- Mom, can you cook dinner this afternoon? I'll take Quyen to the library in the afternoon.
When Tuan opened the door and entered the house, he saw the shoes that his mother used to wear were neatly placed on the shoe rack. He immediately knew that his mother had returned. Mrs. Linh often goes on business trips away from home, that is the nature of her work. Tuan's family is considered a well-to-do family. His father is the head chef of a five-star restaurant, and his mother is the secretary of a large company. In terms of finances, his family does not lack anything, and even has a lot of money to save, but emotionally, it's not as complete as other families. He also has to bear it. Tuan is used to things like this.
Mrs. Linh sat on a warm padded chair, and when she heard her son's voice, she tilted her head to look outside. She's not at home these days. It seems her child is still alive and well. That's fine. When she first heard Quyen's name, she thought that the two of them must have made some progress in love. Tuan sat on the chair, looking at the fast-food that was no longer hot, thinking that his mother must have bought it a long time ago. But that's also true! His father is not at home, his brothers go to school, and his mother is not good at cooking.
- Why does Quyen suddenly want to ask you? I remember it's been a long time since she asked for you.
Mrs. Linh picked up a cup of mint tea and took a sip. The scent of mint is cool and fragrant, helping her mind to stay awake. In fact, in the past, Mrs. Linh did not often drink tea, she preferred coffee much more. But on one of Quyen's house visits, watching Quyen bring a pot of cold tea with her and give Mrs. Linh a cup, Mrs. Linh realized that the cold tea turned out to be just as delicious as the hot tea.
Putting the cup of tea on the table, Mrs. Linh looked at Tuan, realizing that something was wrong with his face. Tuan is a quiet boy. He rarely shows his thoughts and feelings through facial expressions. There are times when Mrs. Linh feels that her son is not very quiet like that. But at that moment, seeing his concern on his face, Mrs. Linh immediately realized that something was wrong.
- What's wrong? Is something wrong?
She asked in a low voice. Tuan looked at his mother in surprise, then lowered his head in contemplation. He didn't know if he should tell her what was going on with Quyen. Partly because he didn't want the little thing to become big, but mostly because he was afraid that his mother would blame him for not protecting Quyen. In Mrs. Linh's eyes, Bich Quyen was always an obedient child. She is so obedient that, even if others harm her or get angry at her, she just laughs and ignores it. He still vividly remembers the time the two of them argued. It's not right to say that they were arguing and that he merely scolded her.
At that time, Bich Quyen asked Manh Tuan to take her to the city library to borrow books. The two met at two o'clock in the afternoon, but he was late. Bich Quyen waited for him for thirty minutes before finally taking the bus to the city library herself. It took more than two hours for Tuan to appear at her door, just in time for Bich Quyen to bring the books home. The two looked at each other for a while. Quyen didn't blame him, and even softly asked him why he hadn't come on time. At that time, Manh Tuan did not know what happened to him. Listening to her question, the only thing he could think of was that she was blaming him for being late and not keeping his promise.
- Are you blaming me for being late? Today it took a long time to get here because the traffic was congested, so I came back late. Can't you sympathize with me?
Long that his younger brother, at that time, was a first-grader. Quyen listened to his words, his eyes widening. She didn't know if she had said something wrong or had a bad way of talking that caused him to misunderstand him like that. She did not blame him, nor did she sympathize with him. She just wanted to know why he was late. The only thing she wanted was something simple.
- I do not mean that! Don't mislead me!
Quyen's voice trembled a little, not from fear but sadness. Besides her family, Tuan is the third person who can influence her feelings and thoughts. Maybe it was because she liked him. The emotions in her heart dominated the thoughts in her mind. She was very afraid that he would hate her. Bich Quyen doesn't care what other people think about her or how they treat her, because to Quyen, they are just people passing through her life. Some people stop for a longer time than others. Some people just stop for a bit and then continue on their own way. But Tuan is different. The relationship between the two of them, Tuan and Quyen, soon ceased to be a friendship. At least for her. Therefore, Quyen always values this friend and is afraid if she loses him.
- No misunderstanding? Obviously, you're blaming me for not taking you away. Dang Bich Quyen, you are just a friend. Do you think you're more important than my brother? Never had it.
After saying that, Manh Tuan regretted it. He looked at her, her bright eyes looking back at him in surprise. In those eyes, there was astonishment, disbelief, and pain. Those beautiful eyes seemed to denounce how much what he said earlier made Quyen's heart hurt. She lowered her head, not looking at him anymore. She didn't want her best friend of the opposite sex to see her pathetic side. Bich Quyen dodged lightly and opened the gate to enter the house. No one was standing there except for Manh Tuan. He did not dare to walk. Bich Quyen's eyes of pain and despair were what held him back, not letting him step out of her gate. Something welled up in his heart, an unnamed emotion, bringing a pain that suffocated his heart. That feeling seems to be telling him that as long as he steps out of this gate, the friendship between him and Bich Quyen will no longer exist. But, he couldn't stand there forever. Le Manh Tuan can't get Bich Quyen's face out of his head. He knows that Bich Quyen values him as well as the friendship between the two, but Tuan doesn't know the true emotions she puts into this relationship. After that, something in their relationship changed. It seemed that their friendship grew even stronger.
Mrs. Linh leaned back, realizing her son's difficulty in speaking. Manh Tuan is not a person who knows how to express his feelings, he rarely says things that make him wonder and worry. She was a mother, but she rarely talked to him. It's a bit painful, indeed! Mrs. Linh cried silently in her heart.
- Mom, what if something bad happens in front of me but I don't stop it?
He took a deep breath, bringing out the concerns in his heart. Honestly, he hesitated a lot before he dared to speak, just afraid that he would not receive any advice. But, thinking about it, Mrs. Linh is more or less his mother, also an experienced person. He hoped he could listen to some advice from his mother.
Hearing her son's question, Mrs. Linh looked at him in surprise. Until now, Manh Tuan has not often interfered in other people's affairs. One of his life mottos is not to get involved in things that don't concern him. But if he asked her about that question, she would guess that most of it was related to Bich Quyen. However, she did not expose her son, although she knew that she did not want Tuan to be in trouble.
- Are you able to stop that?
She asked softly. Tuan heard his mother's question and was startled. Does he have the ability to prevent that? Yesterday, Tung Lam damaged Quyen's books, threw her schoolbag into the toilet, then poured water on it, and finally took the schoolbag and threw it in the trash. To this day, he is able to prevent Quyen from having to transcribe the book. Everything he can avoid. But...why wouldn't he? For what reason? Is he afraid of Tung Lam? is not! He is not afraid of Nguyen Tung Lam. Or because he doesn't want to be friends with Quyen anymore? Not at all! Seeing her like that, he didn't feel comfortable in his heart at all.
- I didn't say if you could stop it or not. To do or not to do, it is all your choice. But I will only say one thing. You want to stop it. You don't want to stop it. You can do anything you want. It's just that when you look back, don't let yourself regret it. That's all!