Chapter 4: It’s Truly Magic

Chapter 4: It's Truly Magic

I clutched my shoulder bag tightly as I squeezed through the crowd at the grand opening event. Fans of the singers had already packed the venue, waiting eagerly.

How was I supposed to get an autograph in this chaos? Just as I was trying to figure it out, Đan Trường stepped out. Whoa, he was just as handsome as in the videos! I gathered all my courage and tried to get closer to him—but no chance. His fans were way too crazy for that. (Not that I was any better.)

I couldn't give up. I pushed forward again, trying to break through. When I got close enough, I took a deep breath and screamed:

"Aaaaaaaaaaaaa!"

Then, I dramatically collapsed.

Oh my god! It worked! The crowd turned to look at me, startled by the high-volume scream. At the same time, Đan Trường stopped and came over to help me up.

Of course, I didn't get up right away. Instead, I asked him for an autograph. He signed my notebook before heading inside to perform, while I sat outside, staring at his signature in awe.

Even if this notebook was just a silly prank, getting Đan Trường's autograph was already amazing. But first, I needed to confirm whether the words on its cover were real or just a joke.

I calmly wrote on the page where he had signed:

"Invite me to sing a duet of Đêm Cô Đơn."

The MC announced that Đan Trường would be opening with Túp Lều Lý Tưởng, but the moment he stepped on stage, he declared:

"Today, I'd like to invite someone from the audience to sing Đêm Cô Đơn with me."

I froze.

A duet? For real?

But who would he invite?

Before I could process what was happening, Đan Trường walked through the crowd—toward me.

And then he invited me.

I was not prepared for this. I followed him up onto the stage, but my legs were shaking so badly I could barely stand.

I stammered into the microphone:

"Uh… h-hello… everyone."

The music started, and I had no choice but to sing.

The square fell silent. Only our voices filled the space, blending together.

It actually… sounded kind of good?

The audience was loving it. Their enthusiasm gave me a boost of confidence. But halfway through the song, I completely blanked on the lyrics.

I froze on stage like a statue and turned to Đan Trường, whispering:

"I can't remember the words. Can you finish the song alone?"

Like the professional he was, he seamlessly took over and continued singing without missing a beat. When the song ended, I bowed quickly and ran off the stage. The crowd erupted into applause.

I jumped on a bus and bolted out of Royal City, absolutely mortified.

But the most important thing?

The pink notebook in my bag made me feel giddy.

This was just the beginning of the fun.

The Next Day

I strolled leisurely around campus.

Duyên was still in class, studying. I held onto my shoulder bag tightly, my thoughts occupied by the pink notebook.

I needed to test it again.

If this worked, the notebook was definitely real.

I tore out a page and approached the school's biggest bully. This guy didn't care whether his victims were male or female—he just liked to harass people whenever he was bored.

I spoke sweetly:

"Hey, can I get your autograph?"

He glared at me like I was crazy.

"What's your deal? Trying to mess with me?"

Yikes. This guy had serious self-esteem issues. Didn't he believe he could have a fan? He was tall, built like a tank, and honestly pretty decent-looking.

I quickly changed tactics.

I had seen him hanging around the girls' dorms a few times, hoping to meet my roommate, Tường Vy. But she always rejected him.

I put on my best innocent smile.

"Oh, no! Actually, I'm Tường Vy's roommate. If you don't want to give me an autograph, how about your name and phone number instead? Our dorm has been kind of boring lately, so we've been collecting numbers from… admirers."

The moment I mentioned Vy, his entire attitude flipped.

Yep. Even thugs couldn't resist a pretty girl.

He immediately grabbed the pen and wrote down his full name, phone number, and signature.

"If you help me win Vy over, I'll do whatever you want. Signing is nothing."

Wow. This guy was faster at switching sides than flipping a pancake.

But whatever. I got what I needed.

I flashed him a sweet smile.

"Don't worry, you'll get plenty of chances to see Vy."

Then, I rushed to the restroom.

The first thing I wrote on the page:

"Buy me breakfast."

But that wasn't enough. I added a few more:

"Protect me if I get bullied."

"Be my unpaid servant for one month."

Not long after, the school bully appeared in my classroom, handing me a bag of sticky rice. I took it and split half with Duyên. She looked at me suspiciously:

"Do you have some kind of connection with him?"

I casually waved it off:

"Oh, no. He's just trying to impress Vy, so he's being extra nice to me."

Duyên didn't question further and continued studying. The next period was programming class—the most terrifying subject for our class.

That evening, I returned to the dorm and immediately dragged Như Duyên and Tường Vy out for a treat. I wanted so badly to tell them about the notebook, but the last warning on the cover kept flashing in my mind, stopping me.

Vy touched my forehead:

"Are you sick? Well, whatever. Since you're treating, I'm in!"

Duyên, on the other hand, smiled knowingly:

"Let me guess… fried spring rolls and sticky rice yogurt again? Someone's going to spend the whole night with Mr. William Cường (a.k.a. the toilet)."

I smirked:

"No worries. I've already got my Berberin ready. Bring it on."

And so, the three of us held hands and went out for a feast.

From that day on, I had a loyal and obedient servant.

Duyên and Vy kept giving me strange looks.

How could a wild, untamed troublemaker—who didn't even show respect to the teachers—be tamed so easily by me?

This pink notebook was definitely the real deal.