Chapter 3 — The Heiress and Her Scholarship Friend

Rumors about Do Khanh Vy's "unusually kind" treatment of the scholarship student spread throughout the school within just one day, so quickly that even Minh Dang was surprised when he heard whispers every time he passed by the hallway.

"I heard that Khanh Vy even defended him in front of Vu Khang," a female student whispered to her friend, not paying attention to Minh Dang standing nearby.

That reluctant attention made Vu Khang even more angry. He came to Minh Dang right after gym class, when the schoolyard was empty of students, leaving only a few small groups lingering to chat.

"Do you think you're so smart, using a few tricks to please Khanh Vy?" Vu Khang asked, his voice full of provocation, standing right in front of Minh Dang's path.

"I don't use any tricks," Minh Dang replied, his voice calm even though his heart could not help but feel tense under those threatening eyes. "We're just working on a group project as assigned by the teacher."

"You should clearly remember your position," Vu Khang growled, moving closer. "Khanh Vy is my future fiancee. A scholarship student like you has no qualifications to get close to her."

That sentence made Minh Dang pause for a moment. The newspaper clippings that he accidentally saw in Khanh Vy's notebook were now gradually becoming clearer. So, the family pressure she mentioned was an arranged marriage with Vu Khang himself.

"I have no intention of interfering in your private matters," Minh Dang replied, trying to keep his voice calm. "But I also won't let myself be bullied just because you feel threatened by a normal friendship."

Vu Khang glared, seemingly not expecting Minh Dang to dare to answer so frankly even when reminded about the engagement. Just as the tension reached its peak, the sound of hurried footsteps rang out from behind.

"Vu Khang!" Khanh Vy's voice sounded stern as she appeared, her eyes scanning the situation in front of her with obvious displeasure. "Are you planning on causing trouble again?"

"I'm just talking to your 'friend'," Vu Khang replied, emphasizing the word "friend" sarcastically, glancing meaningfully at Khanh Vy.

"What kind of conversation are you having standing in someone's way like that?" Khanh Vy asked again, her voice equally sharp. "If you continue to behave like this, I will inform my father, and I believe he will have a suitable way to talk to your father."

That implicit threat made Vu Khang grit his teeth but did not dare to refute further, knowing clearly that the business relationship between the two families was still in a sensitive period. He glanced at Minh Dang one last time with venom before leaving, leaving the two of them standing there in an awkward atmosphere.

"Are you okay?" Khanh Vy asked, her voice softened, her eyes filled with sincere concern.

"I'm fine," Minh Dang replied, then after a moment of hesitation, he decided to ask directly what was bothering him. "Are you and Vu Khang... really engaged?"

Khanh Vy was silent for a long time, her eyes looking down, her face showing a bit of fatigue that she rarely showed in front of others. "Not officially," she replied, her voice low. "But our families had a silent agreement many years ago. I don't have much choice in this matter."

"Do you want to marry him?" Minh Dang continued asking, his voice gentle but full of sincere concern.

Khanh Vy looked up at him, her eyes showing surprise at that straightforward question — a question that no one in her family or friends had ever asked so seriously.

"No one has ever asked me that," she said softly, her voice somewhat emotional. "Everyone just assumed that I would accept, because it was the best thing for both families."

The two quietly sat down on a nearby bench, closer in physical distance than at any time since the first day they met. Khanh Vy recounted, her voice still a bit reserved, how her mother died when she was only ten years old, leaving a huge void that her father, too busy with his business, never really filled.

"Since the day my mother passed away, grandmother has become the one who decides everything in the house," Khanh Vy said, her eyes looking far away. "She always said that as Do Gia's only daughter, I had to learn to sacrifice my personal feelings for the common good of the whole family. The engagement with Vu Khang is part of the plan to strengthen the business alliance between the two sides."

"That sounds very heavy," Minh Dang commented, his voice filled with sincere understanding. "I can't imagine what it's like to have to decide the future of your marriage based on business interests."

"Sometimes I also wish I was born into a more normal family," Khanh Vy admitted, her voice quiet as if she were talking to herself. "At least, normal people are free to choose the person they love, without having to consider financial statements or joint venture contracts."

Minh Dang listened silently, not giving any empty advice, simply being present, giving her space to confide things that she had never dared to share with anyone else for many years.

"Thank you, for listening," Khanh Vy said after a moment of silence, her voice returning to her familiar calmness but her eyes still filled with emotion. "I don't know why, but talking to you is much easier than talking to anyone else in this school."

"Maybe because I have nothing to lose, and no other motive than to really care," Minh Dang replied, a light smile appearing at the corner of his mouth. "Most of the people around you have their own reasons to please you. I don't need to do that."

That straightforward answer made Khanh Vy laugh lightly, a rare, natural laugh that she rarely reveals in front of others. "You're right," she admitted. "Maybe that's the reason."

That afternoon, when the sun gradually disappeared behind the tall buildings, the two people still sat there, talking about simple things - hobbies, dreams, the secret pressures that each person was carrying - as if the seemingly unbridgeable gap between rich and poor between them, in this moment, had temporarily disappeared, giving way to a sincere, fragile but meaningful connection.

"I should go home," Khanh Vy said as the sunset dyed the sky orange, standing up and lightly brushing the hem of her uniform. "Thank you for this afternoon."

"Be careful on the way home," Minh Dang replied, watching her figure gradually disappear behind the school gate, silently wondering if today's conversation would change anything in their already complicated relationship, or was it just a fleeting moment that would quickly be forgotten amid the busyness of everyday life.

The private driver's shiny car was waiting in front of the school gate, but Khanh Vy suddenly stopped, turned her head to look back at Minh Dang standing alone in the middle of the deserted school yard, the late afternoon sunlight shining on his skinny but straight figure.

“Hey,” she called back, her voice echoing clearly across the large yard. "Tomorrow, do you want to go to the city library with me? I need to find more documents for financial analysis, and I think you can help me better understand the current state of energy use in low-income areas."

Minh Dang was somewhat surprised by that sudden invitation, but quickly nodded in agreement. "Okay, I'm free after school, I'll be there on time."

Khanh Vy smiled slightly, a gentle smile flashed before getting into the car, the door closed smoothly, leaving Minh Dang standing there in the middle of the quiet schoolyard with a warm feeling spreading throughout his heart, different from the tension and cautiousness he had experienced just a few days before.

On the last bus ride home, Minh Dang couldn't stop thinking about the past afternoon — about Khanh Vy's sincere confessions, about the heavy engagement weighing on her shoulders, and about the strange, warm feeling he had never experienced before whenever he was near that haughty but lonely girl. He thought to himself, perhaps, behind the cold exterior of this noble school, each person is carrying their own burdens that no one can see from the outside, and perhaps, mutual understanding is the only thing that can help both of them overcome those invisible burdens, even though the road ahead is still unpredictable, and secrets that he never expected are also quietly waiting to be revealed.