My current roommate is my ex

 After I had a fight with my boyfriend, he video-called me in the dormitory to comfort me.

His roommate beside him sneered:

"You useless love-brained man, I will never be so humble to a woman in my life."

The next second, he stood up and walked by, and made eye contact with me on the phone screen.

My ex-boyfriend, with whom I had just broken up a year ago, and I looked at each other.

My last impression of him was the day we broke up, he knelt in front of me and begged me with red eyes.

"I can do anything as long as you don't abandon me."

1

I haven't seen him for a year, and He Linxiao has changed a lot.

His features were still as fierce as before, but his previous arrogance had become more stable.

The stare was only for a moment, he quickly looked away and sneered:

"Not that great."

Then walk away.

It's just that his steps were a little unsteady when he walked, his left foot tripped over his right foot, and he almost fell.

Cheng Yu was unhappy and turned around and scolded him:

"My baby is the prettiest. You're just jealous that I have such a pretty girlfriend."

"Jealous? Bullshit." He Linxiao's face darkened and he pulled a chair aside and sat down.

Cheng Yu coaxed me softly:

"Baby, don't listen to his nonsense. I was wrong today. I didn't know you didn't like peeling shrimps. I will peel them for you from now on. You don't have to do it yourself."

I didn't say anything.

He continued, "Didn't you say you liked that new Chanel bag? And the watch you liked before, my mother is his VIC. No need to wait, I'll take you to buy it tonight, okay?"

I looked down at my nails:

「今晚要去做美甲，没空。」

Cheng Yu said softly, "Then I'll go buy it and send it to you. Do you like black or white?"

“They’re all pretty, I can’t choose.”

"Then buy them all. Baby, please stop being angry. I'll buy you another pot of crayfish and peel them for you."

I finally nodded: "Then I'll forgive you this time, but don't make me angry again next time."

Cheng Yu's eyes and eyebrows were filled with a relieved smile:

「知道啦，不会有下次了。」

If others saw the computer department's famously serious boy being so humble and sticky when coaxing others, they would definitely be shocked.

He Linxiao sat aside looking at his phone. The screen was black for a long time without moving.

Every time we said something he would sneer, like a supporting actor.

Until Cheng Yu finally couldn't stand it anymore, he turned around and said:

"Old He, what's wrong with you today?"

He Linxiao said coldly: "You act like this when you just got together. You will suffer in the future. I advise you to break up with her as soon as possible, otherwise you will suffer more in the future."

"I'm happy to do that. Anyway, you don't have to suffer."

He suddenly looked He Linxiao up and down and said, "Old He, you are usually not interested in women, why do you react so strongly to my girlfriend?"

He Linxiao's face became even uglier. He sat there with a sullen face, not saying a word.

"Let's hang up." I glanced at He Linxiao's collarbone and suddenly felt a little bored.

I don’t want to show my love for my current boyfriend in front of my ex-boyfriend, as if I’m showing off something.

I did hate He Linxiao in the past, and I imagined countless times that I would find a partner and show off in front of him, telling him that if I left him, there would be countless men waiting to treat me well, and that I would never need one more than him.

But now I have really let it go.

"Okay," Cheng Yu kissed the phone, "Then I'll pick you up for class later."

2

I didn't expect He Linxiao to come first.

「程逾呢？」我朝他身后看去。

"You said you didn't have an umbrella, so he went to buy one for you." He Linxiao held the umbrella over my head with a not-so-good look on his face.

"How come you still forgot to bring an umbrella after all this time?"

I didn't answer but asked, "Then what are you doing here?"

He said in an aggressive tone: "I also took this course, so why, you are not allowed to take it?"

In the heavy rain, the shadow of an umbrella enveloped us at the same time, as if creating a small space isolated from the outside world.

The astringent smell of freshly cut grass in midsummer instantly brought me back to the summer of my seventeen years old.

I looked out the window at the pouring rain and pouted:

"He Linxiao, the sandals I just bought are so expensive. They can't get wet."

He was impatient: "You knew it was going to rain, but you still wore these shoes?"

"That's nice! I'm wearing these shoes just for a date with you. If you say that, I won't date you anymore!"

"Okay, okay," he squatted in front of me helplessly, "Come on, I'll carry you, you can hold the umbrella, okay?"

I just smiled and jumped on his back.

The boy's faint scent of mint and verbena mixed with the rain, adding a hint of dampness.

The lawn next to us had just been mowed, and there was a slightly spicy and astringent smell in the rain.

I lay on his dry, warm shoulders, and the blisters on my new shoes felt less painful.

He Linxiao shook me and said, "Why are you so light? You haven't been eating well recently. Are you secretly losing weight?"

我嘟囔道：「夏天到了，要穿小裙子嘛，我瘦了不好看吗？」

"It's so ugly," he tilted his head to avoid the umbrella that my hands couldn't hold up, "It's so ugly, Feng Nanzhi, can you hold the umbrella properly? You hit me several times!"

"Oh." I leaned over and whispered in his ear, "Is it really not pretty?"

His face turned red, and his neck turned red too, and he was speechless.

I put my ear to him, feeling his heartbeat getting faster and faster.

After a long time, a vague sound was heard from the rain.

「好看，行了吧。」

At that time, I always felt that the street was too short.

It was so short that every time I got home before I could finish my words, I would still cling to He Linxiao and talk for a long time.

But now, we stand together, but we don’t know what to say.

Fortunately, Cheng Yu came soon: "There are no good-looking umbrellas in the supermarket. There is only one pink one left. You can use it first, and I will buy you a better one later."

He just handed me the umbrella and his eyes fell on He Linxiao.

The umbrella in He Linxiao's hand was almost tilted towards me, and half of his body was wet.

The shirt stuck to his collarbone, revealing the faint tattoo underneath.

NZ

"I didn't know you had a tattoo before," Cheng Yu was curious: "What is it, is it your ex-girlfriend's name?"

"Yeah." He Linxiao had no expression.

"You are a love-brained person and you still have the nerve to laugh at others who are love-brained," Cheng Yu curled his lips, "But it's quite a coincidence that my girlfriend also has a tattoo here."

He Linxiao suddenly raised his eyebrows: "Really? You don't mind?"

