Chapter 7 — I Shall Never Set Foot in Nam Thanh Again

I continued, "It just so happens that there are a few things that need to be clarified, and now is as good a time as any." The smile on Aunt Chu’s face froze completely.

"What things?"

I did not answer. At that exact moment, my phone chimed. It was a message from Qin Tu Bai. "Did you say something to my mother? She just called to yell at me, claiming that you only moved to the capital because of Meng Xia." "Nguyen Thanh Chi, do you really have to blow everything out of proportion to be satisfied?" Looking at the screen, I suddenly felt a profound sense of indifference. It was clear that the photos of Meng Xia were not taken by me. I had not made any phone calls. The choice to relocate had been entirely my own. Yet, in his narrative, everything I did was distorted into me causing trouble. I held the screen out for Aunt Chu to see. As she registered the content of the message, her expression shifted.

"That brat!"

She immediately moved to call Qin Tu Bai, but I caught her hand.

"There is no need for that."

Aunt Chu faltered, bewildered. I pulled my phone back.

"Aunt Chu, Qin Tu Bai is an adult now. Who he chooses to defend is his own prerogative."

Just as it is my prerogative to no longer protect him. Aunt Chu stared at me, a flicker of confusion finally surfacing in her eyes. Perhaps she was finally beginning to realize that I was not playing some game of emotional withdrawal to gain his attention, nor was I acting out of jealousy. I was genuinely, irrevocably planning to leave. As she prepared to depart, she left a box of cherries on the coffee table.

"Thanh Chi, when it comes to the university entrance banquet, please don't act on impulse."

I nodded.

"I won't be impulsive."

I was simply being extraordinarily clear-headed. Once Aunt Chu had left and my father had closed the door, he looked at the cherries and sighed.

"Shall I throw them away?"

I shook my head.

"No need."

I picked up my phone and opened my notes application. Three items were already saved there: a screenshot confirming my enrollment at the Foreign Languages University in the capital; the photos and messages from Meng Xia; and the chat logs where Qin Tu Bai had requested I review his documents. Only one thing was missing: proof of Qin Tu Bai’s recurring injury. If I remembered correctly, Meng Xia would soon be unable to resist tampering with my father’s rehabilitation plans. And my father’s email account kept a detailed history of access.

At 11:17 PM, the computer in my father’s study suddenly displayed a login notification from an unrecognized device in a different location. The device was identified as Qin Tu Bai’s phone. I stared at the screen, a faint smile touching my lips. The bait had been taken.

I did not immediately block the login, and neither did my father. He simply swiveled the monitor toward me. The email system displayed the evidence in stark clarity: Device logged in: Qin Tu Bai’s phone. Location: Near the City Sports Training Center. Time: 11:17 PM. File downloaded: "Proposal for Right Leg Muscle Rehabilitation for Sprinters – First Draft." Number of downloads: 3.

In my previous life, I had never checked any of this. Or rather, it had never once crossed my mind to do so. Back then, all I knew was that Qin Tu Bai’s old injury had flared up. He had looked deathly pale, his forehead beaded with cold sweat. Aunt Chu had wept as she begged my father for help. I had been so frantic that I couldn't even put my coat on properly, rushing with my father to the training facility. Later, as Qin Tu Bai lay on the physiotherapy table, Meng Xia stood nearby, her eyes red. She had claimed, "It’s all my fault. I shouldn't have encouraged him to train so hard." And Qin Tu Bai had defended her immediately.

"It has nothing to do with her. It was my own decision to try and recover faster."

Back then, I was so blinded by the agony of seeing him in pain that I never questioned the situation. I didn't ask how Meng Xia had come to know about the intensified training schedule. I certainly didn't ask who had given her the rehabilitation plan she had mentioned. Thinking back on it now, I realized that my defeat in that previous life had been anything but undeserved.