The Scent of Betrayal and the Promise of Dawn

The atmosphere in the grand Dạ estate was perpetually shrouded in a frosty silence, a stark contrast to the opulence that surrounded it. Five years ago, a tempest had ripped through this seemingly perfect world, leaving behind a trail of ash and whispered lies.

Lạc Thanh Vân, once the beloved but controversial mistress of the house, had vanished. Officially, she was dead, a sacrificial lamb offered up to the rigid, antiquated traditions of the Dạ family. Unofficially, she was a specter haunting the memories of those she left behind, especially the man who had loved and then scorned her, Dạ Lan Tiêu.

But the silence was about to be shattered.

In a modest, yet exquisitely decorated apartment, far from the eyes of the high society she once belonged to, a fragile truce was being held. Lạc Thanh Vân, now known to the world as Miss Nam Phong—the elusive, genius perfumer—was locked in a tense, silent war with her own flesh and blood.

“Sister, you can’t do this. It’s absolutely shameful. Who is that ‘old maid’ you mentioned? Whoever answers is you, Sister.” The voice, high-pitched and laced with an unnerving confidence, belonged to a boy barely five years old, Tinh Thần.

Dạ Tinh Thần, one of the twin children Lạc Thanh Vân had borne for Dạ Lan Tiêu, held up a small phone, its screen glowing with the damning evidence. It was a video—proof of the “old maid’s”—in this case, Lạc Tâm Vi—attempts to terrorize the children and usurp the place of their deceased mother.

“Little rascal, what do you think would happen if I sent this video to Dad and Grandma?” Tinh Thần’s eyes, identical to his father’s, were cold, calculating.

Lạc Tâm Vi, the adopted daughter of the Lạc family and Thanh Vân’s conniving half-sister, was the viper currently enjoying the warmth of the Dạ family’s favor. She was the “White Moonlight” Dạ Lan Tiêu was expected to marry, replacing the late, disgraced Thanh Vân.

“Tinh Thần, darling, let’s delete this video, shall we? Auntie was wrong. I didn’t mean to. Honestly,” Lạc Tâm Vi pleaded, her face contorted in a mask of distress.

“Auntie thinks I’m a three-year-old child? Auntie is a wicked woman who is destroying another person’s family!” Tinh Thần declared with the maturity of a seasoned lawyer.

“I didn’t come here to destroy this family, I came here to become a member of this family!” Tâm Vi insisted, trying to regain her composure.

“Tinh Thần, you’re still a child. You don’t understand adult matters. Now, be a good boy and hand over the phone. Or else…” Tâm Vi lunged for the phone.

“Here, come on. You little brat, now I’m going to smash this phone. Let’s see if you can still tell tales!” Tâm Vi snarled, her pretense dissolving into pure malice.

“But I’ve set up automatic video sharing. If you destroy the phone, you can’t cancel the automatic setting. It will automatically be sent to Dad in ten minutes,” Tinh Thần revealed, his face utterly unreadable.

“You little beast! What are you going to do, hit me again? There are cameras in the house. Go ahead and hit me. I’ve recorded everything.”

Tâm Vi faltered. “How can this be? Tinh Thần, I was wrong. Can you forgive Auntie just this once?”

Tinh Thần tapped his chin. “Alright. It’s not impossible for me to keep your secret, but everything must be restored to its original state. Put back everything you messed up belonging to my mother. Clean what is dirty, replace what is broken. And… you have to buy me delicious food and new toys. Maybe then I’ll delete the video.”

The battle of wills had just begun, a prelude to the true storm gathering on the horizon.

Lạc Thanh Vân’s past was a well of suffering. Her last memory of the Dạ family was a nightmarish confrontation with Lạc Tâm Vi.

“Lạc Thanh Vân, I didn’t know you were capable of bearing twins for the Dạ family.”

“Where are you taking my children?” Thanh Vân screamed, moments after giving birth.

“My dear sister, don’t you know yet? The Dạ family has a hereditary blood disorder. Those two babies died young shortly after birth.”

“No! I must find my children!”

“Sister, once the Dạ family kicks you out, you are worthless to our Lạc family. You slut, why don’t you just die?” Tâm Vi’s voice was venomous. “Your children will be nothing but a stepping stone for me to enter the Dạ family.”

But a miracle was happening in the shadows. A kind, anonymous woman whispered a secret to the despairing Thanh Vân. “Miss Lạc, you actually gave birth to three children. I secretly hid the eldest one. Hurry, take the boy and escape.”

