Dam Uyen Chi suddenly had diarrhea just as they were about to leave.
Seeing that Ve Dinh Tieu's car was already parked downstairs, she urged Giai Moc Vi to go ahead first. She would take care of her situation and catch a taxi later, telling them not to wait.
After Giai Moc Vi got in the car, Ve Dinh Tieu rested his head lightly on the steering wheel, glanced at her, and asked, "What are you doing?"
He had arrived very quickly.
Giai Moc Vi opened the small note with Lam Pham's address and told him, "Let's go here."
Ve Dinh Tieu took one look, then said, "Seatbelt," before stepping on the gas and driving off.
When a man is decisive, he really is convenient.
The place was a small garden not far from Lam Pham's Michelin restaurant.
Halloween had just passed not long ago.
The traces of the recent festivities still lingered everywhere, and with Christmas coming soon, many stores had begun hanging glittering decorations.
Both sides of the bustling street were lined with trees wrapped in twinkling lights like falling stars.
Walking under those lights felt like stepping into a miniature galaxy.
Many pedestrians looked around in awe, constantly exclaiming at the beautiful scene.
"So pretty."
A couple walking behind the two commented softly.
A man and a woman walked ahead, wrapped in layers of broken starlight.
With each step, shimmering specks of light danced over them.
He held a cigarette at the corner of his mouth. When he lowered his head slightly, the upward curl of smoke brushed past his handsome face, almost as if the lights had taken physical form, lifting the corner of his lips.
Giai Moc Vi wasn't sure what had made him so happy, but somehow, he seemed to be in a really good mood.
Great.
If he was in a good mood, he probably wouldn't reject her request for help later.
Giai Moc Vi rarely initiated conversation. "Work going well?"
He replied, "Yeah, the cases I'm handling are all progressing smoothly."
Only the "portrait drawing bomber" case was still ongoing.
After talking about himself, he turned to her. "And you?"
"Me?" Giai Moc Vi withdrew her gaze from the scenery.
"I heard that when a lawyer wins a case, they treat someone close to sweet kuzu tea. I'm looking forward to it." He crushed the cigarette and tossed it into a nearby ashtray.
Giai Moc Vi had heard Dam Uyen Chi mention this custom before.
People seemed to take rituals very seriously, lawyers included.
But what she really wanted to say was…
That sweet kuzu tea symbolizing victory was usually meant to be shared with one's spouse or parents.
The two of them weren't married…
If it was for friends or coworkers, soft candies seemed more appropriate.
Ve Dinh Tieu wasn't sure if he had been clear enough, but seeing Giai Moc Vi's thoughtful expression, he slowed his steps.
On the drive here, the radio had said there would be light snow within three hours.
More and more couples were gathering along the street.
It seemed everyone was waiting for the first snowfall of the year.
Though it was late at night,
the surroundings grew brighter.
The falling flakes, illuminated by the lights, erased the darkness.
Light skimmed over them.
His hand was very close to hers, just a small reach and he could hold it.
As the chill brushed over, his fingertips trembled.
The distance between them closed bit by bit.
"Next week," he said.
"What?" Giai Moc Vi asked.
Ve Dinh Tieu's fingertips curled, but instead of reaching forward, he slipped his hand into his pocket, gripping the corner of a notebook inside.
Taking it out, he said, "Next Sunday is…"
"Hey Moc Vi!"
Dam Uyen Chi's voice rang out from the crowd as she shut her taxi door and hurried over, pressing her palms together apologetically.
"Sorry, I'm late!"
Giai Moc Vi reassured her. "It's fine, we just got here too."
Ve Dinh Tieu "…"
His chest warmed uncomfortably, and everything he planned to say stopped abruptly.
So… she didn't only ask him to come?
Leaning against a tree, Ve Dinh Tieu watched as the crowd began to thin.
People who had finished sightseeing were heading home, and the temperature dropped sharply.
His mood wasn't much better than the drifting snowflakes.
