Ngoc Lam, no, back then she should have been called The Little Sapphire. Just like that name implies, she was the gem of all the teachers who have taught her.

The story began when the girl turned six years old when her parents took her to the park beside the Conservatory of Music.

That afternoon, the sun was not too hot. Ngoc Lam and her parents browsed a musical instrument store right next to the Conservatory. It was also rush hour. The streets were crowded with people and cars. Two young men who looked like university students of the Conservatory entered.

“Let me try this piano!” One of them talked to the salesperson when he saw the white piano.

“Why do you need to buy a new one? Didn't you buy the grey piano last month, Minh?" The friend next to him asked.

“I gave it to my cousin.” The boy named Minh replied.

Minh's long fingers lightly glided across the keys of Chopin's Fantaisie Impromptu-third stage. Among the noisy streets with traffic and laughter, from inside the store, the music from a piano resounded, separating itself from the hustle and bustle outside.

About five minutes later, the last note was played. Minh looked at the piano a bit. When he intended to talk more with the store owner, his eyes accidentally met a short-haired child.

That was the first meeting of Minh and Ngoc Lam.

Ngoc Lam, at that time, had no idea about her musical talent. No one in her entire family knew how to play the piano. The little girl was only attracted by Minh's music and ran in to see. Ngoc Lam's parents, seeing their child running away, got panicked as she ran into the store.

Minh waved at Ngoc Lam to ask her to come and then looked at her parents, smiling politely.

“Are you her parents?”

Ngoc Lam saw that her parents were also there, so she ran out and hugged her mother's legs.

“Dad, Mom, I want to play the piano.”

The couple was confused and struggled to find some words to talk to their daughter. They didn't know much about music, but they knew that each musical instrument here costs several times their monthly salary. They were worried if Ngoc Lam broke something, they would have no money to compensate.

"It's ok. Let the girl come up here to play for a bit.” Minh smiled and told Ngoc Lam, "After playing, you have to listen to your parents, OK?"

Because of Minh's suggestion, Ngoc Lam's parents finally let her enter the store. She sat next to Minh behind the white piano. Minh considered Ngoc Lam as a curious kid, so he intended to introduce basic knowledge of music first, starting with the notes C-D-E-F-G.

“Do you know how to play the piano?”

"Yes."

Having finished speaking, Ngoc Lam stretched out her tiny fingers and repeated the entire Fantaisie Impromptu she had listened to. She had no techniques for playing the music, and the rhythm was chaotic. The notes, which were so far apart that her short fingers couldn't reach them, took her a few seconds to press, but she repeated all the notes without missing a single one with both hands.

All the witnesses couldn't believe in their eyes. Ngoc Lam's parents were astonished by their little daughter.

Minh happily called his mother, Mrs Phuong, a pianist and lecturer at the Conservatory of Music, who had not yet become the head of the subject like she is now. Unfortunately, Mrs Phuong was busy teaching, so she asked another teacher to come and check on the situation. The teacher arrived ten minutes later and hurriedly called the current head of the subject. In a few hours, Ngoc Lam's life changed completely.

In half a year, Ngoc Lam was specially admitted to the Conservatory of Music, studying in the college building. The ability to play many different musical instruments was also gradually discovered. Mr Woods, who had been already the head of the subject, witnessed Ngoc Lam's enormous potential. He was afraid that he would soon have nothing to teach her, so he contacted Karcsi and Emmy. The two people who had just seen Ngoc Lam's talent immediately poured out a bunch of beautiful words like 'wonderful', 'great', or 'excellent' in every language they knew. The couple offered to take Ngoc Lam abroad to study under their tutelage. As soon as the Rector of the Conservatory heard the news, he immediately protested. He said that he was afraid that Ngoc Lam would be far away from his parents when she was too young and that if something happened to her in a foreign land, it wouldn't be as secure as in a country full of fellows there for her like the leaves protecting tattered ones.