"What do you mind?" Cheng Yu was a little unresponsive:

"You mean the tattoo? I don't mind it, as long as she likes it."

He Linxiao was really surprised: "She tattooed her ex-boyfriend's name on her body, you don't mind?!"

"What ex-boyfriend?" Cheng Yu glanced at him and said, "She didn't tattoo her ex-boyfriend's name, she tattooed a gardenia."

He Linxiao was stunned.

Just at this moment, a gust of wind blew, lifting my long hair that fell on my collarbone.

A small gardenia is revealed underneath, which is delicate and elegant.

He Linxiao stopped suddenly and stared at the gardenia on my collarbone.

It was as if he wanted to penetrate the flower and see his name hidden underneath.

3

When I decided to get a tattoo, He Linxiao laughed at me for a long time.

"You? You can cry for three days over a small cut on your hand, and you're still getting a tattoo. Go home and drink your milk."

I was not convinced: "You have a tattoo, so why can't I? If it's just you, then it doesn't count as a couple's tattoo!"

"Come on," He Linxiao rubbed my hair, took out a pen and wrote three letters on my wrist: HLX

Then he coaxed me: "Isn't this a couple's tattoo? Go and have fun."

He was right, I was really afraid of pain.

So I hesitated for a long time, until his birthday when I finally made up my mind to get a tattoo.

He Linxiao didn't lie to me, getting a tattoo really hurts. I have never suffered so much in my life.

It's my own fault.

I regretted it almost as soon as I got the tattoo. Tears welled up in my eyes. The tattoo artist kept handing me tissues:

「马上就好了，忍一下哈。」

But when I saw He Linxiao’s expression when he discovered this tattoo, I suddenly felt that it was all worth it.

He first curled his lips and said, "This tattoo is of very good quality, just like the real thing."

But when he touched it, he was stunned.

I thought he would be happy and show off happily: "It looks good, right? I have been thinking about how to get the tattoo for a long time!"

He Linxiao didn't say anything, just stared at him.

After a long time, he suddenly hugged me tightly.

I couldn't breathe after hugging him so hard, I pushed him away:

"What are you doing, He Linxiao? It hurts!"

There was a slight tremor in his voice.

"If you are so afraid of pain, why do you want to get a tattoo?"

我笑嘻嘻：「因为是你的名字，不疼。」

After a long time, he sighed softly.

「笨蛋。」

"He Linxiao," I deliberately provoked him, "I heard that tattoo removal is more painful than tattooing. Please don't break up with me, or I will have to suffer twice."

He said seriously:

"No, we will never break up.

"I won't hurt you anymore."

I laughed.

I believe in He Linxiao.

We have been childhood sweethearts and have been together for more than ten years. He has always been very good to me.

I have been spoiled and pretentious since I was a child. Even my mother said that all my bad habits were caused by He Linxiao.

She always said, "You, please treat me well and stop forcing me to do this and that.

"Otherwise, when Lin Xiao gets annoyed, you'll never find another person who treats you so well in your life!"

I swore solemnly: "No, He Linxiao said that he will never leave me in this life!"

At that time, I really felt that nothing in this world could separate me and He Linxiao.

I didn’t know that after half a year, we never contacted each other again.

When I went to have my tattoo removed, I looked at the gardenias outside the window and suddenly changed my mind.

"Change this to a gardenia."

I'll be fine when I'm alone in the future.

4

The rain hadn't stopped when the class was over. My shoelaces came undone when I went out. I frowned and moved my feet.

He Linxiao, who was standing by, squatted down as usual to tie my shoelaces.

Cheng Yu just lit a cigarette, put it in his mouth and squatted down, pushing He Linxiao aside:

"What are you doing?" He bit the cigarette and glanced at He Linxiao:

"My girlfriend's shoelaces are untied, why are you squatting down?"

He Linxiao's outstretched hands suddenly froze in the air.

He seemed to have forgotten that the person who could squat in front of me and tie my shoelaces with a legitimate reason was no longer him.

Cheng Yu retracted his gaze and quickly tied a beautiful bow.

He was clumsy at first and I always complained that he didn't tie it well.

Now I have practiced it.

Just like He Linxiao in the past.

The first serious argument between He Linxiao and I was about tying shoelaces.

……

The first time I met Lu Zhizhi was at He Linxiao's house.

He Linxiao had a serious illness when he was a child and often needed blood transfusions.

It just so happened that he had panda blood, and the blood bank often did not have enough blood. Once he almost died from blood loss, and his parents spent a lot of money looking for someone with panda blood.

Lu Zhizhi was sent here by her parents. Her parents were a pair of addicted gamblers. They had finally found a way to make money, but they still brought her here to donate blood despite her young age.

He Linxiao's mother couldn't bear it, so she only asked the nurse to draw 400cc of blood, and then asked others to collect a few more bags of blood.

After that, Lu Zhizhi's parents finally found a cash cow.

Whenever He Linxiao needed a blood transfusion, her parents would send Lu Zhizhi over.

There were a few times when they couldn't find a blood source, and He Linxiao's parents couldn't bear to watch their child die, so they had to let Lu Zhizhi donate blood a few times.

It can be said that He Linxiao's life was saved by Lu Zhizhi.

However, after He Linxiao recovered, Lu Zhizhi became seriously ill again.

Her parents didn't take good care of her since she was a child. The teenager looked like she was only in her early teens. Coupled with the frequent blood donations, her body finally couldn't take it anymore.

Her parents were afraid that she would be a burden to the family, so they simply disappeared and abandoned her.

The He family was grateful for her kindness to He Linxiao, and also felt sorry for her life experience, so they spent a lot of money to send her to a special sanatorium for treatment. After she recovered, they brought her back home and adopted her, but they did not go through the formalities.

All treatment for her was done according to He Linxiao's instructions.

Lu Zhizhi is not very pretty, she looks rustic, and she was injured when she was a child and has a lame leg, but you can't tell unless you look closely.

He Linxiao's parents transferred her to the same school as He Linxiao and told He Linxiao to take good care of her.

Actually, I felt quite sympathetic towards her at the beginning. She knew nothing when she first went to school and didn’t even have a school uniform. When people laughed at her for wearing a skirt that she had washed so hard that it turned white, I lent her my extra school uniform.

