Chapter 23: The Friendly Champion
I didn't really care much about the third-place winners or consolation prizes. People tend to only pay attention to those who stand above them. That being said, even though no one from my school won gold, it was still considered a success. Without my mentor, I probably wouldn't have won anything at all. I had to admit, he was incredibly skilled—not just in expertise but also in teaching. He would make an excellent professor.
Each student who went on stage to receive their award gave a short speech in English. I knew my English wasn't the best. If I spoke too much, I'd probably trip over my own tongue, so I decided to go bold and use Vietnamese instead. When I stepped up to receive my award, I calmly said:
"I'm sorry. I want to talk by Vietnamese."
The entire auditorium fell silent. The organizers gave me a slight nod of approval. I continued:
"I would like to dedicate this award to a teacher I deeply respect. Without them, I wouldn't be standing here today. I would like to offer my teacher a song as a token of my gratitude. That teacher is Hoàng Kim Chung, my mentor and guide."
Applause began to ripple through the hall, growing louder and louder. All eyes followed my gaze—straight to my mentor.
And then, I started to sing.
🎵 Người thầy, vẫn lặng lẽ đi về sớm trưa... 🎵
(The teacher, still quietly going back and forth,
Each day, drops of sweat fall onto the pages of knowledge...)
The entire hall was captivated by my voice. I had to admit, my singing could be quite enchanting. My gentle, clear voice suited emotional songs perfectly. However, my mentor's expression… was far from pleased.
I was genuinely grateful to him, but I also hadn't forgotten the two grueling months he had put me through. I had worked harder than a construction worker under the scorching sun! If I didn't tease him a little, I wouldn't feel satisfied.
As my song came to an end, thunderous applause erupted, mixed with hearty laughter. I stepped down from the stage as the high school champion walked up to receive his gold medal. I sat beside my mentor and started showering the kid with praise.
"He looks so smart. I wonder if he'd be interested in dating an older woman? He actually lives in the same dormitory area as me!"
I turned to see my mentor's expression darken even more—worse than when I had dedicated Người Thầy to him. Whoops. Sure, I admired the kid's talent, but that didn't mean I was dismissing my mentor's abilities. To be honest, if he had competed himself, we definitely would've taken home the gold.
It was best not to push his buttons on such a happy day. I turned back to watch the golden boy being swarmed by congratulatory well-wishers.
Suddenly, he broke away from the crowd and headed straight toward me.
No way. Had my beauty and talent captivated him already? After all, I was the only female finalist. Ugh, what a burden to be this charming. I didn't dare to imagine what would happen next.
But then—
"Mr Chung! I'm going to apply to KHTN this year so I can be in the same school as you. The professors there still talk about you all the time. I've wanted to meet you for so long. I never thought I'd get to compete against your student."
Oh.
So that's how it was.
My mentor stood up and patted the gold medalist's shoulder.
"I'm proud of all of you. The future holds many great things for you."
And just like that, I became completely irrelevant.
In this kid's eyes, I wasn't even worth a single gram of attention. He had only come over to greet his respected senpai, and I was just… there.
If I hadn't been wearing a dress, I might've lifted it up and given him a good kick. But before I could even react, he extended his hand to me.
"Nice to meet you. You sing beautifully."
Hmph.
I stood up, shook his hand, and smiled sweetly.
"You're too kind."
Ugh. Just a minute ago, I was fuming, but with one little compliment, all my frustration melted away.
When it came to good-looking guys, I gave them a little extra favor. But when it came to talented guys? Oh, I was twice as generous.
After the awards ceremony, I waited and waited, but Duyên never showed up.
My family lived far away, so I hadn't told them about the competition. I didn't want them to make the exhausting trip only for me to return empty-handed. Now that I had won something, I could finally share this joy with them.
Duyên was like family to me. Having her around filled the gap of not having my relatives nearby. Even though she was busy today, she had promised to come support me. And Duyên never broke a promise.
Suddenly, Hải Anh approached me.
"Congratulations, Vân. The rough stone has finally been polished into a gem."
He handed me a bouquet of flowers, but I didn't feel much emotion. At some point, my feelings for Hải Anh had faded into the background.
I accepted the bouquet with a polite smile.
"Thank you."
Hải Anh looked around as if searching for someone.
It was obvious.
In Hải Anh's eyes, there was only ever one person—Duyên.
Honestly, if he loved her so much, why hadn't she fallen for him yet? Feelings were strange. Love wasn't about effort alone. No matter how sincere someone was, it didn't guarantee they'd be loved in return.
Hải Anh turned to me with a questioning look.
"Have you seen Duyên? She came in before I did."
I quickly rushed to the window and looked down at the courtyard.
Duyên was walking away—slowly, almost dejectedly.
Why didn't she come congratulate me?
A sinking feeling hit me. Earlier, in my excitement, I had hugged my mentor.
Could she have misunderstood?
I knew Duyên better than anyone. I understood that feeling all too well—how it stung to watch someone you cared about focus on someone else.
I had felt the same pain countless times, watching Hải Anh chase after Duyên.
The joy of this day suddenly felt incomplete.