Seeing Hoàng Hải Vân happily dressing up to go out, Trần Ngọc Linh couldn’t help but feel happy as well.
His wife wore a modest yet elegant outfit that still accentuated her alluring curves. People often said that a woman who had given birth once became even more captivating. But to him, his wife was always breathtaking.
He wanted to keep this beauty to himself, to have her stay home with him. But at the same time, he wanted her to have her own life, the freedom to do what she loved—just like how she treated him. No matter what he did, she never interfered, judged, or tried to teach him a lesson.
Still, he never wanted to make his wife unhappy. So, he always put himself in her shoes, wondering whether she would approve of his choices.
After changing, Hoàng Hải Vân approached him and asked,
- Do I look good in this outfit?
Without hesitation, Trần Ngọc Linh nodded,
- My wife looks beautiful in anything. But where are you going?
Hoàng Hải Vân cheerfully replied,
- Today, Thế Anh is inaugurating a hospital for the poor. I want to go congratulate him.
She then wrapped her arms around his neck, playfully pleading,
- How about you take me there? It would be lonely to go alone.
Trần Ngọc Linh shook his head,
- I’m busy, I can’t go with you.
Hoàng Hải Vân kissed him on the lips before saying goodbye,
- Alright then, I’m heading out.
As Trần Ngọc Linh watched his wife leave, a wave of gratitude filled his heart.
He had been given the power to destroy.
She had been given the power to empathize.
By right, their paths should have never crossed.
But somehow, they did.
And he was grateful for that.
She did the things he needed to do but couldn't bring himself to. Hoàng Hải Vân had the energy of empathy, healing, and forgiveness—something he might need a lifetime to learn.
Regarding the will…
His father had wished for him to love Nguyễn Thế Anh like a brother.
But after discovering that Thế Anh had killed his father and nearly killed both him and Hoàng Hải Vân, he found it impossible.
His father had adopted Nguyễn Thế Anh long before marrying his mother. When he was born, Thế Anh had treated him like a younger brother. He was diligent in his studies but didn’t seem interested in taking over the family business. Instead, he built his own career and reputation.
His mother had always warned him to be wary of Thế Anh. But he had dismissed it, thinking she was merely jealous of the woman in the old photograph—Nguyễn Thế Anh’s mother.
He never imagined that Thế Anh had spent all those years acting as a good son and brother, all for the sake of revenge.
Even after learning the truth about his identity, Thế Anh never changed his surname to Trần. He remained a Nguyễn.
Yet, whenever he built something—a school, an orphanage—it was always under the name of Trần Hùng, their father.
Today, he was inaugurating a hospital for the poor on a once-abandoned riverside lot. He had purchased the land from a Japanese company and developed it.
In the end, he truly was a kind-hearted person.
Only blinded by hatred.
Trần Ngọc Linh turned on the television to watch the inauguration.
He never attended these events, but he always kept an eye on them.
After all, Thế Anh was still his brother.
 
Although it wasn’t time for the inauguration yet, Nguyễn Thế Anh was visibly anxious.
He kept pacing back and forth, glancing at his watch every few moments. Occasionally, he would pick up his phone, hesitating to make a call, only to shove it back into his pocket.
It wasn’t until Hoàng Hải Vân arrived, nodded in greeting, and took a seat in the front row that he finally felt at ease.
Anyone could be absent from this event—anyone but her.
Still, he always maintained a respectful relationship with her.
Not too close, yet not too distant.
At some point, he had come to realize that every time he saw Hoàng Hải Vân, a sense of peace washed over him.
A feeling of being forgiven.
That year, he had witnessed his parents being murdered with his own eyes.
Then Trần Hùng appeared and took him away.
Back then, he didn’t know that the man who had rescued him was the same one who had killed his parents. He had genuinely felt grateful to Trần Hùng and embraced a new life.
Years later, Trần Ngọc Linh was born—a small, adorable child. Nguyễn Thế Anh had sincerely loved him like a real brother.
But later, he discovered the truth.
The one who had destroyed his family, the one who had killed his parents… was Trần Hùng.
At that moment, the demon inside him awakened.
He vowed to take revenge at all costs.
Killing Trần Hùng wasn’t enough. He wanted to kill Trần Ngọc Linh, too.
And he hadn’t hesitated to harm Hoàng Hải Vân—someone who had nothing to do with any of it.
Thinking back, he realized… he carried the same demonic blood he had always despised.
He had believed the USB drive contained evidence of his crimes.
But instead, it held the secret of his own origins.
It revealed that the man he had killed—Trần Hùng—was his own biological father.
He had devoted himself to charity work, hoping to ease his guilt.
But it haunted him in every dream.
Only when he saw Hoàng Hải Vân did he feel any relief.
After the inauguration, Nguyễn Thế Anh took Hoàng Hải Vân to the abandoned field where Vũ Phi Toàn had once hunted him down.
She plucked a few stalks of wild grass before lying down, gazing up at the sky.
- This is still the most peaceful place.
Nguyễn Thế Anh had bought this wasteland from the Japanese company to build the hospital.
But he had left this particular field untouched.
Because once, a different Trần Ngọc Linh had stood here and said:
"This is still the most peaceful place."
Sitting down on the grass, Nguyễn Thế Anh tilted his face toward the sky.
Back then, he had felt an odd sense—Trần Ngọc Linh had seemed just like a girl.
It had seemed ridiculous at the time.
But now, it no longer felt ridiculous at all.
Nguyễn Thế Anh smiled.
- This land will remain as it is. Whenever you want to take a walk, bring Ngọc Linh with you.
Hoàng Hải Vân smiled and nodded.
In her mind, a blurry image of a picnic slowly took shape—a gathering of loved ones, laughing, playing, and cooking together.
Perhaps it was time for Thế Anh and Thu Thảo to experience her husband's culinary skills firsthand. To truly understand just how terrible his cooking could be.
Terrible, yes. Almost inedible.
And yet, somehow, every bite was filled with warmth and happiness.