Chapter 8 — Sassy Boy: Heir to the Underground Family

The first incident that made Dieu Linh start to pay attention was a phone call.

It was a Saturday afternoon when Vinh Bach invited her to watch a movie at the shopping center near the school. They had just bought tickets and were standing in line waiting to buy popcorn when his phone rang. Vinh Bach glanced at the screen, his face immediately changed, from his usual relaxed look to tense in just a split second.

"I'm going out to answer the phone for a bit," he said, his voice was different from usual haste, then quickly walked out of the crowded area, standing behind a large pillar.

Dieu Linh stood waiting, curiously observing from afar. She couldn't clearly hear the content of the call, but she could clearly see that Vinh Bach's expression was gradually becoming serious, his eyebrows were furrowed, and his answers were short and decisive, completely different from his usual way of speaking.

When he turned back, his expression had returned to normal, but Dieu Linh still noticed something a bit forced in the smile he gave her.

"What's up?" she asked, unable to hide her worry.

"Nothing, just family work," Vinh Bach replied, quickly changing the subject. "Let's go to the theater, the movie is about to start."

Dieu Linh did not ask further, but in her heart she began to record small details that she had never paid close attention to before. She recalls that many times Vinh Bach received similar calls - always leaving in a hurry, always returning with a tense expression clumsily hidden behind a forced smile.

A few days later, when the two were walking home after school, Dieu Linh accidentally saw a strange man standing across the street, his eyes following them discreetly but not subtly enough to avoid her attention.

"Vinh Bach, have you seen that man?" she whispered, gently pulling his sleeve.

Vinh Bach glanced in the direction she pointed, and in that moment, Dieu Linh clearly noticed the change in his eyes - from fleeting surprise to high alertness, even though he immediately tried to hide it with a calm expression.

"Probably just a passerby," he replied, but his hand unconsciously grabbed Dieu Linh's hand, pulling her faster in the opposite direction, away from the road where the other man stood.

"You don't seem to believe it," Dieu Linh commented, sensing the tension in the way he held her hand.

"I'm just careful," Vinh Bach replied, trying to keep his voice normal. "This city is not always as safe as you think."

That statement made Dieu Linh even more curious. She began to pay closer attention to the small details around Vinh Bach — how he always chose to sit in a position that could observe the entire space every time they went to a cafe or restaurant, how he always knew about upcoming events in the school before even the administrators, and how even the strictest teachers had to go easy on him without anyone daring to explain the reason clearly.

Besides the phone call and the strange man, Dieu Linh also noticed another strange thing: the way the school teachers treated Vinh Bach. One time, the supervisor caught him skipping class on the rooftop, but instead of making a report like any other student, he just gave a quick reminder and left with a tense and confusing expression. Another time, when Vinh Bach submitted a blank Math test, the subject teacher just quietly recorded the average score without even asking a word, while any other student would have certainly been invited by their parents.

"Have you noticed that no teacher dares to severely punish Vinh Bach?" Dieu Linh asked Khanh Linh one afternoon, when they both sat down to eat at the school cafeteria.

"Yes, everyone in the school knows," Khanh Linh replied, shrugging her shoulders as if it were obvious. "I heard that his parents donated a large amount of money to the school, so the school board respects him so much."

"But he said his father passed away three years ago," Dieu Linh said softly, recalling Vinh Bach's rare confession on the rooftop.

Khanh Linh paused, seemingly surprised by this information. "So who is taking care of sponsoring him if his father is gone?"

Dieu Linh had no answer, just shook her head, the feeling of insecurity in her heart grew bigger and bigger.

"Hey, have you ever noticed that Vinh Bach knows more things than a normal student?" Dieu Linh asked Khanh Linh during recess, when they both sat in a familiar corner of the school yard.

"What do you mean?" Khanh Linh asked, curious.

"I don't know how to describe it," Dieu Linh mused. "It's just that there are times when he reacts to things in a way that a normal high school student shouldn't. It's as if he's used to facing situations that are dangerous, or much more important than studying."

"Is it possible that his family really has a big business?" Khanh Linh hypothesized, her voice full of curiosity. "I heard rumors that he has a terrible relationship behind him."

"Maybe so," Dieu Linh replied, but in her heart she felt that explanation was still not convincing enough. She didn't know exactly what was going on, but her hunch told her that Vinh Bach was hiding something much bigger than an ordinary family secret.

That evening, while preparing to go to bed, Dieu Linh received a text message from Vinh Bach.

"Sorry I seem strange today," the message read. "There are some things I can't share right now, but I promise nothing will affect you."

Dieu Linh looked at the phone screen, her fingers gliding over each word, feeling the sincerity and strange distance hidden in those words. She typed back a short message.

"I trust you. But if anything happens, I hope you'll tell me when you're ready."

A few minutes later, Vinh Bach texted back. "Thank you, Dieu Linh. You're the only person who makes me want to be honest, even though it's a lot harder than I thought."

Reading that message, Dieu Linh felt a mixture of warmth and worry in her heart. She didn't know what the secret Vinh Bach was hiding, but she could feel its weight through his every word and action in recent days.

She put down the phone and lay looking at the ceiling in the dark, her mind reeling with a series of unanswered questions. Who was the man who was following them this afternoon? Why does Vinh Bach react so nervously to mysterious phone calls? And most importantly, should she continue to be with him, when it's clear that something dangerous is hiding behind the person she's gradually falling in love with?

Dieu Linh closed her eyes, trying to dispel those chaotic thoughts. But deep inside, she knew that, no matter what Vinh Bach's secret was, she no longer wanted to turn back. Her feelings for him had gone beyond the control of her mind, and now, she could only hope that, when the truth was finally revealed, it wouldn't be something too bad for her to accept.

Little did she know that, just a few days later, an unexpected event would force them both to directly face the truth that Vinh Bach had always tried to hide, and things would never be the same again.

The next morning, Dieu Linh went to school with dark circles due to lack of sleep. Vinh Bach noticed immediately, his eyes flashed with concern as he watched her sit down at the table.

"Didn't you sleep well?" he asked, his voice softer than usual.

"I'm just thinking too much," Dieu Linh replied, avoiding looking straight into his eyes.

"About yesterday?" Vinh Bach asked, even though he already guessed the answer.

Dieu Linh nodded slightly, unable to hide it anymore. "I can't stop thinking about that man, about how you reacted. I'm scared, Vinh Bach. But I'm scared not because of you, but because I don't know what's going on, and that makes me feel helpless."

Vinh Bach was silent for a long time, his eyes filled with torment. "I'm sorry for making you feel that way," he said softly. "I promise, the truth will be told, I just need to choose the right time to not put you in any more danger."

Dieu Linh looked at him, her eyes still filled with doubt, but also contained a fragile belief that she was not ready to give up. “Okay,” she said. "I will wait."

He gently held her hand under the table, a small gesture but enough to convey comfort that words could not describe. Dieu Linh gently squeezed that hand, and in that moment, they both understood that, even though they didn't know what was waiting ahead, they would still face it together.