Chapter 9 — When the Goddess Appears

Khuong Nien interrupted me, his voice carrying a stubbornness I had never witnessed before. His eyes, which usually held a warm, teasing smile, were now completely devoid of mirth.

Was it Chiang Yen Chuyen who had loved you online for an entire year, or...

He paused, his voice dropping even lower.

Are you with me now because of who I am, or because of him?

With that, he pressed his lips into a thin, tight line and turned his face away from me. The hand braced against the wall beside my head tightened, his knuckles turning stark white. He seemed to be eagerly anticipating my answer, yet terrified of hearing it at the same time.

Khuong Nien, I called out to him.

He refused to look at me.

Khuong Nien, look at me.

He still did not budge. I drew a deep breath, reached out, and grabbed the collar of his hoodie, pulling downward with all my might. His entire body arched forward under my force, bringing his face instantly level with mine. I stood on my tiptoes, aiming straight for his lips to kiss him. But he was simply too tall! Since he refused to cooperate, I could not reach him at all! My lips merely brushed against his chin; forget about touching his mouth, I could not even graze the corners of it. Khuong Nien actually refused to meet me halfway! My face instantly burned red with embarrassment. Khuong Nien lowered his gaze to look down at me. The corners of his lips were clearly curved upward, yet he stubbornly refused to lower his head. He just stood there, watching me like a little rabbit hopping up and down futilely in front of him.

You...

Overwhelmed by shame and anger, I struck a hard blow against his chest.

If you do not want to be kissed, forget it then!

He let out a muffled groan from my strike, followed by a low, rumbling laugh that made his chest vibrate beneath my hands.

What are you laughing at!

I spun around in a huff, intending to storm off, but my waist was instantly caught in a tight, unyielding embrace. The next second, he bent down, bringing his face completely within my reach.

Are you really angry already?

His voice was laced with undisguised amusement. The tip of his nose brushed against mine, our breaths tangling together intimately.

Kiss, kiss, kiss. I want to kiss you!

Well, I do not want to anymore...

Before I could finish my sentence, his lips descended upon mine. It was no fleeting touch like a dragonfly skimming the water; it carried an overbearing, fierce intensity, as if he wanted to crush all the lingering insecurity of moments ago right into this very kiss. He smelled faintly of fresh lemons, mingled with the crisp, green scent of newborn grass. This kiss was entirely unlike his usual gentleness—it was urgent, deep, and consuming. The arms wrapped around my waist tightened continuously until I was nearly starved of oxygen, and only then did he pull back just a fraction.

So... His voice was hoarse and low, his breathing still ragged. Who is the one you truly love?

I stared into the eyes right in front of me, noticing the faint flush of red still lingering at the corners of his eyelids.

It is you.

I raised my hands to cup his face.

It has always been you, Khuong Nien.

Con Nam, you are truly shameless.

After class, Lam An Nhien blocked my path. Her eyes burned with hatred and bitter jealousy as she glared at me.

Is someone else's boyfriend really that good?

Are you blind? I retorted sharply.

What? She seemed momentarily stunned, failing to process my words.

I grew impatient.

I asked if you were blind. From the very beginning, it was Chiang Yen Chuyen who kept hounding me—could you really not see that?

Lam An Nhien bit her lip hard.

If you had not seduced him, why would he refuse to let go of you?! Do you even know that the online boyfriend you had before was him? He was the one who tracked down your real identity, thought you were too fat, and dumped you onto Khuong Nien!

He thought you were repulsive!

He abandoned you!

As she hissed these words, a flash of malicious glee lit up the depths of her eyes. She desperately wanted to see me crumble in agony. I merely replied with absolute calm.

So what? If he could judge and abandon someone else, he could just as easily judge and abandon you. Do you not understand even that simple logic?

Lam An Nhien froze in place.

I honestly do not understand what there is to like about such trash. If you want him, take him. I do not have the habit of scavenging garbage. Did you truly love him so much, or were you simply too proud to accept being discarded by him?

Lam An Nhien stood there in a daze, her mouth opening as if to speak, but no words came out. I could not be bothered to argue with her any longer.

Step aside, I need to get back to the dormitory.

Even after I had walked a long distance away, she was still standing motionless in a stupor. A few days later, word spread that Lam An Nhien had sought out Chiang Yen Chuyen once more. Only this time, she did not bring him breakfast; instead, she slapped him hard across the face.

Chiang Yen Chuyen, she said, I want to break up with you. Remember this well: it is not you dumping me, but me dumping you. You are simply not worthy of me!

Though Chiang Yen Chuyen took a vicious blow to the face, he actually looked as though a heavy burden had been lifted from his shoulders. With Lam An Nhien finally out of the picture, he pursued me with even greater persistence, as if he would rather die than give up. I regretted my actions so deeply I turned green. If I had known, I would have told Lam An Nhien from the start that the two of them were a match made in heaven! Annoyed beyond belief, I made it a point to avoid Chiang Yen Chuyen's usual routes every single day.

On that particular day, I was walking past a construction zone to return to my dorm. Half the path was cordoned off with warning tape that hung loosely, fluttering violently in the howling wind. I kept my head down, staring at my phone as Khuong Nien had just texted me to say he would come pick me up that evening. Right at that moment, a piercing screech of twisted metal rent the air directly above my head. The sound was terrifyingly close—so close that my instincts made me jerk my head upward. High up on the third or fourth level, several heavy steel pipes were sliding off the edge of a scaffolding platform, hurtling straight down toward where I stood.

I wanted to run, but everything unfolded in a split second; there was simply no time to escape! In my field of vision, the falling scaffolding seemed to move in agonizing slow motion, expanding larger and larger by the second. Suddenly, a tremendous force slammed violently into my waist. My entire body was knocked sideways, my knees crashing hard against a pile of broken bricks while the skin on my palms scraped raw. A deafening crash echoed beside my ears as the steel pipes slammed into the ground. Dust billowed into my throat, choking me into a violent fit of coughing.

I twisted my head around to look.

Chiang Yen Chuyen was half-kneeling right on the exact spot where I had been standing moments before. A heavy steel pipe had struck him squarely, driving him face-first into the dirt. My pupils instantly constricted to pinpricks.

Chiang Yen Chuyen?!

He did not move at all.