Chapter 2 — Contract of the Heart

That night, Thảo Nguyên lay in bed tossing and turning, unable to sleep. She opened her phone, searched for last week's weekly newspaper, zoomed in on the photo of Đinh Việt Anh standing next to the robot model at the competition, trying to imagine how she would open her mouth to a person with whom during the two years of being in the same class, she could only remember a few fragmentary details: he sat at the last table near the window, rarely spoke during literature class, and was once criticized by the teacher for his "dry as desert" essay even though his scores in natural subjects were always at the top of the block.

"I'm crazy," she whispered to herself, burying her face in the pillow. "Why suddenly drag people into this matter?"

But it's too late to regret. The next morning, Mrs. Xuân woke up early, cooked a pot of red bean soup, and sang an old Cai Luong song while cooking. Her cheerful attitude was different from usual. Looking at her like that, Thảo Nguyên could not bear to admit the truth, even though in her heart she regretted it so much that she wanted to apparate.

"Hey kid," Mrs. Xuân called out as Thảo Nguyên picked up her bag and got ready to go to school. "If you're free this weekend, let's bring Việt Anh home to eat with you. I'll make your favorite dish, braised chicken with ginger and sour soup."

"Yes... let me ask her first." Thảo Nguyên replied, trying to keep her voice normal while her heart was beating wildly.

"Yes, ask early so I can prepare. And remember to ask him what he likes to eat and what he avoids. Don't make people feel uncomfortable." Mrs. Xuân gave careful instructions as if she was about to welcome an important guest, making Thảo Nguyên even more pressured.

On the way to school, she texted Bích Vân - her close friend since grade 10, currently the deputy editor of "Tan Viet Times" - with a single sentence: "I need to see you urgently, it's serious."

During recess in second period, the two of them sat crouched in the corner of the backyard behind the laboratory building, the quietest place in the school. Thảo Nguyên recounted the entire story, from the blind date, to the spontaneous lie, to the name Đinh Việt Anh that slipped out of her mouth like an unconscious reflex.

After listening, Bích Vân was silent for a long time, then burst out laughing and had to cover her mouth with her hand to not attract attention.

"You... you made up Đinh Việt Anh as your boyfriend?" Van asked again, her voice still shaking with laughter. "That Robotics captain is as cold as a freezer?"

"I didn't mean it!" Thảo Nguyên held her head, her voice choked with helplessness. "At that time, I saw a newspaper with his photo, my mind went blank, the name just popped out of my mouth. Now my grandmother even wants to invite him to dinner this weekend."

"So what are you going to do now? Go confess to her that you lied?"

Thảo Nguyên shook her head vigorously. "No. You don't know how excited my grandmother is. She's been singing all morning, her face beaming like she's ten years younger. If I tell a lie now, she'll be very sad, and it's right before her birthday celebration."

"Then..." Bích Vân narrowed her eyes at you, as if she had guessed something. "Are you going to find Việt Anh and ask him to pretend to be your real boyfriend?"

Thảo Nguyên remained silent and did not deny. That thought had been lingering in her mind since last night, no matter how crazy she thought it was.

"Listen," Van turned around to face you, her voice more serious. "I'm not stopping you, but have you thought carefully? Đinh Việt Anh and you have almost never talked to each other. How are you sure he will agree to do this crazy thing?"

"I haven't figured out how to persuade," Thảo Nguyên sighed, "but I think... maybe I can offer something in return. He's good at engineering but weak at writing, right? I remember hearing Literature teacher Hanh complain about his essay during a club meeting."

"Yes, that's true, everyone in school knows that Việt Anh is a technical genius, but writing..." Van shrugged, meaning "disaster".

"I'm the editor-in-chief of the school newspaper, the best in literature in the grade," Thảo Nguyên said, her voice gradually becoming more certain as a plan began to form in her mind. "If he needs to improve his writing skills for something important, maybe I can help, in exchange for him pretending to be my boyfriend for a while, only until after my grandmother's birthday party."

