Chapter 9 — Journey of Love

Studying alongside Minh Xuyen yielded remarkably clear improvements; by the midterm examinations, I still secured the top rank in our entire grade. It was Literature that truly rescued me; while my grades in other subjects hovered barely above passing, Literature made me stand out brilliantly. Dinh Chu, sporting his flashy dyed-blonde hair, sneered at us. Minh Xuyen, you are rather mediocre, aren't you? Your score isn't even higher than my little sister's. Minh Xuyen cast a cool, indifferent glance in his direction. You barely scraped past four hundred points, so what on earth are you feeling so smug about? I climbed nearly a hundred places in the rankings, whereas you are simply standing still, Dinh Chu retorted. Alright, that is quite enough, gather around and listen to the lecture, I interrupted, stepping between them. Dinh Chu, if you make such basic mistakes on your questions the next time around, do not dare admit outside these doors that I was the one who taught you. It is utterly mortifying.

Throughout the remainder of our final year, whispers and gossip occasionally drifted to our ears, such as Tuyet coming to seek apologies from my brother. On one occasion, while Minh Xuyen and I stood by the balcony conversing, we glanced down and spotted a young man and woman locked in a tug-of-war. Both figures were painfully familiar. That blonde-haired nuisance was simply too conspicuous not to recognize. Minh Xuyen followed my gaze and remarked, Your brother certainly enjoys quite a flourishing romantic fate. I threw him a sidelong glance. You are mistaken. That is your own romantic entanglement. Question mark. We are not acquainted. Ellipses. Minh Xuyen possessed an exceptional memory; how could he possibly fail to recognize a classmate? He was clearly feigning ignorance on purpose.

Later on, my mother finally wrapped up her affairs and returned to reunite with her biological son. Although they had crossed paths briefly before, her demanding schedule had left her no time to properly delve into the past decade of my brother's life. Mother and son met again amidst streaming tears. Following that emotional reunion, they promptly joined forces to disparage their shared former husband and birth father. My mother even showered Dinh Chu's dyed hair with compliments, calling it extraordinarily handsome. Dinh Chu beamed, declaring, I knew it. There are still people out there who appreciate my refined aesthetic. Ellipses. My mother, you see, used to dress me in gigantic, brightly patterned floral padded jackets when I was little, insisting it looked stunning. That particular brand of aesthetics was evidently hereditary.

As for why the relationship between Dinh Chu and his biological father remained so fractured, it was the bitter residue of past grievances. Back when he was a child, the man had been entirely consumed by his career, leaving my brother in the care of a nanny. That nanny harbored ulterior motives and desired to seduce the master of the house, so she deliberately mistreated my brother and made him fall ill, attempting to force the head of the household to return home more often. My brother raised a tremendous uproar, but at the time, my father foolishly assumed the boy was merely terrified of him taking a new wife and was acting out on purpose. By the time they finally uncovered the nanny's misdeeds, dismissed her, and dragged her through the courts, it was already far too late. An unbridgeable chasm had formed between father and son.

Over the years, both of my parents had dated occasionally, yet neither ever remarried. The primary reason for this hesitation was always their children. The complications of the adult world had nothing to do with me. Whether Dinh Chu chose to reconcile with his biological father was entirely his own affair. However, failing to secure admission into a respectable university upon graduation—that, undeniably, became my responsibility. To be frank, the old man mentioned that if I cannot test into a proper university, he will simply pack me off to study abroad, Dinh Chu remarked, though his tone betrayed absolute apathy. I maintained a completely expressionless face. Even going overseas requires taking the IELTS or TOEFL examinations. Have you even opened an English textbook? Ellipses. Dinh Chu looked at me with a gaze that suggested he might still be redeemable.

There were times later on when I arrived late for evening self-study and caught Minh Xuyen patiently explaining complex problems to Dinh Chu, a sight that invariably stirred a quiet warmth within my chest. I once asked Minh Xuyen about the animosity that had originally existed between him and Dinh Chu. Minh Xuyen fell silent for a moment before explaining that during their first year of high school, they had shared a classroom. At the time, Minh Xuyen served as the student prefect on duty, tasked with recording the names of latecomers who violated school regulations at the main gate. He had never once spared Dinh Chu from the list, which naturally earned him a permanent grudge. To make matters worse, a complication arose later regarding the young woman he fancied developing a romantic interest in his rival instead. The head teacher of the eighth class even wandered over to gossip with our homeroom teacher, beaming with undisguised delight as he recounted the miraculous turnaround of the former school delinquent in his class.

