Chapter 16 — Contract of the Heart

Tan Viet School's Robotics team won first prize in the national finals, an unprecedented achievement in school history. The news spread throughout the school on Monday morning, accompanied by a series of photos and videos recording the moment the whole team burst into joy when the results were announced on stage.

Thảo Nguyên was not directly present at the competition venue - more than three hundred kilometers from home - but watched the entire livestream from her private room, her heart pounding during the announcement of the results, and burst into tears of happiness when the Tan Viet team name was announced first.

She texted Việt Anh to congratulate him immediately, receiving a few short responses because he was still busy surrounded by congratulations from teammates and judges. But at night, when the team posted a series of commemorative photos on the club's official social networking site, Thảo Nguyên felt something choked in her chest as she scrolled to a specific photo.

In that photo, right at the moment the results were announced, Diệu Anh - unable to contain her burst of emotions - rushed to hug Việt Anh, her face buried in his shoulder, while Việt Anh naturally put his arms around her back, his eyes closed due to the extreme emotion of the moment of victory. The photo was captured clearly enough to spread quickly in school chat groups, accompanied by countless joking comments about "the golden couple of the Robotics club".

Thảo Nguyên looked at the photo for a long time, her reason told her that this was just a completely natural moment of emotional outburst, nothing worth doubting. But her heart, which had just admitted her true feelings for Việt Anh less than a week ago, could not stop a selfish pain from creeping into her heart.

She scrolled down to the comments section below the photo and saw that Bích Vân had also left a joking comment "what a beautiful golden couple", along with dozens of other comments from schoolmates, most of which were harmless teasing. But there was one comment that made her pause longer - from a girl in class 12A5, writing that "looking at the way these two hug each other, you know there is a special feeling, they are not simply teammates". That comment received nearly twenty likes, along with several other sympathetic responses.

She put down the phone, told herself she was thinking too much, and tried to focus on the homework she was doing. But that image kept lingering in her head, mixed with the story Diệu Anh once told about ten years of close friendship, about the times she "protected" Việt Anh since childhood, about the gentle eyes she once encountered in the club room.

The next night, when Việt Anh returned from the competition, he immediately stopped by Thảo Nguyên's house to show off the medal, his face still shining with the joy of victory that had not subsided. But when he entered the living room, he quickly noticed her strange demeanor — forced smile, averted eyes, shorter answers than usual.

"You don't seem happy," Việt Anh commented after a few small talk, placing the medal box on the table. "What's up?"

"Nothing," Thảo Nguyên replied, trying to smile. "Just a little tired."

"Are you sure?" He asked again, frowning, his eyes observing her face more closely. "You're always much happier, especially when I bring you good news."

"I'm really happy for you," Thảo Nguyên quickly reassured, trying to smile brighter. "Maybe I stayed up late watching the livestream last night so I'm a little tired, don't worry."

Việt Anh looked at her questioningly, not completely believing that answer, but also did not ask further questions, to avoid making things more tense in the joyful atmosphere of the evening. He stayed to eat with his family, telling Mrs. Xuân the details of the dramatic final match, making her laugh and chatter throughout the meal. But Thảo Nguyên just sat silently, occasionally contributing a few awkward sentences, her eyes slightly avoiding each time Việt Anh looked over.

After the meal, when seeing him off to the gate, Việt Anh stopped and held her hand. "Thảo Nguyên, I feel something is wrong. Can you tell me?"

Thảo Nguyên hesitated for a moment, then decided not to hide it anymore, even though she knew that admitting this unreasonable jealousy could make her look childish and untrustworthy. "I saw a picture of you and Diệu Anh, when the team won," she said, her voice fading. "I know it's just a normal emotional moment, but..."

"But you still feel uncomfortable," Việt Anh finished his sentence, sounding somewhat surprised. "I didn't think about that. At that time, everyone on the team hugged each other to celebrate. I really didn't mean anything other than the shared joy of victory."

"I know," Thảo Nguyên nodded, feeling ashamed of her own insecurity. "It's just that, after knowing about Diệu Anh, I couldn't help but think..." she hesitated, finding it difficult to finish her sentence, "...whether he was trying, even if unconsciously, to hold on to one last moment of closeness with you."

Việt Anh was silent, his face flashed a bit awkwardly. "I don't think Diệu Anh has any intention," he said, trying to explain. "But I understand your feeling. Perhaps I should be more careful in such public situations, to avoid causing unnecessary misunderstandings, both for you and for Diệu Anh herself."

"I don't want you to have to change the way you treat your best friend just because of me," Thảo Nguyên said, although there was still some warmth in her heart that was hard to name. "I just... I need time to get used to sharing you with the other relationships in your life, in a non-selfish way."

"Diệu Anh and I are just friends, forever just friends," Việt Anh said firmly, his eyes never wavering. "She's made it clear to me that she's willing to let go, and I believe she's mature enough to keep that boundary, just like how she's always respected every decision I've made over the past ten years."

"I believe him," Thảo Nguyên said, "I'm just not sure I can trust my own feelings, especially when they appear so suddenly and so strongly."

"You're not selfish," Việt Anh said, gently squeezing her hand. "Emotions are something that cannot be completely explained by logic. I will try to understand and respect your feelings, as long as you also trust me."

"I believe you," Thảo Nguyên said, "I'm just not used to this feeling. I've never really liked anyone so much that I had to worry like that."

"Me too," Việt Anh admitted, his voice somewhat confused. "This is the first time I've experienced this feeling, so I'm sure there will be times when I'm clumsy and don't know how to handle it properly. I hope you'll be patient with me."

"Okay," she replied, smiling with relief. "Let's learn this together."

He bent down and gently placed a light kiss on her forehead, a gentle gesture he had never seen before, making Thảo Nguyên blush in surprise. "Thank you for telling me the truth," he said softly. "I'd rather hear you voice out your worries, no matter how small they seem, than let you keep them inside and then silently distance yourself."

Thảo Nguyên nodded, feeling somewhat relieved after the frank conversation, but a small part of her heart still lingered with a vague insecurity, like a small grain that could not completely disappear, and she wondered if this was just the beginning of a bigger challenge waiting ahead, when the line between budding sincere feelings and the constant insecurities of a real relationship began to collide.

After Việt Anh left, Thảo Nguyên stood against the door, watching his shadow disappear into the darkness, then turned back into the house and saw Mrs. Xuân still sitting at the dining table, holding the box of medals that Việt Anh had left behind, admiring it with undisguised pride.

"He's really good," she said when she saw her granddaughter enter. "I'm happy for him, happy for you too. Having a lover who is both talented and mature like that, you have to appreciate it."

"I know," Thảo Nguyên replied, sitting down next to her, trying to put aside the unreasonable jealous thoughts from earlier. But that night, when she went to bed, the image of Diệu Anh hugging Việt Anh still appeared in her mind, mixed with his gentle words at parting, creating a mess of emotions that she knew it would take her a while to truly get rid of, even though her mind kept reminding her that trust was the most important foundation for whatever she and Việt Anh were building together.