Chapter 2: The First Introduction

The dinner where Thành Đạt introduced her to his grandmother took place at an upscale restaurant, with the entire Vũ family in attendance. Diệu My had prepared carefully, from her elegant outfit to the way she spoke, determined to play the “perfect girlfriend” flawlessly.

Đạt’s grandmother, Mrs. Vũ Ngọc Lan, was a sharp woman whose eyes seemed able to see straight through any lie. She asked Diệu My question after question that sounded casual but were anything but, from how long they had been together to the small details of their daily lives.

Thanks to what they knew of each other from university, Diệu My and Đạt worked together with surprising ease, telling “memories” cleverly woven from real events. Like the time they had argued fiercely during a presentation and ended up staying in the library until midnight because they were too busy fighting over the topic to notice the time.

“What a strange way to meet,” Mrs. Ngọc Lan laughed, her eyes softening a little. “But from the way you two look at each other, I believe it’s real.”

Diệu My froze for a second at those words and glanced at Thành Đạt without meaning to. He was smiling at his grandmother, but under the table his hand quietly squeezed hers, a silent reassurance only the two of them understood.

The warmth that spread from that squeeze left Diệu My a little flustered. She told herself it was just acting. Nothing worth thinking about.

But that night, when Đạt drove her home and stood with her at her door, he suddenly said, “Thank you for today. Honestly, I didn’t expect to feel so comfortable acting with you.”

“That’s because I’m a good actress,” Diệu My replied, trying to keep her voice even, though something inside her had stirred in a way she couldn’t describe.