Chapter 18 — Appointment Under the Stars

Everything seems to be back on track after the event was officially approved by the school board. Ngoc Han returned to serious studying as promised to her mother. Her test scores gradually improved significantly, making Ms. Lan feel more secure. The club continued its preparations on schedule, all stages from communication to logistics went smoothly under close supervision as required by the board of directors.

But exactly ten days before the event, an unexpected call from dad shook all that fragile peace.

"Ngoc Han," her father's voice rang through the phone, carrying a hesitant tone that made her immediately sense that something was wrong. "Dad... I have something to tell you."

Ngoc Han's heart tightened, a familiar, haunting feeling from previous broken promises suddenly rushed back, even though she tried to tell herself not to rush into conclusions.

"What's going on, dad?" she asked, trying to keep her voice calm even though the hand holding the phone had begun to tremble slightly.

"The offshore drilling rig just had a serious technical problem," her father explained, his voice full of guilt. "The company requires the entire senior engineering team to stay to handle the emergency situation, which could take two to three weeks longer than originally expected. Dad... I really don't know if I'll be able to return on time for your event."

Those words were like a knife cutting deep into Ngoc Han's heart, which had begun to learn to trust again. She felt a lump in her throat, not knowing how to respond amid the rising emotional turmoil.

"Dad, you promised," she said, her voice shaking, trying to hold back the tears that threatened to spill out. "Dad said this time will be different. He said he won't let you down again."

"I know, I'm sorry," her father said, his voice equally choked. "Dad tried his best to make arrangements, even asked the company for leave before, but this incident was beyond everyone's expectations, no one could have predicted it. Dad is trying to negotiate with his superiors to see if there is a way to be able to return in time, even in a short time."

"I don't want to hear empty promises anymore," Ngoc Han said, her pent-up emotions suddenly exploded, her voice shaking with anger and hurt. "I believed dad, I told the whole club about you coming, I..." She stopped, unable to continue because tears began to fall uncontrollably.

The other end of the line was silent for a long time, only the heavy breathing of the father who was struggling to find a satisfactory explanation for a situation beyond his own control could be heard.

"I understand how you feel right now," her father finally spoke, his voice low and contrite. "And I don't blame you if you don't want to trust my promises anymore. But I ask you to believe that this time is completely different from the previous times — I really did try my best, and I will keep trying until the last possible moment."

Ngoc Han did not answer, just quietly hung up midway, not having the courage to listen to any more explanations. She sat down on the floor of the room, hugging her knees, letting the tears flow endlessly, feeling like all her efforts to rebuild trust over the past few months suddenly collapsed in an instant.

Her mother, hearing the cry from the next room, quickly ran over, hugged her daughter tightly in her arms without asking anything else, and seemed to have partly guessed the cause.

"Dad broke his promise again, Mom," Ngoc Han sobbed in her mother's arms, her voice choked with hurt. "I believed you this time, I gave you a chance, but in the end it was the same as all the times before."

"Shh, don't rush to conclusions like that," Ms. Lan gently comforted, her voice gentle but firm. "Your dad said it's not certain he won't be able to come back, right? There's still hope."

"But I'm scared, mom," Ngoc Han confided, her voice trembling. "I'm afraid of hoping and then being disappointed again. I don't know how many more times I can endure that."

Ms. Lan was silent for a moment, gently stroking her daughter's hair, her distant eyes as if recalling the past years with her husband who was always absent due to work. "I can't promise you that Dad will definitely come home," she said, her voice sincere. "But I can promise you one thing — whether Dad comes home or not, you still have Mom, Nhat Quang, and the whole club by your side on that event night. You are not alone, whether what you expect the most happens or not."

Those words partly soothed the storm of emotions rolling in Ngoc Han's heart, but could not completely erase the fear and hurt that had been ingrained in her mind for many years. That night, she texted Nhat Quang, telling the whole story, the tone through each line full of fatigue and despair.

"I'm sorry about this," Nhat Quang texted back immediately, sincere concern evident through every word. "But you know, no matter the outcome, that night of the event you will still stand under the starry sky with people who truly appreciate you. Your dad is an important part, but you deserve to be completely happy whether he's there or not."

Ngoc Han read that text message, tears were still rolling down her cheeks, but in her heart, a small warmth still managed to sneak into the middle of the storm of chaotic emotions, like a weak but steadfast ray of light in the stormy night sky that was covering her heart right now.

The next morning, when she woke up with her eyes still red and swollen from crying all night, Ngoc Han felt her body was heavy and did not want to get out of bed. She texted her homeroom teacher for permission to skip class in the morning, citing her poor health, then curled up in the blanket, staring at the ceiling, her mind reeling with a series of negative thoughts.

At noon, Yen Nhi stopped by the house to visit after hearing the news from the class chat group, bringing with her a box of green bean sweet soup that Ngoc Han has loved since childhood. "I heard Nhat Quang briefly tell me about last night," Yen Nhi said, sitting down next to the bed, her voice gentle. "Are you okay?"

"I don't know," Ngoc Han replied, her voice tired. "I thought I was strong enough to face the possibility that my dad wouldn't be able to come home, but when I actually heard the news, I still felt as painful as the first time."

"That's completely normal," Yen Nhi reassured, holding her friend's hand tightly. "No one can be perfectly mentally prepared for a pain that has been ingrained for many years. You don't have to be strong all the time, sometimes it's okay to let yourself be a little sad."

"I'm just afraid," Ngoc Han confided, her voice getting quieter, "afraid that no matter how hard dad tries, in the end work is always more important than the child. Afraid that this feeling of waiting in vain will repeat forever, never ending."

Yen Nhi was silent for a moment, then gently said, "I can't promise for your father, but I know one thing for sure - no matter what happens on the night of that event, you won't be alone under the stars. There's me, there's Nhat Quang, there's the whole club. We'll always be by your side."

Those words made Ngoc Han burst into tears again, but this time they were tears of gratitude mixed with comfort, no longer completely pure pain like the night before. She sat up, hugged her friend, and whispered the most sincere thanks she could say at the moment.

Late that afternoon, Ngoc Han decided to get up and go to school to attend the club meeting, even though she was still filled with emotions. She did not want to let her family's personal matters affect the group's overall progress, especially when the event date was approaching day by day. When entering the living room, Nhat Quang was the first person to notice the tired look on her face.

"You don't have to try to act okay if you're really not okay," he said softly, pulling her to an empty corner of the room while the other members were busy with their work. "If you need to rest today, I can arrange for someone else to take over your work."

"No, I'm fine," Ngoc Han replied, trying to smile, even though her eyes were still a bit swollen. "Working, focusing on something specific, helps me feel better than just sitting alone with my thoughts."

Nhat Quang nodded, did not force her further, just gently held her hand for a moment, a silent gesture of comfort but enough to make Ngoc Han feel the stability present beside her in the midst of these turbulent days. She took a deep breath, tried to put aside negative thoughts, focused back on the task at hand, telling herself that no matter what the final result was, she still had many things worth appreciating right here, right now.