Chapter 22: I Can Do It
Honestly, staying here wouldn't help me improve at all—if anything, I'd probably lose my confidence completely. So I left the room. My mentor remained seated inside, her expression as calm as still water.
In any case, the competition was being recorded live. I could always rewatch it later on TV or find it on YouTube.
A moment later, my phone rang. I hurried back to the auditorium, still feeling incredibly nervous. Damn it, after all the effort I had put in, why did I have zero confidence right now? My mentor approached me and said:
"I chose you because I like unpolished gems. But also because you faced me with more confidence than any other student. Show me that confidence here. Don't let me down."
That's right. If I had the guts to stand up to him, then what was a mere competition compared to that? Besides, no matter how nervous or uneasy I was, I could still maintain a composed and effortless attitude. My mentor's and Duyên's demeanor had gradually rubbed off on me, and perhaps their confidence had influenced me as well. I took a deep breath and calmly stepped onto the stage. Then, I began my presentation and demo.
After finishing my presentation, I returned to my seat, only to be greeted by Vy's beaming smile.
"That was amazing, you little devil."
I had no idea when Vy had arrived, but her compliment unexpectedly made me feel happy. Even though she was a chemistry major and completely clueless about IT, making her praise about as weighty as a feather, it still felt good to hear. I sneaked a glance at my mentor and caught the faintest of smiles.
Vy sat beside me and my mentor as we waited for the results.
The waiting time felt excruciatingly long. I really wished Duyên were here with me right now. Unfortunately, she was stuck taking a midterm exam and had promised to come as soon as possible.
Finally, the award announcements began.
One by one, the contestants' names were called, yet mine was nowhere to be heard. At this rate, I wouldn't even get a consolation prize, let alone the gold medal. If that happened, I'd be so embarrassed I might have to cover my face in shame every time I stepped outside. Just as I was sinking into disappointment, the announcement echoed through the room:
"The Silver Medal is awarded to Vũ Trang Vân for the Millionaire Mindset software and Đặng Bằng Anh for the Criminal Management System."
I turned and threw myself into my mentor's arms, laughing brightly.
"We did it! We did it! Our baby… we succeeded!"
Oh, crap. Before I could fully revel in my joy, I realized what I had just done. I… had… hugged a man. No, not just any man—my mentor.
All eyes in the auditorium were now glued to us. I quickly let go, sank back into my seat, and didn't dare to say or do anything else. I sat perfectly still. Meanwhile, my mentor, ever composed, remained completely unfazed. Honestly, he should've been named Hoàng Kim Tiền (Golden Money) instead. He calmly took his seat as if absolutely nothing had happened.
Vy, who had been quiet, finally muttered with slight disappointment:
"So… no gold medal, huh?"
I turned to Vy with a mock-threatening smile.
"Come on, Vũ Trang Vân is just a regular person, not some deity."
Finally, the gold medal was announced. It went to Nguyễn Đắc Cường, the high school senior from the specialized science school.
I was so salty about it. If I hadn't been kicked out of the room earlier, I could have at least seen what made him so godly.
My mentor seemed to have a hint of regret as well. He started analyzing:
"You actually had a chance to win gold, but that high schooler was simply outstanding. Most contestants forget that to achieve great things, you need to perfect even the smallest details. They focus too much on the big picture and algorithms rather than quality. Take the University of Technology student, for example—his system supports multiple languages, but his Vietnamese translation was full of typos, and he didn't even ensure proper security. Your software may not have been the most grandiose, but it was flawless down to the smallest detail. Carelessness in any profession is a form of dishonesty. Moreover, if even someone who knows nothing about IT is impressed by your application, it means it will be well-received by the public."
His words made me realize something. No wonder he had stayed so calm throughout the competition. I nodded in agreement.
"Well, it makes sense. A product made by two women is obviously going to be more meticulous than something made by a bunch of guys."
My mentor instantly lost interest in the conversation and fell silent.
Honestly, I really admired him. No matter how much I teased him, he never once got angry at me. Well… maybe she just never bothered to acknowledge my nonsense.