Chapter 2 — The Heiress and Her Scholarship Friend

The small boarding house located deep in a working alley is always filled with the sound of sewing machines clattering every time Minh Dang returns after school. Ms. Tran Thi Hanh sat at the old machine table, her hands quickly threading each thread through the fabric, the white neon light falling on her face, which had many wrinkles from years of hard work.

"You're back," she looked up, her warm smile clearly visible even though her eyes were still dark from lack of sleep. "How's the new school? Is there anything interesting?"

"It's okay, mom," Minh Dang replied, trying to keep his voice gentle, not wanting to reveal the stress he had experienced during the day. He sat down next to his mother, helping her tidy up the remaining pieces of cloth on the floor.

His eyes accidentally stopped on the small pendant shaped like an ancient seal that his mother always wore, hidden under her shirt, only revealing a small corner every time she bent over to work. Since childhood, Minh Dang has been curious about that jewelry, but every time he asked, his mother would just laugh, saying that it was just a souvenir from an old friend, nothing special.

"Mom," he blurted out, his eyes never leaving the pendant. "How long have you been wearing that necklace?"

Mrs. Hanh stopped her hand for a brief moment, enough for Minh Dang to notice the confusion that flashed across her mother's face, before she quickly regained her familiar calmness. "It's been a long time, my child, since before you were born. Come on, eat before it gets cold. I'll make sour snakehead fish soup, you like it."

Minh Dang clearly felt the avoidance in that answer, but he did not ask further, just quietly kept that curiosity in his heart as he had done for many years.

The next morning, at Anh Duong school, the homeroom teacher announced an important group project at the beginning of the school year - a presentation on the topic of sustainable development, accounting for thirty percent of the semester's grade, randomly divided into groups according to the attendance list.

"Group three," the teacher read aloud, "Do Khanh Vy, Tran Minh Dang, Ngo Bao Tram, Dang Gia Huy."

The whole class was buzzing at that unexpected arrangement. Minh Dang glanced at Khanh Vy and saw her eyes frowning in discomfort, clearly dissatisfied with having to work on the same project with someone who was brand new and somewhat "not on the same level" as him.

At recess, the whole group gathered at the school library to discuss plans. Khanh Vy arrived a few minutes late, sat down with her usual cold attitude, placed an expensive leather notebook on the table without saying a word of greeting.

"Where should we start?" Bao Tram opened her mouth, trying to break the awkward atmosphere.

"I think we should choose the topic of renewable energy," Minh Dang suggested, his voice confident. "I have read quite a lot of documents about solar power models applied to low-income households, which can be very well related to reality."

"What's the reality?" Khanh Vy asked, her voice still cold, but her eyes revealed a bit of unconcealed curiosity.

"The area where I live has a few households that have installed small solar panels to reduce electricity bills," Minh Dang replied, not hesitating to share about his living situation. "I can interview directly to get real data, instead of just relying on online data."

Khanh Vy was silent for a moment, looking at Minh Dang with eyes that reassessed from the beginning, as if she had just discovered a completely different side of the scholarship student that she once thought was not worth paying attention to.

"Okay," she said shortly. "That idea is quite realistic. I will be in charge of analyzing financial data, comparing initial investment costs with long-term savings."

The group quickly divided the work, Gia Huy was in charge of designing presentation slides, Bao Tram compiled reference materials. The first group meeting went more smoothly than Minh Dang expected, although the atmosphere between him and Khanh Vy still contained a certain reserve.

When the meeting ended, while packing up documents, Khanh Vy accidentally dropped a leather-bound notebook on the library floor. Minh Dang quickly picked it up, but when he returned it, he accidentally glanced at a small page of paper tucked inside - a newspaper cutout with a headline about the upcoming engagement between the Do and Lam families.

Khanh Vy quickly grabbed the notebook, her face showing a rare moment of panic before regaining her familiar calmness. "Thank you," she said curtly, hastily stuffing the notebook into her schoolbag.

