The day Ngoc Vy received her admission letter was also the day she and Lam Tuan had to part ways. It wasn't that she didn't understand what long-distance love meant being miles apart was lonely, exhausting, and filled with heartache.
She had known from the start that one day they would face this moment, this painful separation. Maybe she shouldn't have accepted his love in the first place. But she couldn't bring herself to reject his warmth and sincerity.
He had given her so much, too much affection, too many beautiful memories. To say she wasn't moved at all would have been a lie, or worse, proof that her heart was made of stone.
Every night, the thought of being away from him made her tears fall without control. She cried for their distant love, for a future so uncertain it scared her.
She didn't know whether this distance was a test of love… or the beginning of its end.
If they could endure it, would a brighter future be waiting for them both?
Wiping away her tears, Ngoc Vy took a deep breath. She set aside her sorrow and longing, ready to face a new day, a new life that was just beginning.
Even though the road ahead was one she had to walk alone, knowing there was someone quietly supporting her from afar… was enough.
Ngoc Vy opened her laptop and logged into the university website to check her class schedule. On the screen, a grid of blue boxes blinked back at her, some empty, others packed tight without a single break.
"Oh my god… what kind of cursed schedule is this?!" – she groaned, dropping her head onto the desk in defeat.
"Why are all the classes crammed at the start of the week? And I have to wake up at five in the morning! Ugh, this is torture!"
Just then, her mother walked by and saw her daughter's miserable face. Worried, she gently patted her head.
"What's wrong, sweetheart? Is school too hard already?"
"No, Mom." – Ngoc Vy said, hugging her mother tightly, rubbing her face against her shoulder like a spoiled child. – "It's just… I can't come home for lunch with you anymore. I have to leave early tomorrow, and even worse, I have to run between two campuses!"
Her mother didn't say a word. She just looked at her daughter, her eyes full of tenderness and quiet ache.
"It's okay, Mom." – Ngoc Vy said softly, smiling through her tiredness. – "We have to go through a little hardship to really understand what happiness feels like."
After chatting with her mom for a while, Ngoc Vy hurriedly logged into Skype to wait for Lam Tuan. He'd been so busy lately, always coming online later and later each night. Many times she got frustrated waiting, shut her laptop in annoyance, then sighed and told herself.
"It's probably just the time difference."
Finally, his status light turned green.
"Hey, you."
The short message appeared in blue, simple yet warm enough to break the long silence.
She replied with a smiling emoji.
"How was your day?" – she typed, trying to hide the exhaustion and loneliness behind her words.
"Pretty good. Classes start again tomorrow!"
"Aww, poor my girlfriend." – he teased. – "I still have two more weeks of break here."
Ngoc Vy let out a soft laugh, though her chest ached. The distance between them felt larger than ever.
"Lucky you. You're already over there, no need to worry about the one stuck here anymore."
"Hey, don't say that. Be good, okay? I'll be back in four years. It'll fly by before you know it."
Four years.
He said it so easily, like it was nothing. But she knew, four years could bring storms neither of them could predict.
Would they still love each other by then?
Or would they be standing beneath different skies, hearts growing apart?
Her silence stretched too long, and his message popped up again.
"You still there?"
"Yeah."
"I went shopping with my mom today. Bought a few outfits for you. Clothes are super cheap here right now."
"Mm, okay. Thanks." – she replied softly, resting her chin in her hand with a tired sigh.
"You don't sound happy. Something wrong?"
She started typing "I just miss you…", but before she could send it, his next message appeared.
"It's late, you should sleep. It's already eleven-thirty, and you've got class tomorrow."
She stared at the screen, her unsent words burning quietly in her chest. Then she swallowed them down, forcing a small smile.
"Okay, I'll sleep first then. Have a good day, okay?"
"Good night, sweet dreams."
As soon as she closed her laptop, a wave of emptiness rose quietly inside her. Maybe it was the distance, the cold glow of the screen between them, that had dulled the warmth she used to feel.
She missed him.
She missed everything.
She missed those days when, the moment she said she was hungry, he'd rush into the kitchen to cook something just for her and bring it over himself.
She missed how, no matter how busy he was, if she wanted to see a movie, he'd always find time to take her.
She missed how, whenever she felt sad for no reason, just one call would have him by her side, comforting her with that calm, gentle voice.
It was that care, that patience, that slowly melted her heart, the reason she gave him a chance and gradually let him become part of her every day.
And now, that very habit of depending on him… had become the reason for her loneliness.
She curled up under the blanket, thoughts swirling endlessly in her mind, until sleep finally took her.
"Ngoc Vy! The alarm's been ringing forever! Are you planning to sleep through your first day of university?"
Oh no. Her first day and she was already late.
"Crap! I'm so dead!"
By the time she reached the classroom, it was already packed.
Why are there so many people? she thought frantically. Okay, just sit in the back, stay invisible.
But as she stepped in, she realized every single seat in the back rows was already taken.
The young professor standing at the podium paused mid-sentence, his gaze flickering toward her for the briefest moment, sharp, cool, unreadable before turning back to the board.
Ngoc Vy froze, her heart skipping a beat. She bowed quickly and scurried to the only empty seat left right in front of the professor's desk.
It wasn't like she wanted to sit there.
There just… wasn't any other seat left! ~>.<~
Once she settled in, her kind-hearted friend patted her shoulder and whispered a warning.
"Don't be late again. The professor just said being late will cost your attendance points."
"What?!" – Ngoc Vy gasped, thinking to herself. – "He's so handsome… and yet so strict?"
Her friend quickly clarified, sensing her panic.
"No, no, don't worry. He just mentioned it today, so it won't count yet."
Hearing that, Ngoc Vy finally exhaled in relief, clenching her fists and silently promising herself she'd take this class seriously.
She looked up at the podium, at the warm, commanding voice. Who would have thought a university lecturer could be so young, elegant, and handsome?
For a brief moment, her heart skipped a beat. She couldn't look away, eyes fixed on him as she watched his every graceful, refined movement.
What had promised to be a dull morning of numbers suddenly felt alive, all because of him.
The bell rang, signaling the end of the period. Everyone hurried out of the room. That strikingly handsome face returned to its usual calm, cool expression.
Nearby, her friend whispered again.
"He's really handsome, isn't he?"
Ngoc Vy instinctively rubbed her flat stomach; she hadn't eaten breakfast because she overslept.
"Handsome… but that won't fill my stomach, right?
"…"
For some reason, as she watched everyone else's admiring glances toward him, that thought just slipped out of her mouth. She immediately felt embarrassed at her own words.
Even someone packing up their notebook froze, glancing back at her with surprise.
Ah! What just happened? She had said too much!
Hu hu! It must be because she hadn't eaten yet that's why her brain wasn't working properly.
Yes, definitely. She was just too hungry to think clearly.
© Note: My Professor, My Husband – Copyright belongs to Zieny. Any copying, editing, or reuploading in any form without permission is strictly prohibited. Violators will be prosecuted according to the law.