Chapter 5: Misunderstanding and Truth

In the days that followed, the air in the Lâm mansion became more suffocating than ever. Hạ Vy avoided Lâm Thừa Dịch however she could, while he, though hurting, waited patiently, not wanting to force her.

Meanwhile, Tô Nhã Kỳ didn’t give up on her scheme. She went to see Hạ Vy again, this time spreading false rumors that Lâm Thừa Dịch was still meeting her behind his wife’s back, along with a few cleverly doctored photos.

Looking at those photos, Hạ Vy’s heart ached, but she forced herself to stay calm. She remembered the sincerity in Lâm Thừa Dịch’s eyes whenever he was with her, the night he stayed up caring for her when she was sick, his words, “I don’t want to share you with anyone.” Her instincts told her something wasn’t right.

“Why are you doing this?” Hạ Vy asked Nhã Kỳ directly, her eyes no longer panicked as they had been before. “What do you want?”

Nhã Kỳ was taken aback by her sudden calm. “I’m just telling the truth.”

“The truth, or a scheme to break up my marriage?” Hạ Vy looked her straight in the eye. “If you were really so confident in Thừa Dịch’s feelings for you, why would you need to use cheap tricks like this?”

Exposed, Nhã Kỳ’s face changed, and she finally stormed off, not forgetting to toss back a threat: “Don’t think this is over.”

Hạ Vy decided to go home and find Lâm Thừa Dịch to clear everything up. But as soon as she stepped into the mansion, she heard Nhã Kỳ’s voice coming from the living room. She had arrived first and was deliberately staging an intimate scene in front of a hidden camera, trying to trap Lâm Thừa Dịch.

“Nhã Kỳ, you’d better stop,” Lâm Thừa Dịch’s icy voice rang out. “Whatever there was between us ended five years ago. The one I love is Hạ Vy. Only Hạ Vy.”

Standing behind the door, Hạ Vy heard every word, and her heart burst with happiness. She walked in and faced Nhã Kỳ, who stood there looking bitter and unwilling to accept it.

“You heard him,” Hạ Vy said, her voice calm but firm. “Please don’t come into our lives again.”

Nhã Kỳ looked at the two of them, finally realizing all her efforts had been in vain, and left quietly in humiliation.

When they were alone, Lâm Thừa Dịch came to her and took her hands, his eyes full of sincerity. “I’m sorry I didn’t explain everything from the start. I was afraid bringing up the past would hurt you.”

“I believe you.” Hạ Vy looked up at him, tears running down her cheeks, but a radiant smile on her lips. “Just, next time something happens, please don’t hide it from me.”

“I promise.” Lâm Thừa Dịch pulled her into his arms and held her tight, as if afraid of losing her again. “From now on, no more secrets between us.”

The afternoon sun slipped through the big windows, falling on the two figures embracing in the middle of the living room, washing away all the misunderstanding and pain that had come before.

Once the misunderstanding was resolved, the bond between Hạ Vy and Lâm Thừa Dịch grew even stronger. But then another test appeared. After recovering her health, Lâm Thừa Dịch’s grandmother discovered the truth about their marriage contract.

“Thừa Dịch, tell me. Was this marriage just a transaction from the start?” The old woman sat in her chair, her voice unusually stern, looking straight at her grandson.

Lâm Thừa Dịch knelt on one knee before her, his voice sincere. “Grandmother, at first, yes, it was. But now my feelings for Hạ Vy are completely real. There’s nothing fake about them.”

The old woman turned to look at Hạ Vy, who stood beside him, her gaze searching. “And you, child? Are you sincere with this boy, or is it just for the money?”

Hạ Vy knelt beside Lâm Thừa Dịch, looking steadily at the old woman. “Grandmother, at first I came to Thừa Dịch because my family was in trouble. I won’t deny that. But living with him, I’ve come to truly love him. If you don’t believe me, I’m willing to give up every right in the contract to prove my feelings.”

With that, she took out the marriage contract she had brought and was about to tear it up right in front of the old woman. Lâm Thừa Dịch quickly stopped her, holding her hand tightly.

“You don’t have to do that.” He looked at her, his eyes full of love. “Our feelings don’t need a piece of paper to prove them.”

The old woman watched them, and suddenly her aged eyes lit up with a smile. “All right, all right, get up, both of you. I was only testing you.”

The two of them stared at each other in shock. It had only been a test.

“At my age, do you think I can’t read people?” The old woman smiled kindly and patted Hạ Vy’s hand. “Ever since you came into this house, I’ve seen Thừa Dịch change so much. He smiles more. He cares about others more. That’s all thanks to you.”

Hạ Vy was so moved that she cried, while Lâm Thừa Dịch gently squeezed her hand, his eyes full of happiness.

“Grandmother,” he said, unusually serious, “I want to hold a real wedding for Hạ Vy. Properly, grandly, so the whole world knows she’s my wife. Not in name under a contract, but through true love.”

The old woman nodded her approval, looking contentedly at the two young people before her. Hạ Vy turned to Lâm Thừa Dịch, her eyes still wet, but her smile brighter than ever.

“Then you have to propose to me properly,” she said, with a rare playful pout.

Lâm Thừa Dịch laughed and pulled her into his arms under his grandmother’s kindly gaze. “All right. Give me time to prepare, and I promise you a proposal you’ll never forget.”