Minh Dang didn't say anything, but in his heart he couldn't help but wonder about the connection between that piece of news and Khanh Vy's suddenly tense attitude. Could it be that behind that arrogant, cold appearance, she is under some pressure that no one at school knows about?

The next day, at recess, Minh Dang decided to go to the library's backyard area — where he noticed Khanh Vy often went alone when she needed quiet — to return a reference book she had borrowed to the group the day before. From afar, he caught sight of her sitting on a bench, the phone close to her ear, her tense voice different from her usual calmness.

"I told you, I'm not ready for that," Khanh Vy said, her voice choked with emotion. "Dad, I beg you, don't force me to decide right now."

Minh Dang intended to step back so as not to disturb him, but a dry tree branch under his foot suddenly broke, making a small sound, causing Khanh Vy to turn back in surprise. Their eyes met for an awkward moment.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to eavesdrop," Minh Dang hastily explained, holding up the book in his hand as an excuse. "I was just going to return the book."

Khanh Vy quickly hung up, her face briefly confused before regaining her familiar cold look. "How much did you hear?" she asked, her voice somewhat wary.

"Not much," Minh Dang replied honestly. "Just enough to know you're facing some pressure from your family."

Khanh Vy was silent for a long time, her eyes looking far away into the deserted school yard. "That's none of your business," she said, her voice still a little harsh, but no longer completely closed off like before.

"That's right, it's none of my business," Minh Dang nodded, placing the book on the bench next to her. "But if you need someone to listen without judgment, I'm always available. Sometimes, having outsiders to share with is much easier than family members."

Khanh Vy looked at him with a fleeting look of surprise, not expecting a person she had only known for less than two days could say such sincere words, completely different from the fake flattery she often heard from people around her.

"Thank you," she replied softly, her voice softening a bit. "But I'm fine. It's just a family matter, it will be resolved on its own."

Minh Dang did not ask further questions, just nodded slightly and turned to leave. But before he could walk away, Khanh Vy suddenly called back.

"Hey," she said, her voice still holding a rare hesitation. "Thank you for not asking more about that newspaper yesterday."

"That's your private matter," Minh Dang replied, turning to look at her with sincere eyes. "I think, everyone has the right to keep things they are not ready to share."

Khanh Vy smiled slightly - a small smile, fleeting so quickly that it was almost imperceptible, but enough for Minh Dang to feel the subtle change in her attitude towards him, completely different from the coldness and distance of the first day they met.

"Is this afternoon's group meeting still going as planned?" she asked, her voice returning to its familiar calmness, as if that moment of weakness had never happened.

"Still as planned," Minh Dang nodded, clearly feeling a new, fragile but true closeness gradually forming between the two, despite the seemingly impossible gap between rich and poor.

The group meeting that afternoon took place in the small group study room on the third floor of the library. The atmosphere was much less awkward than the first time. Bao Tram and Gia Huy presented the compiled documents, while Khanh Vy listened attentively to Minh Dang explaining how to calculate the cost of solar power installation for low-income households, occasionally asking sharp questions that made him think carefully before answering.

"I think, if we add your actual interview to the opening of the presentation, it will create a much stronger impression than just presenting dry data," Khanh Vy commented, her voice completely different from the initial coldness, carrying true professionalism and respect.

"I think so too," Minh Dang agreed, unable to hide his surprise at that positive change in attitude. "True stories are always more convincing than numbers."

Gia Huy looked at the two people, his eyes showing curiosity at the unexpected chemistry between two people who seemed to have nothing in common. "Our group looks like they'll give the best presentation in the class," he joked, making the group laugh in relief.

When the meeting ended, the whole group gathered together their documents, meeting again at the weekend to complete the final part. Minh Dang left the library with a rare sense of relief since the day he entered school, not expecting that this seemingly simple group project would become the first bridge between him and the most haughty lady in school.