Chapter 5 — The Beggar Husband Turns Out to Be a Dragon

That evening, Tuyet Nhi had to stay at the group's charity fund office later than usual to complete the budget allocation report for the next quarter. When she left the building, the clock was almost eleven o'clock at night, the streets were deserted, only a few streetlights shined down the dark alleys.

Uncle Thinh took the day off because his daughter was sick, so Tuyet Nhi decided to drive herself. But as soon as she left the parking lot, she discovered that the car had a dead battery and could not start. After several unsuccessful calls for help because it was too late to find a car repairman, she decided to walk a short distance to the main road to catch a taxi, even though she felt a little uneasy.

The road leading to the main avenue passes through an old neighborhood, where there are a few bars that close late and dark alleys with no street lights. Tuyet Nhi walked quickly, clutching her bag with both hands, trying to stay calm even though her heart was pounding in her chest.

Unbeknownst to her, from the moment she left the office building, three drunk men came out of a nearby bar. Seeing the silhouette of a luxuriously dressed girl walking alone in the dead of night, they immediately had bad intentions and quietly followed behind.

"Hey pretty girl, where are you going so late?" A guy in the group called out, his voice a bit drunk, walking quickly to catch up with her.

Tuyet Nhi turned around in surprise and saw three figures approaching, their eyes full of unkindness. She tried to stay calm and walk faster, but the three men also sped up, quickly stopping her in a dark alley corner, where there were no security cameras and no passersby.

"Where are you going in such a hurry?" The leader of the group, with a large body, approached her, his hand reaching out to touch her shoulder. "We just want to get to know each other, why are we afraid?"

"Get out of the way." Tuyet Nhi stepped back, trying to keep her voice strong even though her whole body was shaking with fear. "I'll call the police if you don't let me go."

"Whoa, are you threatening anymore?" The second guy smirked and approached from behind, blocking her retreat. "There's no one here to call, just obediently follow us and play a little, we'll take care of whatever you want."

Tuyet Nhi felt her back touch the cold wall behind her, there was no way back. She screamed for help, but the deserted alley swallowed her screams, and no one responded. The leader approached, his hand raised to grab her hand.

At that moment, a strange wind blew past, so fast that Tuyet Nhi could only feel a stream of air passing through her body, and right after that, the man who was about to touch her was thrown away, hit the opposite wall hard, and groaned in pain.

"What...what is that?" The remaining two guys were startled. Before they could react, they were knocked down one by one by an invisible force. One guy didn't have time to clearly see what happened and was lying on the ground, his arms and legs twitching in pain.

Tuyet Nhi stood frozen, her eyes wide open as she looked at the scene in front of her, completely unable to understand what had just happened. She only caught a glimpse of a dark shadow moving at an unimaginable speed, so fast that the naked eye could not follow it, like a streak of light passing through the darkness, then disappearing soon after, leaving three men lying groaning on the ground.

"Is... is there anyone?" She asked trembling into the distance, her voice cracking with fear and surprise. There was no answer, only the sound of the wind gently shaking the trees along the road.

She quickly left the alley, ran straight to the main avenue, and took a taxi home while still in a state of shock. All the way home, she kept thinking about what had just happened, trying to explain it in every reasonable way, but no explanation could satisfy the extraordinary speed and power she had just witnessed.

When she returned to the Anh Duong villa, she quietly walked through the east living room, intending to tell Bach Tranh what had just happened, because lately she had become accustomed to sharing the day's stories with him before returning to the bedroom. But when she approached the door, she stopped.

Through the slightly opened door, she saw Bach Tranh sitting on the bed, his body still drenched in sweat, his breathing rapid as if he had just gone through an extremely vigorous exercise, his right sleeve was torn a long way, revealing a long scratch on his arm that was slowly healing in a strange way, faster than any normal wound could heal.

Tuyet Nhi held her breath and stood dumbfounded behind the door, her heart pounding. She didn't dare believe what her eyes were seeing, but her intuition told her that the man in the other room and the shadow that saved her from the three thugs earlier were probably the same person.

