Chapter 28 — Contract of the Heart

One week after the celebration of life party, while the whole family was still enjoying the warm afterglow of that important day, an important email suddenly appeared in Việt Anh's inbox, right on the afternoon he and Thảo Nguyên were studying and preparing for the upcoming graduation exam at the school library.

"Thảo Nguyên," Việt Anh called, his voice visibly trembling, his hand holding the phone as if he were holding something extremely precious and fragile. "Email from the admissions committee."

Thảo Nguyên immediately let go of the pen she was holding, turned around to look at him, her heart beating as fast as Việt Anh's. "Open it, open it and see!"

Việt Anh took a deep breath, his trembling fingers touched the phone screen to open the email, while Thảo Nguyên sat next to her, her hands clasped together on her lap as if praying for a good result. He skimmed through the first lines, his face gradually changing from tension to an expression of disbelief, then finally to a smile as bright as ever.

"I passed," he said, his voice choked with emotion. "I passed a full scholarship, Thảo Nguyên!"

"Really?!" Thảo Nguyên screamed, forgetting she was in the library, causing a few people around her to turn around and look at her with uncomfortable eyes, but she didn't care, rushing to hug Việt Anh, tears of joy rolling down her cheeks. "I knew it, I knew you would pass!"

The two hugged each other in the middle of the library, not paying attention to the eyes around them, simply enjoying the moment of bursting happiness after many months of tireless efforts. The librarian sitting at the duty desk nearby, although somewhat annoyed by the noise, when she heard the story, could not bear to remind her, she just smiled and looked at the two extremely happy children.

"Do you remember that first afternoon in the cafeteria?" Thảo Nguyên asked, still not letting go of him, her voice still shaking with emotion. "At that time, you sat down to read the essay with the opening sentence about hating humans. Looking back now, I find it funny."

"I still remember clearly," Việt Anh smiled, his eyes shining with warm nostalgia. "If it weren't for that afternoon, I would probably still be struggling with dry sentences like technical reports, and I might not have passed this scholarship."

"Full scholarship, including living expenses," Việt Anh continued reading the email content, his voice still shaking with excitement, his eyes quickly scanning each line. "They also clearly stated that the board highly values the personal essay, considering it one of the key deciding factors alongside excellent academic performance. The program starts in September, which means I will have to leave Vietnam in about two months."

The joy in Thảo Nguyên's heart stopped a bit when she heard that specific timeline. Two months. There were only two months left before Việt Anh had to leave, going to a country thousands of kilometers away from Vietnam, to pursue the dream that she helped him achieve.

"Are you okay?" Việt Anh asked, noticing the slight change in her expression, his hand gently squeezed her hand as a wordless way of reassurance.

"I'm fine," Thảo Nguyên replied, trying to smile brightly, even though inside she began to feel a vague worry about the future. "I was just thinking about making time to see you as much as possible in the next two months."

That evening, both Thảo Nguyên's family and Việt Anh's family held a small party to celebrate the good news, at Mrs. Xuân's house, which had become a familiar meeting place for both families over the past time.

"Congratulations, son," Mrs. Xuân said, raising her glass of juice to congratulate Việt Anh, her eyes filled with pride no less than congratulating her own grandchild. "Your grandfather would definitely be very proud if he knew his grandson had achieved this achievement."

Mr. Minh also stood up, his voice choked with emotion. "I'm so happy for you," he said, patting his son on the shoulder. "This is a worthy result for all the efforts I have put in over the past few years, especially in recent months."

Mrs. Hoa also contributed her congratulations, her eyes sparkling with the pride of a grandmother for her obedient, hard-working grandchild. "You're very good," she said, patting Việt Anh's head as if he were still a child. "Your grandfather is definitely smiling from above looking down."

"Thank you," Việt Anh replied, bowing his head politely, his eyes glanced at Thảo Nguyên sitting next to him, a slight worry flashed through even though he tried to hide it.

Mr. Tuan also did not forget to contribute to the fun, holding up his glass of water and asking everyone to drink a toast, making the party atmosphere more exciting. "From now on, our family has another excellent international student," he said, laughing loudly. "Tomorrow, I will have to ask you to show me the way for the children in my family to study abroad."

The whole table laughed, a warm, happy atmosphere spread throughout the small room, temporarily dispelling the worries about the upcoming separation that were lurking in Thảo Nguyên's heart.

After the party, when seeing the guests leave, Việt Anh stayed to talk privately with Thảo Nguyên in the yard, under the rising moonlight.

"I know you're worried about the distance," he said, taking her hand. "Me too. But I want you to know, no matter how far I go, my feelings for you won't change. I've thought a lot about this."

"I believe you," Thảo Nguyên said softly, looking up at the star-studded night sky, although her voice couldn't hide the worry. "It's just that long-distance love is not as easy as what people say in movies. There will be different time zones, there will be lonely times, there will be new temptations and challenges that we have never faced. I still have to study at university here, and you are busy with a new study program in a completely strange country, I don't know if we will have enough time for each other like now."

"That's right," Việt Anh nodded, not denying the difficulties ahead. "But I think, if we have overcome so many storms together in the past four short months — from a lie, to a shocking family secret — then geographical distance, even though difficult, is not something that can't be overcome, as long as we both sincerely try."

"I looked into it," he added, his voice returning to its familiar matter-of-fact tone. "The time difference between Vietnam and Germany is about five or six hours depending on the season. We can arrange a video call in my evening, which is your morning or noon. I will also try to arrange to visit home on long vacations."

"You're so calculated," Thảo Nguyên laughed, although her heart warmed at his familiar thoughtfulness, even in love affairs, she did not forget to apply logical thinking and have a clear plan, completely different from her usual impulsiveness.

Thảo Nguyên looked at him, feeling the absolute sincerity in every word, and she nodded, a new determination gradually forming in her heart. "Okay," she said, "we'll figure it out together, just like every time before."

Việt Anh smiled, pulled her into a warm embrace, the two stood quietly under the moonlight, enjoying a rare moment of peace before facing the next big challenge on their love journey - the challenge of distance, of waiting, and of trust that needed to be nurtured more persistently than ever.

"Hey," Việt Anh said quietly after a moment of silence, "do you remember the fifth clause in the contract? About terminating early if either party feels unable to continue?"

"Remember," Thảo Nguyên replied, a bit curious at this unexpected question.

“I want to propose a new term,” he said, his voice serious but his eyes sparkling with tenderness. "This time, it's not written on paper anymore, it's just a verbal promise — no matter how long the separation, no matter how difficult it is, both of you will always be honest with each other, always try your best, and never give up without first stating the reason."

"I agree," Thảo Nguyên said, smiling through emotional tears, looking up at him under the silver moonlight. "This is perhaps the most important provision of all we have ever agreed upon."

Việt Anh bent down slowly, gently placing a gentle kiss on her forehead, like the first time he did it on the night all misunderstandings about Diệu Anh were resolved. "Consider this the final terms of the new version of the contract," he said softly, his voice filled with affection, "a contract that is no longer between two strangers pretending to be lovers, but between two hearts that truly belong to each other."