can introduce them to me."

That statement made Ánh Vy even more certain about Kiều Ý Nhi's true motives. She did not simply want to approach Bách Nam for love, but clearly had deeper calculations related to the resources and relationships of Vệ Thịnh Group.

"I will remember, if there is a suitable opportunity, I will introduce it to you," Ánh Vy replied, her tone still remained friendly on the outside, but in her heart she silently decided that she would never let Kiều Ý Nhi have any direct access to the company's important resources.

During the party, Ánh Vy closely observed how Bách Nam treated Kiều Ý Nhi. She clearly noticed that he was somewhat infatuated, his eyes always following that woman's every move, his considerate and caring attitude was even more than what he had shown her over the years. This made her heart both sad and relieved. Sour because she realized that the sisterly love she once cherished was never truly as deep in Bách Nam's heart as she thought, but also relieved because she knew that this time she would no longer have to suffer and torment herself about what she had done wrong in the way she loved him.

On the way home that night, Ánh Vy sat in the car, looking out the window at the city lights passing by. She took out her phone and called Gia Hạnh.

"Gia Hạnh, can you help me find out more information about a person named Kiều Ý Nhi? She works as a freelance media manager and has recently met Bách Nam," she said, her tone serious.

"Okay, let me ask some contacts in the media. Is there something you need to find out about her?" Gia Hạnh asked again, her voice full of curiosity.

"I just have a bad feeling," Ánh Vy replied, not wanting to reveal too much at this time. "You just quietly help me find out as much detail as possible, especially about her family background and past relationships."

After hanging up, Ánh Vy leaned her head against the car seat and closed her eyes. She knows that the real battle is still ahead, and Kiều Ý Nhi is one of the most dangerous pieces that she needs to tightly control from the first steps, before everything gets out of hand like what happened in her previous life.

The car stopped in front of the villa gate, but Ánh Vy did not immediately get out of the car. She sat quietly in the dark car compartment, recalling the entire events of tonight's party. She remembered, in her previous life, she had accidentally met Kiều Ý Nhi and Bách Nam at a similar event, but at that time she simply thought they were Bách Nam's friends at work, and even proactively invited Kiều Ý Nhi to her birthday because she thought that having more friends would make Bách Nam happier. It was that heartless innocence that unintentionally opened the way for Kiều Ý Nhi to reach deeper into the close relationship circle of the Ve family.

This time, she absolutely won't make the same mistake. She will keep a sufficient distance, enough to not make Kiều Ý Nhi and Bách Nam doubt her vigilance, but also enough to not create any more opportunities for them to creep deeper into her company or family.

She opened the car door and got out, walking through the large yard leading into the villa. The yellow light from the decorative lampposts cast a long shadow on the tile floor, and in that quiet moment, she suddenly remembered Dịch Phong's words from that afternoon, about not everyone being worthy of the trust she placed. That sentence now became more poignant than ever, when she had just witnessed one of the most dangerous characters of her previous life reappear, carrying a sweet smile and cleverly hidden, calculating eyes.

Entering the bedroom, she changed clothes, washed her face, then sat in front of the dressing table, looking into the mirror. The face reflected back was still a youthful face, but his eyes carried a steadfastness that had never been there before. She told herself that even though the road ahead was still difficult, she would never let herself fall into the tragedy of her previous life again.

Before going to bed, she opened the leather-bound notebook, flipped to the notes page about Kiều Ý Nhi, and added the details she had just observed tonight: the way she dressed, the way she chose to stand near the door to easily observe and approach important people, the way she cleverly inserted the story of asking for a cooperation introduction into the middle of a seemingly innocuous conversation. Each of those small details, to normal people, may just be ordinary social gestures, but to someone who has experienced bitter consequences like Ánh Vy, they are all important pieces to build a comprehensive picture of a sophisticated predator hiding under a gentle cover.

She also noted a thought that came to her mind: perhaps, instead of simply defending and blocking, she should proactively find ways to let Kiều Ý Nhi reveal her true motives more clearly, through creating controlled opportunities, skillfully arranged situations so that she cannot suppress her greed. It would be a risky gamble, but if successful, it could help her gather solid evidence much sooner than just waiting for the plot to play itself out according to the script of her previous life.

Closing the notebook, she turned off the light, fell asleep with a new determination, ready for the next steps in the chess game in which she had decided to be the one to take the initiative.