Chapter 21: Remorse
As soon as Toan Phuong finished his triumphant words, he looked Kieu Ly straight in the face, ready to smirk in mockery. But the moment his eyes met hers, he froze.
On that beautiful face, tears were falling silently, streaming down without end.
Toan Phuong panicked. He didn't know what to do. He wanted to apologize, wanted to hand her a tissue, but he just stood there—stiff, helpless.
A long moment passed before Kieu Ly quietly stood up to leave.
What he said was true—she had lost. She'd failed in everything. In love, she'd misjudged someone and got cheated on for half a year without even knowing. In work, despite pouring her heart and soul into tutoring, she had failed miserably.
She wheeled her bicycle out of the gate and leaned against the wall, burying her face in her hands as sobs shook her body.
A spring breeze blew by, carrying with it a light drizzle that dampened her hair. It was hard to tell now—was it rain, or tears on her face?
She silently hoped that the rain could wash everything away.
From his bedroom window, Nguyen Toan Phuong peeked through the curtains. Though the white fence of their villa stood between them, he could still see clearly the figure of the girl leaning against the wall, crying her heart out.
For the first time in his life, he felt genuine remorse, deep and cutting.
That night, Toan Phuong tossed and turned in bed, unable to sleep. He shifted from side to side, but peace wouldn't come. Not until well past midnight did he finally drift off.
And somehow… he dreamed of Kieu Ly.
When the morning sunlight broke through the window, Toan Phuong threw off the blanket and sat up, ready for school—only to see something wet on the sheets. His pajama pants were damp.
He stared at them in disbelief.
He'd had a wet dream.
And in that dream… it was Kieu Ly.
A few minutes later, Toan Phuong got up, stripped the bedding, changed his clothes, and tossed everything into the washing machine before heading off to school.
He arrived early, slouched at his desk, gazing blankly out the window. Suddenly, a book thumped against his head, and a schoolbag landed with a thud on the desk next to his.
It was his desk mate, Bui Minh Nhat, greeting him in his usual chaotic way.
Minh Nhat plopped into his chair and teased:
"What's going on? The rich boy Toan Phuong showing up before everyone else? There must be a storm coming."
Still staring out the window, Toan Phuong replied lazily:
"Couldn't sleep last night. Woke up early, so I came in."
Settling into his seat, Minh Nhat reached into Toan Phuong's desk drawer out of habit—and pulled out a pink envelope, the kind unmistakably written by a girl. Toan Phuong wasn't the brightest student, but he was good-looking and rich, so he still had a few fangirls here and there.
Grinning like a kid, Minh Nhat opened the letter and read it aloud, clearly enjoying himself.
Then, with a mischievous glint in his eye, he said:
"Should I write back for you?"