Chapter 8 — Don't Run Anymore, Hua Tri Hoa

"Star?"

“Before, I thought you only knew how to run away.”

I frowned. He bowed his head and laughed.

“Now I found out, it hurts when you bite someone.”

I turned to look out the window, the corners of my mouth pressed together, unable to hide my smile. * 【Chapter 5】 Trinh Nhuy's story did not pass immediately. After returning to Thanh Ngo, rumors in the small town spread faster than the wind. Someone came to the restaurant to eat noodles, their eyes kept glancing sideways at me, saying some sour insinuations.

“Tri Hoa scored so high, her life path will be wide open in the future.”

My mother didn't understand, but still smiled and replied: "He only knows how to focus on studying, there is no way out." I stood in the kitchen chopping onions, the blade of the knife cutting down on the cutting board, each stroke stronger than the last. Tran Mat sat in front of the door drinking soy milk. Hearing those words, she slammed the cup on the table.

"Miss, the road of life is of course open, Thanh Hoa, Bac Dai, Phuc Dan, Giao Thong, which road can't be taken? It's not like those people, whose tongue is three miles long, and their brain is thrown away at home and asleep."

The person's face was extremely unsightly. Before he finished eating the bowl of noodles, he stood up and walked straight. At this point, my mother realized something was wrong and pulled me back to ask if someone was saying bad things about me. I said no. My mother didn't believe it, raised her hand to stroke my hair.

“Tri Hoa, I don't have any talent, but don't let yourself suffer without saying anything.”

I lowered my head and put the scallions into the bowl, my eyes were stung by the smell of steamed onions. In the afternoon, Luong Nghien Chu arrived. He didn't go inside the restaurant but sat at the outermost table next to the door and ordered a bowl of beef noodles. I brought it out to him and lowered my voice: "Don't come here forever." He picked up his chopsticks: "Open the door but don't do business?"

“When you come, they talk more and more.”

“Then let them say me.”

I froze. Luong Nghien Chu raised his head, his eyes were calm.

“Tell me to chase you, tell me I can't chase you, tell me I've been tricked by you and still try to get in.”

I almost poured a bowl of broth all over him.

“Are you sick?”

He picked up a chopstick of noodles and ate leisurely.

“It's better than letting them say you're clinging to a high branch.”

My throat is tight. At this moment, Trinh Nhuy walked in leading two female students. She saw Luong Nghien Chu, her eyes lit up, then looked at me, the corners of her mouth raised.

“Hua Tri Hoa, your restaurant is doing quite well.”

I ignored her. She intentionally sat down at the table right next to Luong Nghien Chu, raising her voice.

“I heard you're going to Shanghai to study at university. That's great. Someone is taking care of you and taking care of you.”

I slammed the menu on her table.

“What to eat?”

Trinh Nhuy flipped through the menu: "You can suggest, after all, it's your restaurant." Luong Nghien Chu put down his chopsticks. My back tensed and I interrupted him before he could speak: "Beef noodles are twelve yuan, extra eggs are fifteen. If you don't want to eat, turn right out the door. There's a trash can there, very suitable for you to stand and chat." The whole bar was silent. Tran Mat stood outside the door and spit out soy milk. Trinh Nhuy's face turned red, she slammed the table and stood up: "Hua Tri Hoa, what do you mean?" I looked straight at her.

“The meaning is on the face of the text.”

She sneered: "What are you pretending to do? Do you dare say you have never scammed anyone?" My fingers squeezed tightly. Luong Nghien Chu stood up, the chair was pulled back slide on the floor. I raised my hand and pressed it firmly on the back of his hand, not even looking at him.

“I used to trick people.”

Everyone in the shop looked towards me. Trinh Nhuy lifted her chin proudly. I continued: "When I was seventeen years old, I used a virtual account to talk to people, lied about my name, then deleted my account before meeting, I accept this." The back of Luong Nghien Chu's hand under my palm was tense. I raised my eyes to look at Trinh Nhuy.