No one wanted to be in the same group with her in badminton class, so I took the initiative to be in the same group with her.

I like He Linxiao, and she saved He Linxiao, so I will be nice to her.

Until I discovered that something seemed wrong with her feelings for He Linxiao.

When He Linxiao and I were dating, she always wanted to tag along, saying that she didn’t have many friends and didn’t know who to play with. Then He Linxiao would relent and take her along.

She always walked with us after school, saying that people would laugh at her if she walked with a limp.

He Linxiao was too embarrassed to chase her away, and as time went on, He Linxiao and I had less and less space alone, and we always did things as a group of three.

I talked to He Linxiao several times, and he was helpless:

"She just came here and is not used to it yet. She doesn't have any friends yet, so she follows us. It will be fine after she gets used to it after a while."

At that time I really believed him, until we had our first quarrel because of Lu Zhizhi.

It's all about tying shoelaces.

I went to find He Linxiao to go home together, but I saw him squatting on the ground tying Lu Zhizhi's shoelaces.

The setting sun stretched the shadows of the boy and girl very long, and Lu Zhizhi's ordinary face also looked somewhat moving because of the unusual blush and emotions.

It's like a scene that only appears in anime.

I was so angry that I pushed He Linxiao away:

"What are you doing?!"

He Linxiao shook his head and explained:

"Zhizhi's shoelaces are untied and her legs are inconvenient, so I'll help her tie them."

I don't know if I'm just too sensitive.

But I felt that tying shoelaces between opposite sexes seemed too intimate, so I kicked He Linxiao:

"Why don't she just not wear shoes with laces if it's inconvenient for her to tie her shoelaces? Do you have to tie her shoelaces every time they come undone?!"

He Linxiao was puzzled: "Why are you making such a fuss? It's just tying your shoelaces. It's not like I haven't tied them for you before."

I felt even more wronged: "How can I be the same as her?!"

Lu Zhizhi was panicking:

"Sister Nanzhi, don't be like this. My legs are uncomfortable and I can't squat down. If you are angry, come to me. It has nothing to do with Lin Xiao.

"I won't let him tie my shoelaces anymore. I'll do it myself!"

She said she was going to squat down, but she was in too much of a hurry and lost her balance. She fell to the ground in a mess, her face pale with pain.

He Linxiao hurried over to help her, turned his head and said to me loudly:

"You really have to do this?!"

This was the first time he yelled at me so loudly.

For other girls.

I felt extremely aggrieved and raised my voice: "He Linxiao, I want to break up with you!"

……

The cold war lasted for three hours and ended with He Linxiao's apology.

It was raining heavily, and he was standing downstairs of my house carrying my favorite cake. Even my mother couldn't stand it:

"That's enough. Let's get him up here. What if he gets soaked?"

I reluctantly went down with my umbrella. He Linxiao's black hair was wet by the rain and stuck to his fair forehead. His long eyelashes blinked away broken water droplets, and his voice was a little hoarse:

"I was wrong, I shouldn't have yelled at you today.

"She saved me after all, so it's my duty to take care of her. But I promise I won't do this again next time."

He held my hands, and there was a slight warmth in the rain.

「原谅我吧，好不好？」

I looked at him sideways, still a little angry: "Then you can only tie my shoelaces from now on."

He Linxiao laughed:

"Okay, I'll tie it for you alone. You really are my ancestor."

He hugged me gently and said, "You are not allowed to break up with me easily in the future. Who else is willing to tie your shoelaces except me?"

I raised my eyebrows: "There are many people who are willing to do so, don't be ungrateful!"

There are indeed people who are willing. After breaking up with him, many boys pursued me, and I believe that every one of them is willing.

Including the current Cheng Yu, he treats me no worse than He Linxiao did back then.

Cheng Yu stood up, with long ash accumulated at the corner of his mouth.

I reached out and took it, took a sip, and shared this Marlboro mint pop with Cheng Yu in front of He Linxiao.

He hugged me, the smoke entangled on our lips, and there seemed to be a line separating him from He Linxiao.

He Linxiao's eyes darkened: "You let her smoke?"

Cheng Yu exhaled white mist, looked He Linxiao up and down, and suddenly spoke:

"She can do whatever she wants, why should I control her?

"But you, He Linxiao, seem to be a little too concerned about my girlfriend."

……

After He Linxiao left with a gloomy face, Cheng Yu sent me back to the dormitory.

I thought about it and decided to confess to him my relationship with He Linxiao.

Cheng Yu finished smoking the cigarette and then smiled: "I guessed it, I'm not a fool.

"He showed it so obviously. He's usually so calm, but he almost lost his mind when he saw you."

「你不生气？」

"Why are you angry?" He threw the cigarette butt into the trash can. "You broke up with him and are with me. Doesn't that mean I'm better than him?

"Besides, I know you," he said, holding the umbrella and leaning towards me, "Nanzhi, you won't go back to me.

"You may look delicate and effeminate, but your heart is harder than anyone else's. Once we break up, you won't look back."

He and I looked at each other as rain poured down from all sides of the umbrella.

"So I won't give you the chance to break up with me." Cheng Yu put one hand in his pocket and lowered his head to kiss me.

The mint tobacco aroma lingering at the corners of my mouth was mixed with damp water vapor. I raised my head, feeling his gentle but irresistible approach.

There was a moment of blankness around us, as if we were the only ones left in the entire world.

Until he stood up, my brain was still a little blank due to lack of oxygen. I heard Cheng Yu chuckle and he wiped the corner of my mouth with his thumb.

"Why, it's not enough? Do you want another kiss?"

My face turned red and I pretended to kick him, but when I stretched out my foot, I saw He Linxiao standing next to me.

It was raining heavily and he stood there holding a black umbrella and looking at us.

I don’t know how long I watched it.

5

My roommate told me that Cheng Yu and He Linxiao were arguing on the basketball court when I was applying a facial mask.

I took off the mask and asked, "What's going on?"

The roommate said anxiously, "I don't know either. I heard that it was originally a friendly match between the Finance Department and the Computer Department. No one paid much attention to it. But somehow, your boyfriend got into a fight with He Linxiao. They bumped into each other several times and both got injured. You should go and have a look."

