Chapter 5: Fated Encounters
On a drizzly September day,
I put on the white lace dress that Duyên had given me and headed to the soccer field. She told me the dress was a gift from her older brother. As I traced my fingers over the delicate fabric, I couldn't help but admire the taste of the person who had chosen it. The pure white lace dress had a thin, translucent co
llar and sleeves that subtly revealed hints of skin, while the lower half flared out just above the knees, making me look like a lost princess.
I wanted to appear as pretty as possible at the soccer field—though, of course, my real goal was to quietly cheer for Hải Anh.
I went alone since Duyên had gone home to visit her parents. Apparently, her house was a grand mansion. That was lucky for me—at least, in this moment, I could hope that Hải Anh might actually notice me.
At the soccer field, I stood silently, watching Hải Anh's every move. With his impressive stamina and skill, he stood out on the field. Then again, as I mentioned before, the boys in my class were generally quite frail. It would be more surprising if he didn't stand out.
At the end of the first half, Hải Anh approached me, flashing his signature charming, crooked smile.
"You came alone?"
I could see the sadness in his eyes. I knew exactly what that sadness was about—he was thinking about Duyên. In the end, the person he truly cared about was always her.
Maybe I shouldn't have come at all.
They say that when you love someone, you feel sad when they're sad, and you secretly wish for their happiness. But I wasn't like that. I was selfish. I could never accept sharing love with another girl.
I made a silent promise to myself:
"Fine. Go ahead and chase after Duyên. I… will stop liking you. Forever."
What I wanted was a love that belonged to me completely.
I forced the brightest smile I could manage and said lightly,
"Duyên went home, so it's just me today."
After exchanging a few polite words, Hải Anh ran back to the field. But before he left, he turned back with a grin.
"You look really pretty today."
Pretty? At best, I just looked less ugly. If I were truly pretty, he wouldn't only have eyes for Duyên while ignoring me.
Even so, I couldn't bring myself to be mad at him. Just one sentence from Hải Anh was enough to make me forget all my bitterness.
But the truth remained—he wasn't waiting for me.
I quietly walked home.
Drizzly days always made people feel down. And when I felt down, there was only one solution: food.
Only eating could lift my mood again.
To me, a lack of love or friends wouldn't kill me. But hunger? That would.
I stopped by the roadside to buy some vegetables for instant noodles, along with some snacks. This kind of weather was perfect for eating and watching movies.
After bargaining with the street vendor, I took the vegetables and hung them on my bike.
For some reason, I felt a little guilty.
How much could she even earn from selling that small bunch of greens? Yet I had still haggled over the price—enthusiastically, at that.
It was a habit I just couldn't shake, but now I wanted to slap myself for it.
To make matters worse, the poor vendor was being chased away by other stall owners. Seeing the hardship on her weary face, I felt a pang of guilt and pity. I was still debating what to do when an impatient voice rang out behind me.
"You ladies need to move along! Selling vegetables on the street like this blocks traffic."
Oh, hell no.
This was the street. Who gave him the right to park his damn BMW here and act like he owned the place?
Just because he had a bit of money, did he think he could do whatever he wanted?
Out of spite, I deliberately parked my bike right in front of the BMW's hood, pretending not to hear him.
Then, from behind me, came the smoothest, most honey-coated voice I had ever heard:
"Hey there, sweetheart. Could you move up just a bit so I can park?"
I casually pushed my bike forward and set the kickstand, but I wasn't done yet.
I had to see what kind of person could switch tones so drastically in a matter of seconds.
When the gleaming BMW window rolled down, I nearly fell over.
It was him!
The cheap yet gorgeous guy I had met at Royal City!
For now, I'd call him Mr. Perfect Butt.
I didn't stop walking. Instead, I headed toward the back of the car, thinking quickly about how I should handle this situation.
But when I saw the VIP license plate, I nearly fainted again.
Oh wow. This guy's loaded.
Taking a deep breath, I walked back toward the driver's side, putting on the sweetest voice I could muster.
"Excuse me, could I ask you for a favor?"
The man inside looked refined and polite.
"What is it?"
"Could I have your autograph?" I asked, holding out my notebook.
"I've known about you for a long time, and I've seen so many pictures of you, but I've never met you in person. I'm a huge fan!"
Mr. Perfect Butt smirked—a subtle, arrogant lift of his lips.
Oh? Did he actually think he was famous?
Arrogant, huh? I hated arrogant guys.
But at the same time, I found them irresistibly fun to mess with.
A rainy day like this? Too bad for him—he'd just run into a scam artist.
Since I was already in a bad mood, I was going to thoroughly enjoy myself.
Just as I was about to make up another reason to get his signature, he suddenly asked:
"Where did you buy that dress?"
Oh, so he wasn't being nice to me—he was being nice to the dress?
Wow. The audacity.
I swallowed my irritation and sweetened my tone even more.
"Sign this for me first, and then I'll tell you."
Mr. Perfect Butt studied me for a moment, then swiftly signed the notebook.