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K got furious. He was no stranger to the hypocrisy of this old dean. That bald man was just afraid that Ngoc Lam would leave and have no one to polish the reputation of his Conservatory. Ngoc Lam deserved to go out there and receive guidance from the best artists. The dean immediately showed the admission papers with the red seal in front of K, saying that if he didn't sign, it would be a long time before K could withdraw her transcript from his school. The two had a fierce conflict, causing many lecturers there to reconcile for a long time. Finally, the most optimal solution was for Ngoc Lam to follow K and M abroad as an exchange student. She was still a student of the Conservatory of Music, and all of her activities abroad would be under the name of the Conservatory. After a period of training, K and M had to take her back.

Ngoc Lam did not know about adult disputes. The girl sat attentively listening to Minh and his friend, Thanh, whose face was different from his now, practising playing the piano and singing opera together.

Thanh, that year, was only 21 years old, was a student in the vocal department at the Conservatory of Music and was in the same situation as Ngoc Lam, no one in his family was active in the art world. Thanh's family discovered his talent in middle school and under the recommendation of his music teacher, Thanh passed a few aptitude tests and was given special admission to the Conservatory of Music. Since then, Thanh has known and befriended Minh.

Minh, the same age as Thanh, had a family of artists. His mother was a very prestigious lecturer at the Conservatory of Music. She did not only teach at the school but also became a mentor of top singers. Minh's father was a member of the National Music Association. Minh himself was also very talented, had won dozens of awards from leading music competitions, and had had quite a few vinyl records released under his name.

He looked at Ngoc Lam with a feeling of pride because he was the one who discovered her talent. The head of the subject also assigned Minh to be a teaching assistant for this little genius.

When Thanh finished his part, Minh waved at Ngoc Lam, telling her to sit next to him, and spoke gently.

“I'll practice with you.”

Their hands glided quickly across the keys. Compared to half a year ago, Ngoc Lam had made incredible progress. She had almost caught up with Minh, who had been playing the piano since he was three years old.

“You're so good!” Minh praised the girl. “Do you want to perform with me later?”

“Yes.” Ngoc Lam politely replied.

A month later, Ngoc Lam was taken abroad by K and M. Her parents were so scared that they could not bear to leave their daughter. Minh was also a bit sad. On the day they said goodbye at the airport, he patted Ngoc Lam's head and told her to study well, and when she returned, she would play a duet with him.

During two years of studying abroad, Ngoc Lam had gone to many places and made many friends. Her personality became more liberal. On her return, the Rector and a few head teachers of the subjects came to the airport to welcome her. Ngoc Lam's reputation, thanks to the help of the Moreau couple and many leading artists abroad, had extended beyond their imagination. Receiving from The Moreaus not only a precious gem but also a polished and honed one, the Rector smiled from ear to ear.

When Ngoc Lam was abroad, many people called her The Little Sapphire.

Returning to the Conservatory, Ngoc Lam had to take exams and perform more than go to school. Worried about their child's situation, her parents took M's advice and hired a tutor to teach her general knowledge at home. During her time abroad, Ngoc Lam was also greatly shaped by K and M in her way of life and behaviour. She understood that learning knowledge was as crucial as playing music. Even though she did not have much time, she tried to maintain her studying with a tutor.

One day, Ngoc Lam went to find Minh. The girl happened to open the door of the singing practice room and saw Minh and Thanh kissing each other. Being discovered, the two boys were startled and panicked, not knowing what to do. Minh quickly came to her and asked softly.

“Did you see everything?”

“Are you and Thanh in love?” Ngoc Lam comfortably asked again.

The two boys looked at each other not knowing how to answer.

“ When I was abroad, I saw many couples of boys.” The girl said innocently.

Minh and Thanh breathed a sigh of relief. Perhaps during her time away from the country, Ngoc Lam witnessed many different perspectives and gradually accepted them as a part of this world.

“But,” Minh asked, “Can you keep it a secret for us?”

Ngoc Lam immediately made a zip-lock sign on her mouth, then an OK hand sign, nodding like a chicken pecking rice.

Minh and Thanh's story was kept secret. Thanks to this secret, Ngoc Lam also became even closer to the two of them.

No one expected that not long after, an event occurred that would completely disrupt their lives.