Chapter 5 — Return to Eighteen

I walked into my room, mounted the camera in a corner on top of the wardrobe. Fits the desk and the entire bed. Then I took my uniform and school bag again. Having done all this, I looked back at the room I had lived in for eighteen years for the last time. Put the key on the desk, walked out. "Grandma, let's go home." That night, I lay on the small bed my grandmother had arranged for me, and the phone screen lit up. It's a notification from a hidden camera. I pressed it and immediately saw Australia's father and mother enter the room. Uc's father sneered: "This brat actually dares not to come home, but that's good." Uc's father rummaged through the drawer and pulled out that empty registration form. "Just fill in the pedagogical school, let our Nhue Dao replace her in going to school in Bac Dai, she can just stay at the Lac family and be a good wife." "Damn you brat, you made such a fuss today, I lost all face." "Wait until it's time to fill out the application, tell little Tu Hanh to help us submit this form and we've already built the boat." "The cousins have already built the boat." What did your other customer say? Can I exchange points for Nhue Dao?" Uc's mother had an excited look on her face and raised a hand. "Don't worry, it took this much money, everything went smoothly." I stared at the phone, watching my biological father neatly fill in the name of the second-class pedagogical school in his previous life in the first wish section on the form. Looking at the smug expression on this stepmother's face seemed to overflow from the screen. In my eyes is a piece of peace. I just copied the video, then sent it to the Department of Education's mailbox. Then turn off the computer and go to sleep. Early the next morning, I told her one hour and then went out. I have to find a part-time job during the summer. My grandmother is old, and I can't let her shoulder the costs of my future college education. I went to every store in the shopping mall, restaurant, and milk tea shop. Most places say they don't accept summer jobs, or they've already recruited enough people. I walked two streets and saw a coffee shop on the corner with a recruitment sign. Hastily pushed open the door and entered. There weren't many people in the cafe, just enough for me to take a glance and see two people leaning against each other by the window. Lac Tu Hanh and Uc Nhue Dao. I was stunned for a moment and immediately looked away. But Lac Tu Hanh saw me and quickly stood up and walked over. "Nhue Ninh? Where have you been these past two days? Your parents are very worried about you." I raised my head and calmly looked at him. "Get out of the way, I don't need you to ask." Lac Tu Hanh's voice was a bit hasty: "Are you jealous again? Nhue Dao and I just met each other by chance." Uc Nhue Dao's eyes immediately turned red, but she still spoke. "Sister, Mr. Tu Hanh is telling the truth, you're not home, the atmosphere in the house is very quiet..." I glanced at her and said softly: "I'm not your sister." Having finished speaking, I pushed past the two of them, pushed the door open and walked out. It's just that when I went out the door, I silently memorized the phone number of the coffee shop. Passing that street, I dialed the number. The other end of the phone picked up the phone very quickly: "Hello, Thu Da coffee." I pursed my lips: "Hello, I'm a girl who just came out of your shop. I came in just now and wanted to apply for a part-time job during the summer." The other end of the line was silent for a moment, then answered. "Okay, tomorrow morning at 9 a.m. I'll come to the shop to work, a hundred a day, including lunch." I immediately breathed a sigh of relief: "Thank you, I will definitely arrive on time tomorrow morning." In the following days, I left early every day and returned late. I was originally worried that I would encounter Lac Tu Hanh, but luckily I didn't see him again. I really like my current life. Sometimes I will remember that camera, remember the wish form that Australia's father filled out. There will still be pain in my heart, but no more pain

like before. Time passes day by day, and in the blink of an eye, the day of examination has arrived. I sat in the corner of the coffee shop, holding the phone in my hand. These days, the staff in the restaurant also know that I am a student who has just finished university exams, and they all surround me nervously. Looking at their concerned eyes, my hands felt a bit cold, but my heart felt strangely warm. I was about to open the makeup page when my phone suddenly vibrated. It's messages in the class group, one message after another, basically unstoppable. I clicked on it, seeing the entire screen filled with exclamation points and shocked expression stickers. I scrolled to the first message, my heart suddenly skipped a beat. Teacher Vuong: [Special good news! Our classmate Uc Nhue Ninh, with an achievement of 725 points, was honored to become the valedictorian of the natural science class in the whole province!] I stared at the phone screen, that line danced in front of my eyes a few times before settling. 725 points, valedictorian of the natural division in the whole province. The staff in the cafe burst into cheers, some clapped, some shouted. The store manager rushed out from behind the bar and stuffed a hot cup of Latte into my hand. “Free! Valedictorian gets free!” I hugged the cup, my fingertips still cold. I remember in my previous life, when Duc Nhue Dao met everyone, Duc Nhue Dao scored 725 points.