"Sounds reasonable," Bích Vân nodded, "but are you sure he really needs to improve his writing skills? Or is it just a rumor I heard?"

At that moment, the bell rang signaling the end of recess. The two of them quickly stood up and ran back to class. On the way, Thảo Nguyên glanced towards the Robotics suite, where through the glass window one could see a few silhouettes of people working hard with small machines, wires tangled on the table.

During class that day, Thảo Nguyên could hardly concentrate on the lecture. She sat at the front table, nearly a dozen rows away from Việt Anh's table - the last table near the window - occasionally turning her head to glance in that direction, trying to observe what kind of person he was beyond what she knew through rumors and a few accidental encounters.

Việt Anh sat quietly throughout the entire class, attentively taking notes, his attitude so serious that he was almost completely isolated from the noisy atmosphere around him. He had an angular face, eyebrows slightly furrowed as if thinking about something, and hair cut neatly and without fuss. Not the type of outstanding handsomeness that makes people turn their heads, but there was a calmness and certainty that radiated from the way he sat and held his pen, making it easy for others to trust.

"Just the type of person my grandmother would like," Thảo Nguyên thought to herself, then immediately shook her head to dispel that strange thought.

At the end of the last class, when the whole class noisily packed up their books and prepared to leave, Thảo Nguyên lingered behind, pretending to rearrange the pile of articles in her bag while glancing at the last table. Việt Anh put his backpack on his shoulder and was about to leave class when two friends from the Robotics club stopped him at the door.

"Captain, Mr. Hùng said have you finished writing the opening speech for next week's sponsorship presentation? There are only three more days," a male friend asked, sounding worried.

Việt Anh paused, his face showing a rare hint of confusion. "I'm... writing. I'll probably finish it soon."

"You can write three sentences and you're stuck," the other friend said frankly, without any respect. "The last time your technical report was concise and clear, this speech was just as clunky. But this time it's very important. There were several potential sponsors attending. If you couldn't convince them, the club would lose funding for next year's tournament."

Việt Anh was silent, his jaw tightened slightly, clearly under a lot of pressure. Thảo Nguyên stood not far away, listening to the entire conversation, and suddenly a ray of hope flashed in her heart. Perhaps this was exactly the opportunity she was looking for.

She waited until the other two left, leaving only Việt Anh standing alone by the window, holding a small notebook, looking wistfully at the schoolyard as if struggling with words that refused to obey her.

Taking a deep breath to gain courage, Thảo Nguyên walked closer.

"Việt Anh," she said, trying to keep her voice as natural as possible even though her heart was pounding in her chest. "Do you have some time? I have something to discuss with you, it's quite important."

Việt Anh turned around, his dark eyes looked at her with obvious surprise - not because he was being talked to, but perhaps because this was the first time after two years of being in the same class that Ngô Thảo Nguyên proactively approached him to talk.

"What's going on?" He asked, his voice low and somewhat wary, as is the habit of someone not used to unexpected conversations.

Thảo Nguyên glanced around, made sure there was no one else in the class, then lowered her voice. "This is a bit long, but also a bit... strange. Can you come out to the cafeteria with me for a moment? I promise it will be worth your time, especially since you need to write an important speech in the next three days."

Việt Anh's eyes flashed with attention when she heard the "important speech", as if she had just touched the worry weighing heavily in his heart.

"Okay," he nodded after a moment of hesitation, his voice still holding its usual cautious tone. "But I only have twenty minutes, I have to be at the club room at five o'clock."

"That's enough," Thảo Nguyên smiled, breathing a sigh of relief even though she knew the most difficult part was still ahead - how to convince a stranger to agree to pretend to be her lover for the next four months, just based on an exchange proposal that she hadn't yet carefully drafted in her mind.

The two walked out of the classroom, heading towards the cafeteria, while behind them, the afternoon sunlight streaming through the classroom window poured streaks of light on the tile floor, as if silently witnessing the beginning of a story that neither of them could foresee how far it would go.