Chapter 21: A Formidable Opponent
Thanks to him, the security guard let me through the main gate. I quickly said goodbye and rushed inside. If I had been any slower, I might have had to spend the night outside.
From behind the dorm's iron bars, I lingered for a moment, watching him. He adjusted his coat and turned away, walking quickly into the night. The cold air only made him look even lonelier. Why did my chest tighten at that sight? Was I lonely too...?
Since the girls' dorm was locked, I had to climb the wall to get in. Embarrassing. Good thing my Mr Aunt had already left; otherwise, he'd definitely have looked at me like I was some kind of alien.
When I finally made it to my room, I tiptoed inside. Earlier, while I was downstairs, the lights had been on. But now, everything was dark.
I knew Duyên wasn't asleep—she was always the last to go to bed. But why was she pretending to be?
I turned on the light and saw a cup of warm milk and a small plate of fruit on my bed. Duyên must have left them for me.
I suddenly wanted to talk to her, to share my happiness that my project was finally complete and had been accepted. But it seemed like she was avoiding me on purpose.
I finished the fruit and drank the milk. Somehow, I felt much better. Without overthinking, I collapsed onto my bed and quickly drifted off.
I didn't have the energy to wonder about anything else anymore.
Finally, the competition day arrived. I dragged my exhausted, frail body to the venue, looking like a walking corpse, but my spirits were sky-high. After all the effort I had put in, my mentor and I had created a rather impressive "baby" together. I casually asked him:
"Why didn't you just do it yourself? If you had, I could've taken it to the competition, and our school would've bagged the gold medal for sure."
A fleeting smile appeared on his face but was immediately replaced by his usual stern expression.
"Do you really think so?"
I didn't respond. What did she mean? Was he accusing me of dishonesty, or was he secretly pleased by my compliment? I was just venting my frustration over how he had pushed me so hard, nothing more. But somehow, he seemed to have misunderstood.
I was the last contestant to present. The first was Đặng Bằng Anh from the University of Technology. He had a studious, determined look, and his thick glasses were especially memorable. Just looking at him, I could tell my shot at the gold was in jeopardy. He presented and demoed his software—a large-scale system for managing international criminals, currently supporting "only" 50 languages, with plans to expand further. He had developed it in C#.
I was completely demoralized. My hands fidgeted nervously, but I couldn't tear my eyes away from the big screen. What did this guy eat for breakfast? What was his brain made of?!
The second contestant was Nguyễn Nam Trung from the University of Information Technology. He was thin as a stick, dressed oddly in an oversized white button-up shirt and faded jeans. His project was a banking money management system written in Java.
The third contestant was Đỗ Toàn Phương from FU University. Unlike the previous contestants, who seemed to do nothing but study, this guy had a trendy, stylish vibe. His hair was dyed reddish and slicked back, his crisp white slim-fit shirt paired with a trendy tie and ripped jeans. His project was an online interview application written in PHP. Recruiters could input a bank of questions for candidates to complete an online test, followed by a live interview. The system even had facial recognition via webcam.
The fourth contestant was Nguyễn Quang Hùng, a student from my university's talent program. He used DotNet to develop a forex trading website for iPhones. His knowledge of both technology and business was impeccable, proving he was not only great at programming but also skilled in mathematics. Honestly, he should have been the one my mentor picked for this competition. Compared to him, I was just a… never mind, let's not self-deprecate too much.
The fifth contestant was Quách Phượng Long, a student from Ams High School. His name alone sounded extraordinary, and his project matched it—an embedded software system written in C++ for managing employees via fingerprint recognition.
The sixth contestant was Nguyễn Đắc Cường, a 12th grader from the specialized science high school. He had a bright, intelligent face, dressed simply yet appropriately. He exuded confidence but remained humble and approachable. His project was built using Objective-C, a language that was currently in high demand.
Before he could even begin his presentation, my mentor turned to me and said,
"Go outside and get some fresh air. I'll call you when it's your turn. Don't worry."