Chapter 80: The Madness of Youth
He had flown 9,000 kilometers to be here, on the last day of the year, just to see her. Alone, he waited for her in the freezing cold. Yet what he saw was her walking beside another man, their gazes filled with affection. In that moment, it felt like thousands of needles were piercing his heart. He hadn't expected love could bring such excruciating pain. He didn't even have the right to be jealous.
"Is that your friend coming to see you? Then I'll head out first,"
Dang Bang Anh said, his voice heavy with unspoken anguish.
When Kieu Ly appeared in his life, he thought he had finally found someone to share the coldness of London with, someone to walk alongside him on the road ahead and make it less lonely. But now, he realized it had all been a self-made illusion.
At that moment, he felt like a character trapped in a love triangle. The person who had just shown up was probably Kieu Ly's boyfriend. Only someone deeply in love could wait outside in the cold like that—and from the look of heartbreak on his face, it was clear he felt betrayed. Dang Bang Anh didn't want to be the third wheel in this painful scene.
Kieu Ly nodded, about to return his coat, but he refused and quietly walked away, his coat still draped over her shoulders.
He was used to loneliness, after all. It was just a matter of returning to it again.
After Dang Bang Anh left, Kieu Ly rushed toward Toan Phuong. She took off the coat, put it around him to keep him warm, and anxiously asked:
"Why are you here? Are you crazy, showing up at this hour? You're freezing cold!"
Toan Phuong pushed the coat off and suddenly pulled her into an embrace, pressing her against the wall and kissing her with desperate force.
Though older, Kieu Ly was still a girl—physically weaker. She tried to push him away, but couldn't. When boys go mad, they can truly be terrifying.
Unable to resist, tears streamed down Kieu Ly's face. Only then did Toan Phuong finally let her go.
"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to."
Kieu Ly, now free, slumped to the ground, exhausted, and repeated her earlier question:
"Why are you here?"
"I came here with my parents on a trip."
"A family trip during Tết?"
"It's not exactly a trip. I'm still underage and can't travel alone. So my parents planned the trip just to bring me here."
"Why did you come?"
"To tell you that I've made it. I'm about to get into Foreign Trade University—just like you."
"Really? That's wonderful news."