When I arrived at the basketball court, Cheng Yu was the first to notice me. He immediately looked aggrieved, pointing at his feet and saying to me:

"Baby, my feet are swollen and hurt!"

I took a look and saw that the ankle was red and swollen, and it looked like the injury was serious.

I frowned and squatted down: "How did you do that?"

Cheng Yu glanced at He Linxiao: "I don't know why he suddenly went crazy. It was clearly agreed to be a friendly match from the beginning."

He Linxiao sneered: "It was you who broke the rules and bumped into me first, right? You were so strong just now, why are you pretending to be so weak when you bump into me now?!"

Cheng Yu had injured his leg before, and although there were no sequelae, it was still not as good as before when he was completely healthy.

I turned to He Linxiao and said, "Why are you doing this? His leg was injured!"

He Linxiao was stunned for a moment, then flew into a rage: "He bumped into me first, and you come to scold me?!

"Why play ball if your legs are not good? If your legs are not good, just lie down at home."

He stopped abruptly and we looked at each other, with a momentary look of panic in his eyes.

I knew he remembered.

Come to think of it, I once said this to him.

……

Lu Zhizhi signed up for the doubles badminton competition. I only found out about it after I was assigned to a group with her.

When my classmates found out that she and I were in the same group, they all gloated: "Usually you two are in the same group in class, you should be used to it, right?"

I went to Lu Zhizhi and asked, "Why do you want to play in the competition if your legs are not good?!"

Lu Zhizhi showed a sad expression: "I'm sorry, Nanzhi, are you blaming me for holding you back? But I really like badminton, too. When the time comes, just treat me as an ordinary person and don't worry about me."

He Linxiao also spoke up for her: "Even though she has a bad leg, she still has the right to play basketball. Besides, it wasn't her decision to form a team. Why are you blaming her?"

At that time, because of Lu Zhizhi, the relationship between He Linxiao and I had become somewhat strained.

I really didn't want to quarrel with him anymore, and the registration had already been submitted. I really had no choice but to remind Lu Zhizhi in advance on the day of the double badminton match:

"Don't force yourself. If you can't catch the ball, just let me have it."

She promised very well, and when she came on the court she kept trying to grab the ball from me, but she couldn't catch it, so our score was always passive.

Until later I got really anxious, and when a ball hit me, I subconsciously tried to catch it!

Lu Zhizhi also came over to grab it from me, and we collided hard. I fell down in a mess, and my foot sprained badly. I saw black in pain at that time!

He Linxiao next to me came over quickly. I thought he was here to help me, and was about to complain, but I stopped when I saw him squatting in front of Lu Zhizhi.

Lu Zhizhi's knee was scraped and bloody, looking a little scary. At this moment, she was frowning and biting her lower lip tightly.

He Linxiao said nervously: "I'll take you to the hospital!"

Lu Zhizhi shook her head and said palely, "I can't get up. My leg hurts so much."

Before I could say anything, He Linxiao turned around and scolded me:

"You know her legs are not good, why did you have to fight with her for the ball?"

I was stunned.

After coming to his senses, he angrily said, "She was the one who was always trying to snatch it from me!"

"But don't you know that her legs are not in good condition? Can't you give her some leniency?!"

I couldn't stand it any longer and shouted, "If your legs aren't good, don't play. Can't you just lie down at home? You're just holding others back when you come out!"

He Linxiao looked at me with disbelief. After a moment, he picked up Lu Zhizhi horizontally and looked down at me with an unprecedented coldness.

"I always thought you were just a bit spoiled and spoiled, but you were kind by nature. I didn't expect you to be so selfish."

Having said that, he carried Lu Zhizhi away.

Lu Zhizhi put his arms around his neck and looked at me with a subtle smile on his face.

It seemed like a mockery, but also like pity.

I sat there for a long time that day until someone exclaimed and I reacted and looked down at my red and swollen ankle.

I was badly injured too.

But from beginning to end, He Linxiao never even looked at my injuries.

6

The words seemed to hit him like a boomerang.

He Linxiao looked pale and opened his mouth to call me:

"Minami--"

I don't know what he wants to say.

explain.

Or a belated apology.

But I don't care anymore.

I supported Cheng Yu: "Come on, I'll help you to the infirmary."

Cheng Yu raised his eyebrows proudly at He Linxiao.

From beginning to end, my eyes never fell on He Linxiao again.

……

Cheng Yu said that he didn't care, but he began to intentionally isolate me and He Linxiao from each other.

When she calls me via video, she would rather walk in the corridor for two hours than go back to the dormitory.

He sneered: "It's an advantage for him to hear you talking."

I also tried to reduce my contact with He Linxiao as much as possible, and I sat far away from him in the elective classes we took together.

However, I don’t know if it was because of bad luck, but when I was about to take the elevator to go downstairs in the teaching building, the elevator door opened again.

A man walked in, bringing with him the familiar woody scent of verbena.

I looked up and met He Linxiao's eyes.

He was wearing a black Balenciaga T-shirt and work pants, and he looked so handsome that he could have been in a commercial.

I lowered my eyes, avoiding his gaze.

He Linxiao stood beside me. Just a few seconds seemed so long that it was unbearable. Finally, he spoke first.

「南——」

The elevator stopped suddenly, and the lights around it dimmed instantly!

But something went wrong at this moment!

I subconsciously leaned back on the elevator, my heart beat faster and cold sweat broke out on my forehead.

He Linxiao quickly discovered that something was wrong with me:

「你怎么了？」

I gasped, my eyes widened. "…Press the alarm, I'm claustrophobic."

He quickly pressed the alarm bell, but it was also broken and there was no response at all.

"When did you develop claustrophobia?" He asked worriedly, "I remember you didn't have it before."

My heart was beating like a drum and I felt like I was having trouble breathing.

I clenched my fists and felt cold sweat on my palms.

"After that camping trip, I couldn't stay in dark places anymore."

Even though the lighting in the elevator was poor, I could clearly see that He Linxiao's face turned pale instantly after I said this.

7

After the badminton match, the relationship between He Linxiao and I reached freezing point.

He felt that since I knew his family owed Lu Zhizhi, why couldn't I be nicer to Lu Zhizhi for his sake?