After hearing Giai Moc Vi explain the reason she had called him here, he didn't know what to say.
She hadn't said she invited only him.
He finished a cigarette.
Once he calmed down, he tried to make his voice sound normal. "This is the 'small favor' you mentioned?"
Giai Moc Vi nodded earnestly. "Is that okay?"
"…," Ve Dinh Tieu.
Could he even say no?
He was already here anyway.
He brushed the snow off his hair, the white flakes falling to the ground and melting instantly.
"All right, hurry. Let's finish before the snowfall gets heavy."
"Mm, it should be here." Giai Moc Vi examined the surroundings carefully and pointed toward a café.
Beside the café was a small rest garden with wicker chairs and round tables.
The roof kept out the snow.
This was the location where Lam Pham and Dao Mo Nhien were photographed.
Ve Dinh Tieu hooked a chair with his foot, sat down, and crossed his legs. "Here?"
Dam Uyen Chi nodded vigorously. "Yes, yes!"
The whole process was simple, just recreate the posture in the original photo while Dam Uyen Chi circled them, snapping pictures from all angles.
Feeling guilty for arriving late, Dam Uyen Chi worked especially hard, hopping around them like a dedicated photographer, "click click click."
"This angle looks good… Moc Vi, raise your hand a little… Officer Ve, tilt your head slightly to the right… yes, perfect!"
Giai Moc Vi sat across from Ve Dinh Tieu, their poses matching the photo perfectly.
Passersby assumed they were doing a couple photoshoot.
Some even asked Dam Uyen Chi for her rates and contact info.
Embarrassed, she laughed. "They think I'm a photographer!"
Giai Moc Vi said, "Probably because your poses looked very professional."
"Well, working with Lawyer Khuong meant taking lots of evidence photos, so maybe I picked up a few tricks. Here this is the angle that matches the original shot. You two take a look."
She placed the camera on the table, flipping through the images.
Ve Dinh Tieu glanced over as well.
Just moments ago, they had been sitting at a perfectly normal distance.
But in the angles Dam Uyen Chi captured, those normal interactions looked anything but normal.
Giai Moc Vi was pleased, flipping through the ambiguous angles. "Yes, Uyenchii, this effect is exactly what I needed."
Uyenchii beamed. "So this can prove Lam was trapped?"
"It can be listed as one of the pieces of evidence. But to make it more convincing, we still need two things." She handed the camera back.
"What two things?" Uyenchii asked.
"One, get Dao Mo Nhien to testify who ordered her to set up this trap. Second, take a set of truly intimate photos that contrast clearly with the original."
Uyenchii blinked.
Before she could react, she watched Giai Moc Vi walk toward Ve Dinh Tieu and then sit firmly on his lap.
"!!!" Uyenchii.
"…," Ve Dinh Tieu.
His eyes widened, pupils dilating in shock.
Giai Moc Vi's face was so close he could see the faint mist of her breath.
Her fingers brushed from his ear to the back of his head, gently pinching a curl of his hair before twirling it around her finger.
She turned her head slightly. "Why aren't you taking pictures?"
Uyenchii's face flushed bright red as she fumbled with the camera. "Oh oh my god okay okay!!"
Through the lens, the scene looked like a movie poster.
The woman leaned into her lover's arms, shoulders curved, one hand resting naturally around the man's shoulder while the other stroked his hair. Their lips were only millimeters apart.
Their breaths intermingled, the white mist blurring where he ended and she began.
Even though he knew she was only posing for the photo, Ve Dinh Tieu was completely startled.
His gaze burned, a heavy, hazy warmth rising in his eyes.
Giai Moc Vi could smell the faint trace of light tobacco mixed with licorice scented body wash.
His clothes were clean too, freshly delivered to the police station two days ago.
But he hadn't been wearing this set in the morning.
So…
Did he shower at the station before coming?
Well, that didn't matter.
What did matter was
What on earth was that bulky thing in his pocket?