Chapter 5 — I Am My Own Light

16 In high school, Kieu Nhat and Kieu Nhien and I still went to the same school. But not in the same class. The two of them study in a special class, and I... study in a regular class. Why? Because during the high school entrance exam, I had a high fever. During the Math exam, my mind was foggy, I fell asleep in the exam room, and when I woke up... there were exactly ten minutes left. High fever + stress + brain running at full capacity caused the CPU to almost burn. I glanced at the question and immediately came up with the answer. It's okay to fill out questions quickly, but the essay... sorry, I don't have eight hands to present it step by step. So I skipped the solution steps, only writing the final answer. Result – loss of nearly half of Math points. Even though the scores in other subjects are very high, the total score still exceeds the admission level of this school, but is not enough to get into the selected class. That to me… is no big deal. High school is just a stepping stone for the future. In my previous life, I didn't even finish 10th grade and went to college. But in my memory, high school should be a time of enthusiasm, innocence, filled with youth, where everyone strives for their dreams. Before I was cornered into the bathroom by a group of female students, I was exactly thinking that. So what is the situation now? I hadn't reacted yet, they were already surrounding me, their demeanor wasn't like they were asking to talk, but like they were preparing to form an array to deal with someone. I remained calm, my voice gentle: "What are you looking for me for?" A girl wearing an earring glanced at me with hatred, then turned to the head girl who had a very standard appearance: "Miss Linh, that's right! This shameless girl dares to seduce Mr. Kieu Nhat!" Another kid also pointed at me and joined in: "I saw it with my own eyes! At the basketball court, Kieu Nhat - who doesn't look at anyone other than his own sister - actually accepted a bottle of water from this girl's hand!" "It even dared to pull his hand! But he didn't push it away!" … The girl called "Sister Linh" - I realized, was my classmate - named Lam Thi So. The name is gentle, but the eyes are full of jealous fire. After listening to what her juniors said, she coldly sneered: "Kieu Nguyet, don't think that your last name is Kieu and that Kieu Nhat will accept you!" I: "???" Me: “…” I finally understood— These guys thought I was a rival?! Kieu Nhat is my younger brother, oh my god!! What can I have with it?! I just want to live modestly and not reveal my true identity - is that not okay?! I neither confirm nor deny. Seeing that this group had no intention of "talking nicely", my voice turned cold: "How are Kieu Nhat and I doing? What does this have to do with you guys?" Lam Thi So glanced at me contemptuously, raised her hand, and spat out a venomous line from her mouth: "Take off his clothes and take a picture." "Kieu Nguyet has such a flirtatious face, why don't you press her head into the toilet and wash it off to stop seducing guys!" Another child chuckled, full of malice: "Use a dirty broom and scrub his hungry body clean!" … I quietly, expressionless, listened to their cruel "suggestions". Really? Is this school bullying? But… Do they know? From childhood to adulthood, I only "unilaterally assaulted others". Five minutes later. The toilet is ruined. I smiled gently, but my movements were cruel creepy. Press the toilet flush button - water rushes down, then I grab her head and say "push my face into the toilet to wash it off" and slam it straight into the toilet! My voice was gentle, almost whispering: "Dare to bully me? Didn't you investigate carefully what kind of person I am?" The girl trembled, her whole body went cold: "I was wrong... huh huh huh... gurgling gurgling—" I suddenly thought of something and laughed softly: "Do you know how many thugs dared to blackmail me last time, how many ribs I broke, and how many days I stayed in the hospital?" I tugged on his hair and pulled his head up. His eyes looked at me full of terror, his face was wet with water - not sure if it was tears or toilet water. Her hair was matted, sticking to her cheeks, pitifully disheveled. He sobbed and begged: "Forgive me... I know it's wrong..." I let go with a disgusted look on my face. Lam Thi So was thrown hard by me and fell to the ground. Her forehead hit the edge of the sink, causing blood to leak out. She screamed: "My father is the school supervisor! He will not forgive you!" I still laughed: "Oh, let's play the card "whose father is bigger"? Okay. My father - Kieu Tuan. My younger brother - Kieu Nhat. My younger sister - Kieu Nhien." Now it's okay to let them know my identity. I saw her eyes widened in horror, her expression panicked in disbelief: "No way! I've never heard that Mr. Yi has an older sister..." As for Kieu Tuan - that's a class that she will never be able to reach in her entire life. I took out a clean piece of paper from my pocket and slowly wiped my hands. "Believe it or not is up to you. I sincerely advise you to carefully investigate my family background and then consider finding out." 17 After that incident, the next few days were unusually quiet. Only the eyes of that group of girls, every time I looked at them, I brought with me unconscious fear. Thieves are truly the kind of people who can't stand threats. 