I felt that Lu Zhizhi had seriously affected our relationship, and I couldn't stand her. Neither of us could understand the other, and neither of us took the initiative to give in.

This is our longest Cold War.

I ignored him and he didn't coax me either.

I felt bad for a long time, and my mother noticed it, so she advised me to take the initiative to reconcile with him.

"Before, it was always the other person who took the initiative to coax you. What's wrong with you bowing your head once? If two people want to get along well, you can't always let one person bow his head."

I thought about it for a long time and decided to take the initiative to reconcile with him.

Anyway, we are going to college soon, and Lu Zhizhi's grades are average, so she definitely won't be able to go to the same college as us. So when we separate, we won't have a fight.

I chose the time for the group camping after the college entrance examination. The class organized a camping trip overnight on a nearby mountain. I wanted to reconcile with He Linxiao at that time.

After the tent was set up, I asked He Linxiao to go out.

I told him my thoughts and He Linxiao laughed after listening.

He reached out and touched my head.

"I didn't expect that you would take the initiative to make peace with me one day. I thought you would never talk to me again.

"Actually, I wanted to apologize to you today. I was too anxious and spoke too harshly that day. I won't do that again in the future. I'm sorry."

I pouted, "Then you can't leave me alone next time. You have to choose me. I was really hurt that day."

A trace of regret flashed across He Linxiao's eyes: "I promise to choose you in the future."

Under the moonlight, he hugged me tenderly:

"Which university do you want to apply for? I'll go with you. We'll go to the same university and get married after graduation. Okay?"

I was about to speak when I heard a sound of branches breaking nearby.

I was startled and saw Lu Zhizhi walking out from the side in panic.

"You followed us?!" I got furious!

"I didn't - I didn't mean it," Lu Zhizhi's eyes flickered, and she looked at He Linxiao: "Brother Linxiao, are you going to the same university with her?

"Didn't you say you would take care of me from now on?"

My eyelids became wet and the rustling sound of raindrops hitting the leaves suddenly became more intense.

The weather in the mountains is unpredictable and this rainstorm came too suddenly.

We didn't have time to argue and hurried back.

However, it was already dark in the mountains. Just now I could see the road clearly with the moonlight, but now my vision was obscured by the heavy rain and I couldn't tell the directions at all.

We walked with difficulty to identify the direction, until Lu Zhizhi suddenly screamed. I felt a pulling force from behind, and the whole person was pulled down the hillside, rolling around and hitting the rocks. My ankle, which was injured in the badminton game, hit a rock, and the pain made me gasp!

Lu Zhizhi didn't see clearly that there was a slope under her feet, and when she fell down, she subconsciously pulled me down with her!

My hair and clothes were all wet, and the heavy rain made it impossible for me to open my eyes. All I knew was that my foot hurt so much that I almost fainted. It must be broken!

He Linxiao came down anxiously, and Lu Zhizhi grabbed the corner of his clothes and said in a crying voice:

"Lin Xiao, my legs, my legs seem to be broken again——"

He Linxiao turned on the flashlight. Her leg hit the tip of a protruding rock, and the blood had been washed into light pink by the rain.

He Linxiao was anxious, but our cell phones had no signal and we couldn't make any calls.

Neither Lu Zhizhi nor I can leave.

But we all know that we can't just sit here in the rain all night.

I subconsciously looked at He Linxiao.

He Linxiao won't leave me here alone.

The relationship we have had over the years is not something Lu Zhizhi can compare to.

Not to mention he just promised me that he would never abandon me again.

But for some reason, my palms clenched nervously and my heart beat violently.

He Linxiao glanced at me and Lu Zhizhi. Lu Zhizhi said weakly:

"I'm so cold, Lin Xiao..."

He avoided my gaze stiffly.

My clenched hands loosened and my heart suddenly sank.

He Linxiao bit his lips tightly and picked up Lu Zhizhi.

He didn't know whether he was explaining this to himself or to me:

"She has lost too much blood and can't wait any longer. Wait here for me. I will send her back and bring people to find you right away!"

With that, he turned around and walked away quickly in embarrassment.

As if he was afraid of being called by me.

I completely broke down and burst into tears:

"He Linxiao, don't leave me here alone, I'm so scared!

"He Linxiao, I beg you, please come back!

"He Linxiao——"

But all I could hear around me was my crying, covered by the rain.

I don’t know how long it took, but the rain finally subsided and slowly stopped.

The sounds of unknown animals came from the pitch-black forest. I hugged myself, who was soaked, and shivered badly due to fear and cold.

I have been timid since I was young and I dare not turn on the lights when I go to bed at night.

When I was a child, I was playing hide-and-seek with He Linxiao. He didn’t know I was hiding in the attic and locked me in. I cried for a whole half day before he coaxed me into crying.

After that, he would never leave me alone in the dark, and would leave a light on for me even when we were playing.

But now, he left me alone in the wilderness in the dark night.

I was so scared that I even overcame the pain. I found a sturdy branch to support myself and stood up, trying to walk out.

My feet hurt so much that I wanted to cry.

I was so scared that I wanted to cry.

I just wiped my tears and walked with difficulty in the direction where He Linxiao left.

Until I couldn't walk anymore, fell to the ground and passed out.

I don’t know how long it was before I felt someone touching me. I opened my eyes and saw my mother’s red and swollen eyes.

She shed tears and choked up:

"Baby, mommy is here, don't be afraid."

I know I must look very embarrassed and pitiful.

Behind her were rescuers and first responders.

There was also He Linxiao, who looked pale and wanted to move forward but stopped abruptly.

I closed my eyes.

……

After that, I was in the hospital for a whole week.

It was after that that I developed claustrophobia. My fear of the dark as a child was magnified countless times, and I could no longer stay in a dark place alone.

After being discharged from the hospital, I filled out the application form.

It’s not the university that I had agreed on with He Linxiao.

But it is another university thousands of miles away from that university.

Then, I went to the tattoo shop alone and got the gardenia tattooed over his original name.

8

He Linxiao wants to hug me:

"It's okay," he tried to comfort me like he did when we were little, "It's okay, Nanzhi, I'm here, don't be afraid."

Whenever I was afraid of the dark as a child, he would hold me like this and I would no longer be afraid.

