Chapter 8 — Group Chat Without You

She is in that group. She once said in the group that *"when it's there, no one dares to let it go"*. Now I'm sitting here, putting on the face of a good sister-in-law, advising me to turn around.

"Miss Tran, who created that group?"

Her smile froze for a moment.

“…What group?”

“Group 'Happy life without To Niem'.”

“Ah, that.” She smiled and waved her hand, "It's just a joking group name, don't take it to heart."

“The group's name is a joke, so for the past two years, every time they've gathered and hidden it from me, is it a joke?"

Her expression finally couldn't be held anymore, she sighed, and spoke in a poignant voice.

“To Niem, tell me the truth.”

“It's not that people want to hide you, but sometimes you... how should I put it... make others a little uncomfortable.”

“Where is the discomfort?”

"You're too rigid and often retort."

“Last time everyone told a joke, I kept insisting on correcting their word usage, causing everyone's mood to drop and no one could answer.”

"And that time at KTV, I said Phuong Hoai sang out of tune, he lost all dignity."

I remember those two things. When I told a joke, it was because the story was making fun of women that I just said, "This isn't very good." When Phuong Hoai sang, he proactively asked me how I sang, and I just told the truth.

“So, because you tell the truth, you deserve to be left out by everyone?”

“That's not what I mean…”

She paused and changed her tone.

“To Niem, don't be too principled as a person.”

“Everyone goes out just to have fun, if you keep splashing cold water like that, who can stand it?”

I stood up.

"I came to get my things, please give way."

She moves away. I went into the bedroom, gathered all the books, a few clothes and a box of sundries and stuffed them into my bag. When he came out, Tran Ngu was still sitting on the sofa, his face somewhat unsightly.

“To Niem, are you really planning on not coming back?”

“No turning back.”

"Have you thought carefully? Duc won't wait forever for you."

I carried my things and walked out the door.

“There's no need for him to wait.”

The door slammed shut behind me. When going out to the gate of the urban area, there was a car parked on the side of the road. The car window rolled down, it was Tran Du. He wasn't wearing a suit, it seemed like he ran out of work.

“Get in the car, I'll take you home.”

“No need.”

“To Niem.”

He opened the door and stepped down, standing in front of me, "Can you stop being like that?"

"I know my mistake, I disbanded that group."

I stopped walking.

“Disbanded?”

“Yes, I dismissed you last night.”

“So what?”

He was stunned: "I've already corrected my mistake. What else do you want me to do?"

“Tran Du, you disband that group, and what happens after that?”

“Phuong Hoai still doesn't like you telling the truth, Tran Ngu still thinks you're too rigid.”

“Chu Ham will still collude with everyone, To Trach still sees me as more important than you.”

“Is disbanding a group going to solve these problems?”

He opened his mouth, unable to respond.

“I disbanded that group, not because I thought this was wrong.”

"But because you're gone, I need an excuse, a step for you to come back."

“You—”

"I've never seen them treat you unfairly. I just see it as your problem."

He was silent. After a long time, he said in a deep voice: "To Niem, I really don't I know what to do to satisfy you.” I laughed. Until the very end, what he wanted to say was still — you're too hard to please.

“You don't have to please me anymore.”

I raised my hand to hail a taxi and got in. When the car rolled away, in the rearview mirror he was still standing in place. No chasing, no calling back. Just stand like that, both hands in your pockets. Just like when I left, he was just a little unfamiliar with it. 07 The first month after the breakup, I lived more peacefully than I imagined.