Chapter 71: Bac Bling
The next day at the library, Kieu Ly scanned the room looking for Dang Bang Anh to return his umbrella. He was still in his usual seat, silently studying alone. Kieu Ly quietly sat down beside him and placed the umbrella on the desk:
"I'm returning this to you."
Dang Bang Anh, seeing Kieu Ly appear and sit next to him to return the umbrella, seemed both pleased and slightly disappointed. He said:
"You can keep it. No need to return it."
Kieu Ly shook her head:
"I already have an umbrella. I don't need two."
As she spoke, she pulled out a small, foldable blue umbrella from her backpack.
Dang Bang Anh smiled:
"You seem to like the color blue. You often wear blue dresses and outfits."
Kieu Ly hadn't expected that while she occasionally noticed him, he had been paying attention to her too—and even noticed her favorite color. So, the fridge guy wasn't so cold after all. She smiled and replied:
"Yes, I like blue. I like the blue sky."
"Have you been studying here long?"
"Just one year."
"Only one year?"
"Yes, I was selected by my university to study abroad for just a year."
"Where are you from?"
"I'm from Bac Ninh. And you?"
"Really? I'm from Bac Ninh too—Bac Ninh city, or as people like to call it, Bac Bling."
Hearing Dang Bang Anh's joke, Kieu Ly burst out laughing and teased back:
"Really? Then we're both from Bac Bling."
Dang Bang Anh laughed too:
"Our hometown has a lot of smart people. But honestly, both of us have kind of lost our roots."
"What do you mean, lost our roots?"
"Well, everyone around us has a regional accent, and we don't. Isn't that losing our roots?"
"I used to have an accent when I was little. But my dad made me sit and study with him, and he wouldn't let me go out to play unless I pronounced things properly. If I slacked off in my studies, I got spanked. That's why I'm one of the few from Bac Bling who doesn't have an accent."
"Your dad was strict. Having such a sweet daughter and still raising her with an iron fist instead of spoiling her."
"Pressure makes diamonds."
After a short pause, Kieu Ly asked:
"You live under an iron fist too, huh? I always see you studying from morning till night."
"I started off at a disadvantage, so I have to work multiple times harder than others."
After another brief silence, he added:
"Actually, I don't usually stay that late. I only stay because I saw you were still here… so I wanted to stay with you."
Kieu Ly was surprised by his words. So, the fridge guy wasn't cold at all—he could talk like a machine gun, and apparently, he had been quietly noticing her for quite some time.