Chapter 31

After eating and drinking, everyone cleans up and rests together. Men sleep in tents, and women sleep in SUVs.

Ngoc Lam cannot sleep, so she climbs to the top of the car to watch the stars. The night sky is clear without a single cloud or moon. The quiet night becomes mysterious and scary with the rustling sounds in the bushes, the chirping of night-hunting birds, and the flapping of wings passing over her head.

For humans, night is a quiet time to rest, but in the world of nature, the struggle for survival is moving on.

Ngoc Lam sits and savours her solitude in nature. It's so strange that she can sit here alone without feeling threatened, but she panics when she steps onto a crowded stage.

"Lam" calls softly from the side of the car.

"Thac?"

"Can I come up there with you?"

"Yes."

Van Thac climbs onto the roof of the car and sits next to Ngoc Lam. On the ground, a fire is burning, and the sound of wood is crackling below. Small sparks from the bonfire shoot up in the hot air. And above Van Thac's head, shooting stars have just passed by.

"You can't sleep, Thac?"

"Yeah."

"Ngoc Lam"

"Huh?"

"I'm sorry."

"Sorry for what?" Ngoc Lam is confused.

"It happened the other day. The Teachers' Day. The performance. I was wrong."

"Ah, that's ..."

"But thanks to you, I realized many things and learned many things to become myself today."

"..."

"Ngoc Lam… thank you."

Ngoc Lam looks at Van Thac.

"I know that no matter how hard I try, I cannot be as good as you, but I will never give up. I will never stop to wait for you, nor will I let myself too far behind you. In the upcoming performance, you only need to give your best, and I will get closer to you at all costs."

Ngoc Lam's eyes sparkle with tears, reflecting the stars in the sky. She smiles gently under the dim starlight as if the light of the night is embracing the girl in her twenties. Van Thac seems to be immersed in that dreamy light, like a beautiful, peaceful dream.

Crack! The sound of a dry branch breaking in half behind them, followed by an artificial 'hoot hoot hoot' sound cannot have been more obvious.

"Ah…." Van Thac lowers his head and sighs. Hearing their voice, he knows that Luyen and Thuyen are sneaking under the SUVs to eavesdrop.

Ngoc Lam laughs at the current situation. She feels a little regretful in her heart but also feels lucky.

Van Thac wishes Ngoc Lam good night and climbs down to the ground. From the top of the car, she hears quiet grumbling sounds, and it's like there are silent intense physical impacts between the boys. Waiting for the three of them to fully enter the tent, Ngoc Lam climbed down. In the SUV, the queen-sized bed has M sitting there waiting.

"Ouch" M winks at Ngoc Lam.

She pretends not to understand what her teacher is implying, climbs into bed, covers herself with a blanket, wishes M good night, and quickly closes her eyes. M laughs at her trying to act as if nothing happened, says goodnight and turns off the lights in the car.

Tomorrow morning, the whole group returns to the theatre. The closer the performance date gets, the more actively updated photos of practice sessions and selfies of orchestra members become. The sponsors are reassured, and public opinion also calmed down. M, from the paparazzi, finds out who is behind this and decides to keep it a secret temporarily until the opportunity comes.

A week before the performance, the Orchestra teases part of the practice session. Ngoc Lam holds the position of the lead violinist. The video makes music lovers even more impatient to wait for the official date.

Among those impatient people, Thanh is absolutely on the list.

Ngoc Lam is still actively undergoing psychological treatment while practising with the Orchestra. At noon, when everyone is taking a break, she receives a call from an unknown number. Recognizing the voice, she knows the person on the other side is Thanh. He calls her out for a private meeting, fearing she would refuse, so he talks about Minh's relics left for her. Ngoc Lam understands she cannot hide forever, so she gives him the address, informs M that she has to go out, puts on a long coat, and gets ready to fight.

"The cuckoo calls the eagle! The subject has begun to move!"

Luyen and Thuyen are already sitting at the cafe opposite the theatre, calling Mr Wods, who is sitting in a hidden corner of the designated cafe that Ngoc Lam suggested Thanh. The teacher takes a sip of coffee and asks again.

"Have you informed Thac yet?"

"DONE, Sir!"

"Come over here!"

The two guys immediately leave the cafe, take a taxi and race to the meeting point. The cafe is located on the ground floor of a shopping mall, half an hour by bus from the theatre. The reason for choosing such a place is not only to avoid attracting attention near the theatre if something unwanted happens but also to embarrass Thanh.