But this time I dodged his hand, and squatted in the corner, trembling, hugging myself.

He Linxiao's outstretched hand froze in mid-air, his eyes filled with pain as if he had been stabbed.

We are on our respective sides, as clear-cut as the boundary between Chu and Han.

Fortunately, a ray of light suddenly came through the gap in the elevator door not long after.

Then the light became wider, and a hand reached in impatiently.

I heard Cheng Yu's anxious voice:

"Minami-Tsuyoshi!"

He was extremely anxious: "I heard that you were trapped in the elevator and quickly found someone to come, but the elevator was too difficult to repair and it took a long time. Are you okay-"

Before he could finish, I threw myself into his arms.

Cheng Yu touched my hair distressedly: "Don't be afraid, don't be afraid, my husband is here, it's okay."

「嗯，」我好久才平复心跳，哽咽着抱住他：「不怕了。」

Behind me was quiet.

He Linxiao seemed to have forgotten that he was still standing in an elevator where he could fall at any time, until the staff urged him to do so, and he came out.

He Linxiao didn't call me again, but just watched quietly as Cheng Yu carried me away.

While hugging Cheng Yu's neck, I looked back.

He Linxiao stood there like a statue.

I have never seen such sad and lonely eyes.

It's like a stray dog ​​who just realized that he had been abandoned a long time ago.

……

When I saw Lu Zhizhi again at the school gate, I thought I had mistaken her for someone else.

She has grown a lot, knows how to dress herself up, and has become much more beautiful.

At this time, he was standing in front of He Linxiao, holding a suitcase in his hand, looking a little uneasy.

He Linxiao's expression was slightly cold: "What are you doing here?"

Lu Zhizhi pursed her lips and said, "I passed the exam too. I thought you would be happy."

She glanced at me from the corner of her eye, and the hostility that flashed across her eyes was quickly concealed. She waved at me:

「南栀，」她笑起来，「好久不见。」

Sometimes I really feel that Lu Zhizhi is a bit weird.

Perhaps it's because she has been struggling in society since she was young that she developed this personality that changes her expression faster than turning the pages of a book.

Because I clearly remember that our last meeting was not a pleasant one.

……

After I was rescued from the forest, He Linxiao came to look for me several times, but I didn't see him.

After being discharged from the hospital, I returned home, but was blocked by Lu Zhizhi at the door.

「去喝杯咖啡吧，」她邀请我，「有些话，我想和你说。」

Sitting in the coffee shop, I suddenly realized that Lu Zhizhi in front of me seemed like a different person.

She was no longer as shy and weak as she was in front of He Linxiao. Instead, she smiled at me naturally while holding the coffee cup:

"The environment here is pretty good, I really like their coffee, the hand-ground Blue Mountain. One cup costs half a month's living expenses."

She looked down at the coffee cup in her hand: "I have never drunk coffee before. I still remember that the first time I drank coffee given by a female classmate, I spit it out directly. I was laughed at for a long time.

"After that, I forced myself to drink a lot of coffee. Now I can tell the difference between Geisha and Blue Mountain, and can taste whether it is hand-ground or instant. Now I understand why so many people like coffee. It's really fragrant."

She sniffed it with ecstasy.

I frowned: "What do you want to say?"

Lu Zhizhi curled her lips and said, "Nanzhi, it's so nice here. I really want to stay here forever.

"It's always clean and tidy here, and everyone is polite. You know, I haven't eaten any leftovers in all these years in the He family. The He family doesn't eat leftovers. I also have my own bedroom, which is bigger than the house I lived in before.

"When I was in my hometown, I was beaten almost every day. I was lucky to have leftovers. Those beasts just locked me up at home and went out to play mahjong. At most, I didn't eat for three days. If the debt collectors hadn't come to my house that time, I would have starved to death.

"I sleep in the attic, with rats and cockroaches in the summer. I often wake up in the morning with rashes and blisters all over my body. I don't know what bit me. Sometimes I really feel lucky to have this blood all over my body, otherwise I would never be able to live like this in my life."

She raised her head and looked me straight in the eyes.

"Actually I don't hate you, you helped me before, you are different from those people.

"But I have to stay here. I have no choice. The He family has raised me for so many years using a little of my blood, but they can't support me forever. Sooner or later, I will leave the He family when I grow up.

"Maybe they will give me some money, but what can I do with that money? I'm used to this kind of life. It's impossible for me to fall back from the clouds. I can only try my best to hold on to He Linxiao. Only by marrying him can I enjoy all this legitimately."

I can't tell whether there is jealousy or pleading in Lu Zhizhi's eyes, it's too complicated.

"Nanzhi, you are different from me. You were born with a silver spoon in your mouth. You can live well without He Linxiao. Why do you have to snatch him from me?!"

I looked at her coldly: "What if I insist on snatching it?"

Lu Zhizhi smiled: "You can't compete with me."

I was about to retort, but she continued, "Because you want face and self-respect, which are things that only you rich people are entitled to.

"He Linxiao can choose you countless times, and I will never give up, but if he chooses me just once, you won't be able to bear it, right?"

She stirred her coffee and said, "Why bother, Nanzhi? If you insist on being with him, this kind of thing will never end.

"There are so many people who like you, why do you have to choose He Linxiao?"

I looked at Lu Zhizhi, and for the first time I felt that my opinion of her had changed.

To be honest, I used to look down on her because she was always timid and pretended to be innocent and pitiful.

Now that she no longer pretends, I really look up to her.

I put down the coffee in my hand and said calmly:

"It's not that I can't win against you, it's that I don't want you."

In fact, even if she didn't come to see me, I would have broken up with He Linxiao.

I like him, but the person I love most in my life will always be myself, and I will not let myself be wronged.

The other half I am looking for must be the one who will always choose me firmly.

I deserve to be chosen firmly again and again.

After saying that, I got up and left.

That night, I sent He Linxiao a breakup text message.

He came to me and eagerly explained to me that he was just worried that something might happen to Lu Zhizhi.

"She saved me before. I can't just watch her get into trouble. She has always been in poor health—"

I interrupted him.

「我能理解。」

He Linxiao is a very kind person at heart and would never repay kindness with evil.

