Chapter 22 — The Mighty, All-Powerful Genie

Bách Nguyên's confession that night kept echoing in Nhã Kỳ's mind for the following days. She realized she could no longer avoid the question she had tried to bury for so long: whether she really loved Bách Nguyên, and if so, would she have the courage to say it before it was too late.

During the sleepless nights after the events at the signing ceremony, she kept replaying every moment of the past five years in her mind—from the first day of outrage when she learned about the arranged marriage, to today, when the thought of losing that man made her feel more panicked than any business crisis she had ever faced. She remembered his request for divorce not long ago, remembered the strange panic that rose in her heart when she heard him say it—a deep feeling of loss that she should not have had if she had truly only viewed this marriage as a condition to be endured. She remembered the moment on stage, when she proactively stood up to protect him in front of hundreds of strange eyes, without hesitation for a second, as if it were the most natural thing in the world.

One evening, with only a few days left until the fifth wedding anniversary - which was also the deadline for the promise her grandfather had made - Nhã Kỳ decided she couldn't wait any longer. She went to Bách Nguyên's room in the annex, where he had been staying since the first day even though the relationship between the two had changed a lot over the years.

She stood in front of his door for a long time, her hand raised and lowered several times before finally having the courage to knock lightly. "Can I come in?" She asked, standing in front of his room, her voice had a rare tremor.

Bách Nguyên opened the door, a bit surprised by her appearance at this hour, but he still smiled and stepped aside to make way. "What's up?"

He immediately noticed there was something unusual in her eyes tonight—not the usual tension when she brought up a work problem, but a trembling mixed with determination, as if she had been mentally preparing for this for days.

Nhã Kỳ walked in and stood in the middle of the simple room where he had lived for the past five years. Her eyes glanced over each familiar object - the small bookshelf filled with books he had read to learn about the modern world, the wooden table where he had sat and written down a secret notebook for many years, the window where he often stood and looked towards the main building every night.

"I've been thinking a lot since the night you asked for a divorce." She began, her voice shaky but determined. "And I realized, I don't want a divorce."

Bách Nguyên stood still, his heart pounded at those words, but he still remained silent, wanting to hear her say everything she needed to say.

"For the past five years, you've treated me so badly that I can't even believe I did it myself," Nhã Kỳ continued, tears began to well up in the corners of her eyes. "You pushed me to live in the annex like a stranger. You openly mocked me in front of the press. You doubted me, accused me of betrayal without giving me a chance to explain. While you, all that time, never once left me, never once asked for anything in return, just silently protected you, helped you, loved you in the quietest way I've ever known."

"Nhã Kỳ..." He softly called her name, his voice choked with emotion, his hand gently reached out as if he wanted to hug her immediately, but then stopped, wanting to respect the moment she needed to say everything that was in her heart.

"Let me finish." She stopped him, took a deep breath to regain courage. "I spent my whole life afraid to trust someone, because every time I did, I lost them. My parents. My grandfather. I built strong defensive walls around my heart, because I thought that would protect me from the pain of losing again. But I was wrong. That wall didn't protect me from anything. It just made me almost lose the most important person in my life, just because I was too scared to admit that I loved you."

Bách Nguyên looked at her, his eyes were also filled with tears, an intense emotion surged that he had never experienced with such great intensity in his thousand years as a genie.

"I love you," Nhã Kỳ said, for the first time in her life, she uttered those three words to someone who was not a close relative. "Not because of the promise I made to grandpa, not because I'm used to your presence in the house. I love you because of who you really are — patient, tolerant, strong in a silent way that took me five years to realize. I beg you, don't divorce. Please stay, not because of the promise anymore, but because of me, because of the true love between us."

The room was silent for a long time, only the sound of both people's breathing mingling in the quiet space. Bách Nguyên walked closer to her, his hand gently lifted her chin, his eyes looked deeply into her eyes, looking for absolute sincerity in every word she had just said. "Are you sure? This is not a decision you made just because of temporary emotions after the recent incident?"

"I'm sure," Nhã Kỳ replied, without any hesitation. "I've been thinking about this for a long time, I just didn't have the courage to say it sooner. But now, I don't want to wait another moment."

"Why now?" He asked softly, wanting to understand the source of her decision. "What made you change?"

"The moment I appeared on the signing ceremony stage, ready to face Việt Long just to protect you, even though I had just proposed to divorce you a few days ago," Nhã Kỳ replied, her voice shaking with emotion. "I realized, no one just out of duty could do what you did. And I also realized, I can't imagine my life without you by my side, even for just one day."

Bách Nguyên smiled, the brightest, happiest smile he had ever had since transforming into a human. He pulled her into his arms, hugged her tightly, clearly feeling her heartbeat pounding against his chest.

Bách Nguyên squeezed her hand, fully feeling the happiness that he had never dared to dream of during a thousand years of loneliness. "I love you too," he whispered in her ear. "A long time ago, perhaps longer than I dared to admit to myself. I will stay, not because of the promise I made to the boss, but because of you, because my heart now completely belongs to you."

The two of them stood embracing each other for a long time in the middle of the simple small room where Bách Nguyên had lived for the past five years, witnessing the slow but steady changes of a relationship that started from arrangement and coercion, and has now blossomed into a true, deep love, actively chosen by both of them with their own hearts.

Outside, the late moonlight shined through the small window, illuminating two figures embracing each other tightly, like a silent witness to the moment they had both been waiting for throughout their long journey. Nhã Kỳ looked up at him, the corners of her eyes were still wet but the smile on her lips was brighter than any time she had ever shown in public.

"So, no more divorce?" She asked, her voice carrying a rare hint of gentle joking.

"No more divorce," Bách Nguyên replied, leaning down to place a gentle kiss on her forehead. "It's just us, and a marriage that starts again today, this time purely for love."

But in that happy moment, Bách Nguyên also knew that it was time for him to tell Nhã Kỳ the whole truth about his true self - a secret that had been kept for a thousand years, and was now about to be revealed to the woman he loved most in the world.

He looked at her, his heart both filled with happiness and a little nervous at what he was about to say. Over the past five years, he has learned how to be a human being, how to love, and how to live a complete life with her. But the most important part of him, the part that shaped the entire fate of both of them, still lies dormant in the dark, waiting for the right moment to be exposed in the light of truth and love.