“Thank you.” Thanh Vân sobbed. “After I leave, please tell everyone that I have died.”

And so, Lạc Thanh Vân was pronounced dead. Her troves of ashes were presented to the shocked Dạ family.

Lạc Thanh Vân returned, not as the disgraced wife, but as the illustrious Miss Nam Phong, the enigmatic perfumer. Her mission was clear: “This time, upon returning to the country, I will repay kindness and take revenge on my enemies.”

Her first official appearance was declined. “I will not participate.”

“But Miss Lạc, the CEOs of Cửu Thiên and Lan Tiêu Group have held two consecutive years of perfume-making competitions, with the prize money increasing annually, just to welcome you back. Everyone knows this competition is being prepared for you. It wouldn’t look good if you don’t go.” Her assistant, Giang Thiệu, worried.

“Still not participating. Unless the prize is 500 million.”

“Miss Lạc, that Dạ Lan Tiêu is not easy to deal with.”

“He is the one who needs me now. Based on my understanding of him, he won’t make a move on me until he achieves his goal. Giang Thiệu, for now, keep my identity a secret. You handle the perfume competition for me.”

Dạ Lan Tiêu, the aloof CEO, was grappling with a sudden, devastating loss of his sense of smell—the one thing he relied on to run his enormous fragrance empire. He was desperate to recruit Nam Phong, who possessed a mythical skill set.

“Boss, your sense of smell is gone. It’s feared it won’t recover.”

Lan Tiêu was preoccupied. “Why does she have the same scent as the person who saved me ten years ago? Go check her residence. I want to see who this Miss Nam Phong really is.”

Lan Tiêu found Giang Thiệu at Thanh Vân’s small apartment, a deliberate move to maintain her secretive façade.

“Who are you looking for? Where is Miss Nam Phong?”

“CEO Dạ, I’m indeed Nam Phong’s representative in Hoa Quốc, but she is not here now.”

“Where is she?”

“I don’t know. Miss Nam Phong’s actions are unpredictable; she only contacts me.”

“Tell her the 500 million project, I agree, but there’s a condition: she must come to my Cửu Thiên company to sign the contract. Overdue, and I won’t wait. Tell her to act accordingly.”

Meanwhile, Thanh Vân was finally reunited with her children, but under the guise of the “beautiful lady.”

“My dear son, my dear daughter, Mommy is home! I miss you so much!”

“You… you’re Tinh Thần, right? How do you know my name?”

“I’m sorry, Tinh Thần. Mommy can’t tell you I’m your mother yet. If your Dad knew, he definitely wouldn’t let me near you. This medicine can cure your and Minh Châu’s illness. One pill each. Remember to take it.”

Tinh Thần was suspicious. “You know so much about us. Are you trying to use us to get close to Dad?”

“I am not, Tinh Thần. Don’t say any more, Auntie. You better give up. No one is allowed near my Dad except my Mom.”

Thanh Vân’s heart ached. “Tinh Thần, can I give you a hug?”

“No.”

“Tinh Thần, remember to take your medicine. I’ll come to visit you next time.”

“Mommy, what should I call you? Are you my mother?”

The moment was interrupted by the sudden sound of the door opening. “Who is in there?”

Dạ Lan Tiêu saw his children. “Daddy’s little princess is awake? Are you two alright?”

The secret was safe, for now, but the line between her past and present was blurring dangerously. Lan Tiêu found her scent and her eyes—the eyes of the woman who saved him a decade ago—in Miss Nam Phong. The chase was on.

---

Climax: The Conflict or the Most Tense Event

The tension reached a fever pitch at the Cửu Thiên Group tower.

Lạc Thanh Vân, as Miss Nam Phong, was about to sign the contract when she was ambushed.

She ran into her estranged husband, Dạ Lan Tiêu, and Lạc Tâm Vi.

“Lạc Thanh Vân! It really is you! You’re not dead?” Tâm Vi shrieked. “What? Are you back and ready to seduce Lan Tiêu again?”

“Me seducing Dạ Lan Tiêu? Why else would I come to Cửu Thiên?”

“You shameless slut! I’m telling you, this is not five years ago! I won’t give in to you!” Tâm Vi struck Thanh Vân.

“You’re just a dog adopted by the Lạc family! How dare you hit me!”

“I hit you, so what? What can you do? I’ll go tell Mom and Dad to deal with you.”

“Lạc Tâm Vi, are you still breastfeeding? Running to Mom and Dad over every little thing?”

