Mixed Emotions
At last, the day Nguyen Toan Phuong officially became a freshman arrived. This was a day he had long anticipated—the day he would start studying at the same university as Kieu Ly and finally confess his feelings to her.
He woke up early, got ready, and stood in front of the mirror for hours, checking to make sure everything about him was perfect. Once satisfied, he grabbed a large bouquet of flowers and headed downstairs. His parents were still home, sitting on the couch as if they had something to say.
Seeing him come down, his mother, Thu Thảo, smiled:
"Bringing a big bouquet on your first day of school?"
"I'm going to confess today, Mom."
"Isn't that a bit over the top? You might be setting yourself up for disappointment."
"No way. We've kissed twice—no, wait, three times already!"
Standing in front of the large mirror in the living room, Toan Phuong grinned goofily and carefully adjusted his clothes and hair again:
"Besides, don't all girls love to be pursued publicly?"
"But Ly's not like most girls."
"Just wait and see, Mom. I'll be bringing your daughter-in-law home soon."
He turned to his father and asked:
"Dad, do I look handsome? With a look like this, how could any girl say no, right?"
Nguyen Toan Phong, who had been quietly watching his son, finally spoke:
"Perfect. Good luck, son."
Whistling, Toan Phuong walked out to the family's waiting car, full of hope and excitement.
The new semester began. Huong Tra didn't skip class—on the contrary, she woke up early and got ready to head to school. Kieu Ly noticed but couldn't tell whether Tra was really okay or just pretending.
When Ly had her heart broken, she cried her eyes out for days before she managed to pull herself together. But Tra seemed unaffected on the surface, though Ly knew better. Deep down, Tra was still hurting.
The key difference was that Tra still held on to hope.
And in love, hope can be the most dangerous thing. It keeps you stuck in the mire, unable to break free. It's like a dull blade that cuts slowly, not enough to kill instantly but enough to cause daily agony.
Since Kieu Ly had studied abroad for a year, she now had to study with the class below hers, meaning she no longer shared classes with Thuỳ Duong.
She brought some souvenirs from overseas and arrived early to her old classroom to say goodbye to her former classmates. Just as they had started to grow close, it was time to part again.
On this road of life, how many times must we meet and say goodbye?