Throughout the final academic year, Minh Xuyen and I fought tooth and nail for the coveted top spot in the grade. Whenever I won, it was by the slimmest of margins; whenever I lost, it was by a mere hair. Meanwhile, Dinh Chu demonstrated steady, undeniable academic progress. As word spread that the three of us occupied a designated empty study room every evening and throughout the weekends, other students gradually began to trickle in, occasionally stopping by to ask questions. That quiet study room eventually transformed into a lively, bustling hub. To my absolute astonishment, Dinh Chu made a clean, permanent break with Tuyet, going so far as to sever all communication channels with her. Tuyet appeared thoroughly demoralized, her academic performance fluctuating wildly. As for Dinh Chu, he climbed from a meager three-hundred-plus score all the way into the four hundreds, and by the second semester of our senior year, he had comfortably surpassed the five-hundred mark. Motivated by his studies, he successfully shed his atrocious habits of playing truant and arriving tardy. I was moved to tears of profound relief. Perhaps I might consider pursuing a career in education down the line and establishing a private tutoring enterprise.

When the Lunar New Year arrived, Dinh Chu dramatically altered his hair color yet again, transforming his blonde locks into a blazing, brilliant shade of green. It was blindingly eye-catching. Naturally, he was promptly dragged into the disciplinary master's office for a thorough dressing-down, though it proved entirely ineffective. My father transferred a substantial sum of money into my account, designating it as discretionary allowance. The moment I mentioned this to Dinh Chu, he let out a cold, cynical laugh. That is certainly a generous amount. He undoubtedly lumped my share in with yours, expecting me to beg my younger sister whenever I need spending money. Ellipses. Dinh Chu muttered under his breath, Does he genuinely believe a grown young man like me has no private funds? Does he assume that if he refuses to hand it over, I lack the courage to ask my mother directly? I offered a solution: Shall I split it with you and hand over half as a gift? Dinh Chu eagerly accepted. Take it. He immediately plotted our next move: Here is what we will do. Send a message claiming you have run out of funds and demand the old man wire an additional transfer. Since you just captured the top rank in the grade, he will undoubtedly comply without hesitation. Ellipses.

Minh Xuyen casually inquired about my university aspirations during a rare moment of leisure. Where do you intend to submit your applications? Naturally, I will wait until the official examination scores are released before making a final decision. Before I knew it, June had arrived. Dinh Chu dyed his hair back to a respectable black before heading into the examination halls. Upon seeing him for the first time, I genuinely mistook him for a stranger. Thi Van clicked her tongue in appreciation. Your brother's true handsomeness was truly obscured by that ridiculous hair. Dark hair suits him remarkably well. The two of you actually share a striking resemblance.

The three grueling days of testing vanished in the blink of an eye. I slept soundly at home for a day and a night, waking only to find Dinh Chu already lounging in my living room. He announced, The members of our class organized a celebratory banquet yesterday. After tossing back a few drinks, we grew far too excited and cracked open several bottles of the old man's prized vintage wine. I am hiding out here for a little refuge. Ellipses. He possessed an impressive lack of filial piety.

When summer vacation officially commenced, both sets of parents generously provided travel funds, prompting Dinh Chu, Minh Xuyen, Thi Van, and me to organize a graduation excursion together. Dinh Chu immediately voiced his objections. Bringing along your desk mate is one thing, but why on earth are we dragging that other fellow along? Minh Xuyen retorted smoothly, I used to tutor you in your studies; once a teacher, for a lifetime— Before he could finish the sentence, Dinh Chu lunged at him. Damn you! Do you have a death wish? You honestly think I wouldn't dare strike you? That journey stretched far and wide, echoing with our endless chatter as we traversed the country from south to north, yet it remained wonderfully joyous and profoundly fulfilling.

By the time the day of the score releases arrived, we were still journeying on the road. Thi Van had been jittery with anxiety since the previous evening, so the moment morning broke, our entire group sought out a quiet restaurant to pause our travels, dining nervously while awaiting the results. I simply cannot afford to fail! If I fail to secure admission into any university whatsoever, how on earth am I supposed to continue living? Thi Van pleaded aloud, pressing her palms together in desperate prayer. None of us possessed the appetite to touch our food. Dinh Chu kept his eyes glued to his smartphone screen, letting out a sharp click of his tongue. If I fail, my only remaining option is to pack my bags for overseas study. His thinly veiled boasting caused Thi Van to clench her fists in exasperation.

At last, the official scores materialized on the screen. Thi Van stared fixedly at the digital readout, her hand flying up to cover her gaping mouth. Six hundred and forty-two! I am definitely accepted! Dinh Chu let out a dramatic sigh of feigned nonchalance, drawling, How terribly troublesome, why did I only manage five hundred and seventy-eight— After spending an entire senior year clawing his way up from the three-hundreds to a score of 578, he was still putting on airs. Only the individual scores belonging to Minh Xuyen and me stubbornly refused to load. It was only much later, when our results finally blinked onto the display, that a single cryptic notification greeted our eyes: Currently Withheld.