After a long, exhausting day in the lecture halls, Ngoc Vy finally returned to the comfort of her home.
Collapsing onto her soft bed, her mind involuntarily replayed the image of Phan Thanh Luong at the podium. A young, handsome professor, the most striking professor she had ever seen. After a while, realizing her thoughts were wandering too far, she shook her head vigorously to cut them off, noticing her cheeks had turned rosy without her realizing it.
Out of habit, she opened her laptop to wait for Lam Tuan. Today, he still hadn't come online.
This time, she didn't sit idly waiting. She scrolled through Facebook, reading newsfeeds and friends' comments.
Her long fingers instinctively typed three words into the search bar: "Phan Thanh Luong."
Staring blankly at the name for a moment, she suddenly remembered she had forgotten something and tried to recall what had happened that morning.
She pictured the young man carefully writing every stroke on the board, his calm, warm voice just loud enough for everyone to hear: "Go to the website to download the lecture slides."
On the website, there he was again, the handsome young man in a crisp white shirt, his expression half-smile, half-cold, neither exaggerated nor stern, just enough to create a perfect, unforgettable charm.
She scrolled down with her mouse, glancing through the list of courses and couldn't help but sigh in awe.
"Wow, oh my god, how can one person teach so many classes?"
He really was the definition of a campus heartthrob, handsome, talented, and admirable in every way!
Just then, a familiar chat notification popped up on her screen.
"Hi, how was your day?"
Ngoc Vy quickly downloaded the lecture slides, tossed aside all other thoughts, and started chatting with him.
"Hello."
"What's wrong?" – The message was as usual, yet somehow, it felt more distant than ever.
"I was so busy today that I forgot to turn on the rice cooker. I'm starving. LOL."
"Oh, my poor girl. If I were there, I'd cook for you. But... you know I can't right now."
She pressed her lips together.
"Yeah, I know. It's just... I really miss you."
He sent back a smiling emoji.
"My silly girl, be strong, okay?"
That empty, lonely feeling suddenly flooded her chest again. Since he'd left, he had never once told her, not even once that he missed her too.
"Don't you miss me?"
"Of course I do." – he replied. – "But I try not to think about it. You know, four years is a long time, a big distance between us. But if we keep telling ourselves it'll pass quickly, life will feel a little lighter, right? Just thinking that every morning I can still talk to you like this... it already feels enough for me."
Ngoc Vy read the message again and again, tears quietly streaming down her face. She understood what he meant she really did, but her heart still felt so fragile, so lost.
At some point, her cheeks were soaked, her eyes stinging. She buried her face against the laptop, trying to hide the longing that was overflowing inside her, aching and unstoppable.
She had always thought she was strong. But ever since he left, she finally understood what loneliness felt like and how small it could make someone feel.
Biting her lip, her eyes glistening, she slowly typed out a promise, not just to him, but to herself.
"Yes, I'll try to be strong."
"That's my girl!"
In the days that followed, Ngoc Vy thought that once she got used to the hardships, everything would start to feel normal. But the truth was far from it. Every time she adjusted to one kind of difficulty, another would pile on.
With a cram-style learning method, 10% lecture from the professor, 90% self-study assignments kept stacking up like towering mountains.
Thi Thi noticed her spacing out and asked,
"What's up with you?"
"Have you finished all the assignments?" – Ngoc Vy asked anxiously.
"No way. There's too much, too hard. I can't get it all done."
Both of them sighed in unison, their shared frustration making them nod in agreement, feeling a strange sense of camaraderie.
"By the way, have you added professor Luong on Facebook yet?"
Ngoc Vy blinked in surprise.
"Added him? For what?"
At that moment, everyone around them stared at her with a mix of shock and disbelief.
Someone that handsome… and she doesn't even want to add him?
And it's her professor?!
Thi Thi rolled her eyes at the reaction and went back to the point.
"He made a group to answer questions about the course. If there's anything you don't understand, just ask there."
"Oh, really? Then tonight, add me to the group too."
"OK." – Thi Thi replied cheerfully, teasing her with a playful tone.
That afternoon, Ngoc Vy was lying on her desk, struggling with a pile of exercises. No matter how many times she checked her calculations, the answer just wouldn't come out right. The paper in front of her was covered with eraser marks, crumpled beyond saving.
"Why won't this thing work? Don't tell me the question's wrong…" – she muttered to herself.
After a moment of frustration, she decided to post her question in the class group and waited. Ten minutes passed. Then twenty. Almost half an hour, still no reply.
Suddenly, her phone rang loudly.
"Hello? Ngoc Vy, are you home?"
"What's up, My Le? What miracle made you think of me today?"
"Your silly girl… Wanna go out to eat? There's this new place that just opened, everyone's saying it's amazing!"
At the words "new restaurant," Ngoc Vy's eyes instantly lit up, all fatigue forgotten.
"Wait a sec! Be at my house in ten minutes, no later!"
"Ha ha, I knew it. There's no way you could ever say no to food."
The two girls wandered the streets, hopping from one restaurant to another. As they chatted about everything under the sun, Ngoc Vy's phone suddenly buzzed with three notifications.
The first: Phan Thanh Luong sent you a friend request on Facebook.
The second: Phan Thanh Luong replied to a post you were tagged in the group.
The third: Phan Thanh Luong just sent you a message.
Excited, she read them one by one, finally trembling as she opened the message.
"I answered your question in the group."
It hit her like a ton of bricks, making her dizzy. Ngoc Vy turned to My Le, almost whining.
"Wow, he must be really bored to be doing this."
"Why?" – My Le asked, puzzled.
"He already answered the tag in the group. Why send me a separate message?"
My Le shook her head, utterly speechless.
"Your school lets professors answer questions in the group? That's amazing!" – My Le said, eyes wide with admiration.
"Not really. Only some professors make groups to help students."
"Well, that's still great. Nowadays, it's rare to find professors who care that much."
Feeling a sudden swell of pride, Ngoc Vy went to Phan Thanh Luong's profile, showing My Le everything about him, and quickly typed a message:
"Thank you, professor."
After that… nothing. The only reply she got was a simple "seen."
© Note: My Professor, My Husband – Copyright belongs to Zieny. Any copying, editing, or reuploading in any form without permission is strictly prohibited. Violators will be prosecuted according to the law.