Starting from this chapter, this will be Part 2, so the female lead will return to her real name, Cai Jinru, and will no longer use the original owner's name!
The sound of ocean waves rustled, each one gently lapping against the shore.
White foam covered a long stretch of beach.
The sun had just emerged, its soft red glow slowly brightening a corner of the sky.
Cai Jinru took off her sandals, letting her skin merge with the water.
The morning seawater wasn't warm, but it wasn't so cold as to be unpleasant; she could feel the water and the small pebbles rolling beneath her feet.
She took a deep breath, then immersed herself in the breath of the sea.
Hello, new day in Quy Nhon.
Cai Jinru didn't know how many times she had visited this beach in Quy Nhon.
Over the past four years, whenever she had free time or felt bored, Cai Jinru would come here alone.
She would watch the sunset alone, then watch the sunrise alone.
Cai Jinru wasn't strong; she still hadn't escaped that part of her memory; she always remembered it.
But she had found a way to heal herself, embracing those beautiful memories and living life to the fullest.
This morning, after watching the sunrise, Cai Jinru strolled along the bustling streets.
Over the past four years, she had visited every road around this beach.
The scenery remained as familiar as ever.
A roadside bookstall caught Jinru's attention; the old woman sitting on a chair by the road wore clothes similar to those of ethnic minorities from the mountains.
The hat on her head almost completely obscured her face.
Jinru walked past, glanced at the old woman, then at the books she had laid out.
Suddenly, something more interesting caught her eye.
The book "Deep Affection" with a brand-new cover.
Over time, Jinru had bought many copies of "Deep Affection" and kept them at home.
Whenever she saw this book on the street, she wouldn't hesitate to add it to her cart, even though she gradually knew the content by heart.
But the book at the old woman's stall was very strange; it was a version she had never seen before.
Jinru sat down by the roadside, picked up the book, and flipped through a few pages. The words and sentences were still familiar, but the cover had changed. She asked the old woman.
"Grandma, is this a new edition?"
The old woman looked over absently and replied, "No, child, this is a special book."
Jinru didn't think much of it, smiled, and said to the old woman.
"Grandma, I'll take this one. Please tell me the price."
The old woman looked up, her face clearly visible, with long wrinkles stretching across it, and her mouth was sunken.
Jinru was momentarily startled, seeing her for the first time.
The old woman spoke in a hoarse voice.
"Girl, you are fated, so I'm giving you this book. Take it, or you'll be too late."
Jinru frowned, looking at the old woman, then at the book. What did she mean by that? After a while, she thanked the old woman and took the book.
But in her heart, she still felt an immense confusion about the old woman's words.
Jinru returned to the hotel to pack her belongings, preparing to return to Ho Chi Minh City.
Her flight was scheduled to depart at 10 AM.
After settling into her seat on the plane, Jinru put on her headphones, took out the book "Deep Affection," and began to read it again. As she read, her heart fluttered as if it were the first time.
She didn't know when she had drifted off; the melodious music in her ears, the hazy words before her eyes, like a hypnotic spell, made her eyelids heavy.
"Bang!"
The plane suddenly shook, startling Jin Ru awake. She quickly took off her headphones and looked around.
But the other passengers were just as panicked as she was. As her heart pounded, the flight attendant's voice came over the loudspeaker.
"The plane just experienced a minor incident, but the pilot handled it smoothly and promptly. Please do not panic, dear passengers.
The plane has returned to stable flight. We apologize for the inconvenience just now.
Our sincerest apologies!"
The passengers on the plane breathed a sigh of relief upon hearing this. Jin Ru casually put the half-read book in her hand back into her bag.
She couldn't fall asleep again for the rest of the journey.
After getting off the plane, she took a taxi back to her house.
Over the years, she had returned to her professional work, diligently earning money, so she had enough to buy herself a house.
Jin Ru lay on her bed, a sense of emptiness returning to her heart.
She continued to hug the teddy bear beside her and slept for a long time.
It was past 7 PM, the room was dark, with only the faint moonlight shining through the window.
Jin Ru was awake, but she just lay still, looking towards the window, and sighed.
Turning on the light, Jin Ru changed into a nightgown and went into the kitchen to cook a bowl of instant noodles for a quick meal. Although it was instant noodles, she couldn't neglect herself; there was still plenty of meat, vegetables, and eggs.
The bowl of noodles was steaming, but Jin Ru was still on the side, choosing a suitable TV channel to watch.
Jin Ru ate while watching a Korean drama on TV.
Although she was 31 this year, her life was still comfortable, her spirit still like that of her twenties, completely unburdened by love or family.
She hadn't eaten all day, so she was famished. Slurping down the noodle soup in one go, she even praised her own cooking skills.
Jin Ru held the TV remote in her hand to change channels.
"The KT Group economic conglomerate has made an outstanding appearance in..." The voice of the news anchor came on, but Jin Ru didn't watch the news, so she skipped it.
But, wait a minute.
Something was wrong.
Jin Ru's eyes widened, and she quickly rewound to the previous channel.
What was KT Group? She hadn't misheard, had she? The female anchor's voice continued.
"Most recently, the KT Group economic conglomerate has affirmed its position in the market by continuously participating in international investment projects. Following controversies surrounding tax payment issues, we directly met with the CEO of KT Group to interview her about this matter."
Jin Ru stared at the TV, completely agape. On the TV was an image of Chen Meijin, sitting next to a reporter from the Television Station, smiling brightly.
The reporter asked.
"Regarding the tax issue, with the company's outstanding development after being accused of tax evasion, what are your thoughts?"
"Hello everyone, I am Chen Meijin, CEO of KT Group.
We are an economic conglomerate representing Vietnam, and we always strive our best to help the country. As long as the country needs us, we will always provide our full support.
You can see that in the past decade or so since my company began operations, we have been very concerned about all issues related to social welfare.
And I want to affirm that there is no tax evasion whatsoever.
We dedicate ourselves wholeheartedly to repaying our beloved homeland."
Meijin's voice came through the TV, and goosebumps rose on Jin Ru's skin.
Seeing Meijin, with her mature demeanor, appearing on TV, it was indeed Chen Meijin, but she had matured.
The short interview had ended, but Jin Ru still hadn't fully recovered; she didn't understand what was happening.
Jin Ru ran into the room in a panic and sat down to examine herself in front of the mirror.
She touched her face; it was still her, it was Cai Jin Ru.
She hadn't become Li Wan Ru, so why had Mei Jin appeared? She then rushed to her bookshelf; the books titled "Deep Affection" were still on the shelf.
She took one out, and to her surprise, it was entirely filled with blank pages; there wasn't a single word on them.
Jin Ru gasped, then took all the books off the shelf to re-examine them.
They were all the same, pristine blank pages.
What was happening?
There was one more book. She went to her luggage from that morning, frantically searching for the book with the strange cover she had just bought.
She took a deep breath to calm herself.
This book, like the others, was completely blank.
But on the first page, there was a line of text: "Create your own story."
Jin Ru gasped, her hands trembling.
Don't tell me...