Chapter 230: A Difference of Opinion
So Hoang Anh had pulled out all the stops, trying to take her to a luxury hotel by the West Lake. Fancy. Clearly, he wasn’t afraid to spend money. But thinking about it now, it probably wasn’t about making Kieu Ly feel special—he just wanted the experience of being with a beautiful woman in a luxury setting.
Toan Phuong felt a sense of relief—thankfully, he hadn’t made the same mistake. He and Hoang Anh were fundamentally different. Hoang Anh wanted the moment; Toan Phuong wanted the journey.
“I just wanted to give my buddy a chance.”
“A chance for what?”
“A bit of privacy. Space to talk. Maybe say things they can’t in front of others.”
With that, Toan Phuong took Kieu Ly’s hand and led her down to the garage to get their car and head home.
A little while later, the taxi stopped in front of a luxury hotel by the West Lake.
Still confused, Huong Tra pulled out her phone and called Toan Phuong:
“Did you give the driver the wrong address? Why are we at a hotel by the lake?”
“Nope, that’s the right place. Last time he got drunk and I took him home, he threw up all over the place and got yelled at by his mom. So this time I figured a hotel would spare him that grief.”
“How does that even make sense? I’m not anything to him. Why do I have to be the one babysitting some drunk guy who might puke all over me?”
“You’re nice, Tra. Old friends and all that. Just think of it as doing me a favor, yeah? Room 9, first floor. Just tell the receptionist it’s the room Nguyen Toan Phuong booked—they’ll give you the key. Gotta go, I’m driving.”
“Hey! Wait, you little—! Don’t hang up—!”
The whole ride home, Kieu Ly couldn’t stop thinking about it. She didn’t support what Toan Phuong had done. She wanted Huong Tra to be with someone who truly cherished her—not someone half-hearted like Huy or Minh Nhat.
By the time they got home, it was already late. Toan Phuong parked the car and the two of them headed in to shower together.
In the bathroom, Toan Phuong noticed that Kieu Ly wasn’t her usual self—no playful teasing, no intimate conversations. Instead, she seemed distant, lost in thought.
He asked gently:
“Are you mad at me?”
“I’m not mad… I just feel like you set up Huong Tra.”
“You ever heard the saying, ‘When you find good sugarcane, cut the whole cluster’? Huong Tra’s a great girl. I don’t want my buddy to miss out on someone like her. I want them to get back together. It’d make hanging out as a group so much easier.”
“I don’t see it that way. I want Huong Tra to be with someone truly deserving of her.”
“And what does ‘deserving’ mean, exactly? Minh Nhat’s an A-list star now—good-looking, charming. What’s not to like?”
Kieu Ly almost burst out laughing. Wasn’t this the same guy who had just said Minh Nhat looked like some flamboyant poser? Now he was full of praise behind his back.
But since they clearly didn’t see eye to eye, she stood her ground.
“Being an A-lister has nothing to do with Huong Tra anymore. They broke up ages ago. Feelings fade. Why try to patch things up?”
“I’ve been trying to set her up with other guys this whole time, but she always refuses. I think she still has feelings for Minh Nhat. Maybe she’s waiting for him, just like you used to wait for me.”
“I’m not her. She’s not me.”
“What’s the difference?”
“I don’t even know how to explain it. But Huong Tra is loyal—too loyal. She doesn’t calculate, which makes her easy to take advantage of. I don’t want her to end up being some secret lover in the shadows.”
“I think it’s understandable that Minh Nhat wants to focus on his career right now. If I couldn’t give you a stable life back then, I would’ve backed away too, instead of stubbornly clinging to you. Being a ‘hidden’ lover—it’s only temporary. Didn’t you also hesitate for ages before you finally gave me a title?”
“Why do you keep comparing me to her?”
“Don’t you see the similarities? You went abroad to pursue your career too, remember? And Minh Nhat—he’s a man. He doesn’t want to rely on a woman for success. I think that’s forgivable.”