Chapter 16 — The Mother Who Stole Her Dream

17 After hanging up the phone, I sat for a long time without moving. Nine o'clock. Check directly. The person in charge of the old records. Those words were like a ray of light shining in, but not gentle. It was so bright, clearly illuminating every old wound on my body. Duong Duong was the first to recover.

“I'll go with you tomorrow.”

Miss Lam also said:

“The academy will arrange teachers to come along.”

The dean nodded.

“You don't need to go back to the dorm tonight.”

“I will ask Ms. Lam to arrange a temporary room for you to rest, to avoid further disturbances.”

I know you're talking about my mother. She stood at the other end of the meeting room, her eyes bloodshot, her lips constantly trembling. But this time there was no one around her. No one heard her cry and talk about her suffering. No one asks how difficult it is for a mother to raise a child. All the evidence is on the table. In the end, she was no longer in the position of being always right. My younger brother suddenly spoke up.

“Sister.”

His voice is very low.

“I don't need that ten thousand anymore.”

Duong Duong smiled coldly.

“Speaking as if she already owes you.”

His face turned red but he did not object. I looked at it.

“It's not that I don't need it.”

"But I know I can't get it anymore."

His face became even redder. After a while, it said in a low voice:

"I didn't know you had such a miserable life before."

I smiled softly.

“Don't you know?”

"I'm wearing old shoes home, can't you see?"

“I work during winter break to save money for living expenses, can't you see?”

“On your birthday, I texted in the group that my leg hurts, can't you see?”

It bowed its head. In this world, there are many "don't know" sentences, which actually just mean not wanting to know. Because once you know it, you won't be able to continue accepting everything with peace of mind. My mother suddenly shouted at him.

“Why are you apologizing?”

“It just wants to destroy this house!”

My younger brother raised his head to look at her, for the first time not following suit.

“Mom, you spent her money.”

My mother looked like she had just been slapped. She stiffened in place, a ferocious look in her eyes gradually emerging.

“Okay.”

She looked at all of us.

“Everyone is on its side.”

“So don't blame me.”

Ha Minh Triet immediately asked:

“What are you planning to do?”

My mother smiled coldly.

“I am his mother.”

“I know how his health is.”

“I also know how much mental pressure he has been under over the years.”

“He wants to go get checked, I'll tell them that he's mentally unstable.”

Miss Lam's face changed.

“Miss Dinh, you continue to threaten students.”

But my mother seems to have finally found a new knife.

“Is it a threat if I tell the truth?”

“If something happens on stage tomorrow, who will be responsible?”

Ha Minh Triet's voice turned cold.

“You are not qualified to make conclusions about their physical and mental health on behalf of an adult.”

She glared at him.

“Then let the hospital decide.”

That sentence made my heart sink. Sure enough, she rummaged through her cloth bag and pulled out a few pieces of paper. This time it wasn't the same old diagnostic paper. It's an appointment card for psychological counseling. It has my name on it. The time is the winter of my second year of college. That year, I almost couldn't pay the dormitory fee and had constant insomnia. Ms. Lam advised me to go to the school's psychology counseling room to talk. I only came once. The counselor said it was not a disease. It's just me too tired. But my mother held that piece of paper like she was holding a verdict.

“Everyone look.”

“It has psychological problems.”

“Can this kind of person join the dance troupe?”

Duong Duong was so angry that he almost rushed over.

“You have a problem!”

Miss Lam quickly held her back, her face even more unsightly than before.

"Ms. Dinh, students' psychological counseling records are confidential."

“Where did you get it from?”

My mother's eyes wavered.

“My daughter's things, why can't I see them?”

Ha Minh Triet immediately looked at me.

“Did you ever allow her to take the files?”

I shook my head.

“No.”

The atmosphere in the meeting room immediately changed. This is no longer just a family matter. Ms. Lam immediately called the person in charge of the school's psychology center. The dean asked the security department to continue to detain the person. My mother finally realized she had said something wrong again, her face turned pale but she still tried to defend herself.

“Is it wrong for me to care?”

I looked at the paper in her hand and suddenly felt very tired. Don't want to step back. I just feel that over the years, even the most difficult and humiliating times I asked for help, she wanted to use it as a tool to get in the way. I stood up. There was sharp pain in my ankle, I had to hold on to the edge of the table.

“Dinh Mai.”

This is the first time I called her by name in front of her. She was stunned. I looked at her and said word by word:

“I'll go check tomorrow.”

“The money left by my grandmother, I will reclaim it.”

“I will also prosecute the documents that mother falsified.”

“From today, mom can no longer sign anything for me.”

My mother's face immediately distorted. She suddenly burst out laughing.

“Do you think you can go tomorrow?”

Just as I finished speaking, I received a new message. On the City Dance Troupe's inspection notification page, it shows: My ID status is abnormal. The reason is that someone has just sent a request to report temporary loss.