18 The girls haven't come looking for me to cause trouble again, but my biological father has already arrived. I raised my eyebrows: "General Director Kieu, you already know this time? And I didn't ask the teacher to invite you over for tea." Kieu Tuan looked at me - no matter how old he was, he still didn't look decent enough. His forehead vein twitched: "Kieu Nguyet!" I lazily replied: "Present." He was so angry that he trembled: "Sometimes... I really hope you can be a little like your mother - stabbing people in the back, pretending to be pitiful, playing tricks and tricks, leading a group of people around like a pinwheel." I was surprised: "Huh, don't you hate me the most like my mother?" Kieu Tuan: “I'm tired.” I: "???" His whole body - from his body to his eyes - exuded fatigue and helplessness: "Your mother always did everything cleanly, leaving no trace behind. What about you - every time you left your tail for me to catch, leaving the consequences for me to clean up. I cleaned up to the point of paralysis, you know?! Do you think that the matter of you beating a classmate is over? Isn't it because I went to talk to the principal to put this matter down? Otherwise, now you will be labeled a "school bully" born!” I calmly replied: "It's obvious that they caused trouble first." "I know. But in the eyes of outsiders, you are unharmed, while others have a bruised face - so you look more like a bully than a victim!" I shrugged and smiled indifferently: "Thanks. But I'm exactly anti-bullying." Kieu Tuan was silent. He was truly speechless. 19 On the day I turned 18 years old. Kieu Tuan gave it Give me a file. I didn't understand anything, so I opened it - my pupils immediately shrank. That's 13% of Kieu Thi Group's shares! “General Director Kieu,” I closed the document and looked at him with suspicion: “Are you going to transfer these shares to me?” My background, to put it bluntly, is not glorious at all. Kieu Nhat and Kieu Nhien are the heirs to the righteous name. I have never craved power either. Even though I live a bit of a "indulgent" life in this life, what I'm really interested in is still academic research. If I didn't really love it, in my previous life I wouldn't have studied so hard that I would involve myself in stories like this. Kieu Thi's shares, to me, are not attractive at all. “They agree?” I asked. Kieu Tuan's voice was not very good: "But what else?" I paused, my eyes slightly complicated. Regarding share ownership, of course Kieu Tuan is the decision maker. As for him, I can't say I love him or hate him enough. From childhood to adulthood, he has never stopped making fun of me, and I have never stopped, and every time I snap back, it makes him so angry that he turns purple in the face. But — that's because I have an adult soul. What if I'm really just a five year old? Abandoned by biological mother, hated by biological father. In a world full of malice, what will that weak and lonely girl grow up to be? I don't dare to imagine. Even though he now gave me an extremely important share, deep inside I was still coldly calm. Before I was a teenager, he was only a "guardian" as required by law. That's all. And now that I'm an adult — that status is no longer valid. 20 So I refused. 21 Kieu Tuan's eyes were calm, as if he had predicted this outcome. I said lightly: "You never liked me, there's no need to force yourself." Kieu Tuan did not object: "But after all, you are my daughter." I chuckled softly: "It's just a bad fate. General Manager Kieu doesn't need to worry about it." The type of episode "many years later, the father woke up, hugged his child and sobbed, regretting treating his daughter badly"... absolutely could not happen to Kieu Tuan. He is the male lead, arrogant, elite, the darling of fate. Just because of a moment of carelessness, my mother plotted against me. Later, he had a messy relationship with the female lead, including many times when my mother intervened and sabotaged it. He truly loves the female lead. Pampering Kieu Nhat and Kieu Nhien is also sincere. So… He doesn't like me — it's true. He was cold towards me — it was true. He hates me — it's true. All these years have passed and nothing has changed. Even though I am as excellent as Kieu Nhat and Kieu Nhien. I also never had any father-son relationship with him. We... are two familiar strangers, standing at two ends of the thread of fate, destined to forever be just the most familiar strangers for the rest of our lives. 22 Knowing that I refused to accept Kieu Tuan's shares, Kieu Nhat and Kieu Nhien were not surprised. The relationship between the three of us is still the same as before – close, natural, without ties of interest or blood. After smoothly entering university, Kieu Nhat and Kieu Nhien both found their own lovers. Like the main characters in the story, they always meet the other half worthy of being "another main character". I'm really happy for them. 23 As for me, I am still alone. During that time, there were many excellent guys pursuing me, but I politely refused. I am passionate about the things I love, immersed in academic research. There are no relatives nearby. No lover by my side. But I still live very well. One day, when I was relaxing reading a magazine, my eyes suddenly stopped at a line: "I was born to make myself happy, not to live for the constraints of others." That's right. Life is only a few short decades, don't live in the judgmental gaze of others, and don't confine yourself to meaningless whispers. We are independent individuals. We are shining stars. We must live for ourselves. — Complete text —