Chapter 19 — Sassy Boy: Heir to the Underground Family

The annual festival of Le Quy Don school takes place on an evening at the end of the month, when the school yard is brightly decorated with hundreds of paper lanterns, game booths, and a large stage set up in the middle of the yard to organize musical performances. This is the most anticipated event of the school year, attracting not only students but also parents and people around the area to attend.

For Dieu Linh and Vinh Bach, this should have been an evening to temporarily forget all the tensions of the underworld and simply enjoy the simple moments of students together. But Lam Chinh Dao, with the acumen of an experienced person, warned Vinh Bach in advance.

"Co Bach Nghi's unusual silence over the past two weeks has worried me," he said as Vinh Bach prepared to leave the villa to go to school. "It's not easy for someone like him to accept two consecutive defeats without responding."

"I have increased security around the school area," Vinh Bach replied. "But I can't cancel the festival or withdraw, that would make everyone suspicious, and I also don't want to deprive Dieu Linh of a normal evening just because of fear."

Just as Lam Chinh Dao feared, right after the festival started for about an hour, Co Duy Khang came to Vinh Bach with a panicked look on his face, pulling him to a hidden corner behind a row of game stalls.

"I need to tell you something," Duy Khang said, his voice shaking but determined. "My uncle, Co Bach Nghi, has had people infiltrate the school since this afternoon, blending in with the crowd under the guise of event staff. They are waiting for the right moment to strike."

Vinh Bach paused, not completely surprised but still stunned by this confirmation. "Why are you telling me this? You've been working for your uncle all this time."

"Because I can't let this continue anymore," Duy Khang replied, his eyes filled with torment. "I've been watching you and Dieu Linh for many months under your orders, but I can't continue to ignore it knowing that tonight, my uncle intends to finish off both of you, right in the middle of this crowded festival. Dieu Linh has always been kind to me, and I don't want to contribute to her being in danger."

"Do you know exactly what his plan is?" Vinh Bach asked immediately, dismissing all other questions to focus on the most important thing right now.

"I don't know all the details, but I know the goal is to capture both you and Dieu Linh, forcing you to publicly abdicate your inheritance of Thanh Phong Hoi in exchange for her safety," Duy Khang said. "My uncle believes that, once forced to choose between power and the person you love, you will choose to give up power, and that is his opportunity to take over everything without a bloody war."

At that moment, Vinh Bach realized, this was exactly the type of situation he had been most afraid of since the first day he realized his feelings for Dieu Linh — a situation where she became a hostage to put pressure on him.

"Thank you for telling me," Vinh Bach said, his voice serious. "But now, I need you to do one more thing for me — show me exactly who in the crowd is from the Dark Gold Order."

Duy Khang nodded, leading Vinh Bach around the festival area while trying not to attract attention, pointing out each suspicious location — a man pretending to be a cleaning staff near the main stage, two others mixed in with the food service team, and at least three more people scattered around the main entrances and exits of the campus.

Vinh Bach quickly contacted Lam Chinh Dao through a hidden headset and conveyed all the information. "We need to deploy our people immediately, but it must be very discreet. Do not reveal it before we clearly determine when Co Bach Nghi intends to attack."

"I have had a plainclothes security team stationed outside the campus since the beginning of the festival," Lam Chinh Dao replied through the headset. "I will move them closer now."

Meanwhile, Dieu Linh, unaware of the dangerous situation that was gradually forming, was standing with Khanh Linh at a ring throwing game booth, laughing and joking like any other normal school festival.

"Where is Vinh Bach?" Khanh Linh asked, looking around searching. "When did he disappear?"

"There must be something wrong," Dieu Linh replied, although inside she also began to feel a vague insecurity when remembering the tense expression that flashed across his face before disappearing.

At that moment, Vinh Bach returned, grabbed Dieu Linh's hand, and pulled her out of the crowd with an undisguised serious expression. "We need to talk now, somewhere else."

"What's up?" Dieu Linh asked, immediately sensing the change in his attitude.