Tâm Vi’s face twisted in fury. “Lạc Thanh Vân, fine, just fine! I’ll tell Lan Tiêu to deal with you! You wait!” Then, gloating, she added: “Oh, by the way, you didn’t know, did you? Lan Tiêu and I are getting engaged soon. I will be the future Mrs. Dạ. I advise you to stay away from Lan Tiêu, or I won’t spare you.”

“Lạc Tâm Vi, you’re proud of picking up my trash?!”

Suddenly, Dạ Lan Tiêu appeared. He saw the scuffle, but instead of helping Tâm Vi, he grabbed Thanh Vân. “Let go of me! It really is you! You’re not dead!”

“Lan Tiêu, Thanh Vân hit me! She even insulted you, calling you ‘trash’ that she threw away!” Tâm Vi wailed.

Lan Tiêu ignored her. He hoisted Thanh Vân over his shoulder and strode to his private office.

“Dạ Lan Tiêu! Let me down! Let me down!”

In the office, the years of pain and betrayal exploded.

“Lạc Thanh Vân, you abandoned your husband and children! You irresponsible woman! Where have you been these five years?!”

“I never abandoned my children, and I am not irresponsible! I came back! I will do my best to make up for the five years of loss the children suffered!”

“Make up? With what? You’re still lying! Since when did you know how to heal? Do you know that in the eyes of my children, their mother is dead? If you are a dead person, you shouldn’t appear again! I’m telling you, I will not allow you to approach them in any way!”

“Not let me approach my children? Unless you kill me!”

“Do you think I don’t dare?”

The tension was broken by the children running in. “Dad, Dad, what are you doing!”

Thanh Vân used the moment to assert herself, knowing Tâm Vi was watching on the CCTV. She forcefully kissed Lan Tiêu, turning the tables on Tâm Vi. “This is called seduction, Lạc Thanh Vân!”

Tâm Vi rushed in, hysterical. “You slut! How dare you seduce Lan Tiêu!”

“Lạc Tâm Vi, are you blind? Dạ Lan Tiêu forced a kiss on me! Stop flattering yourself! Lan Tiêu hates you the most! How could he force a kiss on you?”

The true mother-child bond was accidentally revealed when Tinh Thần and Minh Châu shielded Thanh Vân.

“Don’t bully the beautiful lady! You’re going to be our mother!”

“We don’t need you as our mother!” Tinh Thần fiercely pointed at Tâm Vi.

“You two know her?” Lan Tiêu asked, stunned.

“Yes! She saved Minh Châu downstairs earlier!”

Lan Tiêu confronted Thanh Vân again. “Lạc Thanh Vân, come here! Without my permission, how dare you secretly meet the children?!”

“They are my children too! Why can’t I see them? Do you know how they have lived these past five years? I’m telling you, in this world, you are the least qualified person to meet them!”

“I told you I will make it up to them!”

“Don’t explain to me! Now, leave immediately! And I forbid you from seeing the children again. Did you hear me?”

Lạc Tâm Vi smugly added, “Lan Tiêu told you to get lost! Why are you still standing here, making a fool of yourself?”

Again, the children defended Thanh Vân. “Don’t bully the beautiful lady!”

Tinh Thần said to Thanh Vân: “Beautiful lady, you are our mother. We will protect you two.”

Tâm Vi panicked. “You’re talking nonsense! She’s the bad woman who only bullies you!”

“You’re talking nonsense! Lan Tiêu, this is what I mean…”

“Dạ Lan Tiêu, what is this?”

“Children are just talking nonsense. They’re too young to know anything. You can go now. Lạc Tâm Vi, you can go now too.”

Thanh Vân made her final stand: “I’m leaving now. If anyone bullies you two later, just tell me. I’ll help you fight back. Dạ Lan Tiêu, I hope you fulfill your responsibility as a father.”

The confusion only deepened when Thanh Vân’s eldest son, Đại Bảo, who had been raised in secret, snuck into the Dạ household and switched places with his twin, Tinh Thần.

“Who are you? Why do you look exactly like me?” Tinh Thần asked the boy who had suddenly appeared in his room.

“Silly little brother, why don’t you guess? You and I look exactly the same. I’m your older brother. You’re so smart, worthy of being my little brother.”

Đại Bảo, now masquerading as Tinh Thần, quickly established contact with his mother, Thanh Vân.

“Mom, why did you run to the Dạ house without telling me? Did Dạ Lan Tiêu hurt you? Did he treat you badly?”

“Dad is very nice. He hasn’t noticed that I’m different. Mom will come to pick you up right away. Try to wait for Mom outside the gate.”

