Chapter 10: If You Don't Know It, Learn It
As she was leaving, he looked at her with a strange expression—part admiration, part familiarity.
But what this whole encounter confirmed for Kieu Ly was that he was indeed very smart.
Maybe… she really could help him get into Foreign Trade University.
Right after she left, Nguyễn Toan Phuong messaged his best friend:
"Dude, I just met a monster."
The friend replied with a teasing tone:
"A monster? I thought you were the monster?"
Toan Phuong answered:
"My tutor. She's insane at chess. I lost."
The reply came back with a string of rolling-on-the-floor laughing emojis, then:
"Try challenging her to a video game. That's how we'll know if she's really good."
On Wednesday, Kieu Ly came over again for another tutoring session.
As soon as she walked into the room, he had already set up two laptops and invited her:
"Let's play a game today."
Back in high school, Kieu Ly used to play video games occasionally.
But since entering university, she hadn't played much, so this was definitely not her comfort zone.
Still, she didn't refuse. She calmly set her backpack down on the desk, sat down, and placed her hand on the mouse.
If she wanted him to study seriously, she needed to take him seriously too—even in his world.
"I've never played this game before," she said gently.
"Teach me how it works, okay?"
He happily showed her the ropes.
Kieu Ly picked up the rules quickly.
But no matter how fast she learned, she just couldn't win—he was clearly already a master at the game.
Later that night, Toan Phuong messaged his friend excitedly:
"The monster's good—but she still lost to me. Hahaha!"
The reply came back:
"No monster can beat you forever, bro."
That night, when Kieu Ly got back to her dorm, she immediately opened her laptop and started grinding the game.
Huong Tra walked by and asked:
"Are you feeling okay? Why are you suddenly playing video games?"
Eyes still glued to the screen, Kieu Ly replied casually:
"I can't lose to that little devil. If I don't beat him, he won't listen to me."
Huong Tra immediately understood.
She went to the kitchen, made a glass of warm milk, and placed it on Kieu Ly's desk.
"I've never seen anyone as stubborn as you," she said.
"You're really trying every way possible to win him over, huh?"
Kieu Ly nodded firmly:
"This is my job."
That night, she played until 1 a.m. before finally going to sleep.
The next day, after finishing her classes, she went straight back to gaming.
For two days straight, whenever she wasn't in class, she was in front of her laptop.
Fortunately, Huong Tra understood and supported her—going to the market, cooking meals, and even washing the dishes so Kieu Ly could stay focused on her mission.