An and Phong
The bus sped down a golden, sun-drenched road.
In the very last row, three students sat chatting — two boys, one girl.
“An, do you think Phong’s handsome?” Huy asked.
An replied with a grin:
“*A smile like blooming flowers, a voice like jade — fairer than clouds, purer than silk.”
(*) Translated from the famous verse of "Truyện Kiều" — a Vietnamese classic by Nguyễn Du (You can search “Truyen Kieu”):
"Hoa cười, ngọc thốt đoan trang / Mây thua nước tóc, tuyết nhường màu da."
Then she added:
“If we’re being logical, though, Phong definitely doesn’t have the jade voice or the pure manner part.”
Huy gawked.
“Hold on. Are you saying... his smile’s as pretty as a flower?”
“Yeah,” An said simply. “Like an angel’s.”
In the middle, Phong, who appeared to be asleep, cracked a satisfied, smug little smile.
In his 20 years of life, no one had ever said his smile looked like an angel’s.