Chapter 23 — Fake Kisses with My Ex's Best Friend

A month after the cozy gathering at Nhật Hạ's house, Khả Tâm decided it was time to take Bách Nhân back to her hometown to meet her mother, Mrs. Đỗ Thị Yến, the woman who had raised her alone after her father died young. This was an important turning point, not only for Khả Tâm but also for Bách Nhân, who had rarely experienced the warm family atmosphere of the countryside since childhood.

The car ride back to her hometown took nearly three hours, and all the way Bách Nhân couldn't hide his nervousness, constantly asking Khả Tâm about her mother's hobbies and what he should or shouldn't say when they met.

"You can just be yourself." Khả Tâm smiled, held his hand to reassure him, "My mother is very easy-going, she just needs to see that you are sincere."

"But I want to leave a good first impression," Bách Nhân replied, his hands tightening on the gift box he had carefully prepared all week, an exquisite tea set that he personally selected after asking Nhật Hạ about Mrs. Yến's preferences.

When the car stopped in front of the small house in the middle of a green garden, Mrs. Yến was waiting at the gate, her face beaming when she saw her daughter getting out with a polite, neatly dressed young man. The small garden around the house was still as green as in Khả Tâm's childhood memories, with rows of fruit trees her mother had nurtured over the years. The smell of damp soil after the early-morning rain wafted through the air, evoking a familiar feeling of peace that the noisy city had never brought her.

"This is Bách Nhân, the person you told me about on the phone." Khả Tâm introduced, her voice a bit nervous.

"Hello, Auntie." Bách Nhân bowed politely and handed over the gift box. "I'm Tưởng Bách Nhân. It's nice to meet you."

Mrs. Yến looked at the boy in front of her, her eyes searching but unable to hide her satisfaction. "Come inside, son; it's very sunny out here," Lunch that day took place in a cozy atmosphere. Mrs. Yến asked Bách Nhân about everything, from work and family to his future plans. Bách Nhân answered each question sincerely, without flowery words but with respect, making Mrs. Yến gradually open up more.

"You work as a designer at the company with Tâm?" Mrs. Yến asked, continuing to serve food to the guests.

"Yes, I'm in charge of the Creative Design team, working on projects with Tâm's department quite often," Bách Nhân replied, "My job is mainly to come up with image ideas for campaigns, coordinating with the content that Tâm is in charge of."

"So you two must be very compatible at work." Mrs. Yến smiled. "Since childhood, Tâm has had a talent for writing, often making wall newspapers for school and earning praise from her teachers."

"Yes, Tâm is very good, her ideas are always sharp and full of emotion," Bách Nhân replied, unable to hide his pride when mentioning his lover, making Khả Tâm sitting next to him blush with embarrassment.

"I heard from Tâm that you two met through a very special story," Mrs. Yến said, looking at her daughter meaningfully.

Khả Tâm and Bách Nhân looked at each other, not knowing how much Nhật Hạ had told her mother. Finally, Khả Tâm decided to tell the whole story, from the fall down the stairs, the memory loss drama, to the fake dating plan, without hiding any details.

Mrs. Yến listened attentively, sometimes shaking her head, sometimes laughing at her daughter's audacity. When Khả Tâm finished telling the story, she looked at both of them, her voice low and full of emotion.

"I didn't expect you to have gone through so much without telling me sooner," she said, her eyes slightly red, "But I'm glad that you finally found someone who truly appreciates you."

She turned to Bách Nhân, her voice serious but warm. "I only have Tâm, my child. I hope you will always treat her well, as she deserves."

"I promise you, I will always cherish and protect Tâm with all my might," Bách Nhân replied, his voice was firm, without any hesitation.

After the meal, when Khả Tâm went into the kitchen to help her mother wash the dishes, Mrs. Yến said softly to her daughter, her voice loud enough for both mother and daughter to hear, "This boy is good, my child. I can tell by looking at you; the way he looks at you is not like someone who is just acting."

Khả Tâm smiled, feeling warm at the recognition of her mother, who always had a sharp intuition about people and whom she always trusted absolutely.

That afternoon, before the two got in the car to return to the city, Mrs. Yến put a bag of fruit grown in the garden into Bách Nhân's hand, giving him all sorts of instructions as if he had been a son-in-law in the family for a long time. "You can take it home and eat it later. Besides, if you have free time, bring Tâm home to visit often. Don't make me wait too long to see you two."

"Yes, I will bring Tâm back to visit you more often," Bách Nhân replied, touched by the simple but sincere thoughtfulness of the woman who single-handedly raised Khả Tâm.

On the way home, sitting in the car, Khả Tâm leaned her head on Bách Nhân's shoulder, "My mother loves you very much. It's rare to see her talk so openly with someone right from the first meeting."

"I also love you very much," Bách Nhân replied, "You remind me of the mother I always wished I had when I was young, so warm and devoted."

A few weeks later, it was Khả Tâm's turn to meet Bách Nhân's family, even though his parents had long since divorced and each had their own lives. Bách Nhân took her to meet his mother first, a simple meeting at a small restaurant, not too formal but warm enough for Khả Tâm to feel a sincere welcome.

"I'm so happy that Nhân finally brought his girlfriend home to meet us," Bách Nhân's mother said, smiling kindly. "He's always been very secretive about his love life. I thought he was planning to stay that way forever."

Bách Nhân blushed and tried to change the subject, making the whole table laugh happily, a rare family moment that Bách Nhân, after many years of living in isolation due to an incomplete family situation, felt more appreciative than ever.

After the meal, when Khả Tâm went to the car to get something, Bách Nhân's mother pulled her son's hand back, her voice was soft but serious. "Daughter, I can see it. The way she looks at you is not superficial affection. Remember to treat her well, don't repeat the mistakes your father made." Bách Nhân nodded and squeezed his mother's hand, "I understand, mother. I won't let that happen again."

That meeting, although simple, held great meaning for Bách Nhân, who since childhood witnessed his parents' broken marriage and always carried an invisible fear in his heart about whether he was capable of building a lasting relationship or not. His mother's recognition, even through just a few short words, partly eased that fear, giving him more confidence to continue with Khả Tâm on the journey ahead.

That weekend, a group of close friends, including Nhật Hạ and Gia Kỳ, held a small party to officially "recognize" Khả Tâm and Bách Nhân's relationship in front of all their close friends and colleagues. This was no longer a gathering hiding secrets, but a clear, public affirmation of a love that had been tested through many storms and finally stood firm.

"Congratulations you two." Lâm Bích Thủy, who was also invited to attend as a special guest, raised her glass, "I hope, no matter how it starts, your love will always be built on honesty, just like what you two have proven over the past time." She paused for a moment, looked around the room filled with laughter, then added, her voice both serious and affectionate, "I've been a manager for many years, witnessed many office dramas, but rarely have I seen a story end so beautifully. I hope you two will always remember your own lesson: don't let fear or hurt make you hide what's most important," Gia Kỳ, after a few drinks, stood up and asked everyone to play a game of sharing the most memorable memories of the couple, making the whole party bustling with funny and sad stories being told, from the moment they almost kissed on stage to the times the group together coped with turbulent rumors. Each story told, although once the source of many tears and worries, had now become cherished memories, testament to a journey that had been overcome by the whole group of friends together.

Everyone raised their glasses, bustling laughter echoed throughout the small room, marking a new, official and complete beginning for the love story that had gone through so many challenges to reach today.