The switch meant that Dạ Lan Tiêu was now dealing with the rebellious, utterly different personality of his eldest son, thinking it was his younger son, Tinh Thần. The children, unified by their bond with their true mother, were now actively pushing their parents back together.

“Dad, can you let that beautiful lady be our mom? I like her very much,” said the cunning Tinh Thần, who was now pretending to be his elder brother, Đại Bảo.

Lan Tiêu, convinced the “beautiful lady” was manipulating his children, refused. “I’m telling you, even if that woman is good or bad, she will never be your mother. Understand?”

“Why?”

“No reason! It’s time for you to go to kindergarten!”

The next day, the identical twins caused chaos at the kindergarten when Đại Bảo (disguised as Tinh Thần) had to go to school, having been used to being homeschooled.

“Tinh Thần, who is that? You are Tinh Thần, right?” The teacher was confused.

“Teacher, I have something to do. I need to take my son away first.” Thanh Vân, having come to spy on her children, was discovered by Lan Tiêu.

“Lạc Thanh Vân, I didn’t expect you to resort to such means, even staking out my children’s kindergarten! Luckily, Đại Bảo went to the restroom! Đại Bảo, you must not come out now!” Lan Tiêu, not knowing he had the wrong son, dragged Thanh Vân away.

The twins used the distraction to talk. “Older brother, why didn’t you tell me that after we switched identities, I had to go to kindergarten instead of you? I don’t want to do kiddy things!”

Thanh Vân was dragged away by Lan Tiêu. “Lạc Thanh Vân, you abandoned your husband and children! Don’t you have a conscience? You want to compensate me?!”

“I said it again! I never abandoned my husband and children! I have been researching and preparing medicine all these years!”

“Do you think I’ll believe your lies?!”

“Fine, you don’t believe me, right? Tomorrow morning at 9 AM, at the Guangming Lab. Whoever doesn’t come is a coward.”

The next day, in the lab, Lan Tiêu, still suspicious, walked in on Thanh Vân mixing herbs with Giang Thiệu.

“Lạc Thanh Vân, being intimate with a strange man? Is this what you call making medicine?”

“Dạ Lan Tiêu! What are you going crazy about?”

Lan Tiêu deliberately destroyed the medicinal herbs. “It’s just a kind of medicine. My Cửu Thiên Group is not lacking in anything.”

“These things are to cure the children’s illness! Don’t you know that?!”

“Then can you save them?”

Thanh Vân challenged him: “Some of these herbs are special. They are all mixed up now. What do you think? Give me the list of herbs, and I’ll have Lan Thành do it.”

“Fine, I’ll give you a chance to redeem yourself. Help me replenish the herbs that are missing from this list. How can I not take advantage of such a good opportunity? I didn’t expect CEO Dạ to ever admit his mistake.”

“I’m doing this for the children only. Otherwise, I would have thrown you out already.”

“Alright, then what is Giang Thiệu to you?”

“What does that have to do with you?”

“Lạc Thanh Vân, are you looking for a stepfather for the children?”

“What nonsense are you talking about?”

“Did I say anything wrong? Then explain yourself clearly.”

Thanh Vân demanded a 100 million compensation for the destroyed herbs, which Lan Tiêu agreed to pay.

“I can compensate, but you can’t use him.” (Giang Thiệu)

“Not use him? Then use you? Do you know how much strength is needed to grind the medicine? A weak woman like me…”

“Fine, I’ll grind the medicine. Tell him to leave.”

Lan Tiêu stayed in the lab, grudgingly working, and the tension morphed into a reluctant, charged intimacy. He even allowed her to put a bandage on his blistered hands.

“Lạc Thanh Vân, I have something to tell you. You are the children’s mother, and the children like you very much. You can…”

Before he could finish, a phone call interrupted the fragile peace.

“What? Tinh Thần is sick? Contact the doctor immediately, I’ll be right there.”

“I’ll go with you.”

At the hospital, the doctor’s words were grim: “CEO Dạ, we have only been able to maintain the status quo for the past five years. I recommend transferring him abroad for treatment.”

Thanh Vân broke down. “Tinh Thần, nothing can happen to you. If something happens to you, what will Mommy do? Tell Mommy, how do you feel?”

Tinh Thần looked up at her, weak but lucid. “Mommy, you finally admit it. You are my mother.”

The past, the present, and the future were converging. The journey of revenge and reconciliation had begun, but the road was still long, fraught with the danger of a recurring, life-threatening illness that threatened to tear her family apart forever.