"Who is there?" Bach Tranh suddenly spoke up, without turning around, as if he had sensed her presence before.

Tuyet Nhi was startled, quickly pushed the door open and walked in, trying to regain her normal appearance even though her heart was still full of chaos. "It's me. I saw the light in your room was still on so I came over to take a look."

Bach Tranh turned back to look at her, quickly pulled his sleeve to cover the healing wound, but his eyes still couldn't hide the fleeting alertness. "It's late, why aren't you sleeping yet?"

"I just got home from work." She replied, trying to observe him more closely but found no unusual signs other than the usual tired look. "Are you okay? You look tired."

"I'm okay, just having a little trouble sleeping so I'll do some exercise." Bach Tranh replied, trying to keep his voice natural, but Tuyet Nhi observantly noticed a very short silence before he answered, as if he was considering which answer was most reasonable.

She did not ask further, even though she was full of doubts. She sat down on the chair, recounting what happened in the dark alley, trying to observe his reaction when hearing the story.

"Are the three thugs planning to do something to you?" Bach Tranh asked, his voice somewhat tense, his eyes looking at her filled with real concern. "What happened after that? Are you hurt?"

"No, I'm fine." Tuyet Nhi shook her head, her eyes still glued to his face. "Luckily, a stranger appeared, defeated all three thugs in just a split second and then disappeared, so fast that I couldn't see his face clearly."

Bach Tranh was silent for a moment, his eyes looked down at his hands, not knowing whether to be happy that she was safe or worried because he almost revealed his secret. "So you're lucky." He said, trying to keep his tone of relief. "From now on, don't go alone late at night anymore, it's very dangerous."

"Yes, I know." Tuyet Nhi nodded, but in her heart, a big question was still hanging, without an answer. She looked at Bach Tranh and felt a strange warmth rising in her heart, as if her intuition was telling her that, even without any specific evidence, this man had silently protected her, in a way that she could not yet fully understand.

"Thank you." She suddenly said, even though she didn't know why she said that sentence.

Bach Tranh looked up at her, his eyes slightly surprised. "Thank me for what?"

"I don't know anymore." Tuyet Nhi smiled, her eyes were gentle. "It's just that I feel like, lately, a lot of strangely lucky things have happened to me, and I have a feeling that maybe you have something to do with those things, even though I can't prove it."

Bach Tranh was silent, neither denying nor admitting, just smiling slightly, a rare warm smile that he had never given to anyone since leaving Long Uyen. In his heart, his feelings for the girl in front of him grew deeper and deeper, but along with that came a growing fear: if one day, his true identity was revealed, would she still look at him with warm eyes like she does now, or would she be afraid of the power and dangers he carries?

Before leaving the room, Tuyet Nhi lingered a while longer, telling him in more detail about her work at the charity fund, about the children she met during the gift exchange that afternoon. Her voice gradually became more relieved as the initial fear subsided. Bach Tranh listened attentively, occasionally contributing a few sharp comments on how the fund was operated, making her surprised at his understanding of issues that seemed unrelated to a person who used to wander around the streets.

"If the fund later expands educational support for homeless children, I think priority should be given to building evening classes in advance, instead of just giving seasonal gifts." He said, his eyes thoughtful. "Giving gifts can only solve immediate hunger, but education is what helps people truly escape the vicious cycle."

"You speak like a true expert." Tuyet Nhi laughed, but in her heart she secretly remembered that suggestion, telling herself she would propose it to her father next week.

When she stood up to leave, Bach Tranh called back. "Tuyet Nhi." She turned around and saw a rare hesitation in his eyes. "Thank you, for telling me such stories, as if I were also a part of your life."

"You are already a part of my life." She replied, smiled, then closed the door, leaving him alone with his chaotic thoughts.

That night, after Tuyet Nhi left the room, Bach Tranh stood alone at the window, looking out at the starry night sky, feeling both warm and inconsolable. He knew that what he had just done to protect her, no matter how discreet, had left a small trace in this world, and who knew, that trace will be the first clue leading his enemies closer to where he was hiding.