The next morning, Hoàng Hải Vân stirred awake, but Trần Ngọc Linh was nowhere to be seen. Normally, he always woke up later than she did. She wondered why he was up so early today. As she sat up, intending to freshen up, she noticed a small note on the table:
"When you wake up, come to the dining room for breakfast. I'll be waiting."
After washing up, Hoàng Hải Vân headed to the dining room. There, Trần Ngọc Linh sat waiting for her, and on the table were a few simple breakfast dishes. She hadn’t expected a wealthy young master like him to eat such basic meals.
As soon as she entered, Trần Ngọc Linh visibly tensed up. He stood and pulled out a chair next to him, motioning for her to sit.
She felt a little awkward. She was an outsider—at best, a guest. There was no need to treat her like a princess. But seeing his sincerity, she couldn’t bring herself to refuse.
She sat down and started eating. Meanwhile, Trần Ngọc Linh didn’t touch his food. He just sat there, watching her intensely, growing more and more anxious.
After an exhausting night, Hoàng Hải Vân was starving. She didn’t want to pay attention to unnecessary details and simply started eating. But as soon as the food reached her mouth, something felt… off. It was oddly hard to swallow.
Maybe the rich have some special way of preparing food that I’m not used to?
Determined, she forced herself to swallow a bite and moved on to another dish, hoping she had just imagined it. But no—every dish was just as difficult to eat.
Seeing her hesitation, Trần Ngọc Linh finally asked, “What’s wrong? Is it bad?”
After a pause, he added, “Sorry. This is my first time cooking, so it might not be great. I promise it'll be better next time.”
Earlier, Hoàng Hải Vân hadn’t dared to criticize the food, afraid that a servant might get punished. But now that she knew he was the one who cooked, she couldn’t hold back her laughter.
“Please don’t. If you keep cooking like this, I might get food poisoning and die,” she teased.
Trần Ngọc Linh had never felt so defeated.
So those stories about powerful CEOs being both amazing in bed and great cooks—are they even real? He had tried to follow the script, but this was an utter failure.
Seeing his disappointment, Hoàng Hải Vân couldn’t help but find him even more adorable. Without thinking, she leaned in and placed a soft, fleeting kiss on his lips—like a dragonfly skimming the water.
“The food isn’t good,” she murmured, “but you are.”
 
Trần Ngọc Linh’s cooking was inedible, so Hoàng Hải Vân took over and made a different dish for them to eat together. After finishing their meal, Hoàng Hải Vân said she wanted to go out. Trần Ngọc Linh insisted on going along, so both of them put on masks and headed out with five robotic bodyguards.
As they strolled happily together, Trần Ngọc Linh suddenly spotted a familiar figure in the city. He immediately pulled Hoàng Hải Vân into a corner to hide. To his surprise, Đinh Tuấn Kiệt, the second young master of the Đinh family, had appeared here. The Trần and Đinh families had always ruled their respective northern and southern territories without interfering with each other. But now, seeing the Đinh family present in this area in such a suspicious manner confirmed Trần Ngọc Linh’s worst fears. His suspicion about his father’s murderer was right—there was definitely the involvement of the Đinh family behind his father’s death.
And now, they might be targeting him. But at this moment, Hoàng Hải Vân was the one inhabiting his body.
Once the Đinh family members had left, Trần Ngọc Linh was about to take Hoàng Hải Vân away when someone suddenly appeared beside them, grabbed his hand, and pulled him back.
"Hoàng Hải Vân. Is that you?"
Vũ Phi Toàn had been tracking the Đinh family when he unexpectedly encountered Hoàng Hải Vân. He couldn’t believe his eyes. That day, after chasing down and attempting to kill Nguyễn Thế Anh, he had returned only to find Hoàng Hải Vân gone. Even though many guests had stayed behind for the funeral, the body had somehow been stolen. He had conducted an investigation but found no clues. All he knew was that someone—a supposedly famous person who had died years ago—had appeared at that time, drawing everyone’s attention. And when that person left, the body was gone.
Now, standing right in front of him, was Hoàng Hải Vân—alive, breathing, in a body of flesh and blood. Overcome with emotion, he reached out and hastily pulled down the mask. The moment the mask was removed, he immediately embraced the person tightly.
"You’re alive? Hoàng Hải Vân… Thank the heavens, you’re still alive!"
Tears streamed down his face as he spoke.
Hoàng Hải Vân, still inhabiting Trần Ngọc Linh’s body, stood right next to them, overwhelmed with emotion. She reached out and wiped away the tears that soaked Vũ Phi Toàn’s face. This was what she had always longed for—to be held in Vũ Phi Toàn’s arms. And yet, the person he was embracing… wasn’t really her.
Suddenly remembering that Trần Ngọc Linh despised being touched by others, Hoàng Hải Vân let out a bitter smile. She quickly pushed Vũ Phi Toàn away and pulled Trần Ngọc Linh toward her.
"Sorry, she’s my girlfriend now."