Chapter 3 — Wife Is Your Destiny

Before returning to Hoa's house, I stopped by the convenience store. Buy grape juice, vodka, sparkling water, and even glasses of ice. Lately, the homepage keeps showing recipes like this. I've been curious about that flavor for a long time! Besides... today is my birthday, consider it a little reward for yourself. When we got back to Hoa's house, it was already past ten o'clock at night. I sat by the kitchen island, took out the mini birthday cake I had bought, and quietly closed my eyes and prayed in my heart. 【Happy birthday, Kieu Hue. Hope your second university entrance exam goes smoothly!】 After eating the cake, I started sipping a glass of homemade wine. The intoxication came on very quickly. After I finished cleaning up the trash, I staggered to the railing and walked upstairs. Opening the room door— A familiar but unfamiliar scent, cool and elegant like snow white and pine wood, suddenly came. At this point, my mind was no longer able to think, I only relied on instinct, groped my way to the bed, and crawled under the blanket. Today's sheets are softer than in memory, and also carry a bit of coolness, which is truly extremely comfortable. Out of habit, I reached out to search for my familiar "hug pillow". Although this time… it was harder than usual, but still reluctant to hug. I hugged it tightly, buried my face deep in it and took a deep breath. “Um…” — I happily rubbed it a few times. The next second— Someone squeezed my chin and lifted it up forcefully. A low, men's voice carrying some danger rang in his ears: "Kieu Hue? Look closely to see who I am." 7 Who… is he? This voice—— Um… is Hoa Chau Can! She is the person, besides my grandmother, who treats me the best in this world. In my sleep, I imagined that morning again—that man with broad shoulders, slim waist, tall and sturdy physique. Even though she was only wearing a simple sports outfit, her neat and vibrant body lines could not be hidden. However, I didn't have time to imagine... My whole body suddenly felt like it was on fire from the bones, the pain penetrated deep into my bones, and then immediately turned into a scratching, tingling itch throughout my body. I wanted to reach out and grab something... but it was held so tightly that I couldn't move. “Kieu Hue?” In the midst of my confusion, I heard his voice, Hoa Chau Can asking: "What did you eat tonight?" My whole body was in pain and itchy, my throat felt like something was blocking it, making it difficult to breathe. In my waking dream, I felt like I saw the last ray of light in my life— I saw... my grandmother. Just like the day we broke up, my grandmother's dry, thin hand held mine tightly, her mouth constantly whispering and repeating: "You have to go to college, go to college..." "It's my fault for you, the money I saved for you to go to school was stolen by that bastard and gambled away..." "From now on, every day your baby must be happy and healthy, you know?" I wanted to shake my head, wanted to tell her it wasn't like that, but my throat was choked up, I could only make incoherent, hoarse sounds: "It's not... it's not that..." I gasped for breath, hot tears continuously flowing from the corners of my eyes. After a long time, I gradually tried to wake up a little. It feels like... my body is very wrong. I tried to muster all my remaining strength, chokingly whispered the words: "Birthday cake... wine..." When I woke up again, the smell of antiseptic The scent lingers on the tip of the nose. I slowly opened my eyes. The first thing I saw was Kieu Xuyen Dich sitting next to the bed playing with her phone, followed by Hoa Chau Can, leaning on the armrest of the sofa, closing her eyes to rest. "Mr. Can took care of you all day and night, just barely sleeping." Kieu Xuyen Dich put away the phone and snorted softly: "If you're allergic to alcohol, you still dare to drink alcohol? At that time, you went into anaphylactic shock, do you know that? Luckily you went to the wrong room, otherwise no one would have known." I bowed my head, filled with guilt, and mumbled an explanation: "I'm sorry... I've never drank alcohol before, it's just... it was my birthday so I wanted to try it once, but I didn't expect it to turn out like this..." Kieu Xuyen Dich paused, a bit of regret and shame suddenly flashed across her face. He was just about to open his mouth — when the phone vibrated. It's Kieu Nguyet Tam calling. "Hey bro." - her voice rang out clearly from the other end of the line - "My parents and I are about to fly to Iceland, when do you plan to arrive?" Kieu Xuyen Dich coughed slightly and deliberately lowered his voice: "I'm at the hospital." "Are you that seriously ill? Isn't it just an alcohol allergy? You can take medicine to cure it." – Kieu Nguyet Tam hesitated – "Or are you trying to fool yourself again? Otherwise... give me the phone, I'll talk to you for a bit?" 8 The hospital room was extremely quiet. I couldn't help but hear every word Kieu Nguyet Tam said over the phone. Kieu Xuyen Dich glanced at me, her eyes slightly guilty and confused, then stood up with her phone and walked out of the hospital room. “Kieu Hue, she…” – the unfinished sentence floated in the wind. I slowly let go of the tight corner of the blanket and sighed deeply. During the time I was staying at Hoa's house, I reminded myself many times that no matter how close I am, when I suddenly return after many years of separation, the feeling of strangeness and distance is inevitable. It's okay if they don't like me. But... when I actually saw and heard those words with my own eyes, my heart still couldn't help but ache. Five minutes later, Kieu Xuyen Dich returned, walked to the sofa, and gently pushed Hoa Chau Can: "Nguyet Nguyet is looking for you." Then he came to my bed, sat down and gave me a cup of warm water. He was silent for a long time. Then she spoke, her voice lower than before: "Your parents and Nguyet Nguyet are about to return home. They told me to take care of you a few days ago. Don't... don't think too much. Actually, they care about you very much." “Yes, it's okay.” – I nodded slightly, placing the glass of water on the bedside table. Perhaps seeing that the atmosphere was too awkward, Kieu Xuyen Dich tried to change the topic: "Nguyet Nguyet is sometimes a bit of a cheeky young lady. Look, you know that Hoa Chau Can has been taking care of me all day and night and hasn't had a day off yet, but you still keep calling." He shook his head and smiled helplessly: "Since childhood, he has liked to cling to people." I unconsciously glanced towards Hoa Chau Can. He was rubbing his forehead on the phone, his facial features were clear and angular, his eyes were calm, no expression could be seen. Through the phone, one could vaguely hear Kieu Nguyet Tam's voice carrying a bit of coquettishness. But he only said "yes" every now and then, seemingly not paying much attention. At that moment, I suddenly remembered the first week when I arrived Beijing... That night, Kieu Nguyet Tam hugged her pillow and came to my room, saying she wanted to sleep together so we could talk a bit. In the darkness, her voice hesitated, carrying a bit of shyness: "Sister, do you have someone you like?" "No. What about you?" "I... do. I like someone, it's been a few years. I can't tell my parents, I can't confide in my brother, now I have a sister, I finally have someone to share it with!" "This year I'm an adult, I plan to try pursuing him once. If... if he doesn't like me, I'll ask my dad to go to his house and ask him to marry me! Hmm..." At that moment, I suddenly felt as clearly as a knife carved into my heart - The person that Kieu Nguyet Tam has secretly loved all these years, is Hoa Chau Can. I took a deep breath, then forced myself to completely extinguish the vague vibrations for Hoa Chau Can. That's good too. Because right now, the most important thing to me is not who I like, but: Next year's college entrance exam. And… getting into college.