Chapter 3 — Stupid But Strong

The moment Tang Ninh realized the truth came on an afternoon so ordinary that every time she remembered it, she still wondered why something so important could be revealed in such a trivial context.

It was two weeks after Bach Duy's birthday. She went home earlier than usual because the afternoon meeting was canceled, intending to cook a more sumptuous dinner to make up for the past few days of having to come home late because of the rush of year-end work. Bach Duy's room door was ajar, the soft sound of a guitar echoing out into the hallway. She was about to knock on the door to tell him to come down for dinner, but just as her hand touched the door, his singing rang out, making her stop.

It was a song she had never heard, the melody was slow and tormenting, the lyrics were simple but sincere to the point that the listener couldn't help but stop. Tang Ninh stood silently behind the door, listening to every sentence and every word.

"There is someone who always stands behind me, never asking me to become anyone else, just quietly watching me grow up day by day. I don't know what to call this feeling, I only know that every time that person smiles, my whole world lights up."

Bach Duy's voice trembled slightly in the last verse, as if he himself was trying to suppress an emotion that was too great to be able to sing fully. Tang Ninh stood there, her heart pounding, a vague but clear premonition rising in her heart. She was not a stupid person. She had lived long enough and experienced enough to realize that the meaning behind those words was not the feelings of a younger sister for her adopted sister.

She took a step back, so quietly that she didn't make any noise, then went down to the kitchen, stood leaning against the dining table, covered her face with her hands, trying to sort out the chaotic thoughts in her head.

No way. He's too young. I am his guardian. This is absolutely not allowed to happen.

But even when she told herself that, Tang Ninh could not deny that, in a certain hidden corner of her heart that she had never dared to shine a light on, there was also a similar feeling smoldering. She remembered the times when she unconsciously smiled when she heard his footsteps coming home, remembered the strangely warm feeling every time he sat next to her studying, remembered staying up all night to take care of him when he was sick, but at that time she didn't feel tired at all, only felt a strange peace when she was next to him.

Realizing that, Tang Ninh panicked even more.

She was six years older. She was the legal guardian who was entrusted by the law and the family with the responsibility of protecting him, raising him well, not cultivating any feelings beyond that boundary. If anyone were to know, even the slightest suspicion, both of their reputations would be ruined, and the future of Bach Duy - a student who had just turned eighteen, with a long way to go to build his career and personal life - would be tainted right from the starting line.

No. She couldn't let that happen. No matter what kind of feeling exists in her heart, she must be alert enough to nip it in the bud, before it can grow into something uncontrollable.

That night, when Bach Duy came down to eat, he noticed something strange about Tang Ninh. She still talked to him, still served him food as always, but her eyes avoided looking directly at him for a few seconds longer, and there was an awkward silence that crept in between the conversations that had flowed naturally before.

"What's wrong? Are you tired?" Bach Duy asked, worried.

"No, I'm just a little tired from work," Tang Ninh replied, trying to smile normally, but Bach Duy - who had lived with her for two years, enough to understand every little expression on her face - still realized that something was wrong.

In the following days, that change became more and more obvious. Tang Ninh started coming home later for work reasons, using the excuse of being busy to avoid sharing meals, and when she was forced to stay at home with him, she always tried to keep her distance - sitting a little further away on the sofa, avoiding long private conversations, and no longer accompanying him to study in the evening like before.

Bach Duy felt that distance as clearly as feeling a cold wind suddenly blowing through a warm room. He didn't understand why. He wondered if he had done something wrong, if he had accidentally revealed something that made Tang Ninh uncomfortable. He didn't know that the moment he accidentally let his emotions seep into the lyrics, that moment made the person he secretly loved realize everything, and decided to retreat before things went too far.

Unable to bear the struggle in her heart, one weekend afternoon, Tang Ninh arranged to meet Ha Thuy Duong, her best friend from college, at a familiar cafe near the company. Thuy Duong took a sip of tea while looking at her friend's haggard face. Without having to ask, she knew something was wrong.

"You look like you haven't slept all week," Thuy Duong said, putting down her cup of tea. "What's going on? Is the company having trouble again?"

"It's not about the company," Tang Ninh replied, her voice quiet, her fingers tightening the strap of her bag in her lap. "It's about Bach Duy."

"Is that the boy you raised? What's wrong with him?"

Tang Ninh was silent for a long time, trying to find a way to express herself without being too obvious. "I think he… has feelings for me. The kind of feelings that shouldn't exist between a guardian and the child he's raising."

Thuy Duong was stunned, put the tea cup on the table and made a clicking sound. "Are you sure? He's only eighteen."

"Because I'm only eighteen, I have to be even more sure to do something," Tang Ninh said, her voice starting to tremble. "I can't let this continue. If anyone finds out, his career will be over before it even begins. People will say he was seduced, say I took advantage of my position as guardian to—"

"Tang Ninh," Thuy Duong interrupted, her voice serious. "I'm really asking. What about you? Do you have any feelings for him?"

That question made Tang Ninh dumbfounded for a few seconds. She wanted to deny it immediately, but her words were stuck in her throat. Finally she just shook her head, her voice weak. "It doesn't matter how I feel. It's important that I do the right thing for him. He has a whole future ahead of him, and I can't let any scandal get in his way just because of a moment of teenage impulsivity."

Thuy Duong looked at her friend for a long time, her eyes both sympathetic and worried. "What are you going to do?"

"I don't know yet," Tang Ninh admitted. "But I know I have to keep my distance. The sooner the better."

"Just be careful not to hurt it too much," Thuy Duong gently advised, holding your hand. "In any case, he just lost his parents not long ago, you are his only support right now."

That advice made Tang Ninh's heart even heavier when she returned home that afternoon, but she still did not waver her determination. She knew, better than anyone, that love sometimes had to take the form of coldness, if that was the only way to protect the people you care about.

One evening, unable to contain her worry, Bach Duy knocked on Tang Ninh's office door, where she was sitting alone processing paperwork even though it was late.

"Miss Ninh, have you been avoiding me lately?" he asked directly, his voice shaking slightly because he was afraid of the answer.

Tang Ninh looked up. For a brief moment, her eyes showed confusion, but she quickly regained her familiar composure. "I'm not avoiding you. I'm just busy with year-end work, Bach Duy."

"But—"

"It's late, you should go to sleep so you can go to school tomorrow," Tang Ninh interrupted, her voice more decisive than she intended, causing her to bite her lip slightly in regret when she saw Bach Duy's face suddenly darken.

He nodded, didn't say anything more, turned and left her office. The door closed, Tang Ninh sat down in the chair, holding her head with both hands. She knew she had just treated him unfairly, but she also knew this was the only way to protect both of them from something that society, family, and even the law would never accept in the current situation - when she was still his legal guardian, when the gap between them was still intact and had never been removed.

She did not know that, just a few days later, another incident would happen, turning her decision to keep her distance from a silent avoidance into a decisive decision, so cruel that it would break both their hearts - but it was the only thing she believed she could do to protect Bach Duy from dangers that he did not even know about.