Chapter 15: The Chosen One
I listened to Mr Aunt's long and passionate speech, yet I still didn't understand why I was dragged here. My face was blank as I asked:
"Uh… So what does this have to do with me?"
Mr Aunt took his eyes off the laptop screen and looked at me. Judging by his expression, I had just asked a very stupid question.
"Our university has five slots to participate in this program with those special privileges. Each professor will select and mentor one student. I chose you."
I still had that dumb expression on my face.
"Uh-huh."
But then, I snapped out of it. He chose me? The school's reputation—and possibly even Mr Aunt's—was on the line. No way! What about Duyên? What about Hải Anh? Why not pick them instead? Not to mention the long list of nerds in the talented bachelor's program who spent day and night passionately hugging their lines of code. I was lazy, unmotivated, and had no grand ambitions. If I participated, I'd just be a laughingstock. I immediately protested:
"But, sir, there are many upperclassmen. Even in my class, there are plenty of outstanding students. And what about the talented bachelor's class—"
Mr Aunt remained firm. He looked straight into my eyes, his gaze serious.
"I believe you can do it. You're very intelligent."
I froze. Mr Aunt was infamous for being a strict professor who demanded the highest standards from his students. Being acknowledged by him should have been an incredible honor. But accepting his offer meant I was willingly signing up to be crushed under a boulder. If I wasn't careful, I'd suffocate to death. This wasn't just some fun little challenge.
Seeing my hesitation, Mr Aunt continued:
"If you win, not only will you bring glory to the school, but you'll also make a strong impression on companies. When you graduate, you won't even need to job-hunt—companies will come to you, offering the salary of your dreams."
Hearing about money, I was deeply tempted. To be honest, money was even more attractive than handsome men. I had been worrying about my future after graduation. This was both a challenge and a rare opportunity. I'd be in the same boat as Mr Aunt. If the ship sank, at least she'd go down with me. What was there to fear?
Besides, I truly admired and trusted Mr Aunt's abilities. Surely, things wouldn't be too disastrous. I nodded hesitantly.
"Okay. But I'm still very lost. I'll probably be bothering you a lot."
Mr Aunt's face visibly relaxed upon hearing my agreement.
"I've already prepared materials and topics for you to study. I think we should create a small but highly practical software application."
He then started explaining some initial ideas and which materials to focus on. Just listening to him for a short while, I admired her even more. It was hard to believe he was only a few years older than me. Not only was she deeply knowledgeable in his field, but his general understanding of the world was also impressive.
Mr Aunt gave me three days to research and get started. After that, the real work would begin.
I carried home a pile of materials—both hardcopy and digital—that Mr Aunt dumped on me. I stared at them for a full 30 minutes, overwhelmed by how much there was and how difficult it all seemed. At that moment, I truly regretted my decision. It wasn't as easy as Mr Aunt made it sound. He was a natural-born scammer. He should've been a salesperson or a CEO, not a professor deceiving innocent students.
Even if, by some miracle, I managed to produce something decent, there was no guarantee I could beat students from other universities. There were countless people who genuinely loved programming and had real talent. I was nothing compared to them.
I closed the books, shut my laptop, and sprawled on my bed. Frustration and doubt consumed me.
For a fleeting moment, I thought about the pink notebook. Should I use it to command Mr Aunt to pick someone else? That would make things so much simpler.
Tears welled up in my eyes. I felt pathetic. Mr Aunt believed in me so much, yet here I was—lazy, scared of hardship, and backing down before even starting.
I slipped on my sandals and went for a walk around the dormitory courtyard. When you're sad, eat. When you're stuck, move. That was my simple life philosophy.
The next day, when I arrived at the lecture hall, everyone was looking at me differently. It seemed the rumor that Mr Aunt had chosen me had spread across the entire school.
People probably thought I had used some kind of love potion on Mr Aunt.
I slumped into my seat with a long sigh.
Duyên kept her head buried in her laptop, not even glancing at me. Normally, if she saw me in a bad mood, she'd tease me a little and ask what was wrong. But today, she seemed just as troubled.
I suddenly felt awkward, unsure whether I should say something first.
"I'm really jealous of you."