Chapter 5 — The Heiress and Her Scholarship Friend

The group project presentation took place on Monday morning, in the large hall of Anh Duong school, where the entire 11th grade group gathered to monitor and cross-grade between groups. Minh Dang stood in the backstage, his hands shaking slightly because of nervousness, looking out at the large auditorium with hundreds of waiting eyes.

"Are you okay?" Khanh Vy asked, standing next to him, noticing the tension clearly visible on his face.

"I'm fine," Minh Dang replied, taking a deep breath. "I've just never given a presentation in front of so many people."

"You will do well," Khanh Vy reassured, her voice full of confidence. "You understand this subject more deeply than anyone in the group, including me."

When it was her group's turn, all four people stepped on stage. Khanh Vy opened the presentation with her usual confidence and professionalism, before giving way to Minh Dang to present the actual situation that he had diligently researched.

Minh Dang recounted the stories of the households in the neighborhood where he lived, his voice so full of enthusiasm and authenticity that the whole hall fell silent to listen, without the usual whispers when a group presented. He ended the talk with an open question, provoking reflection on the social responsibility of the younger generation in narrowing the gap between rich and poor.

A round of applause rang out when the presentation ended, and even the students who were not very sympathetic to Minh Dang had to nod in recognition of the excellence of the presentation. The homeroom teacher, unable to hide her satisfaction, announced that their group had the highest score in the grade.

"We did it!" Bao Tram shouted with excitement as the group returned to their seats, hugging Gia Huy in shared joy.

Khanh Vy turned to look at Minh Dang, her eyes sparkling with undisguised pride. "Thank you," she said softly, just loud enough for him to hear. "Without you, the presentation would not have touched everyone's hearts."

"We do it together," Minh Dang replied, a warm smile appearing at the corner of his mouth.

But that joy didn't last long. As soon as the presentation ended, Vu Khang, sitting in the back row with his group of friends, stood up and left the hall with a dark expression and angry eyes when witnessing the success and increasingly close relationship between Khanh Vy and Minh Dang.

After recess, when Minh Dang was alone cleaning up documents in the group study room, Vu Khang suddenly appeared, slamming the door behind him, his eyes full of undisguised threats.

"You think an excellent presentation is enough to change your position?" Vu Khang asked, his voice full of contempt, approaching the table where Minh Dang was standing.

"I'm not trying to change my position," Minh Dang replied, keeping his voice calm even though his heart was inevitably tense under those hostile eyes. "I'm just doing my part on the group project."

"Don't pretend to be naive," Vu Khang shouted, slamming his hand on the table, causing the stack of papers Minh Dang had just neatly arranged to fall to the floor. "I clearly see you're trying to approach Khanh Vy. Do you think, just because she's been kind to you a few times, you can daydream about something more distant?"

Minh Dang bent down to pick up the papers, trying to stay calm even though he clearly felt the anger rising in his heart at that overbearing attitude. "I don't dream about anything," he replied, standing up straight to face Vu Khang. "But I also won't let you decide for me who I'm allowed to be friends with."

"Friend?" Vu Khang laughed contemptuously. "Do you think someone like you can be 'friends' with someone like Khanh Vy? He belongs to a completely different world, a world that you will never be able to reach, no matter how hard you try."

Those harsh words were like knives cutting deep into Minh Dang's self-esteem, but he still tried to maintain his stance, not letting himself be overcome by this mental bullying.

"Maybe you're right about the gap between rich and poor," Minh Dang replied, his voice still remaining remarkably calm. "But sincere friendship is not measured by property or social status. If Khanh Vy chooses to be my friend, that is her decision, not something you have the right to interfere with."

Vu Khang glared, his face red with anger at that unflinching toughness. "You will regret these words," he threatened in a low voice before turning and walking away, leaving Minh Dang standing there in the middle of a room full of papers.

He sat down in the chair, sighed tiredly, clearly feeling the pressure growing heavier on his shoulders. Although he did not regret what he said, Minh Dang could not deny the vague worry that was gradually forming in his heart - about how long his budding friendship with Khanh Vy could last under the pressure from the family engagement contract and the escalating hostility from Vu Khang.

That afternoon, after school, Khanh Vy went to Minh Dang who was sitting alone under an old poinciana tree in the school yard, her face showing concern.

