Chapter 24: The Gold Medal
Although I returned as a defeated contestant, everyone I met congratulated me. Maybe they didn't expect anything more than a silver medal from me. Or perhaps they were just surprised that I had accomplished something beyond their expectations?
On my day off, Duyên went home, and Vy went out to have fun. Feeling bored, I wandered into the dormitory library to read books and novels. Life always follows its usual trajectory. When reading novels, my eyes were as bright as car headlights, but the moment I picked up an academic book, my eyelids grew heavy. I rested my head on the table and dozed off.
I dreamed of Mr Aunt—not with that cold, steel-like face, but with the radiant smile he had when he helped me with my injured foot. I was floating in that beautiful dream when suddenly, someone woke me up:
"Vũ Trang Vân."
I jolted awake. Only one person ever called me by my full name like that—Mr Aunt. Did I fall asleep during his lecture? If so, I was doomed. I quickly sat up straight and turned to look at the person who had called me. But wait, this wasn't a lecture hall, and the person in front of me wasn't Mr Aunt.
I stared, wide-eyed, at my unexpected visitor.
"It's you?"
The Gold Medalist grinned at me.
"I've already had my birthday. I'm 18 now, officially an adult. So I'm not a kid anymore."
I couldn't be bothered to argue with a child.
"I was having a beautiful dream, and you just had to ruin it. How considerate of you."
The Gold Medalist chuckled.
"Did you come to the library just to sleep? And yet, you still managed to win a silver medal."
This kid, seriously. What I do is none of his business. It's not like I'm disturbing world peace. I was about to shoo him away so I could go back to sleep when I noticed that he had already settled into the seat next to me.
I blinked in confusion.
"What are you doing sitting here?"
The Gold Medalist opened his laptop and replied as if it were the most natural thing in the world:
"Studying. Not everyone comes to the library just to sleep, you know."
Wow. This kid was hopeless. No sense of respect for his seniors. Whatever. I let him be and laid my head back down to sleep. I didn't know how long I had slept, but by the time I woke up, the library had mostly emptied out.
But the Gold Medalist was still sitting beside me, completely focused. Ah, a coder—just like Mr Aunt. I was pretty sure if I grabbed a pair of scissors and chopped off all his hair, he wouldn't even notice. I let out a long sigh and asked,
"You're still here? What are you doing?"
The kid finally looked up as he closed his laptop, getting ready to leave.
"If I hadn't stayed, you would've lost your laptop and phone by now. You sleep like a log."
Wow. Did I ask him to do that? And now he's acting like I owe him a favor.
The Gold Medalist then suggested,
"Let's go eat glass noodles. My treat."
Two people—one male, one female—going out to eat together? That's kind of weird. And on top of that, with a baby-faced kid? I was about to decline when my phone rang.
Crap. It was That Handsome Butt again. He hadn't attended my competition because of some important meeting. Now, he was probably trying to make it up to me. He kept being so nice—I was starting to feel guilty. Maybe I should just let him go.
"I'm outside your dorm. Let's have dinner tonight."
I turned to the Gold Medalist.
"Come with me."
When we arrived at the shiny BMW parked outside the dorm, That Handsome Butt was already standing there, holding a large bouquet of flowers. I smiled wryly as I took the bouquet and politely declined his invitation.
"Thank you, but I already have dinner plans with this kid."
That Handsome Butt didn't give up so easily. He looked the Gold Medalist up and down as if he were evaluating his worth.
Oh, come on. Aside from being a genius, this kid couldn't compare to That Handsome Butt in any way. There was no need for that look.
After a long, scrutinizing gaze, That Handsome Butt finally pulled out his wallet, took out a business card, and handed it to the Gold Medalist.
"If you're looking for a job in the future, you can contact me."
I swallowed my frustration. This man truly had the natural aura of a leader—he could work even while flirting. And with this move, he had completely dominated his opponent: "No matter how talented you are, you'd still just be an employee under me."