A busy evening.
The snow in the sky grew thicker and thicker.
By the time Giai Moc Vi realized it, the entire street had already been covered in a silver coat.
The silver decorations hanging along the street now reflected brilliantly against the snowy layer.
Like countless tiny crystals stacked one upon another.
Today, Dam Uyen Chi brought two memory cards for photography.
After both memory cards were filled, and once Giai Moc Vi checked that the photos Dam Uyen Chi had taken were basically fine, everyone could finally go home.
"I'll go to the photo shop tomorrow and print all of these," Giai Moc Vi said as she placed the camera into her backpack.
Just as she was about to call her family to have them pick her up, Dam Uyen Chi noticed the time on her phone: it was already 2 A.M.
"Oh my god, it's so late already. I'll head out first my brother is waiting for me over there. Bye~ see you tomorrow!"
After saying goodbye, Giai Moc Vi watched Dam Uyen Chi hop away, then tilted her head up to the sky where the snow had finally stopped, sighing, "It's already this late, huh."
Ve Dinh Tieu said nothing, pulling out a cigarette from his pocket and tucking it between his teeth.
Five hours of shooting.
They clearly hadn't done anything strenuous.
So why did he feel this drained?
Being the "male lead" in today's friendly performance…
Giai Moc Vi offered the "deepest gratitude" she had mentioned in her message.
"Want some coffee?" She stood obediently in front of him and assured him, "I learned how to make Iceland iced coffee from Uyen Chi, and Lawyer Khuong confirmed it tastes good. I spent a lot of time learning manual brewing."
Ve Dinh Tieu knew he shouldn't expect too much from her so-called "deepest gratitude."
Offering someone coffee at 2 A.M. really was…
"Alright." He nodded.
Giai Moc Vi brushed off the snow on her body; her already pale skin grew even paler in the cold, with the tip of her nose flushed red.
Ve Dinh Tieu removed his scarf and wrapped it around her neck carefully.
The scarf carried a faint, slightly bitter tobacco scent ike pearwood smoke blended with a hint of fresh greenery.
Giai Moc Vi reached up to tug the scarf down, revealing half her face.
He smiled subtly from a hidden angle.
"But making coffee isn't exactly a 'deep expression of gratitude.'"
Giai Moc Vi pressed her lips together. "Other than this, I can't think of anything else."
"If you truly want to express gratitude, you should let the person being thanked decide what they want. That would show sincerity."
Ve Dinh Tieu exhaled a cloud of white breath, lifted his head as if pondering. "Let me think… what request should I make…"
Giai Moc Vi's heart tightened.
Was he going to bring up what Doctor Ha mentioned?
Impossible… right?
There's no way… right?
He wouldn't be that shameless…
If he did, what should she do?
Should she refuse?
Her thoughts tangled into a mess. Before she could react, he had already pushed her gently toward the car.
"Let's go. If we stay out any longer, I'll turn into an ice block."
On the way home.
Giai Moc Vi continued flipping through the documents she brought.
The case of Lam Pham was not going to be easy.
Especially because of a precedent case from ten years ago.
"What's your client asking for?" Ve Dinh Tieu asked.
While flipping through the files, she replied, "Reject his wife's compensation demands, and recalculate the marital assets as well as the Michelin restaurant under the wife and son's names."
Ve Dinh Tieu chuckled. "That's tough."
Of course Giai Moc Vi knew that, which was why she was trying to figure out solutions. "He said he never imagined he would divorce his wife, so he completely let go of financial control, and now the situation is disadvantageous."
But it wasn't entirely hopeless.
She blinked, pitifully begging the officer beside her, "Can I request the domestic violence case file from ten years ago? Officer Ve?"
"… " Ve Dinh Tieu fell silent.
Lawyers could request case files too, but others had to submit applications to the Metropolitan Police Department and wait.
And this was where the advantage of having a police-officer boyfriend showed.
With his approval
To repay him, Giai Moc Vi put on the brand-new apron she had never used.
The officer sitting across from her rested his chin in one hand, asking, "Hand-brewed coffee doesn't exactly require an apron, does it?"
"Uyen Chi says cooking needs a sense of ritual. That way the final dish releases its fullest flavor."
