The Substitute Bride of the Cold-Hearted CEO

The harsh crash echoed through the night. The car door burst apart, the sound of metal grinding against metal like death itself knocking at the door. To Vinh Hi struggled to open her eyes, but her eyelids felt impossibly heavy. The stench of smoke, gasoline, and blood mingled in the air, making her stomach churn. “No… it can’t end here…” She raised her hand, but her arm was pinned beneath the twisted wreckage, the pain burning through her entire body like fire. “The one I trusted most… was the one who wanted me dead.” The last image she saw before slipping into unconsciousness was the false, smiling face of Dieu Giai Ni—her dearest friend in the entertainment industry—standing silently by the roadside, her gaze void of emotion, as though her death was nothing more than a well-planned move. A flash of white light. Her body suddenly felt weightless, as if it no longer belonged to this world. “Is this… death?” No pain, no sound. Only a chilling void. But just as she thought eternity would stretch on in this emptiness, a sharp, tearing pain ripped through her mind—as if someone was dragging her soul out of the darkness and forcing it into another body. “Ah!” To Vinh Hi jolted awake, drenched in cold sweat. Her heart raced, breath ragged. She touched her forehead—no wound. Her arms and legs—unscathed. But this… wasn’t her body. She turned her head and looked around. A lavish bedroom: a crystal chandelier gleamed overhead, deep wine-red curtains framed tall windows, polished walnut floors reflected the light, and a grand oil painting in classical Western style hung above the bed. “Where… is this?” A voice echoed in her mind—her own, yet foreign, as if it belonged to this body instead. Then memories crashed over her like a tidal wave: The scolding of servants. The scornful eyes of wealthy socialites. The humiliation of being rejected by her fiancé at a grand banquet. And finally, the plunge into a freezing lake under stormy rain. “Tham Dai Le…” She whispered, the name resonating from the depths of her soul. Had she… transmigrated? No. More precisely, she had died, and her soul had fallen into the body of another girl who had just died in a different world. A notorious heiress—selfish, arrogant, despised by all—recently abandoned by her fiancé in front of all of Harbor City. “Heaven… gave me another chance to live, but in such a rotten identity?” She rose and stood before the mirror. The girl staring back had flawless porcelain skin, strikingly large eyes, a high nose bridge, exquisite features—but her gaze was hollow, weary, fragile. Not the strong To Vinh Hi she once knew. Her lips curved into a faint smile. “If I’ve been given life again… I’ll live it on my own terms.” The bedroom door suddenly burst open. “Miss! You… you’re awake? That’s impossible… you clearly—” A maid shrank back in fear, almost dropping the tray of medicine in her hands. To Vinh Hi’s cold, steady eyes locked onto her. “Why? Did you expect me to die?” Her calm tone sent shivers down the girl’s spine. “N-no… I just…” The maid stammered, not daring to meet her gaze. To Vinh Hi sat back on the bed, crossing her legs with ease. “Call the Tham family here. I have a few things to say… about that broken engagement.” Footsteps thundered down the hallway. Minutes later, the door flew open. A middle-aged man in a tailored suit strode in with commanding presence, followed by a heavily made-up woman and a young girl whose eyes were as cold as ice. “You’re awake?” The man’s deep, authoritative voice cut through the air. To Vinh Hi turned her gaze on him calmly. She instantly recognized him: Tham Quoc Thai—Tham Dai Le’s biological father, chairman of Tham Corporation, a powerful figure in Harbor City’s financial world. The woman beside him: Madam Dieu, the scheming stepmother who orchestrated countless scandals against Dai Le. And the girl—Tham Ai Linh, Madam Dieu’s daughter, famed for her obedient, graceful image… yet her eyes gleamed with smug malice. “Kneel down this instant and apologize to your father for all the disgrace you’ve caused!” Madam Dieu snapped, her expression twisted with contempt. To Vinh Hi’s lips curled in a faint, mocking smile. The memories told her that Tham Dai Le had indeed been reckless—skipping school, drag racing, drinking, fighting her fiancé’s ex, causing scenes at banquets… But that was the old “her.” Not this new self. “I’ve barely been awake for an hour, and already people are eager to bury me under the past.” She stepped off the bed, moving with the confidence of a model striding down a runway. “Father—do you want me to kneel? For mistakes you never once cared to ask me about?” Her sharp gaze locked onto Tham Quoc Thai. Silence. The air in the room grew taut, suffocating. “Enough!” he snarled, glaring at his wayward daughter. “I’ll ask only once: will you proceed with the marriage to the Bac family?” The room fell into dead silence. Madam Dieu’s lips curled faintly. Tham Ai Linh cast a sidelong glance, her eyes flashing with malicious anticipation. Surely this foolish girl would rebel, refuse, maybe even run away. But they had forgotten—this was no longer the old Tham Dai Le. To Vinh Hi nodded, her voice unwavering: “Fine. I agree to the marriage.” The room erupted in shock. “What did you just say?” Tham Quoc Thai narrowed his eyes. “I said—I will marry into the Bac family. More than that: I want to be the one who takes the initiative… to wed Bac Can Duc.” Her words were deliberate, her gaze as sharp as ancient ice. Elsewhere—in the Bac family estate. In the top-floor office, a man in a black shirt sat reviewing a thick stack of documents, his eyes dark and fathomless. “She… woke up?” His voice was low, resonant, echoing through the room like thunder in the chest. The assistant bowed his head. “Yes, sir. And she said… she wants to marry you of her own accord.” For a fleeting moment, Bac Can Duc stilled. The corner of his lips curved—not into a smile, but into something far more dangerous. “Tham Dai Le… just what game are you playing?”