Chapter 5 — Face Blind But Not Love Blind

Pho Than Chu narrowed his eyes and stared at me: "What should I give you to drink?" I avoided eye contact: "Tea..." There was something wrong with the atmosphere. At least not like my imagination - full of dreams and ambiguity. Pho Than Chu's cold face looked like he was about to eat me. "Your phone must have fallen in the car, let me go find it..." Just as I was about to leave, he grabbed my collar and pulled me back. Hitting his body was so hot. "I originally thought that before getting engaged, I should restrain myself a bit, it's good for both of us. Now it seems I thought wrong." His voice was deep and hoarse, mixed with a bit of anger. Makes me shiver. Pho Than Chu gently pressed me onto the kitchen table, forcing me to face him. "My patience in exchange for your liver is as big as the sky." "Honey, dare you give me some tonic soup, right?" I was scared by his smile that my heart wanted to fall out. "I want to be good for you..." "That's good for the head..." Pho Than Chu seemed to turn into a different person. Elegance and politeness are no longer there. Tolerance and patience are nowhere to be found. A kiss came, so passionate that I couldn't breathe. In less than two minutes, I was devastated. I hugged his neck, panted and shouted: "You... you...?" “Why doesn't it look like a virgin, right?” Pho Than Chu coldly finished the sentence for me. “If you count the times I think of you in my dreams, it won't count anymore.” "How many times? With whom?" I spoke incoherently and had just crawled two steps when he pulled me back. Being dragged into a sea of fire is difficult to endure. The battlefield shifts to the kitchen. Pho Than Chu leisurely drank all the nourishing soup, gently looking at me: "From the age of eighteen until now, in my dreams, with you... I can't count. Honey, congratulations, you've offended a pervert." I was so excited that my nose bled. He even let out a weak moan begging for forgiveness. Pho Than Chu kissed me lightly: "The nourishing soup is delicious. To thank Ms. Tham for her kindness, I won't be able to sleep tonight." I really brought disaster on myself. I flattered him all night, my mouth was dry. It was just dawn before I fell asleep for a bit. 9 It's true that it's been many years since I've dreamed of my grandparents' old house or that old apartment building. Although my parents built their careers in the North, throughout my childhood, I lived with my grandparents in the South. The whole block has up to forty or fifty households. We see each other every day, if we look down and don't see each other, then we raise our heads and see them. Therefore, in my childhood I never lacked playmates. When I entered middle school, a new family moved in next door. They are a middle-aged couple with strict faces. The man worked as a literature teacher at a nearby high school. The woman works as an office worker in a garment factory. The two brought with them a baby boy, their husband's grandson. After his parents died, the boy followed his aunt and uncle everywhere. Personality identical to that of the other couple - cold, closed, unsociable. Because of her difficult family background, poor clothing, her body was thin and pale, her skin was unnaturally white. Over time, he acquired a nickname – “Vampire.” When the couple hasn't finished work yet, the house is always locked. For some unknown reason, they did not leave the key with the boy. So after school, children often see "vampires" sitting on the chipped steps in front of the door, doing homework. Because I was afraid, I never talked to him. One year, during summer vacation, my parents came to visit me because business affairs. Along there was a child named Luc Tieu. He is the son of a business partner. The Luc family is single. Throughout that summer, Luc Tieu kept clinging to me. With a lively personality, we play together quite well. Every other weekend, Luc Tieu flies to the South to play with me. While the "vampire" sat doing homework on the steps, Luc Tieu and I were nearby fighting over an ice cream, arguing back and forth. Then we got a little older, entering high school. Luc Tieu started to become strange. He didn't dare look at me, spoke rudely, and liked to tease me. One time, he threw a worm on me, which made me angry, so I left in a huff. Luc Tieu followed behind and babbled: "You see, even worms are scared, why don't you go back to the North to live? Isn't it nice to live in a villa? Our families are close together, we go to school together in the morning and afternoon, I even told the driver to prepare a seat cushion for you, it's very comfortable." I was upset: "I don't want to be your companion..." "So who do you want to go with?" I got angry, no longer afraid, and immediately pulled the "vampire" who was sitting in front of the door doing homework, shouting: "I have a companion!" Luc Tieu looked at the "vampire" and looked disdainfully: "Who are you?" The "vampire" didn't pay any attention, bowed his head and continued writing. I was afraid that Luc Tieu would continue to meddle, so I hugged his hand tightly and shook it. Only then did he raise his head: "My name is Pho Than Chu." That was the first time, I knew the name of “vampire.” Deputy Than Chu. Throughout the semester, the hallways of the dormitory always echoed with my clear call. “Pho Than Chu, come out and play!” “Pho Than Chu, I don't want to walk anymore, please give me a bike ride.” "Pho Than Chu, do you want to eat char siu dumplings? Hey! There are also chicken feet with soy sauce!" But it's only just one semester. My grandmother suffered a brain hemorrhage and was hospitalized, and soon passed away. Grandfather could not bear the shock and sadly left. My parents took me to the North. The family quickly sold the communal house they had lived in for more than ten years, completely cutting off the last thread connecting me to my childhood. That short period of time is also sealed in memory. On Pho Than Chu's wrist, he always wears an old, faded cinnabar bracelet. If I remember correctly, initially that necklace used to be shiny and red. It's the prize I won when I shoot balls at the snack area near my house. After I won, I immediately gave it to him. It's just a pity that I didn't remember him until now.