Chapter 9 — Sassy Boy: Heir to the Underground Family

The small alley leading from behind Le Quy Don school is often deserted in the late afternoon, when most students have finished school and gone home long ago. Dieu Linh and Vinh Bach chose this path to avoid the noisy crowd at the main gate, a habit they had formed over the past few weeks after staying at school to do group exercises.

But that afternoon, as soon as they turned into the alley, three men in dark clothes suddenly appeared, blocking the path ahead.

"Duong Vinh Bach," one of the three people spoke, his voice cold, without any hesitation. "The boss wants to send you a reminder."

Dieu Linh stood frozen, her heart pounding when she realized the dangerous situation taking place. Before she could react, she felt Vinh Bach pull her behind him, an action so fast and decisive that she didn't have time to understand what was happening.

"Stand behind me," Vinh Bach said, his voice completely changed - no longer the usual lazy, bland tone, but became sharp, terrifyingly cold.

"Who are you? What do you want?" Vinh Bach asked, his eyes quickly scanning the three men, assessing the distance and position of each with surprising proficiency.

“It doesn't matter who we are,” the man in the middle replied, taking a step forward. "As long as you understand, your continuing to stay at this school is not what our boss wants."

Without waiting for any further warning, one of the three men rushed straight towards Vinh Bach. Dieu Linh screamed in panic, but before she could react, Vinh Bach neatly dodged the punch, and at the same time counterattacked with a precise blow to the opponent's wrist, causing the other man to stagger back in pain.

The remaining two people immediately rushed in at the same time, but Vinh Bach handled the situation with a calmness and technique that made Dieu Linh unable to believe her eyes. He dodged and counterattacked, each move was precise and calculated, completely unlike the image of the sassy, lazy male student she knew.

In a few short seconds, all three men were knocked out, lying scattered on the alley's ground, groaning in pain. Vinh Bach stood straight, breathing lightly, his eyes still alertly scanning the area to make sure there were no other dangers.

"Are... are you okay?" Dieu Linh asked, her voice trembling, still in shock at what she had just witnessed.

"I'm fine," Vinh Bach replied, turning back to look at her, his eyes filled with worry rather than pride in what he had just shown. "Are you injured anywhere?"

"No, I'm fine," Dieu Linh replied, but her body was still shaking with fear. "But... Vinh Bach, what did you just do? When did you learn martial arts? And why did someone attack you?"

Vinh Bach was silent for a moment, looking at the three men lying on the ground, then looked back at Dieu Linh with an indescribably complicated expression. "I'll explain later. Now we need to leave here first."

He quickly took out his phone and called a familiar number. "There's a situation in the alley behind Le Quy Don school, we need someone to handle it immediately," he said briefly, his voice returning to a calm, decisive command, making Dieu Linh even more confused by the complete change in his attitude.

Just a few minutes later, a shiny black car appeared at the beginning of the alley, two men in suits got out, quickly handling the situation with three attackers lying on the ground professionally, as if this was not the first time they did this job.

"Master, do you need us to take this girl home safely?" one of the men asked, his voice respectful.

"I will take her home myself," Vinh Bach replied, then turned to Dieu Linh and held her hand. "Let's go, I'll take you home."

On the way home, the two walked in heavy silence. Dieu Linh continuously glanced at Vinh Bach, trying to find an answer in his eyes, but he only looked straight ahead, his face tense as if thinking about something serious.

What is "master"? Who were the men who just showed up to clean up the scene so professionally? And why does Vinh Bach have such skillful fighting ability?

A series of questions swirled in Dieu Linh's mind, but she did not dare to ask them right now, when she clearly felt the tension still covering Vinh Bach.

When approaching Dieu Linh's house, Vinh Bach stopped and turned to look at her with rare serious eyes. "Dieu Linh, I'm sorry you had to witness what just happened. I know you have a lot of questions, and I promise to answer them all, but not now."

"Why not now?" Dieu Linh asked, her voice a bit shaky but still determined.

"Because there are things that, once said, cannot be taken back," Vinh Bach replied, his eyes filled with an inner struggle that Dieu Linh had never seen before. "I need time to think about the right way to tell you, and I need to make sure you're safe before I do that."

"Vinh Bach," Dieu Linh called his name, holding his hand tightly. "Whatever the truth is, I want you to know that I won't be scared or run away just because of a secret. But I need you to trust me enough to share it."

Vinh Bach looked at her for a long moment, his eyes filled with the complexity between the fear of losing her and the desire to be completely honest. "I trust you," he said softly. "Just give me a little more time."

Dieu Linh nodded, even though her heart was still filled with hundreds of worries. She watched Vinh Bach walk away after seeing her off to the gate. His appearance was a bit heavier than usual, as if he was carrying a burden that she could not imagine.

That night, Dieu Linh could not sleep, the image of Vinh Bach defeating three men in the alley kept repeating in her mind. She knew that the peaceful life she was once familiar with can no longer return to the way it was before, and she was facing an important crossroads - either step back to protect her own safety, or continue moving forward with a big secret that she doesn't know if she had the courage to face or not.

At the same time, at the Duong family's villa, Vinh Bach stood in front of Lam Chinh Dao, recounting the entire incident that had just happened in the alley. The old butler listened with an increasingly serious expression.

"Who are those three people?" Lam Chinh Dao asked, his voice sharp.

"Has been processed and taken to the interrogation site," Vinh Bach replied. "But from the way they acted, I was convinced that these were people from the Black Gold Society. They knew exactly who I was, and they deliberately acted right in front of Dieu Linh."

"This is a warning," Lam Chinh Dao commented, his face pensive. "Co Bach Nghi wants you to know that he has discovered your true identity, and he is not afraid to reveal it in front of the people you care about."

"Dieu Linh witnessed everything," Vinh Bach said, his voice heavy with worry. "I can't keep hiding it from her anymore."

"Master," Lam Chinh Dao looked straight at him, his eyes serious. "I understand your feelings for that girl, but you have to consider carefully. Once she knows the truth, she will officially become a part of this world, whether she wants it or not. And this world will never tolerate innocent people."

Vinh Bach clenched his fists, his eyes determined. "I know that well. But I won't let her face danger while completely in the dark about the truth. At least, if she knows, she can protect herself better."

Lam Chinh Dao was silent for a long time, then nodded slightly. "It's up to you to decide. But remember, every choice has its price."

After Lam Chinh Dao left, Vinh Bach stayed alone in the office, looking out at the dark garden below. He thought about Dieu Linh's panicked but still trying to keep calm eyes in the alley, about the way she held his hand tightly as they left the scene together, never letting go for even a second.

He knew, the moment she witnessed him fighting, knew he had a "master" to address with strange men, everything began to change irreversibly. There was no way to go back to being a normal male student in her eyes anymore.

What torments him the most was not the risk of revealing his identity, but the question of whether Dieu Linh still wanted to be with him, once she knew the whole truth about the world in which he lives. He was used to being feared or respected by others because of his family's power, but he had never been mentally prepared for the prospect of being looked at with shy, distant eyes by the person he loved.

Vinh Bach closed his eyes and took a deep breath. No matter what the outcome is, he knows he has no other choice but to face the truth, and hopes that Dieu Linh's feelings for him are strong enough to overcome all barriers.