Chapter 16 — Don't Run Anymore, Hua Tri Hoa

“Luong Nghien Chu, I only lied to you for half a year, I can't repay you for your whole life.”

The fire in the bottom of his eyes flared up.

“Who made you pay?”

“But I will be in debt.”

“I volunteer.”

“But I don't!”

In the tea shop, it was terrifyingly quiet. My voice resounded against the wooden wall, so vibrating that my eardrums ached. Luong Nghien Chu stared at me, his chest heaving, as if he was holding back something. I grabbed my bag and walked out. He reached out and pulled me back. I wanted to throw it away, but I couldn't. He said softly: "Don't run anymore." Tears welled up in my eyes and fell onto the back of his hand. His hands appeared stiff. I took the opportunity to get out.

“Luong Nghien Chu, I don't want to be your trouble.”

His eyes were red, his voice was hoarse and no longer like himself.

“I'm not a nuisance.”

I didn't dare listen anymore, so I pushed the door open and rushed out. That night, I changed my phone number. I blacklisted all of Luong Nghien Chu's contact methods, deleted the chat box, and even locked the fountain pen with my name in a drawer. One day before starting school, I was alone on a long-distance bus to Shanghai. The bus station is noisy and bustling, loudspeakers continuously urge to check tickets. My mother cried while stuffing some boiled eggs into my hands. My father turned away to wipe away his tears. Tran Mat hugged me and scolded me for having no conscience. I smiled and said: "It's not like I won't come back anymore." But as the car rolled away, I looked out the window, watching Thanh Ngo town gradually recede, tears still falling down the back of my hand. I thought this time, I had run away decisively enough. * 【Chapter 10】 Shanghai is brighter than I imagined, and also colder. On the day of admission procedures, the school was full of new students dragging suitcases, sycamore leaves were rustling in the wind, and volunteers were holding signs calling out the names of each academy. I dragged my suitcase, my palms red from rubbing. The dormitory is located on the sixth floor, there is no elevator. I gritted my teeth as I carried the suitcase up. As soon as I reached the third floor, the wheel got stuck on the edge of the stairs and my whole body fell backwards. Someone from behind reached out to grab the suitcase. My heart skipped a beat and I looked back. Not Luong Nghien Chu. She is a female student in the same major, her name is Phuong Duong. She smiled and said: "Let me help you." I breathed a sigh of relief, but felt a bit of indescribable disappointment. The days after school started were filled with classes, club activities, and part-time jobs. I work as an assistant at the library, work shifts at a convenience store at night, and tutor math for middle school students on weekends. The subway in Shanghai is very crowded, during the morning rush hour, I was pushed by the flow of people, even raising my hand to hold on to the handrail was difficult. One time it was raining, I didn't bring an umbrella, I ran as fast as I could from the subway station to school, my shoes were flooded, my socks were cold and stuck to my toes. I stood in the dormitory lobby, looking up at the lights on the high-rise buildings in the distance, suddenly remembering what On Le once said, wanting to stand in a place with lots of bright lights, without having to bow to anyone. But when I'm actually standing here, I I just realized that the more lights there are, the easier it is for people to lose themselves. Luong Nghien Chu did not contact me anymore. It was as if he had been cut out of my life by a knife, leaving only his name that occasionally flashed across the financial news. Luong Group's foreign projects have fluctuated. The Luong family heir withdrew from a joint venture project. The Board of Directors restructures the responsibilities of young leaders.