Chapter 38: Talking Behind Their Backs
Hearing Huong Tra's comment, Hong curled her lip in contempt:
"If that's what having a boyfriend is like, then count me out. He reeks of freeloading. The only thing he's good at is screwing her."
Kieu Ly couldn't help but laugh. She had actually witnessed something on Valentine's Day herself.
Curious, she joined the conversation:
"He's a year younger? How did they even meet?"
That was all Hong needed to launch into a full-on rant:
"He came up to take the university entrance exam. She was one of those volunteer students helping new arrivals—showed him around, helped him find a place to stay. So he asked for her number. When he passed the exam and got in, he confessed. And poof—now they're a couple."
If he only confessed once he got into university, then on Valentine's Day they'd only been dating for about six months.
But even then, Kieu Ly had already seen them… doing it.
Still, everyone had their own lifestyle and boundaries. It wasn't her place to judge.
After all, hadn't she been dumped for insisting on keeping her virginity?
Even so, Kieu Ly sympathized with Hong.
Dating or not, couples should be considerate and not make their roommates uncomfortable.
She gently suggested:
"You can't keep running away from your room forever. Why don't you just talk to Mai directly? Ask her to limit how often she brings him over."
Hong sighed and shook her head:
"I already did. She promised she'd be more mindful, but she spoils that guy rotten. I told you, she's an idiot. They don't have money to go out or rent a motel, so they keep sneaking around in our room instead. And he just sits there getting waited on like a little king—she cooks and cleans for him, too."
As they were talking, the lovebirds arrived at the gate, giggling and flirting all the way in—using honeyed tones of "babe" and "sweetie."
Hearing it gave Huong Tra goosebumps. She leaned over and whispered to Hong:
"How does Mai manage to call a guy a year younger than her 'oppa' with such a sweet voice? It's disgusting."
Now feeling like she had an ally, Hong groaned dramatically:
"Now you get what I'm going through?"
Right then, the couple arrived at their room next door.
The three girls instantly went silent. They could talk trash behind their backs all day, but confronting them face-to-face? Not a chance.
So they just quietly went back to studying.
That is, until the noise started.
Ever since the guy showed up, Mai's room had been a total zoo. Loud music, laughter, nonstop chitchat.
That was when Kieu Ly and Huong Tra finally understood Hong's suffering.
Kieu Ly, being the gentler type, just grabbed some cotton and stuffed it in her ears, trying to focus.
But Huong Tra was the bold, fiery one. She couldn't take it anymore.
She stood up, walked over to the open door next door, and politely knocked:
"Hey guys, we're trying to study for exams—could you please keep it down a bit?"