The pretty MC smiled brightly at Professor Luong, a spark of curiosity in her eyes.
"So... were you the one who made the first move to confess to her?"
The whole audience held their breath, waiting for his answer.
He stayed silent for a few thoughtful moments. Seeing this, Ngoc Vy awkwardly scratched her head and tried to explain:
"Actually... I was the one who confessed my feelings." – She forced a smile, feeling a little embarrassed.
Once again, both MCs were wide-eyed, staring at each other in astonishment.
Yes, according to what everyone thought, it seemed he had cast the first line.
But in reality, she had to go through so much effort and worry just to approach him.
The MC shifted her curious gaze back to Professor Luong. He nodded slightly, calmly smiling.
"You just need to drop the bait, the rest is her problem." – He said, smirking with self-satisfaction.
Ngoc Vy playfully shot him a glare, secretly scolding him.
Finally, he spoke!
Could he be any more shameless?
If it weren't for the fact that he had intentionally cast the line first, who would have dared to boldly fall into the trap?
That was exactly his cleverness.
Clearly, he made the first move, yet in the end, she became the one to confess.
Truly dark... Too cunning!
***
But that was later.
Back then,
Ngoc Vy lay back on the sofa. It had been a month since she and Lam Tuan had become like strangers, no messages, no calls, not even a word of concern.
Her slender fingers slid up and down the phone screen, scrolling through her friends' status updates.
A sharp pain suddenly shot through her chest. Her hands trembled as she held the phone, and before she knew it, tears had already gathered in her eyes, spilling down one after another like a broken string of pearls.
For days, she had tried to ignore the messages that were read but never answered.
She had told herself he was just busy, that it was the time difference...
But deep down, she knew their love was fading, and she was the only one keeping it alive through her own delusion.
She never expected the change to come so quickly... and so cruelly.
Her tearful eyes stayed fixed on the screen. Every little detail felt like a knife stabbing into her small, trembling heart.
The handholding, the kisses on the cheek, the way they used to cling to each other through the haze of smoke and flashing lights at the club...
Everything made her chest tighten painfully.
Those images kept replaying in her mind, again and again, like a slow-motion film.
She felt so foolish for trusting him.
It hurt, so much that she could hardly breathe.
So this... this was the "pressure" Lam Tuan had been talking about?
Those busy days with no time for her, this was what they really meant?
How cruel could you be, Lam Tuan?
With just one picture... you shattered her heart completely.
Clack.
The cold sound of her phone hitting the floor broke the silence, and in that moment, something inside her broke too.
Her heart was shattered. Completely.
Tears kept falling endlessly. This time, she truly couldn't hold them back anymore.
All those years... she had never imagined everything would end like this.
Now, the image of Lam Tuan holding that girl kept flashing before her eyes. Every touch, every gesture felt like a stab to her chest, making her heart ache unbearably.
She hurt for herself, for all the memories she couldn't let go of. But even more, she hurt for the boy who once swore to love her forever, the boy who used to dream big about their future together.
But where was that boy now?
"Even if I'm not your only choice, I'll still try to be the best person who loves you."
His voice echoed again and again in her mind, every word carving itself deep into her heart.
Those words used to sound like the soft chime of midnight to Cinderella, reminding her of a time when everything was still magical and full of hope. But now, that beautiful dream had shattered, replaced by a cruel and bitter reality.
So that's all it ever was... just a lovely illusion.
Those words, those promises, they were nothing more than sweet lies wrapped in pretty phrases.
To him now, none of it mattered anymore. Not even her.
Ngoc Vy curled up inside the restroom, splashing cold water onto her face. The icy water hit her skin sharply, mixing with the warm tears streaming down her cheeks.
She told herself; this would be the last time. She would cry it all out, right here, right now.
And once she stepped outside that door... everything would be over.
From this moment on, that person... would no longer have anything to do with her life.
After a while, she had no idea how many hours she'd spent crying. Ngoc Vy finally summoned all her courage and stepped out, trying to comfort herself, telling herself that everything would be alright.
She bent down to pick up her phone from the floor.
"Ing... Ing."
"Ngoc Vy, are you there?"
"Hello." – she choked out her reply.
Hearing the sobs on the other end, My Le panicked.
"Are you okay? Don't be sad anymore, alright..."
She hadn't expected that even My Le knew what had happened.
Was she the only one who had to find out everything?
How long had they been planning to keep it from her?
Ngoc Vy unconsciously hugged her phone, crying like a little child.
On the other end, a voice continued: "I... I'm sorry... please don't be like this anymore!"
"You've known for a long time... haven't you?" – she ground out each word through clenched teeth.
"Yeah."
"Why? Why? How could you all be so cruel to me? Why hide it from me?" – Ngoc Vy shouted in anger, her voice trembling with rage.
Tears still streamed down, but now they were tears of indignation.
"I... I just didn't want to see you sad."
Hearing that, the corners of her lips twisted into a bitter smile.
"So according to you, I shouldn't be sad, shouldn't feel hurt right now?" – Ngoc Vy's voice was full of scorn and bitterness.
She hadn't expected even her closest friend to keep things from her.
Click.
Ngoc Vy hung up without hesitation. At that moment, she didn't want to hear, didn't want to know anything anymore.
Her heart was already too fragile to take another hit.
It was time to wake up.
She had drowned in that dream of happiness she had woven for herself for far too long, so long that it blinded her.
There are things one must learn to let go of, because they were never meant to belong to you. Even though forgetting would be hard, she knew she had to accept it.
From now on, she had to stop waiting for him every night, had to learn to be stronger to face everything on her own.
Maybe, if her love had been like the rain, then once he was gone, her sky could finally clear.
She realized something: "The day I dare to let go of a love with no hope left is the day I choose to live for myself. No more waiting, no more illusions, no more locking my heart in a one-sided dream. From now on, I'll learn to love myself again, little by little."
She lay down on her bed, exhausted, her mind blank after the storm of emotions.
Between that hazy line of sleep and wakefulness, an image suddenly flashed through her mind, the gentle eyes of Professor Luong that morning, calm and warm, as if quietly listening to her without needing a word.
But no... not yet.
Before she could reach toward someone else, she had to learn how to stand tall on her own first.
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