Second year of university—while most of her peers were still caught up in midterm exams, coffee and bubble tea hangouts, or scrambling to register for credit classes—To Diep, a Business Administration student, quietly signed a piece of paper that would change the course of her life forever.
A marriage certificate.
No wedding dress.No fresh flowers.No congratulations.
Just a chilly morning in the quiet office of the Civil Affairs Bureau, where she stood beside a stranger—a man who was about to become her legal husband.
Luc Trach.A name that every student at Tinh Huy University had heard at least once.
Lecturer in Advanced Mathematics—young, already holding the title of associate professor, and known not just for his academic achievements but for his striking appearance: tall, handsome, with sharp, cold eyes that always seemed to see through everything.
People called him the "intellectual dream" of the female student body.
But to To Diep, he was nothing more than a choice.
She needed a place to stay, a legal status to escape the cycle of tuition fees, rent, and an overbearing aunt who constantly tried to control her life.He—Luc Trach—needed a wife to deal with a family relentlessly pressuring him to get married.
But few knew there was more behind his decision—an old secret buried in the past, tied to a girl named Du Nhuoc Tinh, quietly threatening his present.
The agreement began as a transaction:"Married for two years. No interference in each other's lives. No obligations. After two years, a peaceful divorce."
His voice was steady and cold, like he was reciting a mathematical formula from a university textbook.
To Diep simply nodded in silence, asking no further questions.
The pen touched paper, the ink hadn't yet dried—and just like that, they were legally husband and wife.
✧To Diep, 20 years old, was a second-year student on a full scholarship in the Business Administration department. Orphaned at sixteen, she had moved in with her aunt's family—a place where kinship existed only in name.
Outwardly, she was calm, polite, always the "model student" in the eyes of her professors. But inside, she had learned to be independent and hide her emotions from an early age. No one truly understood her. And she didn't need anyone to.
Until Luc Trach appeared.
That afternoon, after completing the legal procedures, Luc Trach took her to a high-end apartment in the North City district—not far from campus.
"This apartment is under my name. Just stay here—it'll count as your legal residence for the duration of the contract," he said, casually tossing her the keys without the slightest hint of ceremony.
To Diep caught them, looked up—her gaze steady, without the shyness or awkwardness typical of young brides moving into their husband's home.
"Alright. I'll keep everything clean.""No need. There's a cleaning service scheduled."
She pressed her lips together and nodded slightly.
Turning his back to her, he loosened his tie as he walked into the master bedroom, his tone distant:"There's no need for us to be close. Just live like roommates."
She watched his tall frame disappear behind the door. A sudden chill settled in her chest. Not quite sadness...but certainly far from normal.
She stepped onto the balcony, gazing down at the city as its lights began to flicker on. Her throat tightened unexpectedly.
Starting today, she was the legal wife of a complete stranger.But hidden within this cold, calculated life was a secret waiting to be uncovered—one that could change everything.
✧The next day, To Diep went to class as usual. No one had the slightest clue that her status had changed overnight. On her hand, a thin silver wedding band sat silently, cleverly hidden beneath the cuff of her shirt.
Luc Trach stood at the lectern, composed as always. His deep, steady voice flowed through topics like derivatives, integrals, and systems of linear equations—captivating as ever.
No one in the class—not even To Diep—would have guessed that this man had quietly shared a meal with her at the kitchen table just the night before, under the soft glow of a single light.
They lived together, but were strangers.Married, but not bound.
Their relationship was like an unsolvable equation—two parallel lines that would never meet.
At least… that's what she used to believe.