Chapter 6 — Easy Goodbye, New Meeting Again?

Even my engagement party needed her to “optimize.” I immediately threw that document into the trash bag. My father was in charge of removing the bookshelves I bought, and my mother tidied up the dishes in the kitchen. While cleaning, my mother suddenly came out holding a small notebook.

“Is this yours?”

I take it. It's a notebook I started writing in college. The inside is full of Tran Van Tu's hobbies and habits. I have a weak stomach and can't drink coffee on an empty stomach in the morning. He doesn't eat coriander, doesn't like too sweet things, and hates damp places. He is often stressed before important meetings, but refuses to admit it, so he has to prepare mints. His mother's birthday is October 27, she likes light purple carnations. My father has high blood pressure, so he cannot give sausage or too salty foods as Tet gifts. Flipping to the last page, I saw a line I had written myself. 【I really want to have a home with Tran Van Tu.】 I stared at that line for a long time. Then, I tore off that page, crumpled it up, and threw it straight into the trash. What I want, Tran Van Tu cannot give me. At noon, Tran Van Tu returned. When he walked in the door, the living room was half empty. Seeing my father removing the bookshelf, his expression immediately changed.

“Uncle, what are you doing?”

My father looked up at him.

“Get my daughter's things back.”

Tran Van Tu turned to me, panic clearly showing in his eyes.

“Khuong Niem, are you really planning to move away?”

I put the rest of the books in the carton.

“Yes.”

He took a few steps forward, suppressing his voice.

“We were just arguing, is it really this bad that we have to be this tense?”

“I don't stress.” I carefully tape the box shut. “I'm breaking up.”

“I don't agree.”

He said this sentence very quickly, as if if he didn't agree, nothing would happen. I looked up.

"Tran Van Tu, breaking up is not a contract, you don't need to agree."

His face turned pale.

“Last night you made my parents angry so much, and now you come to pack your things, have you ever thought about what I should do?”

8 The movements in my hand stopped. He always thinks only of himself first. His face, his parents, his awkwardness, and his disturbed life. As for whether I'm in pain or not, it's not like he doesn't know. It's just that it's ranked very low. I pushed the box out the door.

“So have you ever thought about what I should do?”

He was stunned. I looked straight into his eyes.

"You and Luong Kieu bet on my feelings and let her sit in the passenger seat of your car."

"At the dinner table, in front of the adults on both sides, he criticized me for being emotionally unstable and not as good as her."

“Have you ever thought about me? What should I do?”

His throat slid up and down, “It was just anger…”

“I don't.” I interrupted.

"Tran Van Tu, I said goodbye, not in anger."

His eye sockets slowly turned red. This was the first time since last night that he showed genuine panic.

“Nim Niem, you are wrong.”

He reached out to pull me back.

"I really know my mistake. The bet was due to my mistake of words, and the thing with Luong Kieu was also due to my lack of limits."

“From now on, I won't text you privately Oh, don't let her interfere in our affairs anymore, okay?"

I dodged his hand.

“No way.”

He stiffened. “Why?”

“Because until now, I still think the problem lies only with Luong Kieu.”

I looked deeply into his eyes.

“But the problem is you.”

“You assume that she has the right to judge my feelings.”

"You brought up my injuries for her to analyze."

"It's you who time and time again, when standing between me and her, always choose to force me to give in."