Chapter 2 — I Wrote My Name In Jinghua

Someone brought a red string. They hung my student card around my neck. The hard plastic part rubbed painfully against the collarbone. Just like a sign of humiliation. It's lunch time. I carried the tray of food and walked past the window to hand out meals. The waitress saw the words on the student card and immediately withdrew her spoon.

“The Chu family told me.”

“The kind of student who spreads rumors like you doesn't deserve an allowance.”

I held the empty tray and stood there. The person behind kept urging me to get out of the way. There was only a girl wearing black-rimmed glasses sitting in the corner of the room, quietly stuffing half a Mantau cake into my pocket. She said in a low voice:

“My name is Diep Tri Thu.”

“The car under the dorm last night… I wrote down the license plate number.”

It was Diep Tri Thu's words that helped me endure the third day. I took advantage of my lunch break to go to the school's computer room. Want to post transcripts, admission list and license plate numbers online. The computer just started up. The door of the room was kicked open from the outside. Chu Thien Thien walked in wearing brand new leather shoes. Behind is Cao Yen and two guards. She saw the website on the screen and laughed.

“It seems like you really want to die.”

I held the computer mouse tightly.

“You stole my admission, aren't you afraid of being investigated?”

Chu Thien Thien threw the admission notice on the table. Bright red cover. Jinghua University of Medicine. Clinician system for 8 years. The photo inside is her. But the registration number... is mine.

“What is there to fear?”

“In the system now, that person is me.”

“Do you think with just a screenshot… you can overcome my father's twenty years of relationships?”

She leaned closer, her voice lowered.

“I attended Kinh Hoa's new student welcoming ceremony.”

“The principal praised me for being calm.”

“The professor said I have talent.”

“Jiang Kien Nguyet…”

“The moment she was closest to Kinh Hoa in this life…”

“That was when you saw me holding the admission notice that belonged to you.”

I immediately reached out and grabbed the newspaper. Two security guards held my shoulders tightly, forcing half of my face down onto the keyboard. The screen jumps around a string of characters. Chu Thien Thien took out her phone to record a video.

“Tell me you're jealous of me.”

“Tell me you faked your grades to get attention.”

“I didn't say.”

Cao Yen grabbed my hair and slammed my forehead into the corner of the table.

“Speak or not?”

At that moment, Diep Tri Thu rushed in from outside the door.

“Stop fighting!”

“The camera is rolling!”

Chu Thien Thien turned her head to look at the corner of the wall. Luong Mai took the key and walked in. Right in front of us, she coldly pulled down the surveillance camera cable.

“The school's equipment is old.”

“The computer room is doing camera maintenance today.”

Chu Thien Thien laughed with satisfaction. She kicked the old iron box towards my feet. Inside were only two half-wet letters from home.

“The last leaf… I'll keep it for you.”

“Wait until you learn how to bow, I will consider returning it.”

I started collecting evidence. Diep Tri Thu helped me find the cache data a few seconds before the computer room camera was disconnected. The image is very short. Only Chu Thien Thien's shoes were filmed... and the keys in Luong Mai's hand. When the cafeteria waitress refused to give me food, I used an old phone I borrowed to record the words:

“The Chu family has already told you.”

In the dormitory, every day Cao Yen forced me to wear my student ID card to clean the house toilet. Every insult I wrote down in my notebook. If there is no recording, record the time. If there is no video, please write the location. I will write down everyone who is present. On the evening of Wednesday, Luong Mai called me into the office. Chu Hoai Dan was also there. He looked at the notebook spread on the table, his tone as if he was teaching a child who did not understand something.

“Jiang Kien Nguyet.”

“If your parents were still alive… they probably wouldn't want to see you forcing yourself into this.”

I looked straight at him.

“You don't deserve to mention them.”

The smile on Chu Hoai Dan's face immediately disappeared.

“I have investigated.”

“My dad is a lifeguard.”

“My mother is a doctor at the district hospital.”

“The older brother is an ordinary border guard.”

“They're all dead.”

"The certificate of martyrs' relatives in my hand... in this district can still be exchanged for a few words of pity."

“But to me, it's not worth a penny.”

He pushed a transfer confirmation form in front of me.

“Sign it.”

“Admitted to voluntarily giving up admission to Jinghua Medical University.”

“Thanh Nguyen's side will arrange a scholarship for you.”

“Don't cause trouble in the future, life is still easy.”

“I didn't sign.”

Chu Hoai Dan picked up the pen on the table and slowly opened the lid.

“Then your uncle's fruit stall...don't sell it tomorrow either.”

“My cousin is taking the transfer exam this year.”

“His records must also pass through my hands.”

“You should think about your family members.”

That sentence is heavier than a slap. My aunt and uncle raised me for ten years. Her mouth is tough but her heart is very soft. Every day my cousin saves eggs for me to eat. They have never done anything wrong to me. I picked up the pen. Just as the tip of the pen touched the paper— The office door was pushed open. Diep Tri Thu stood outside the door, his face pale, holding a stack of printer paper in his hand.

“Jiang Kien Nguyet, don't sign!”

“Your fruit stand was destroyed!”

“He told me to tell you… don't admit defeat!”

When I ran to the market, his fruit stall was left full of crushed peach soil. My aunt sat on the ground. The apron was covered in juice. My cousin squatted next to me and picked up the apples that were still edible. The back of his hand was cut by broken glass until it bled. Several people wearing uniforms stood in front of the stall, saying the business license was incomplete and demanding a fine of 20,000 yuan. Mr. Vuong Kien Binh pulled me behind him.

“Kien Nguyet, don't be afraid.”

“If you lose your stall, you can still find another job.”

“But your education… cannot be lost.”