"I heard Vu Khang was looking for you," she said, sitting down next to him. "Did he do anything to you?"

"Nothing serious," Minh Dang replied, trying to keep his voice gentle so she wouldn't have to worry anymore. "Just some general warnings."

Khanh Vy was silent for a moment, her eyes full of self-blame. "I'm sorry for dragging you into the middle of this mess," she said softly. "Maybe I should keep my distance from you to avoid further trouble for you."

"Don't say that," Minh Dang replied immediately, his voice resolute. "I don't regret becoming friends with you, no matter how many difficulties I have to face from Vu Khang. I just hope that you don't let pressure from others decide for you who you should be friends with."

Khanh Vy looked up at him, her eyes filled with a complex emotion she had never experienced before, feeling more clearly than ever, the friendship — or perhaps something even deeper than that — was slowly forming between the two, despite all the barriers that tried to separate them.

At that moment, Bao Tram and Gia Huy ran over, holding two cans of soft drinks that they had just bought at the canteen to "celebrate" the group's victory.

"Eh, why are you two sitting here so serious?" Bao Tram asked, giving each person a can of water, her eyes playfully glancing back and forth between Khanh Vy and Minh Dang.

"Nothing," Khanh Vy replied quickly, somewhat awkwardly, making Bao Tram even more curious.

"Hey, I heard that Vu Khang was looking for Dang in the group study room just now," Gia Huy said, his voice low, his expression serious. "He didn't do anything outrageous, did he?"

Minh Dang shook his head, not wanting his two friends to worry anymore. "Just a few words, nothing serious."

"Vu Khang is getting more and more outrageous these days," Bao Tram said, his voice full of resentment, sitting down next to Khanh Vy. "He thinks that because his family has money, he has the right to oppress others. I really don't understand why Khanh Vy has to endure an engagement with someone like that."

"Bao Tram!" Khanh Vy huffed softly, glancing around to see if anyone heard, even though the schoolyard was almost deserted at this time.

"Sorry, but it's the truth," Bao Tram replied, undeterred by her best friend's warning look. "You deserve to be happy with the person you really choose, not forced by the business calculations of adults."

Gia Huy silently nodded in agreement, then turned to Minh Dang with meaningful, searching eyes that he couldn't put into words. Minh Dang clearly felt that observation but chose to avoid it, not wanting to reveal his own vague and unclear emotions.

That evening, when returning to her family's large villa, Khanh Vy sat alone in her room, looking out the large window overlooking the elaborately manicured garden, her heart still lingering on the image of Minh Dang standing firm in the face of Vu Khang's threat without flinching.

Grandma knocked on the door and entered, her sharp eyes as usual scanning the room before stopping on her granddaughter's pensive face. "I heard you got the highest score in your class in your presentation today," she said, her voice a rare hint of satisfaction. "Do Gia always needs such excellent successors."

"Thank you," Khanh Vy replied, keeping her voice polite but unable to hide her reservation.

"I also heard that you work quite closely with the scholarship student in your group," the grandmother continued, her eyes becoming colder. "I hope that it is simply a learning relationship, nothing beyond the limit. Don't forget, your future has been determined a long time ago, and Do Gia cannot accept anything that affects the stability of the alliance with Vu Gia right now."

Khanh Vy clasped her hands in her lap, trying to keep her expression calm before that disguised warning. "I understand, ma'am," she replied, although in her heart, a smoldering resistance was gradually igniting that she herself had not yet dared to admit clearly.

After her grandmother left, Khanh Vy leaned her back against the bed, looking up at the ceiling, her mind filled with hundreds of thoughts. She thought about Minh Dang, about the rare sincerity he showed her, about the feeling of being listened to and respected as a normal person, not just a pawn in the family's business chess board. Then she thought about Vu Khang, about the marriage that had been arranged when she was not knowledgeable enough to have an opinion, about the heavy pressure that lay ahead.

She didn't know what was waiting for her in the coming months, but one thing she felt more clearly than ever: her perfectly arranged life was starting to crack little by little, ever since the day that poor scholarship student entered her closed world, bringing with him a simple sincerity that she had never found in anyone else in the eighteen years of her life. And although she can't exactly name the feelings growing inside her, Khanh Vy knows that the next weeks at Anh Duong school will no longer be as peaceful as before.