What I liked was his kindness.

他面上一喜：「那——」

I whispered, "But He Linxiao, repaying your kindness is your responsibility and should not be my responsibility.

You can leave me for her today, and you can choose her between us again and again in the future.

「我累了，我们分手吧。」

He Linxiao suddenly panicked.

He said in panic:

"Nanzhi, please don't do this. I won't do it again. We won't be with her when we go to college. I promise I won't let you suffer any more injustices.

"Can you please forgive me again? We have been together for so many years, are you really willing to break up just like that? We are about to go to college and get rid of all this!"

Seeing that I didn't respond, he actually knelt down in front of me and begged with red eyes:

"As long as you don't abandon me, I can do anything.

"Nanzhi, please—" He grabbed the corner of my clothes. I had never seen him cry before, but at this moment his tears kept falling along his long eyelashes, and he looked like he was about to break.

I thought I would be sad and heartbroken.

But I found that I didn't.

I calmly frightened myself and pulled his hand away.

"No, He Linxiao."

If I forgive someone who has hurt me.

That means I deserved all the hurt I had suffered.

I won't give him a second bullet to shoot at me.

……

After that, I went to S University, which was thousands of miles away from home.

I thought He Linxiao would be with Lu Zhizhi, but I didn't expect that He Linxiao gave up his grades that could have put him in the top 3 and repeated a year to get into S University.

I know, he's probably here to see me.

But I didn’t expect Lu Zhizhi to also pass the exam. She repeated a year with He Linxiao but didn’t pass, so she repeated another year and was two years younger than us.

It's really haunting.

9

Lu Zhizhi began to appear in front of me frequently, and every time she did so she would pester He Linxiao.

According to Cheng Yu, she even chased He Linxiao to his dormitory several times.

I feel a little weird.

Lu Zhizhi is not the type of person who can’t keep her cool. With her skills, she has a much better way.

But I soon found out why she was so anxious.

Her parents came.

When her parents were making a fuss in the counselor's office, I happened to be delivering some materials and saw a circle of people gathered at the office door to watch the fun.

"What's wrong?" I squeezed over curiously and heard a woman's sharp voice inside.

"You thought you could ignore your parents by hooking up with a rich man, but now that the rich man doesn't want you, you still have to be raised by your parents. Why do women read so many books? Your heart has become wild. Come back with me—"

Then there was a familiar voice, Lu Zhizhi yelled, "Let go! I won't go back!"

A familiar classmate next to me whispered:

"She seems to be a freshman. She had a falling out with her family before. Now her father is seriously ill and she refuses to go back. Her mother has no choice but to come to school to look for her!"

I stood on tiptoe and took a look.

To my surprise, Lu Zhizhi's mother didn't dress shabbily.

On the contrary, she was dressed quite fashionably, with bright red lipstick on her lips, and her hands with exquisite manicures kept grabbing Lu Zhizhi, leaving several bloody marks on her wrists.

I also know something about Lu Zhizhi's affairs.

After she fell ill and was abandoned by her biological parents, her gambling-addicted parents never came back to see her for fear of becoming a burden.

It was not until a few years ago when she became an adult that they found her and gave her a red envelope of 200 yuan under the pretext of wanting to recognize her as a relative, but in fact he just wanted to squeeze money out of her, and if she didn't give him money, she would make trouble.

Lu Zhizhi had no choice but to secretly give the money given by the He family to her parents.

They lived like this in peace for a few years, until after the college entrance examination, when He's father and mother saw through Lu Zhizhi's thoughts and tactfully offered to give her some money so that she could move out.

This amount of money is actually not small. The He family has spent huge sums of money over the years to cure her illness, send her to school, and also gave her money. Logically speaking, they have repaid their gratitude.

But unexpectedly, the money was soon spotted by Lu Zhizhi's parents, who took it all in a short time.

Now that Lu Zhizhi couldn't come up with the money, they wanted to squeeze out the last bit of value from her. They promised her to a widower in his forties whom they met at the casino in exchange for a dowry of 288,000 yuan. It was said that he had beaten his previous wife to death, but in that era, the people did not report it and the officials did not investigate, so no one knew whether it was true or not.

Lu Zhizhi was really desperate and wanted to quickly take down He Linxiao, but who knew that He Linxiao ignored her at all.

This was the first time I saw Lu Zhizhi so embarrassed.

The girl who seemed so scheming was only in her early twenties. She was caught by her mother in panic and helpless, crying and explaining:

"He's not sick, he just wants to trick me into going back and getting married. Teacher, please help me, I won't go back—"

I looked for a while and then walked out of the crowd.

I no longer care about the grudge between me and Lu Zhizhi.

Her fate has nothing to do with me anymore.

……

Half a month later, I heard that Lu Zhizhi's parents had arranged for her to take a leave of absence from school and forcibly brought her back home.

So many years of painstaking planning.

In the end, it was all in vain, and she finally returned to her original life.

10

I don't know where Lu Zhizhi got the ether.

When I was walking back to the dormitory alone from a small path after evening self-study, I was suddenly hugged from behind and a piece of cloth with irritating gas covered my mouth and nose.

When I woke up, I found myself in an old hut with my wrists tied, and Lu Zhizhi was sitting in front of me.

"What are you going to do?" I said hoarsely.

"Shh." Lu Zhizhi poured a bucket of gasoline on the curtains and lit it. The flames reflected on my sharply shrunken pupils, which suddenly jumped!

"Are you crazy?!" I struggled desperately: "Lu Zhizhi, are you sick? I have no grudge against you, why are you trying to kill me!"

Lu Zhizhi smiled.

The flames crawled as quickly as a snake, and Lu Zhizhi looked crazy.

"Feng Nanzhi, sometimes I think there is no such thing as fairness in this world.

"Otherwise, why were you born with luxury? You've never suffered any hardship, and you'd complain even if you cut your hand? You obviously have everything, but everyone still loves you and pampers you.

"And I, I have nothing, but you still want to snatch He Linxiao from me." She walked up to me and pinched my chin tightly, causing me a sharp pain.

"Why are you trying to snatch it from me? I obviously have nothing left."

She suddenly became angry: "Do you know what the old man they found for me looks like? He beats me every day!"

