Early summer arrived with a sky so blue it seemed to stretch forever, calm and clear without a single cloud in sight.
The sunlight was warm and gentle, dancing playfully across the tender leaves and filtering through the old tree branches. It lit up a cluster of fiery red phoenix flowers blooming in the corner of the schoolyard, like little flames set ablaze by the sun.
The faint, sweet scent of the blossoms mixed with the distant hum of cicadas, wrapping the corner of the sky in a lively yet tender summer embrace.
Inside the girls' dormitory at Da Hoa University, the quiet of the summer afternoon was shattered by a sudden, exuberant shout that made even the sparrows outside the window jump:
"Yeah! Summer's finally here!"
Having just survived a grueling exam season, To To couldn't contain her excitement. She grabbed Thinh Thinh's hand and yelled with pure joy.
Without even planning it, both of them turned to Ni Ni, who was still slumped over in the corner, looking anxious and dejected.
"Come on, it'll be fine." – To To said, shaking her poor friend gently. – "You've done the exams, now just be confident. Look at Thinh Thinh over there, her exam is tomorrow, and she's totally calm."
"Hey, hey! Who said I'm calm?" – Thinh Thinh protested, glaring at To To. – "Don't you see I'm about to lose my mind over this massive book of laws? Seriously!"
She banged the thick book against To To's head as she spoke, leaving To To in tears before she could even react.
"Not everyone has an IQ of 180 like you." – Thinh Thinh added smugly. – "Besides, the law depends on evidence and the constitution. One wrong step and you're done for!"
Among the three girls, To To had the highest IQ, but Thinh Thinh's academic achievements far outshone hers. Though she wasn't naturally gifted or particularly quick-witted, she possessed an incredible inner strength, an unyielding perseverance that seemed impossible to break. It was as if, despite being an ordinary, stubborn block of wood on the surface, she carried a quiet, unstoppable determination deep inside.
From her quiet corner, Ni Ni finally spoke up:
"Alright, that's enough. You two don't have to be so dramatic. I'm fine, just a little nervous about the exam results. Hey... after the exams, we'll have a long break. Do you guys have any plans for the summer?"
At the mention of summer vacation, To To's eyes lit up. She puffed out her cheeks and puckered her lips, pretending to look deep in thought.
She looked absolutely adorable in that moment! Her round, chubby face and fair, rosy skin, already the envy of many girls on campus. Now made her look like a cute little piglet.
Thinh Thinh couldn't help but laugh like an idiot and whispered:
"To To really lives up to being Pigsy's wife, LOL."
Then she turned to Ni Ni, acting casual.
"I'm not sure yet. I probably need to find an internship first before going home. What about you, Ni Ni? Any plans?"
"Me? Uh, well..." – Ni Ni started, but before she could finish, To To, the "Pigsy's wife" from earlier interrupted excitedly:
"I've got an idea! Let's go on a trip together!"
Thinh Thinh grinned, clearly amused.
"Great idea, that's perfect!"
She shot a playful glance at To To and teased:
"But... I guess you forgot about your internship, right? We only have one year left. You better finish all your internship stuff before thinking about any trips, LOL."
Da Hoa University was one of the most prestigious schools in City A.
Its admission scores weren't low, which meant the university prided itself on "actively training and developing every student." The catch? Every summer, students were required to go on internships to earn credits.
In reality, the internships only lasted about a month and a half, but last term, To To had skipped hers to travel around Europe. That left her with a backlog she now had to make up this year, a thought that was, frankly, a little tragic.
To To grimaced and squirmed.
"Hey, hey, why do you keep bringing up my pain like that?"
Still mulling over summer plans and the dreaded internship, her phone suddenly rang.
A familiar ringtone chimed through the dorm.
"Hello... who's this?" – she answered.
"Thinh Thinh, you really are hopeless." – came a teasing voice. – "It's a shame, I even remembered you."
There was a pause, then the voice added:
"And you can't even recognize me from my voice?"
What the...?
She furrowed her brows and quickly checked the number.
It was a strange number. Who could this be?
Could it be some kind of scam?
As she drifted in a haze of thought, trying to piece together the fleeting memories, a voice came through the line:
"Hello? Can you hear me? It's Mai Huong, we went to high school together."
"Mai Huong... uh..." – Thinh Thinh stammered, digging through her memory for the name.
"Do you remember back in high school, that time I got chickenpox and had to miss school? I was out for days... thank goodness you copied the notes for me." – Mai Huong's voice came gently over the phone, light and familiar, still carrying that innocent warmth.
Thinh Thinh smiled softly, nodding to herself. She tapped her forehead lightly.
"Ah... yes, I remember now. It's been so long since you contacted us."
Back in high school, Mai Huong had been a classmate of Thinh Thinh and Ni Ni, though they weren't in the same group and didn't sit close to each other. Their relationship had always been cordial but distant, not exactly friends, but not strangers either. Thinh Thinh recalled Mai Huong as a gentle girl, always smiling, and friendly toward everyone.
The voice on the other end chimed again:
"I just got back to the country and wanted to check on you guys."
"Oh really? How are you doing now?"
"I'm doing well. Yesterday I even visited our old school and saw our homeroom teacher, it made me miss you all so much! By the way, since I'm back, why don't we plan a class reunion? How about next Monday? Are you free? And could you call Ni Ni for me too?"
A class reunion? Her high school class?
Ha Vi Phong...
That name floated hazily in her mind again.
How frustrating! Why did she always have to be so foolish and indecisive? Haizz...
"Hey, Thinh Thinh, are you still there?"
Her hands damp and trembling, she replied:
"Y-yeah... I'm here. I'm not sure yet. Let me check with Ni Ni first, and I'll call you back."
"Okay, just call me soon. Bye for now."
Thinh Thinh hung up and sat quietly for a long moment, her eyes following the sunlight dancing across the dorm's tiled floor.
The cicadas outside seemed distant now, carrying with them the echo of an old summer. In that memory lingered a boy named Ha Vi Phong and a heart that had once been shattered.
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