Chapter 5 — The Mighty, All-Powerful Genie

After transforming into a human, Bách Nguyên no longer has the ability to grant wishes or summon great magic like when he was a sealed genie. But a portion of his divine nature still remained within him — an extraordinarily sharp intuition that could sense the flow of fortune and misfortune surrounding an event, an ability to read and understand ancient languages and texts at a speed unmatched by any human, and an absolute memory that retained everything he had ever seen or heard in his thousand years of existence. It is not a miracle that can solve all problems with just a snap of the fingers, but it is a powerful enough tool for a patient and clever person to quietly turn the situation around.

That night, after Nhã Kỳ turned off the lights in her office and fell into an uneasy sleep, Bách Nguyên quietly borrowed the temporary access code of Lâm Đắc Tường - a long-time housekeeper who was absolutely trusted and had access to a number of company documents stored at the villa - to look through the project documents for the southern inter-regional transport route that Nhã Kỳ had left on her desk.

"What do you plan to do with these files?" Đắc Tường asked, standing next to the table, watching Bách Nguyên flip through each page of documents at an amazingly fast speed, his eyes scanning the numbers, charts, and partner contracts as if reading a simple comic book.

"This project failed not because of lack of capital or lack of operating capacity," Bách Nguyên said in a calm voice after grasping the entire issue in just half an hour. "The problem lies in the fact that the planning department chose the wrong partner to provide transshipment warehouses in the Western region. This partner has a history of delaying deliveries many times in the past three years, but because of long-term acquaintances with some department leaders, their capacity assessment records have been significantly embellished compared to reality."

"Where did you find that out?" Đắc Tường asked in surprise.

"From the little notes left out in the appendix, from the way the numbers didn't match up between last year's second and third quarter reports," Bách Nguyên replied. "A thousand years of observing people lie in all sorts of ways, I've learned that the truth always leaves a trace, no matter how small."

"If you know clearly where the problem lies, why don't you tell Mistress directly?" Đắc Tường asked, somewhat impatient with the situation of both people. "She's stuck, a well-timed suggestion could help her a lot."

"Because if I say it straight, she won't believe it, and worse, she'll think I'm trying to meddle in things that aren't mine to prove myself." Bách Nguyên folded the file, his eyes thoughtful. "She needs to stand on her own, not rely on a husband she doesn't even trust. But she also shouldn't suffer failure just because she's missing a piece of information that she could have accessed if she had more time and experience."

Bách Nguyên clearly understood that if he directly gave this information to Nhã Kỳ, she would definitely be suspicious and refuse, even angrier because she thought he was trying to interfere in the work that she had forbidden him to touch. He needed a more indirect, tactful approach.

The next morning, he asked Đắc Tường to anonymously transfer a set of analysis documents — without the sender's name — to the internal mailbox of a young analyst named Vệ Thanh Hoài, who was working in Nhã Kỳ's strategic planning department and was known to be a diligent, honest employee, but not experienced enough to detect subtle discrepancies in partner records on his own.

"Ms. Thanh Hoài, I happen to have some comparative data about warehouse partners in the West. Maybe you should take a look before reporting to Ms. Nhã Kỳ," Đắc Tường said that when handing over the documents, in accordance with Bách Nguyên's instructions, he did not mention the true origin of the information.

Thanh Hoài, who is a careful and responsible person, spent the whole afternoon comparing all the data, and was surprised to realize the abnormalities that the anonymous document had pointed out completely accurately. She immediately brought all her findings to Nhã Kỳ the next day.

"Miss Nhã Kỳ, I think I have found the real problem of the project." Thanh Hoài presented, his voice full of excitement, placing on the table detailed comparison charts on the delivery delay rate of the current warehouse partner compared to three other partners in the area. "If we switch to cooperating with the Western Green logistics unit, the delay rate can be reduced to less than five percent, and operating costs are also more optimal thanks to the warehouse location closer to main national highways."

Nhã Kỳ carefully examined each number, a feeling of relief gradually spread in her heart when she realized that this was exactly the missing piece that she had been thinking about for the past two days. "Is this your own discovery, Thanh Hoài?"

"Yes, I personally collated all the data for the last three years," Thanh Hoài replied, not lying because she had actually verified all the numbers herself, but did not know that the original suggestion came from another source.

Nhã Kỳ nodded with satisfaction and immediately began drafting a plan to replace the warehouse partner, combining her own financial and legal analysis to present to the board of directors. During the meeting two days later, she presented the plan confidently and fluently, with enough convincing data that even the most skeptical department heads had to nod in agreement.

"Ms. Nhã Kỳ's plan is very strict." The old deputy general manager who had challenged her in the first meeting commented, his tone less than the initial scrutiny. "I must admit, you handled this matter quicker and more accurately than I expected."

Nhã Kỳ smiled, a rare proud smile flashed across her face, which always remained calm. That night, when she returned to the villa, for the first time in many weeks, she felt a little relief creep into her mind that had been filled with pressure since her grandfather's death.

She passed by the row of outhouses behind the garden and happened to see Bách Nguyên sitting alone on the steps, holding an old book that Lâm Đắc Tường had given him to help him get used to modern life knowledge. The pale yellow light from the porch shined on his calm face, creating an unusually peaceful scene in the quiet garden.

"Are you still not sleeping?" She asked, her voice no longer as harsh as usual, perhaps because her mood was better after the success she had just achieved.

"I'm reading a book," he replied, looking up at her. "You seem happier than usual."

"The project I'm in charge of has just been approved by the board of directors," she said, a bit hesitant before deciding to share, perhaps because in her heart she also needed someone to talk to after a long, stressful day, even though that person was someone she always kept a distance from. "For the first time, I solved a big problem on my own without my grandfather standing behind me."

"I believe she completely deserves that success," Bách Nguyên said, his eyes were so sincere that Nhã Kỳ had to pause for a moment.

"You say it like you're sincerely congratulating." She frowned slightly, a bit surprised.

"Because I'm sincerely congratulating," he replied simply.

Nhã Kỳ didn't know how to react to that sincerity, just nodded slightly then turned and walked towards the main house, leaving Bách Nguyên sitting alone under the porch light, with a silent joy in his heart that he couldn't share with anyone - the joy of silently helping someone you care about achieve their first success in their career, even though that person will never know the truth behind it.

He looked down at his hands in the moonlight, still feeling strange every time he thought about how these same hands, just a few months ago, had never known the feeling of holding a page of paper or turning a book. Now they had learned how to silently weave an invisible web of protection around someone he cared for more and more than he dared to admit. It was a strange feeling — both small before the new limits of the human body, and stronger than ever before the meaning of what I was doing.

But he also understands clearly that this is just the beginning. The road ahead for Nhã Kỳ is still long, there are many bigger challenges waiting, and somewhere out there, in the harsh business world that she has just officially entered, there are forces that are starting to pay attention to the rise of a young heiress with no one to back her up.