Chapter 4 — Pride And Scholarship

Two weeks after the admission date, Royal School organizes the first survey test of the year. The results will be used to select classes and serve as a basis for assessing student abilities throughout the semester. This is also the exam in which Bao Tran is always proud to maintain the leading position in the class for three consecutive years.

Hoai An spends all her rare free time reviewing, taking advantage of every minute between tutoring sessions and helping with sales. She clearly understands that this is an opportunity to prove that she is worthy of the scholarship she has won, not only to the school but also to herself.

“Have you studied carefully?” Minh Khoi asked, during break time before the exam, he saw Hoai An still engrossed in a stack of review outlines.

"Probably okay," Hoai An replied, not taking his eyes off the page, "but I'm still a bit worried about the Physics part, the program here seems much more difficult than my old school."

“Let me help you review that part,” Minh Khoi suggested, “I'm studying this part quite well, we can review it together during lunch break.”

Hoai An nodded in agreement, grateful for his tablemate's enthusiasm. During the lunch break that day, the two of them sat together to review, Minh Khoi patiently explained each formula, each type of difficult problem that Hoai An was still having trouble with, without showing any signs of discomfort or disdain even though sometimes he had to explain it over and over again.

On exam day, the atmosphere in the exam room is tense and serious. Hoai An concentrates hard, carefully solving each question, not letting himself be distracted by any pressure around him. Bao Tran, sitting a few tables away, also showed her familiar confident demeanor, her handwriting was written quickly and decisively on the exam paper.

A week later, the exam results were announced on the school bulletin board. Students rushed out to watch, the sound of chatter echoed throughout the hallway. Hoai An pushed her way through the crowd, her heart pounding as she searched for her name on the list.

When her eyes stopped at the first place in the rankings, she couldn't believe what she was seeing — "1. Nguyen Hoai An — 9.8 average score." Right below, in second place, is the name "Le Bao Tran — 9.6 points".

“You're number one in the grade!” Lan Phuong exclaimed, hugging Hoai An, her voice full of excitement, "I knew you could do it!"

Hoai An stood silently in front of the notice board, with indescribable emotions - both proud of the results worthy of the effort, and nervous at the possible reaction from Bao Tran, who for the first time during her three years studying at Hoang Gia had to accept second place.

As expected, Bao Tran appeared soon after, weaving through the crowd to confirm the results with her own eyes. Her face flashed with an expression of severe shock when she saw her name standing under Hoai An, before quickly regaining her composure, even though her hands were clenched so tightly that her knuckles turned white.

“Congratulations,” Bao Tran said, her voice trying to remain polite but unable to hide the stiffness, “it seems the scholarship student isn't as bad as I thought.”

“Thank you,” Hoai An replied, trying to maintain a humble attitude, not wanting to add more tension to an already sensitive situation, “I think you also did very well, I'm just a little luckier this time.”

“No need to be polite,” Bao Tran replied, her voice cold, “scores are scores, there is no luck here.” Having said that, Ms He turned and walked away, still looking proud but his steps were a bit more hurried than usual, as if trying to hide the hurt welling up inside.

Hoai An looked at that back, a complicated feeling arose in her heart - not necessarily gloating over the victory, but a vague sympathy for Bao Tran's reaction, although she was well aware that this result could make the already tense relationship between the two worse in the near future.

At noon, when news of the exam results spread throughout the school, many students came to congratulate Hoai An, while others whispered about Bao Tran's reaction. Minh Khoi, after hearing the news, immediately ran to Hoai An with a bright smile.

“I told you, you can definitely do it,” he said, his voice full of pride, “ranked first in the grade in the first exam, so excellent.”

“Thank you for helping me review,” Hoai An replied, smiling, “If it weren't for you re-teaching the difficult Physics sections, I probably wouldn't have gotten such a high score.”

"Don't be too modest," Minh Khoi smiled, "the effort is yours, I just gave a little support. You deserve to be proud of this achievement."

Lan Phuong, standing nearby, could not hide her worry mixed with joy. "I'm really happy for you," she said, "but I'm also a little worried, I don't know how Bao Tran will react after this. He's never had to stand behind anyone for three years in a row, so it will probably be very difficult to accept."

"I think so too," Hoai An nodded, his expression becoming pensive, "but I can't deliberately study poorly because I'm afraid of his reaction. I can only try to behave properly and respectfully, hoping everything will be okay."

In the afternoon, when she returned home, Hoai An excitedly showed her mother about her excellent exam results. After hearing this, Ms. Hanh hugged her daughter, tears of pride rolling down her cheeks.

“I know you can do it,” she said, her voice trembling with emotion, “you are very good like your father, in the past your father was always at the top of the class throughout his school years.”

Hoai An smiled, clearly feeling complete happiness when seeing the proud smile on her mother's face, although in her heart there was still a vague worry about what might happen next to Bao Tran, whom she had a feeling would not easily accept this defeat.

At the same time, in the luxurious villa, Bao Tran slammed the door behind her and threw her schoolbag on the bed in uncontrollable anger. She stood in front of the mirror, staring at her reflection, trying to figure out why she let a scholarship student pass her by.

Her phone vibrated, it was a call from her mother. "I heard about the exam results," Mrs. Kim Ngan's voice rang out over the phone, cold and full of disappointment, "you ranked second? For three consecutive years you ranked first, why did you lose that position this time?"

“I'm sorry mom,” Bao Tran replied, her voice trying to stay calm even though her heart was boiling, “I will try harder in the next exam.”

"I don't need an apology," Mrs. Kim Ngan said, her voice even more stern, "I need results. You are the daughter of the chairman of the corporation that owns that school, you have no right to let yourself be inferior to anyone, especially a scholarship student who doesn't pay a penny of tuition."

The call ended, leaving Bao Tran standing there with a rising sense of resentment. She understands Clearly, for her mother, academic achievement is not simply about grades, but also the honor of the entire family, proof that her only daughter is worthy of inheriting the entire inheritance in the future.

She sat down on the bed, looking out the large window of her room, where she could see the entire city sparkling with lights at night. Despite possessing all the material things can bring, Bao Tran still feels an indescribable lonely void, and now, that void is even deeper under the pressure to regain the number one position at all costs, even when having to confront head-on with the girl she has begun to care about in a not-so-positive way.

She remembered her childhood years, when her parents were still together, every time she brought home an excellent report card, her father would hug her and praise her endlessly. But since the day Dad left, leaving Mom alone to carry the entire group, those compliments were gradually replaced by cold expectations, numbers, and ranking positions that must always be at the top.

Bao Tran opened her desk drawer and took out an old photo of her family of three when she was young, everyone's faces beaming with happiness. She looked at the photo for a long time, a tear rolled down without even realizing it, before hastily wiping it away, putting the photo back in the drawer, telling herself not to be weak.

“I have to get that position back,” she muttered to herself, stood up, took out her books and prepared to study more thoroughly for the next exam, trying to put all the complicated emotions swirling inside into her determination to prove herself, even though she wasn't completely sure, whether she was trying for herself, or just to satisfy the cold expectations of a mother who was always busier with work than with her own daughter.