Vinh Bach pulled her to a hidden corner behind the hall area and quickly reported what Duy Khang had just revealed. Dieu Linh's face gradually turned pale when she heard about the plan to target both of them right at this festival.

"So what do we do now?" she asked, her voice shaking but with no intention of running away.

"The safest way is for me to take you out of here immediately," Vinh Bach said. "Uncle Dao has dispatched people, but I don't want to risk your safety."

"No," Dieu Linh replied, her voice suddenly becoming determined. "If I run away now, Co Bach Nghi will still find another way to target me later, and you will always have to live in fear of that. We need to end this right here, once and for all."

"This is not a game, Dieu Linh," Vinh Bach said, his voice filled with worry. "If there's any mistake, you could be in real danger."

"I know," Dieu Linh replied, holding his hand tightly. "But I believe in you, in Uncle Dao, and in myself. We overcame the Khanh Linh rescue together. This time too, we will face it together."

Vinh Bach looked at her for a long time, noticing the unshakable determination in her eyes. In the end, he nodded, accepting to let her participate in the coping plan instead of forcing her to leave safely but full of sadness.

“Okay,” he said. "But you have to do exactly what Uncle Dao and I instruct you to do."

The two quickly contacted Lam Chinh Dao to develop a counterattack plan on the spot, taking advantage that they now knew the identities of the intruders, something that Co Bach Nghi certainly did not know about.

"We have three minutes," Vinh Bach said, his voice urgent. "Uncle Dao, are your men in position yet?"

"In position," Lam Chinh Dao replied through the headset. "But young master, there are more of them than expected. At least eight people, not six as Duy Khang initially reported."

"Then we need to change the plan," Vinh Bach said quickly, his eyes scanning the schoolyard, calculating every distance, every escape route. "Dieu Linh, do you remember the location of the food stall near the east side gate?"

"Remember," she replied, her voice tense but steady.

"That's the gathering point. If anything changes, run straight there, don't look back," Vinh Bach instructed, squeezing her hand one last time before letting go. "Thong Nghia took Khanh Linh and the other students to a safe area behind the gym."

But time is running out. Just a few minutes later, the main stage lights suddenly turned off.

Darkness fell. The music playing suddenly interrupted, then fell silent.

In that brief moment of chaos, the crowd's panicked screams began to echo from the stage. People were pushing each other, not knowing what was going on. The flashlight from the phone flashed across the schoolyard, creating a chaotic, disorienting scene.

Taking advantage of that chaos, two figures rushed straight towards Dieu Linh from two different directions.

Vinh Bach reacted immediately, pushing Dieu Linh behind him, stopping the first person with a decisive blow. But the second person went around and approached Dieu Linh from behind.

"Careful!" she shouted, just in time to dodge aside when the stranger's hand almost touched her shoulder.

At that moment, one of Lam Chinh Dao's plainclothes security guards rushed in, blocking the second attacker, giving Dieu Linh precious seconds to retreat. But across the schoolyard, more silhouettes began to move, and Vinh Bach realized immediately — this was not just a small ambush, but a carefully prepared operation on a much larger scale than Duy Khang had ever known.

Amidst the screams and chaotic flashlights, Trinh Anh Kiet's familiar voice rang out through a handheld speaker, echoing throughout the schoolyard.

"Duong Vinh Bach! If you don't want any more innocent students to get hurt, let us take the girl with us, obediently and quietly!"

Vinh Bach stood in front of Dieu Linh, his heart beating rapidly but his mind still cold as ice. He quickly glanced around the dark schoolyard, counted the number of figures tightening the siege, and estimated the distance to the east side gate. Not enough time to escape. There aren't enough people to fight back head-on.

He only had one choice, and he knew exactly what it was.

"Dieu Linh," he whispered, not taking his eyes off the approaching crowd. "Remember the backup plan we just discussed?"

"Remember," she replied, her voice shaking but determined, her hand quietly pulling the phone out of her pocket, her finger already placed on the only contact number that the two had just agreed on with Lam Chinh Dao just a few minutes ago - a button that could completely change the outcome of the upcoming battle.