After Tinh Yen realized that her plan to make Vi Phong notice her had completely failed, she watched in frustration as Ha Vi Phong quietly gave more and more attention to Thinh Thinh. That made Thinh Thinh an unexpected "rival" in her eyes, and the simmering anger inside Tinh Yen refused to fade so easily.
One day, at the end of class when Thinh Thinh wasn't around, Tinh Yen quietly enlisted Tieu Linh to stir trouble for Dinh Loi. Tieu Linh batted her sparkling eyes and spoke with sweet, teasing sarcasm:
"Dinh Loi, don't you think it's really unfair? You've been chasing after Thinh Thinh for so long, even I feel a little jealous. And yet... she's been taken by Ha Vi Phong. Clearly, you were the one who came first!"
Dinh Loi, who had been twirling his pen, froze.
"What?"
Tieu Linh continued, pouting playfully as she feigned sympathy:
"Oh, you didn't know? Everyone's been talking about it. Looks like Ha Vi Phong has stolen Thinh Thinh right from under you!" She added with mock sorrow, "I just feel so sorry for you, all that effort, and now it's been taken away!"
Those words were like a spark dropped onto dry fuel, igniting Dinh Loi's anger in an instant. His fists clenched, veins straining, eyes burning red.
"That bastard. He dared to steal Thinh Thinh from me? I'll kill him."
He stormed out into the hallway, searching everywhere, his voice seething with the kind of rage that sounded ready to tear Ha Vi Phong apart.
From a corner of the classroom, Tinh Yen allowed herself a small, satisfied smile. As long as Tieu Linh provoked Dinh Loi enough, and Thinh Thinh was lured to the small storage room... everything would unfold exactly the way she planned.
At that moment, Thinh Thinh was calmly walking down to the teacher's office to submit the class's test papers.
A little later, Ni Ni came running, out of breath, with urgent news: Dinh Loi was furious and looking for Ha Vi Phong to confront him. Thinh Thinh and Ni Ni immediately split up, rushing to find Ha Vi Phong and stop Dinh Loi.
But halfway there, Tieu Linh and a few of Tinh Yen's friends blocked their path.
"Thinh Thinh, I just saw Dinh Loi. He's really angry and looking for Ha Vi Phong. He's heading this way. Follow me."
Before she could react, they grabbed her hands and dragged her toward a small room behind the courtyard. One of them shoved her inside and then smoothly locked the door.
Thinh Thinh pounded on it, shouting desperately:
"Open the door! I have to stop Dinh Loi, or something bad will happen..."
Outside, Tinh Yen's voice rang sweet and gentle, but every word was as sharp as a knife:
"Thinh Thinh... calm down. I've already reported it to the teacher. If you appear now, it'll be like admitting you're dating Vi Phong."
Seeing Thinh Thinh hesitate, she continued, her voice deceptively gentle but razor-sharp:
"Our school doesn't allow early relationships. If the teachers find out, it's one thing for you... but Vi Phong's spot in the national math competition could be affected because of this. And if you show up there, it'll only pour fuel on Dinh Loi's jealousy. Who knows what he might do in a blind rage that could harm Vi Phong even more?"
With that, Tinh Yen and her friends left, leaving Thinh Thinh alone in the dark room. Gradually, the sounds outside faded into silence.
Thinh Thinh stood frozen for a moment, her hand still gripping the door handle, her chest tightening as if someone were squeezing her heart.
She slammed the door hard, but it didn't budge. The clock on the wall ticked each second like a hammer striking her mind, a constant reminder that time didn't wait for anyone.
She drew a deep breath, trying to steady herself, but the cramped space and the pressure of being trapped made it hard to breathe.
"What do I do now?"
"Let me out... someone... please let me out!"
She shouted, but her voice only echoed back at her, swallowed by the four walls. No one answered. With each passing second, the helplessness sank deeper into her chest.
The small room grew suffocating. Her rapid breaths and pounding heartbeat filled the empty space, each thump echoing like a warning she couldn't escape.
Meanwhile, in another part of the story, Tinh Yen hadn't actually informed the teacher. After locking Thinh Thinh inside, she immediately ran to Ha Vi Phong's side.
At that moment, Dinh Loi was seething with rage, fists clenched, eyes blazing red. He didn't care about the truth or any explanation. He only knew that Thinh Thinh was being "taken" from him, and that was enough to ignite his furious jealousy.
The instant he saw Ha Vi Phong standing in the schoolyard, he charged forward like a whirlwind, muttering under his breath:
"You bastard... today you'll die in my hands!"
Even as Dinh Loi barreled toward him like a mad dog, Ha Vi Phong remained calm, showing not a trace of fear. He stepped back to maintain distance, his voice steady as he asked.
"Dinh Loi, what are you doing?"
But Dinh Loi didn't listen. He lunged again, hand outstretched to strike. Ha Vi Phong dodged with practiced ease, never faltering. Yet it was precisely his composed, decisive movements that only fueled Dinh Loi's anger further, making his blood boil with frustration.
Dinh Loi continued to launch a flurry of kicks, pressing Vi Phong into a difficult position. Just as he was about to strike again to "vent his jealousy," Tinh Yen suddenly threw herself forward in a dramatic display of feigned injury, whining weakly:
"Stop it, Dinh Loi!"
Startled, he froze, realizing he had almost hurt Tinh Yen.
Despite his reckless and aggressive nature, he had never raised a hand against a girl.
Seeing Tinh Yen fall, Ha Vi Phong instinctively reached out to support her, concern lacing his voice:
"Are you okay? Why did you step in for me?"
Feigning frailty, Tinh Yen whispered,
"I'm fine."
Inside, she smirked, then turned to clarify things for Dinh Loi:
"You've misunderstood. What you just heard is only a rumor. Actually... the one dating Vi Phong is me."
Dinh Loi's eyes widened, his voice catching slightly:
"You... what did you say?"
Before Vi Phong could respond, she quickly interjected, her tone honeyed and insinuating:
"Thinh Thinh is really dating Vi Phong, huh? Did she boast about it to you?"
She didn't wait for his answer, continuing:
"If that's true, then why didn't she show up to protect the one she loves? Why did she just let you get angry and cause all this chaos?"
Tinh Yen's words not only made Dinh Loi falter, but they also stirred a quiet, uneasy ripple in Ha Vi Phong's heart.
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