Ve Dinh Tieu pressed his lips together, saying nothing.
People around him rarely knew how to cook. Back in the police academy, there was one person who could, but they only occasionally got to try his food. As for Du Thua Uy… better not mention him he was great as long as he didn't steal food.
He watched Giai Moc Vi awkwardly fold the filter paper and place it into the dripper, scoop in the coffee grounds, then pour hot water over them.
The slightly bitter smell of coffee drifted into the air, tinged with a sweet caramel note.
Overall, her technique looked decent clearly something she had seriously learned from Dam Uyen Chi.
Her ability to learn was strong.
She was also very good at asking questions and absorbing knowledge.
It seemed that no matter what she did, if she put her heart into it, she had to do it well.
Ve Dinh Tieu truly liked that about her.
Because he was the same.
Perhaps it was a kind of mutual attraction between similar types.
He found her increasingly interesting.
Iceland iced coffee
Hot coffee mixed with honey and lemon, topped with a lemon slice and two mint leaves.
The steaming coffee was poured over crystal-clear ice cubes.
The heat and cold fused together two opposite currents dissolving into one.
She handed the drink to him. "Please enjoy."
Before she could withdraw her hand, his fingers reached forward, pinching her fingertips lightly as he turned her reddened palm toward himself.
She hadn't even paid attention to the redness from the boiling water just a slight burning sensation.
"You really can endure this well." He lifted his gaze, recalling the expression she wore when she got her hand caught in the subway door previously. "Your acting is pretty good too."
"… " Giai Moc Vi.
She wasn't as pain-tolerant as he claimed.
She had just forgotten to use heat-proof gloves when handling the warm cup.
But such minor pain meant nothing to her.
Not that she didn't feel pain it was more like her body had long grown accustomed to a certain form of pain.
Yet at that moment, under his direct gaze, the sting in her palm magnified several times.
She tried pulling her hand back, but his knuckles held her firmly.
He stood up, pulling her toward the fridge.
Taking ice cubes from the freezer, he placed them onto her palm.
Coldness surged over the numb, burning sensation.
Under the dim light, his face looked deeply handsome.
He was, by nature, a strikingly handsome man.
"If a blister forms, it'll affect your ability to flip through documents," he said, his voice like freshly washed ice crisp and cool, but ending with a low rasp. "Your hands are beautiful. Don't let them scar."
Giai Moc Vi froze like someone had pressed her pause button only able to stare at the melting ice in both their hands.
The square cube thinned.
The water pooled deeper.
And the distance between their fingers lessened.
Cold droplets ran down her wrist, soaking into her sleeve.
His eyes were fixed intently on her fingers persistent in an unexpectedly stubborn way.
After five long minutes
Her fingers were slightly red, the pale-white polish faintly faded. Held tightly by his hand, her fingers seemed like a tiny bird trapped in a cage.
He was leaning too close.
She could clearly see the fine patterns in his irises the closeness making her scalp tingle.
She tried to politely say, "I can do it myself, Officer Ve"
He suddenly spoke.
"Just now, I thought of how I want you to 'deeply thank' me."
"What?" Giai Moc Vi blinked.
"Call my name."
"… " Giai Moc Vi.
He raised his head, serious yet irresistibly soft.
"Call my name from now on. Because our relationship is one where we can call each other by name."
After half an hour of struggling, she still pronounced his name stiffly.
When she spoke, she intentionally raised her tone at the end like the first soft yawn of a kitten waking up.
Maybe doing that made her feel less embarrassed.
She lifted her chin with a "This is the best I can do" expression.
Ve Dinh Tieu relented. "Alright, call me like that from now on. If you call me by my surname again, I'll get angry."
His eyes curved beautifully.
Over time, she had seen many sides of Ve Dinh Tieu his seriousness at the police department, his arrogance when leading others on a case.
But she liked this Ve Dinh Tieu the most.
Like a boy next door who just woke up, rubbing his slightly messy hair and greeting her with an energetic "Good morning."
He lacked delicate gentleness, yet radiated an overwhelming warmth.
Dam Uyen Chi had always said it was a blessing that after losing her memory, Giai Moc Vi met Ve Dinh Tieu.
If it had been another man, living with such a beautiful woman for so long without making any improper move impossible.
