Chapter 20 — Pride And Scholarship

The official board meeting took place on a Saturday morning, in the school's large meeting room. Hoai An, although not able to attend directly, still waited for the results in extreme suspense at home, along with Minh Khoi and Lan Phuong, who promised to announce the news as soon as the results were available.

Inside the meeting room, the principal presented all the evidence he had collected about the irregularities in the process of promulgating regulations limiting overtime hours, along with detailed analysis of the negative impact this regulation could have on the school's image of fairness and transparency.

"This regulation," the principal said, his voice ringing with authority before the entire council, "not only lacks a solid basis, but also risks violating the principle of equality in education that our school is always committed to. I recommend that the council officially abolish this regulation."

Ms. Kim Ngan, sitting in the chair position, silently listened to the entire presentation. After a sincere conversation with her daughter the previous night, along with what she had witnessed firsthand about Hoai An's achievements and personality through her Olympic victory, she had completely different thoughts than when she proposed this regulation.

“I would like to speak,” Ms. Kim Ngan said, standing up to the surprise of many council members, who still thought she would resolutely defend her own proposal. "After careful consideration, I realized that the regulation I proposed was somewhat hasty and lacked thorough consideration of each student's specific situation. I agree with the principal's proposal to abolish this regulation."

The entire meeting room was silent for a moment at this unexpected change of stance. A few other members, who supported the regulations out of respect for Ms. Kim Ngan, also quickly changed their opinions, leading to an almost absolute consensus vote for abolishing the regulations.

“So we officially approved the decision to abolish the overtime limit for students receiving scholarships,” the principal announced, his voice unable to hide his relief, “At the same time, I propose to build a more comprehensive support policy for students in difficult circumstances, including expanding the emergency scholarship fund we recently applied.”

As soon as the meeting ended, Lan Phuong, who had an acquaintance with a council member's daughter, quickly received the news and immediately called Hoai An.

“You won!” Lan Phuong shouted excitedly over the phone, "That regulation has been completely abolished, not only that, the school also plans to expand its policy to support disadvantaged students!"

Hoai An stood still for a moment, a feeling of relief filling his body, before tears of happiness began to flow uncontrollably. Minh Khoi, standing next to her, hugged her in mutual joy, the two of them sharing this meaningful moment of victory after many days of tireless struggle.

“It's finally over,” Hoai An said, her voice choked with tears, “I didn't think things could end so well.”

“You deserve this result,” Minh Khoi replied, gently wiping the tears from her cheeks, “because of all the efforts and tenacity that You've been showing off this whole time.”

Right after that, Hoai An's phone vibrated again, this time it was a text message from Bao Tran. "I heard the news, I'm so happy for you. My mother changed her mind, she was the one who spoke out in favor of abolishing that regulation." Attached to the message was a happy emoticon that Bao Tran rarely uses.

Hoai An read the message and couldn't help but be moved by this amazing change. She texted back immediately: "Thank you very much, Bao Tran. I think your frank conversation with your mother contributed greatly to this decision."

"Maybe so," Bao Tran texted back, "but the biggest credit still belongs to you, for proving, with your own ability and personality, that you are completely worthy of what you have."

In the afternoon, the whole group — Hoai An, Minh Khoi, Lan Phuong, Thao Nhi — gathered at a familiar cafe to celebrate this important victory. The atmosphere was bustling with laughter, everyone could not hide their joy at the good results after a long and challenging journey.

“I think,” Lan Phuong said, raising her glass of water, “we should take this as an important lesson, that justice, even if delayed by unjust forces, will still prevail in the end, as long as we are persistent enough and have trustworthy companions.”

The whole group raised their glasses in unison, lightly touching each other amid bustling laughter, marking the complete end of one of the biggest challenges that Hoai An has ever faced since the day he entered this prestigious Royal School.

In the middle of a small party, Thao Nhi, a close friend since middle school, could not hide her emotions when seeing Hoai An so happy. “I'm really happy for you,” she said, her voice warm, “from the day you passed the scholarship, I've been worried about whether you can handle the pressure from the new environment. Now seeing you overcome everything and have such good friends, I feel really reassured."

"Thank you for always being by my side all this time," Hoai An replied, holding his best friend's hand tightly, "even though we're not in the same school, you're always the first person I come to when I need to confide in you or need advice."

Minh Khoi, sitting and observing the close friendship between the two, smiled with satisfaction. “I think,” he said, “what makes Hoai An strong is not only his academic talent, but also his ability to build and maintain such sincere, lasting relationships.”

"You're right," Lan Phuong nodded in agreement, "and I believe, it's thanks to those relationships that Hoai An has enough strength to overcome all the storms during the past time."

The party lasted until late afternoon, with laughter, happy stories mixed with memorable memories being reviewed, creating a rare warm and connected atmosphere. Hoai An sat among close friends, clearly feeling that although the journey ahead still had many unknowns, with the companionship of these people, she believed she was strong enough to face any challenges that awaited.

That night, when returning to the hospital to visit her mother, Hoai An brought good news to share. Ms. Hanh, after hearing the whole story, could not hide her tears of happiness. “I know,” she said, her voice trembling with emotion, “as long as you maintain your self-respect and sincerity, all injustice will be righted in the end. prize."

"I also learned a lot from this," Hoai An said, sitting down next to her mother's bed, "I realized that sometimes, the people we think are rivals and enemies can become the most important allies, if we know how to open our hearts and understand instead of just looking at initial prejudices."

Ms. Hanh smiled and gently patted her daughter's head. “That is a valuable lesson,” she said, “not everyone is wise and tolerant enough to realize that at your age. I'm proud that you have grown so much through the recent challenges."

Hoai An put her head on her mother's shoulder, enjoying this rare moment of peace, filled with gratitude for everything she had experienced and achieved. She knows that although the road ahead still has many unpredictable things, with a solid foundation of family love, sincere friendship, and her budding feelings for Minh Khoi, she is ready to welcome any new chapter in her life with a confidence and optimism never before seen.

Before leaving the hospital, the treating doctor called Hoai An back and announced another good news. “With more stable financial support now,” the doctor said, “we can plan a more systematic long-term treatment plan for her mother, including considering the possibility of a kidney transplant in the near future, if a suitable donor is found.”

That news made Hoai An both happy and worried - happy to have more hope for radically improving her mother's health, but also worried about a new treatment journey with many challenges ahead. However, she still feels full of hope, believing that, after everything mother and daughter have overcome together, they will continue to accompany and overcome this new journey with the same resilient spirit that has always been present throughout the years.

That night, before going to bed, Hoai An opened the notebook and wrote a new emotional line: "Today, justice has won. But most importantly, I learned that sometimes, the harshest challenges are opportunities for me to discover friendships and precious values that I never expected." She closed the notebook, fell asleep with a satisfied smile, ready to wait for the next promising chapters of her life story.