Chapter 1 — The Heiress and Her Scholarship Friend

The intricately patterned wrought iron gate of Anh Duong International High School is so high that Tran Minh Dang has to tilt his neck to see the top of the gate, where two gold-plated stone lions stand guard on both sides. He tightened his grip on the strap of his frayed backpack, trying to keep his steps from shaking as he walked through the shiny marble schoolyard, where one after another, shiny cars dropped students in tailored uniforms down the steps.

"The only full scholarship in the whole school," he told himself, trying to regain his composure. "I deserve to be here."

Mrs. Tran Thi Hanh, his mother, stayed up three nights in a row to complete the scholarship application, her hands shaking every time she signed the papers certifying her difficult circumstances. Minh Dang clearly remembers the way her eyes lit up when she received the acceptance letter, and he knew that he could not let this invisible fear defeat him on the first day.

He entered the main hall, where a giant electronic board displayed the new class list. Minh Dang found his name in class 11A1 - the most prestigious class in the school, reserved for students with the best achievements, most of whom are also children of the city's wealthiest families.

As soon as he stepped into the spacious classroom with shiny walnut desks, Minh Dang felt dozens of eyes on him, not hiding their curiosity and contempt for the ready-made uniform that was a bit too large for his skinny body - different from the meticulously tailored uniforms of the students around him.

"Who are you?" an arrogant voice rang out from the back of the classroom.

Minh Dang turned around and saw a group of three male students sitting around a table at the back of the classroom, led by a tall guy with neatly combed hair and cold, superior eyes. That is Lam Vu Khang - the name that Minh Dang vaguely heard during the scholarship orientation, the son of one of the largest corporations in the city.

"I'm Tran Minh Dang, a new student," he replied, his voice calm, not avoiding those probing eyes.

"Ah, are you the 'scholarship' this year?" Vu Khang smirked, his eyes scanning from head toe of Minh Dang full of evaluation. "I heard you have to be very poor to need a scholarship. Where are you going to sit? This table is full of people... who are suitable for this class."

Giggles rang out from several students around, making Minh Dang's cheeks heat up, but he still maintained his gaze, not showing any hesitation.

"It doesn't matter where I sit," Minh Dang replied, his voice surprisingly calm. "What matters is that I'm here, and I'll do as well as anyone else in this class."

At that moment, the classroom door opened, a female student walked in with a straight, proud gait, her long black hair neatly tied back, sharp eyes scanning the entire classroom as if checking her own territory. The whole classroom immediately fell silent, many eyes followed her with obvious respect.

"Khanh Vy is here," someone whispered.

Do Khanh Vy - a name that Minh Dang has also heard of, the only daughter of Do Gia Group, is known as the "throneless queen" of Anh Duong school. She glanced at Minh Dang for a brief moment, her eyes showing no special emotions, then walked straight to her familiar seat in the first row, next to the window.

"Vy, look at that," Vu Khang called out, his voice filled with excited, boastful tones. "Our school has another 'special case' this year."

Khanh Vy glanced back slightly, her cold eyes stopped on Minh Dang for exactly half a second before turning away, not responding a word, as if he wasn't worth even a single word for her to worry about.

That indifference, strangely enough, made Minh Dang feel more uncomfortable than Vu Khang's sarcastic words. He quietly found an empty seat in the last row, as far away as possible from that group of arrogant friends, trying to focus on the brand new notebook that his mother had bought for him as a congratulatory gift.

During the first recess, when Minh Dang was on his way to the cafeteria to find a quiet corner to eat the breakfast he brought from home, he accidentally bumped into a student who was walking quickly, causing the cup of iced milk coffee in the other person's hand to spill onto the white marble floor.

"Don't you have eyes?" Vu Khang's familiar voice rang out, this time filled with fake anger. His whole group of friends quickly gathered around, their eyes filled with gloating as if they were waiting for this very moment.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean it," Minh Dang replied, bending down to pick up the broken plastic cup, trying to clean up some of the stains on the floor.

"Sorry is not enough," Vu Khang said, his voice full of menace. "This uniform costs more than your scholarship for a year. How do you plan to compensate?"

Minh Dang looked up, looked straight into those arrogant eyes, not flinching even though he clearly felt the pressure from the crowd gathered around, whispering. "I'll compensate you for the reasonable laundry costs, but I won't kneel down and apologize or do anything unreasonable just because you want to show off your power in front of a crowd."

That straightforward answer made Vu Khang pause for a moment. He did not expect that a scholarship student would dare to respond so harshly in front of the entire watching crowd. His eyes darkened with anger.

"Who do you think you are, daring to talk to me in that tone?" Vu Khang raised his voice and took another step towards Minh Dang.

Just as the tension reached its peak, a cold, sharp voice rang out from the back of the crowd, causing everyone to turn around simultaneously.

"Vu Khang, making noise in the cafeteria like this doesn't fit your image at all."

Do Khanh Vy stood there, her arms crossed over her chest, her eyes scanning the entire scene with obvious boredom, as if the whole incident was just an annoying child's play that was interrupting her morning.

"Vy, don't you see, this guy—"

"I see it clearly," Khanh Vy interrupted, her voice still remaining cold and unpredictable. "I saw a cup of coffee spilled, and I saw you turning a small matter into a drama in the middle of a crowded cafeteria. If this continues, someone will definitely report it to the school board, and I don't think that's what you want in the first week of school."

Vu Khang gritted his teeth, clearly dissatisfied but did not dare to refute that implicit warning. He glanced viciously at Minh Dang one last time before turning and leaving, the whole group of friends following behind.

The crowd gradually dispersed, leaving only Minh Dang standing there, still a bit shocked by what had just happened. Khanh Vy, before turning away, paused for a second, her eyes passing over him with an unpredictable expression - not necessarily sympathetic, but not completely indifferent like at the beginning of class.

"Next time, look at the road before you go," she said softly, her voice still cold but no longer harsh, then quickly walked away before Minh Dang could respond.

He stood silently in the middle of the empty cafeteria, watching that proud figure disappear behind the door, his heart filled with a strange feeling that he had never experienced before - gratitude, curiosity, and a vague feeling that this school year would not be as simple as he had imagined.

That afternoon, when the last class ended, two other students in Vu Khang's group — a short-haired girl named Ngo Bao Tram and a guy with a friendly smile named Dang Gia Huy — happened to pass by where Minh Dang was packing up his books.

"Don't pay attention to Vu Khang," Bao Tram said softly, his voice somewhat shy but sincere. "He's usually like that with new people, but he's not always that bad."

"That's right," Gia Huy added, scratching his head and laughing. "We're sorry about this morning. Spilling coffee is no big deal, he was about to order another cup anyway."

Minh Dang was a bit surprised by the different attitudes of these two people compared to the rest of the group. "Thanks, you two," he replied, nodding slightly. "But I think I'm fine, no need to apologize for anyone."

The two exchanged looks, somewhat surprised by that calmness, then smiled and said goodbye before leaving.

On the way home, sitting on the last bus packed with people after work, Minh Dang looked out the window, watching the tall buildings pass by gradually giving way to the familiar small alleys where he grew up. He took out his old phone and texted his mother briefly: "I'm fine, the first day was quite interesting."

He did not tell the details of the collision with Vu Khang, not wanting his mother to worry more after so many sleepless nights because of him. But in his heart, the image of Do Khanh Vy's cold but not completely emotionless eyes lingered forever, like an unanswered question that he knew he would have to face throughout the entire school year ahead.