Menus in this cafe right in the shopping centres are unbelievably costly. While Thanh is worried while looking at the list of food and drinks, Ngoc Lam quickly orders a cup of milk coffee and a simple lunch. Over the past time, while sticking around in a foreign land and following Mrs Phuong and her husband's orders to connect with the media and hire paparazzi, there is not much money left in his pocket and yet to see results. The couple begins to lose patience and cut some of the financial support to him. Finally, Thanh has to order a glass of water with his face lost.

Looking at Ngoc Lam having better mental health, eating and drinking without looking at the price, and her life sails with the wind, Thanh cannot hold the bitterness in his heart.

"You've had a good life lately, haven't you?" Thanh raises his voice sarcastically.

Ngoc Lam is eating less than 1/3 of her lunch. Hearing Thanh's sarcasm, knowing she cannot continue her lunch anymore, she asks the waiter to pack the rest. Looking at Ngoc Lam acting naturally like she is in her homeland, proving that she is used to expensive restaurants like this, Thanh becomes even angrier.

"Even the Heavenly Lord knows better not to strike at mealtime. I have to eat to continue practising." Ngoc Lam pretends not to know that Thanh is mad, using a handkerchief to wipe her mouth. "You said you had Minh's relics for me. Can you give it to me early so I can get back to the theatre?"

Thanh looks at the confident expression from Ngọc Lam, different from when she was scared and stammering in the past, he smirks. Later, he places a folded piece of paper on the table.

Ngoc Lam looks at him suspiciously. Thanh raises his eyebrows to signal that it is for her, so she takes the paper and opens it. That is a prescription.

"That's Minh's prescription for depression." Thanh smiles proudly, "Aren't you coming back soon? You are a depression patient like him, so maybe it will help you."

Ngoc Lam remains silent as she carefully reads through each medication listed on the prescription. Although she is familiar with the names of the chemicals, memories of her last conversation with Minh through text message flood her mind. After receiving his response, he suddenly passed away, leaving her heartbroken and in pain.

Seeing Ngoc Lam's pained face, Thanh becomes sure that what he did has worked, so he speaks again.

"You deserve to experience the feeling that Minh had to endure. Without him, you wouldn't be where you are now. While I lose him forever, you are living your good life, aren't you? Why is everything so easy for you? You have so many people supporting you, and you have the talent without any effort-"

"Thanh" Ngoc Lam interrupts, "Why do you say I need no effort?"

Nearly a year of active psychological treatment and rushing like a moth into music has helped Ngoc Lam realize many things and remove the obstacles in her thinking. Except for being too haunted by the PTSD on the stage, Ngoc Lam no longer considers herself a sinner when facing the man with Minh's face, who is gradually showing complications from surgery aesthetics and age.

"It took me half a year to learn music theory and practice basic piano lessons over and over again to be able to master Chopin's Impromptu that Minh used to play. I haven't been able to make the violin sound like I wanted for many months. I couldn't play the trumpet the first time, nor did I know how to control my fingers on different parts of the accordion. The gift I have is the ability to perceive music perfectly and remember music well. To stand on stage, I practised more than ten hours a day. I had arthritis and had to take medicine for a long time. My face was also swollen because of an allergic reaction to the chemicals on the violin. Fractured leg bones from falling while trying to reach the farthest string of the harp. My fingers are so full of calluses that my fingerprints are blurred from playing guitar and string instruments. I have worked so hard just to be called a monster? A murderer?"

Not expecting that Ngoc Lam would oppose him, Thanh is so shocked that he is speechless. After a few seconds of being shocked, he feels that the person who should have obediently endured his torment dared to resist to the point that his position changes from superior to inferior. Unwillingness and helplessness make Thanh angry, so he begins to act aggressively and violently.

"Minh is gone, do you still dare to say those words?" Thanh shouts, holding a glass of filtered water and intending to throw it at Ngoc Lam.

The intention of violence against Ngoc Lam fails. As quickly as it happens, a steady hand holds Thanh's wrist. When he looks up, Van Thac's eyes fill with murderous intent causing his previously fierce aura to deflate like a deflated tire.

"Don't shame your people abroad! A man who is stunned into silence by trenchant arguments starts to commit physical violence on a woman. Have you gotten used to living brazenly and then become numb to self-humiliation?"

Mr Woods slowly approaches along with Luyen and Thuyen.

Ngoc Lam stands up from the chair and makes room for the teacher. Only then does Van Thac release Thanh's hand and stand covering her from the sight of the bullier. Luyen and Thuyen stand next to Thanh, staring at him, causing him to feel pressured not to dare say anything. Seeing that the situation is settled down, Mr Woods tells Van Thac to escort Ngoc Lam back to the theatre. Waiting for the two to leave, the teacher turns to stare at Thanh.

"You keep mentioning 'Minh, Minh' whenever you open your mouth. Mr. Thanh's will for justice seems very strong?" The teacher says sarcastically.