Chapter 17 — Return to Eighteen

“Lac Tu Hanh, what are you doing here?” Lac Tu Hanh saw me, immediately smiled, raised the breakfast bag in his hand: “I brought you breakfast.” I leaned against the door frame, not answering. Dung Diec Lam moved aside so I could see Lac Tu Hanh, but had no intention of giving up the door. Lac Tu Hanh's smile stiffened, he took a deep breath, changed to a sincere tone: "Nhue Ninh, I've been thinking about last night all night, can we calm down and talk properly about the future?" "There's nothing to say." My voice was cold, "They're already in there, they deserve to be punished for several years, so they'll continue to be punished." Lac Tu Hanh's face changed slightly: "Nhue Ninh, those are your parents..." "I told you no." I interrupted him, "If you come to be a guest speaker, you can go." Lac Tu Hanh gritted his teeth, his voice softened: "I'm just worried about you, your grandmother is old and weak, what if something happens?" The corner of my mouth curled up: "Lac Tu Hanh, didn't you hear clearly yesterday? Now it's a criminal case, it's not like I can withdraw the case just because I tell you to withdraw it." Lac Tu Hanh's face was embarrassed. He really doesn't know. Last night he was busy taking Uc Nhue Dao to the hospital and didn't have time to listen to the situation. I continued: "Last night the police at the station said, illegal arrest plus suspicion of changing university exam scores, two crimes combined into one for investigation. I am the valedictorian of the entire province's natural science class, this incident has a huge impact, the Provincial Department of Education already knows about it." "Are you going to ask your other aunt? Can she clean up this mess?" Lac Tu Hanh's face turned pale. He opened his mouth, his voice trembling: "But... those are your parents..." "I said they're not!" I got angry and shouted loudly, "My mother died a long time ago, my father also died with my mother that day!" The space was quiet for a few seconds. Lac Tu Hanh stood at the door, the plastic bag in his hand was distorted by him, soy milk spilled out of the straw, dripping onto the floor. He seemed panicked: “Nhue Ninh, give me a chance, let's start again, I won't consider the things before——” “You won't consider?” I suddenly burst out laughing, the smile was only full of mockery. "What position do you have to not calculate? The one who was kidnapped was me, the one who was beaten was me, the one tied to the bed was also me." Each word was like a sharp knife, piercing straight into Lac Tu Hanh's deepest guilt. His face was sometimes red and sometimes white, his lips trembled and he couldn't say a word. Dung Diec Lam stood sideways, covering half of my body. His voice was not loud but clear: "She's finished talking, you can go." Lac Tu Hanh stared at Dung Diec Lam, as if finding a place to vent his anger. The jealousy and resentment in his eyes seemed to be about to overflow. "Uc Nhue Ninh, you choose him?" His voice was hoarse, "Our ten-year relationship, how long have you known him?" I looked at him, my eyes as calm as a puddle of stagnant water. "Knowing you is the thing that makes me regret the most in my life." Lac Tu Hanh's body staggered. At this moment, my phone rang, it was an unfamiliar number. I picked up the phone, and a gentle female voice rang out on the other end of the line: "Hello, are you Uc Nhue Ninh?" "Yes, it's me, just say." "I'm a teacher from the admission office of Peking University. The school has learned about what happened to you. We will resolutely protect your legal rights..." Lac Tu Hanh stood outside the door, listening to me answer the phone. The expression on his face changed from anger to surprise, then from surprise to an indescribable fear and confusion. He suddenly realized that I had stepped out of his world forever. I'm preparing to go to Bac Dai. As for him, he couldn't even cross the threshold to stand next to me. Dung Diec Lam glanced

looked at Lac Tu Hanh and quietly closed the door. The call ended. The living room fell silent for a moment. Dung Diec Lam was still standing in front of the door, the bowl of porridge in his hand was cold. He looked down, smiling a bit shyly: "The porridge is cold, I'll go warm it up again." Looking at his back, a warm feeling that was hard to describe in words welled up in my heart. Meanwhile, outside the door, Lac Tu Hanh still stood rooted to the spot. He stared blankly at the tightly closed door, his hand clutching the distorted plastic bag, soy milk leaking to the ground in a puddle. He opened his mouth, wanting to knock on the door again, but his hand raised midway and then lowered again. Ten years of love. Uc Nhue Ninh said that was the thing she regretted the most. He turned and walked downstairs, his steps heavy. When he reached the end of the alley, the phone vibrated, it was a call from Uc Nhue Dao. "Mr. Tu Hanh..." The voice on the other end of the line was so weak that it was difficult to hear clearly, "Where are you? I'm so uncomfortable..." Lac Tu Hanh tightened his grip on the phone, took a deep breath: "I'll be right there." He hung up, hailed a taxi, and read the hospital address. Outside the window, the slum landscape flashed by quickly. Lac Tu Hanh leaned his head back on the chair, closed his eyes, his mind was filled with the image of Uc Nhue Ninh standing behind Dung Diec Lam. That position should have been his.