Chapter 47: Farewell to the Neighborhood
After tutoring, Kieu Ly rode her bike back to the boarding house. Earlier at Toan Phuong's place, he had offered to drive her home, but she declined. He even suggested that she move into his house, since there were plenty of spare rooms, to make teaching more convenient. But Kieu Ly didn't like the idea of living off someone else's hospitality, so she politely refused that too.
Kieu Ly always maintained a certain distance in her relationships—never too close, never too far. She kept things friendly, but not intimate. It was the same with Toan Phuong. She fulfilled her duties as his tutor, but never crossed the line, keeping their relationship respectfully cordial.
When she got back to the boarding house, she went around inviting everyone to a celebration dinner. The couple in the innermost room rarely joined group activities, but she still invited them out of politeness. Bich Ngoc wasn't around either, so the usual group of familiar faces formed the party. Joining them were two freshman guys from the second room: Duc and Nghia.
The group stopped by a lakeside diner and found a spot to sit. Kieu Ly handed out menus and made a bold announcement:
"Next year, I've been selected by the school to study abroad. So today's meal is on me—order whatever you like!"
Hong clapped and congratulated her enthusiastically:
"You really are a monster—in the best way! If it were me, I'd treat the whole village!"
Mai laughed, half-joking, half-admiring:
"With grades that sharp, no guy would dare ask you out!"
Hearing that, Quang Huy's mood suddenly dipped.
"When are you flying out?" he asked.
"August," Kieu Ly replied cheerfully. "But I'll still be around during the summer to tutor."
That meant she'd be staying for at least one more month. Quang Huy, who had already started working and wasn't going back to his hometown, took that as good news—another month to be near Kieu Ly.
Duc and Nghia looked at Kieu Ly with both admiration and a tinge of regret. In the neighborhood, she was the friendliest person. When they had first arrived in Hanoi looking for a place to stay, they'd seen her sweeping the yard and were immediately impressed by her pretty and approachable demeanor. But after moving in, they realized that while Kieu Ly was warm, she was not easily close. They'd seen quite a few hopeful guys gently turned away and quickly understood—Kieu Ly was charming, but not easily won. So they treated her simply as a kind and respectable neighbor.