Chapter 4 — Valedictorian Without Desire

The small room I had lived in for more than ten years was as empty as if no one had ever lived in it. There were no books on the table, no clothes in the closet, and no furniture under the bed. Even the old cardboard box in the corner of the wall, I cleaned out. His brother stood at the door, his back stiff. Tham An followed behind, crying intermittently. "Brother, how could you do that?" "You don't care about your family at all." His brother said nothing. After a long time, he slowly squatted down and reached out to touch the side of the bed. There's nothing there. Not even a strand of hair remained. I looked at that photo and suddenly wanted to laugh. He finally found out. Tham Ninh was not angry at all. I don't wait for you to comfort me. I'm not like countless times in the past, where I only needed to be locked up for a night, starved for a meal, and reprimanded a few times to become obedient again. I just don't need them anymore.6The admission process at National Defense Science and Technology University went very smoothly. My roommate helped me carry a suitcase and smiled and asked, "Why are your things so small?" I was a little stunned. Actually, not much. Papers, certificates, notebooks, a few sets of clothes and everything that belonged to me that I could take away over the past eighteen years. It's just that compared to other people, it's truly pitiful. I smiled and said. "That's enough." She didn't ask anymore, just gave me a bottle of cold water. "So if there's anything missing in the future, let's go buy it together." In that moment, I squeezed the water bottle, my fingers were so cold they were numb. How strange. It's just a very normal sentence, but it makes my nose sting a little. The days after school started were extremely busy. Advanced math class at eight o'clock in the morning, experimental class in the evening and self-study room with lights on at two o'clock in the morning. There are smart people everywhere here. Someone at the age of fifteen won a gold medal in an international competition. Someone from high school posted a research paper. Someone mentioned quantum field theory as lightly as if they were discussing what to eat tonight. For the first time, I felt like I was finally back where I should belong. No one looks at me one more time just because I wear a men's t-shirt. No one laughs at me for not looking like a girl just because my hair is short. They just asked me, "What do you think about this song?" Somewhere in my heart that had been suppressed for many years gradually came to life. A month later, I went to the hairdresser to get my hair trimmed. The shop owner asked. "Still cut it that short?" I looked at myself in the mirror. His crew cut hair has grown into a soft layer of hair, looking a bit messy. I said. "Don't cut it shorter anymore, just trim it back a little." The shop owner nodded. The sound of scissors clicking rang in my ears. I looked in the mirror and suddenly remembered many years ago, my brother held my shoulder and coldly said, "An An doesn't like being too much like you, please understand." At that time, I cried until my voice was hoarse. Now, I just calmly look at myself in the mirror. Your hair will grow long again. Things that have been stolen will gradually return. I used my scholarship money to buy the first dress that truly belonged to me. When I wore it to school, my roommate whistled. "Tham Ninh, you look so beautiful like this." I lowered my head to look at the hem of the dress. The sunlight shines down, it's incredibly clean. I smiled. "Thank you." In the experimental class that day, my data were so beautiful that they were perfect. Professor Chau stared at my notebook for a long time, then raised his head and asked. "Have you ever been exposed to this field before?" I shook my head. "No, I just learned." He was silent for two seconds, his eyes immediately lit up. "From now on, every Wednesday afternoon, come audit in my research group." "If you are interested, you should come early."

participate in the topic." I held the notebook and nodded in agreement. When I walked out of the experimental building, I sent a text message to Mr. Co. "Teacher, I'm doing well." The teacher quickly replied. "Grow up well, keep moving forward and don't look back." I looked at those words for a long time. Of course I wouldn't turn back. Later, I heard news about the Tham family one after another from my classmates. The university entrance celebration party organized by my brother was already over. became a big joke. The valedictorian of the entire province was forced to go to vocational school by his brother. It was said that his brother was about to be promoted, but in the end he was temporarily removed from the list. Some people flattered him on the surface, but behind his back, there were people who said that even if his own sister's future could be ruined, who would dare to believe that Tham An's life would not be easy? local university, still likes to pretend to be sick and cry like before. But the people who used to surround him are no longer the same as before. As soon as he heard him cough, he was so frantic that he lost his ability to judge. One time, he posted on his personal page that he had chest pain, along with a photo of him receiving fluids.