Duy sat in the luxury car, the window half down, the cool wind blew in. The country road was long and bumpy, red dirt, dust rising as the wheels rolled. The smell of straw and smoke from the low-lying houses made his heart flutter strangely. How many years had it been since he returned to this place – the land where he spent his childhood, where he kept part of the sweetest but also most painful memories of his life.

Duy is now a famous CEO, a man with power and wealth. The press praises him as a model of success, a man who has everything that many people dream of. But deep down, he feels empty. Every night, when the phone screen turns off, when the party ends, when the spacious living room is left with only him facing the silence, old memories come flooding back. He misses those clear eyes, misses the laughter of a simple girl. He misses Lan

Twenty years ago, Duy left Lan on a rainy afternoon. At that time, he had a desire to go far, believing that love could not sustain both of them, that only success could help him keep her. But he was wrong. He chose another path, and then never returned. The letters Lan sent gradually became less frequent and then disappeared. When he heard that she had left the village, he knew he had lost her forever.

The familiar road leads to the commune center. The mossy tiled roofs, the vast fields, everything is still there, only the people’s hearts are different. He returned here under the name of surveying an investment project, but in fact, he just wanted to find a bit of the past. He wondered, if Lan were still alive, what would she be like? And he, would there be any chance to make amends?

While he was lost in thought, his car stopped at a small intersection. A small figure was bending over, picking up old bottles and cans along the roadside. It was a girl of about fifteen or sixteen, her clothes worn out, her hands calloused from working early. But what caught Duy’s attention the most was not her haggard appearance, but her eyes. Her eyes were jet black, alert, both shining with intelligence and tinged with a deep sadness.

He got out of the car and gently asked her a question. Her name was Mai. Her voice was timid, but each word exuded agility and sharpness. Mai said that she loved computers, often picked up scrap metal to save money, hoping one day she could buy a used one to learn programming. Duy was momentarily stunned, because that passion reminded him of his own teenage years.

When Mai accidentally revealed the small scar on her wrist, he felt a pang of sadness. That scar was not simply a mark of an accident. In her eyes, he recognized every pain, every struggle with life. Then, when Mai carefully pulled out an old yellowed photo from her pocket, the face of the woman in the photo made his heart ache. It was Lan.

He trembled, his eyes blurred. There was no mistaking it. Although time had passed, he had never forgotten that look, that face. A strong feeling arose: Mai was his child. Questions surrounded him, fragments of old memories appeared. How had Lan lived after he left? How much bitterness had she endured? Why had he never known he had a child?

In the following days, he secretly investigated. The DNA test results confirmed all his premonitions. Mai was indeed his and Lan’s daughter. The white paper with the clear number was like a knife cutting into his heart. He sat silently for hours, his hands shaking. The guilt that had been pent up for twenty years exploded. He had not only betrayed his love, but also abandoned his own flesh and blood.

That night, Duy stayed awake. He thought about Lan, about the afternoons when the two of them sat by the dike, dreaming of a small house, children playing. That dream had now come true, but without him by his side. He wondered under what circumstances Lan had passed away, was it because of too much suffering that she passed away early? That question was like a thousand needles stabbing into his heart.

The next morning, he made his decision. He couldn’t immediately adopt the child, because the pain might be too great for Mai. She had lived her entire childhood without a father, and now suddenly knowing the truth, could she accept it? He chose to quietly make up for it. Duy asked the commune management board for permission to build a free technology center for the children in the village. He didn’t hang a sign with his name, didn’t brag, just quietly contributed money and labor.

He gradually left the luxurious life in the city, rented a small house in the village. People were surprised to see the successful businessman living simply here, every day fixing computers and teaching with the children. Mai also came, her eyes lit up when she touched the computer. She quickly became the best student, always curious, always eager to explore.

Late at night, when the children had gone home, Duy sat quietly watching Mai engrossed in typing on the keyboard. He wanted to run over and hug her, calling her “daughter”. But then, he held back. He was afraid of losing this fragile trust. He could only silently watch, silently telling himself that he would protect her with everything he had left in his life.

Over the years, the center has become a bright spot in the region. Many poor children have been able to study, opening doors to their future. Mai grew up and became a talented programmer, sought after by many companies. But she always returned to her village, because this place is associated with her childhood, with a teacher she deeply respects – Mr. Duy.

One autumn afternoon, Mai came to the small room where he still lived. She held in her hand a report on the center’s new project, then suddenly asked: “Teacher, why did you build this place? Why did you choose to live in the village, when you could have lived in the city with a brilliant career?”

That question made Duy’s heart tremble. He knew it was time to stop hiding. He took a deep breath and told the whole story. From the time he fell in love with Lan, to the moment of weakness when he left her, then the years of success but loneliness, until the day he met Mai by chance. He told everything, without hiding anything, his voice choking with each sentence.

Mai was silent. Tears fell, hot. She could not believe that the man she had respected for so long, the man who had changed her life, was the same man who had abandoned her mother and left her to grow up without love. A storm was brewing inside her: anger, pain, disappointment. She ran outside, not wanting to hear more.

In the days that followed, Duy lived in anxiety. He was afraid of losing his child, afraid that all his efforts over the years would collapse. But he did not blame Mai. He understood that she had the right to be hurt and angry. All he could do was wait quietly.

Then one afternoon, while Duy was cleaning up the classroom, Mai walked in. Her eyes were still red, but there was a calmness in them. She approached and whispered: “I am angry with you… but I am also grateful to you. Without you, I would not be here today. Can I… call you father?”

Duy was silent, tears welling up. He hugged his son tightly, shaking and nodding. All the years of regret, all the years of searching, were finally resolved in those small arms. He felt like he was reborn, like he had found the true meaning of life.

Since then, father and son have lived together, developing the center together. Duy is no longer the cold CEO of the city, but has become a father, a teacher in the true sense. He finds happiness not in profit figures, but in smiles, in love.

The story ends with a golden afternoon in the countryside. Duy sat on the porch, watching Mai enthusiastically instructing the children on computer skills. Laughter echoed everywhere. He smiled, his heart at peace. After many years, he realized: the greatest happiness is not money or fame, but love, forgiveness, and family.