Chapter 20: A Smile as Light as the Night Breeze
Was he trying to turn me into a free housemaid? I came here to learn, not to cook and wash dishes for him. Besides, a man and a woman alone in one place, cooking together—wasn't that basically living together? No way.
Mr Auntie turned off his screen and stood up.
"You look exhausted. Get some rest. I'll wake you when the food is ready."
The more he talked, the more uncomfortable I felt. No matter how shameless I was, I wouldn't just loiter at someone's house, waiting for them to serve me food. Especially when that "someone" was my mentor. I quickly shut my laptop and stood up.
"I should get going. I have lunch plans with Duyên today."
As soon as I said it, I felt my face heat up with embarrassment. Someone who didn't know me might actually believe that excuse. But Mr Aunt and Duyên were close—he probably knew that Duyên always went home to her parents on weekends. My lies were getting more and more blatant.
Mr Auntie didn't press the matter. He simply nodded and reminded me,
"There are a lot of algorithms you don't need to figure out on your own. Google has them ready for you."
I nodded vigorously, packed up my laptop, and left.
Week Three: Coding
Any free moment I had, I spent staring at that dark screen filled with annoying lines of code. My eyes were strained, my body exhausted. Code, debug, code, debug…
Duyên peeked at my screen and teased, "It's almost running. You're pretty good, you know?"
I shot her a glare.
"If it doesn't run, I won't survive. Working with an iron-faced mentor is tough, you know."
She set a cup of hot milk on my desk.
"You look completely drained. You need to take care of yourself."
I grabbed the cup and downed it in one go while she kept staring at my screen.
"You just need to fix this part, and it'll work."
My eyes widened as I looked at the code she pointed to. I had been so exhausted that my brain had turned to mush. The only issue left was a tiny mistake, yet I couldn't figure it out. I grinned.
"You're too cute!"
After that quick fix, the code ran smoothly. I had to admit—Duyên was incredibly smart. Intelligence, good memory, diligence, discipline—if she didn't excel academically, that would be the real shock.
I was truly proud to have such an amazing friend.
And just like that, my dear project was finally complete. I brought it to my Mr Aunt for review. He nodded slightly.
"It's good that it runs. I was worried you wouldn't even get it to work."
How insulting! Did he really think that little of me? If he looked down on me so much, why did he choose me for the competition in the first place?
"However," he continued, "now you need to test it, fix the bugs, and optimize the product. I need perfection, down to the smallest detail. Also, the interface is unappealing—fix that too."
Of course, she wasn't letting me off that easily. With a sulky face, I carried my laptop back to the dorm.
Weeks 4 & 5
After debugging and preparing my slides, I finally felt satisfied with my work. Excitedly, I rushed to my Mr Aunt's house, completely forgetting how exhausted my body was.
While he was testing the product, I slumped onto the desk. I had pushed myself too hard and hadn't had enough sleep. When I woke up, it was already midnight. I was lying on a bed, and my Mr Aunt was sitting on a chair, watching me intently.
Startled, I blurted out, "Oh no! I'm so sorry—I fell asleep. How careless of me."
He let out a small sigh. "You've worked hard these past weeks."
Why was he being so polite all of a sudden? It made me feel strangely awkward. I hurriedly packed up my laptop and papers, ready to leave, but then he said,
"Let me walk you home."
Huh?! Walk me home? Was he joking? Didn't he value his time like gold? And why would he need to be chivalrous to a student? I waved my hands dismissively.
"That's too much trouble for you."
But before I could protest further, he had already picked up my laptop and stepped outside. Left with no choice, I followed.
His house was close to my dorm, so we walked. The sweet scent of milkwood flowers filled the night air. Why did this feel so much like a date? I was so focused on following her that I didn't even realize how cold it was. Goosebumps covered my arms, but my face felt oddly warm.
We walked in silence the entire way. When we reached the dorm entrance, he suddenly asked,
"What do you plan to do in the future?"
Uh… I was the kind of person who lived in the moment. My immediate goal was to graduate. I hadn't thought about what I'd do afterward. But admitting that to someone as ambitious as my Mr Aunt felt embarrassing. Half-joking, half-serious, I replied,
"I guess I'll apply to a big company, live my life making tea and pouring water. Maybe some rich, balding old man will take notice of me. That'd be nice."
He chuckled before continuing in the same calm voice, "Have you ever thought about waiting for someone?"
What? Why was he asking such vague and profound questions?
"I'm always waiting, Professor. I'm waiting for a prince to fall from the sky and land right on my head."
He laughed again, a smile as light as the night breeze. I stared at that fleeting smile—so distant yet strangely beautiful.