Chapter 3 — Crossing the River to Find a Beggar Kiss

My heart felt like it was falling into an abyss, and nausea rose up in my throat. My fingertips dug deep into my palm, I forced myself to stay calm. I forced a smile and tried to flatter: "My mother gave me careful instructions before coming here. I understand, you can rest assured." The obese man smirked and blew out a cloud of cigarette smoke at me. "It's true that like mother, like daughter. Having been taught by your mother, I can rest assured. As long as you make me happy, I guarantee you will live a happier life than your mother." Hearing those words, nausea rose up in my throat. My face was pale, but I still tried to be patient and gentle. "General Manager Vuong, I want to go to the bathroom for a moment to make special preparations, okay~" Unexpectedly, he also sent a woman to follow me. Reluctantly, I could only go to the bathroom and continue thinking. Calling, I coldly said: "Mom, where are you? What do you want to do?" "I'm sure you've already met General Manager Vuong. You've made him happy. Who knows, maybe they'll marry you to be the rich aunt? I've been ignoring you for two years, you should have wised up a bit! "Don't say any more, you're such an unlucky person, as soon as I picked up the phone to call you, I lost the mahjong game, so I'll hang up!" Before I could ask her for some motherly love to save me, she hung up the phone. My heart felt like it had been thrown into an ice cellar. 07. Outside the bathroom, an annoyed woman shouted: "Hey, are you done yet?" It's not like I came in to drag you!” I looked around, there was no way back, so I had to take a gamble. “I'm out!” The other woman was half-closed smoking, I bowed my head, trying to sneak past her. Just taking a few steps, she noticed me. My heart trembled and I immediately ran as fast as I could. Unexpectedly, she grabbed my hair, and with her other hand, she roughly pulled my collar to the side of my shoulder. I panicked and covered myself with my hands, but she pulled me to the ground. The noise also attracted General Manager Vuong. I closed my eyes tightly in humiliation, and extreme thoughts suddenly flashed through my head. Suddenly, a deep, hoarse voice filled with anger rang out. “What are you guys doing?” It's Giang Do. He strode over, put his coat on me, the faint smell of cigarettes still lingering on the shirt. Then gently helped me up. “Oh, isn't that Boss Giang? What's wrong, you also care about this girl, so leave it to me." Giang Do's eyes coldly glared at the other person, his dark eyes filled with murderous intent. I - in the most pathetic and humiliated form - was seen by him again. It turns out, this bar is also yours. I just opened the car's passenger door. Giang Do coldly said: "Go to the back seat." I paused for a second, gently closed the car door, turned around and sat in the back seat. Heart aching dully. That's right, the passenger seat is often the place for the most intimate people. Giang Do took me upstairs. I took the key to open the door, hesitant about whether I should invite him in or not. Just as he turned around to open his mouth, Giang Do did not look back and entered the elevator. The elevator door slowly closed, he frowned and lit a cigarette. Perhaps sensing my gaze, he nonchalantly raised his eyes and looked straight at me. The elevator door closed completely, cutting off eye contact. 08. Since that day, whenever there is no class, Do Thanh always comes to find me to talk, or comes to the center to watch me dance. I vaguely guessed that Giang Do probably asked her to come and keep her company I. Today, Do Thanh and I went for a walk. On the way home, Do Thanh called Giang Do to pick him up. I voluntarily sat in the back seat. Unexpectedly, Do Thanh also got into the back seat from the other side. I looked at her bewildered. She… why doesn't she sit in the passenger seat? “Miss Duong Duong, what's wrong?” I quickly regained my composure and smiled: "It's okay, just a little absent-minded." After taking us home, Giang Do returned to the store, hearing that today he was interviewing the manager of the hot pot restaurant. Do Thanh and I sat in the living room drinking fruit wine, vaguely drunk, talking aimlessly. “Sister Duong Duong, to be honest, when I asked for your WeChat, one was to hug you beautifully, and two was to set you up with my brother.” I looked at Do Thanh in shock. “Your brother?” 09. "Um, he's my brother, we each take our parents' last names. "Maybe, Ms. Duong Duong thinks we're lovers ha ha ha." I nodded shyly, Do Thanh laughed even harder. “When I was in kindergarten, my mother... passed away in an accident. "That day, my parents and brother came to pick me up. There was a car accident. Dad and I were injured. Mom was in the passenger seat... and left us forever." I suddenly remembered a statistic I once read, the death rate in the passenger seat is highest in traffic accidents. No wonder Giang Do didn't let me sit in the passenger seat that day. “Later, when I was in middle school, my father's company was deliberately bankrupted by a man named Ly Son who maliciously competed, and my father had a stroke due to heart disease and also passed away.” My eyelids twitched, the man my mother remarried was also named Ly Son. My gut feeling tells me it's definitely the same person. "In high school, one time when I came back for summer vacation, my brother happily told me that he was in love, that girl was very beautiful, very talented. "After my parents passed away, that was the first time I saw your eyes sparkle again, there was hope for the future again, no longer gloomy and lifeless. “But not long after, that girl cruelly broke up with him because she criticized his family's poor circumstances.” I bowed my head, trying to force a smile: "So... you must hate her very much." "Are not." Do Thanh shook his head, dizzy and continued: "You asked the same thing, I shook my head, without hesitation. I don't understand... "He smiled faintly, saying it was because I was useless, why do you blame her? "I forever hate myself - the one who couldn't give her a better life... "For that girl, I quit smoking and drinking. After we broke up, I smoked more and more. After I left the hospital, he stopped being taboo and drank until his stomach bled."