Giai Moc Vi agreed completely.
Though she believed that if anyone dared lay a hand on her, she would strangle them herself.
But Ve Dinh Tieu had always been very respectful.
He tried to fulfill the responsibilities of a boyfriend, yet never demanded the rights of one.
He had done so much for her, yet she had given him nothing.
She hadn't even received her first month's salary. The first entrusted case wasn't finished. She hadn't collected her attorney fees.
She had lived in his home for over half a month as if she were truly the lady of the house.
So… calling his name was nothing.
Just a form of address.
A relationship
subtly shifting due to a cup of late-night coffee and a change in tone.
Like a glacier melting slowly from warmth.
Pulling two fingers closer together from opposite sides of ice.
He seemed to be in an excellent mood.
But as she sat down reading documents, her mind was in chaos, unable to focus on a single word.
"It's very good. I like this flavor. Thank you for making it for me, Moc Vi." He took a sip.
The lemon softened the original acidity of the coffee, carrying faint hints of smoky wood and salt.
A good mood plus good coffee made him feel refreshed.
"… " Giai Moc Vi responded quietly.
"Thank you… Ding Tieu."
Phew.
That form of address really was… scorching.
She raised her head slightly, intending to look outside to calm down.
But in the reflection of the window, she saw his shoulders trembling clearly suppressing laughter.
A tiny flame flickered in her chest, raising her body temperature by a few degrees.
She lowered her head even more.
Her face felt hot.
A strange feeling.
Something she had never felt before.
The piece of flesh inside her chest felt heated, warming her whole body.
She knew Ve Dinh Tieu must have overheard her conversation with Dam Uyen Chi earlier that afternoon.
Otherwise he would not talk about calling each other by name.
So embarrassing.
The feeling of being caught made her unable to raise her head.
But thinking about it…
Ever since regaining her memory, she had been embarrassed countless times anyway.
"Stop laughing!" Unable to bear it anymore, she grabbed a pillow and threw it at him.
He caught it effortlessly, held it in one arm, set down his cup, and countered, "Why can't I laugh?"
"You just can't! You're bothering me."
Ve Dinh Tieu tilted his head. "How wronged I am. I didn't even make a sound."
"… " She gathered her documents.
Fine.
She would read in her room.
She couldn't stay in the same space with this man right now too distracting.
Ve Dinh Tieu also stood and blocked her bedroom doorway, propping one foot against it to keep her from entering.
Holding her books with one hand, she raised the other into a fist, meaning move immediately.
He caught her wrist, leaning close
Giai Moc Vi was stunned. "?!"
He stopped just one centimeter from her cheek, his gaze burning like waves of heat washing over her face.
"Your face is red."
"It's not." She insisted.
"I'll take you to look in the mirror."
"No! Let go!" she growled through clenched teeth.
"Do you feel like you're starting to like me again?"
"… "
The flame in her chest, already small, flared violently at his words.
She stared at him. "Are you crazy? What nonsense are you talking about? How narcissistic can you be? Aren't you embarrassed?"
"No."
His ears were tinted a strange red, but his eyes were firm like fire meeting wind, rushing straight into hers.
"What's embarrassing about pursuing someone you like? I don't think it is."
"… " She was speechless.
"If you feel like you're starting to like me again, then just say it like you used to. I really want to know…"
He wasn't joking. He meant every word.
And because he was so serious
Giai Moc Vi felt that if she actually hit him, she'd shatter something rare and precious.
"… Because right now, I'm in the stage of being in a relationship that isn't fully a relationship chasing after you. You should at least give me something back, shouldn't you?"
After he said that, her eyes widened.
Target
locked.
From then on
That form of address became hers exclusively.
When Dam Uyen Chi heard it, she showed a "women always act tough but are soft inside" expression, chuckling:
"See? Close proximity really does accelerate relationship progress."
Giai Moc Vi didn't know whether her relationship with Ve Dinh Tieu had progressed that far.
But switching from "Officer Ve" to "Dinh Tieu" seemed like just a change in words, not an actual deepening in closeness.
After careful thought…
She decided to maintain the relationship at its current level for now.
Lam Pham's case was still ongoing.
Only four days remained before the trial.