She showed the bruises on her arms and vented her anger: "He locked me in the house for fear that I would run away. I finally jumped out of the window to escape. Why didn't anyone help me among so many people? Why do I have to suffer such a fate?"

I was so angry that I almost laughed: "Who stole my boyfriend from you? You're crazy, I already have a boyfriend!"

"Besides, your parents are to blame for your misery. They gave birth to you but didn't raise you. What does it have to do with me? You weren't my child! If you want to go crazy, go to them. What's the point of you talking to me about this!"

"Shut up!" Lu Zhizhi seemed to have gone crazy and couldn't hear anything. She pinched my chin and suddenly laughed: "By the way, I just called He Linxiao with your phone. Do you think he will come?

"Who do you think he will choose this time?"

She suddenly picked up a baseball bat and hit my leg hard!

After a brief numbness, severe pain came over me. I heard the teeth-grinding sound of bones breaking and almost fainted!

Lu Zhizhi broke my leg!

I gritted my teeth and felt the bloody taste in my mouth.

Lu Zhizhi burst into laughter. I didn't dare to anger her anymore and closed my eyes tightly to endure the pain. I didn't want to cry, but it was too painful. Physiological tears kept flowing out and I was shaking all over. All this made Lu Zhizhi even happier and she laughed even more happily.

I have a vague idea in my mind.

Lu Zhizhi might really be crazy. Perhaps years of repression and fear have caused her mental problems.

She placed the bet of changing her life on He Linxiao and was willing to repeat a grade twice just to find him.

Now that He Linxiao doesn't care about her, her obsession has gone completely crazy.

I don’t know whether she wants to see how He Linxiao chooses between her and me, or... wants to die with us.

I didn’t know whether He Linxiao would come. The fire was getting bigger and bigger. Soon thick smoke covered the surroundings. I started coughing violently.

Just when I was almost in despair, a blurry figure suddenly broke through the fire and ran in. He Linxiao's eyes were red from the smoke. The moment he saw me, his whole body shook and he quickly rushed up to help untie me.

But it was too late.

The fire was so big that I could hear the sharp sirens of the fire trucks outside the window and jets of water rushing towards the windows, but the flames kept getting higher and higher!

"He Linxiao!" Lu Zhizhi stood in front of the fire, pointed at me and said, "Her leg is broken, you can only take one person away today.

"Will you choose her or me?"

I subconsciously looked at He Linxiao.

I've been abandoned by him so many times that I don't dare to gamble anymore.

Even if he still likes me, Lu Zhizhi saved his life, will he really choose me?

The next second, He Linxiao picked me up and rushed out without hesitation!

I was stunned.

Lu Zhizhi was also stunned.

In the fire, I heard her screaming:

"He Linxiao!——" She tried to grab He Linxiao, but he pushed her away!

However, due to this delay, the fire became bigger.

He Linxiao gritted his teeth, ignored the flames and held me in his arms and ran out! The pervasive smoke had blackened my vision and blurred my consciousness. He Linxiao shouted in my ear:

"Wake up, we're about to get out!"

After rushing through the 4th, 3rd and 2nd floors where the fire was relatively smaller, we finally reached the first floor.

There was a sea of ​​fire all around, and I could even hear the crackling sound of the walls burning. I didn't know if I was shaking or if the house was burning and about to collapse, I just felt dizzy.

He Linxiao used his arms to block in front of him. My whole body was in pain. I couldn't tell where it hurt, and then I felt numb.

Fortunately, a big door finally appeared in front!

He Linxiao held me and ran quickly to the door. I don’t know if it was my illusion, but I saw Cheng Yu’s face at the door.

His eyes were bloodshot, and the people around him held him back tightly to prevent him from rushing into the fire.

Suddenly, his expression changed.

Great fear and despair appeared in his eyes.

I didn't understand his look, we were about to go out!

The next second, he suddenly broke free from everyone and rushed towards me!

Everything seemed to slow down.

The huge wall above our heads was burned off by the fire and fell down. It was only a matter of one step, but Lu Zhizhi, who was chasing us down, hugged He Linxiao's legs like a ghost. Her hair and eyebrows had been burned off, and when she opened her eyes, she looked like a ghost!

"Let's die together. Since you didn't choose me, let's die together—"

A huge force threw me off, He Linxiao threw me out, and Cheng Yu caught me in the air, and he ran out with big strides!

I turned around subconsciously, and in the sea of ​​fire, the wall made a wailing sound of breaking and suddenly fell down!

In the flames and smoke rising into the sky, He Linxiao seemed to glance at me.

He opened his mouth, but no sound came out.

The next moment, the wall fell on him.

In my pupils illuminated by flames, there is no longer any trace of him.

11

Lu Zhizhi is not dead.

She had burns covering 95% of her body, and I hardly recognized her when she left the ICU.

She was wrapped up like a mummy, with blood and yellow-green pus seeping out from under the gauze, making people afraid to look at her any longer.

The only good news was that after knowing that she was burned, her parents stopped bothering her and tried to avoid her as much as possible.

I looked at her through the hospital glass.

She quickly recognized me and completely broke down, screaming and yelling.

But her throat was also damaged by the smoke, and her howling made people feel their teeth aching and their hair stand on end.

I looked away and didn't look at her again.

As for Lu Zhizhi, I just think that there must be something hateful about every pitiful person.

She clearly had many choices. If she had always been honest and behaved herself, the He family would not have ignored her.

She could go abroad and break free from her fate on her own, but she chose to rely on a man.

Finding there was no way out, she did not repent, but instead wanted to drag everyone down with her.

Without medical expenses, she probably won’t live long.

Even if she survives by chance, she will only suffer from countless complications and disfigurement for the rest of her life, as well as imprisonment.

She was finished, and the outcome was far more tragic than she had ever feared.

She deserves it.

……

When Cheng Yu asked me if I wanted to go see He Linxiao, I hesitated for a moment, but still said yes.

Maybe I hated him.

But he risked his life to save me, so I should thank him no matter what.

But I didn’t expect that He Linxiao rejected me.

"He doesn't want to see you," He Linxiao's mother covered her red eyes, "Just leave him alone."

Through the crack in the door, I saw He Linxiao.

His injuries were less serious than Lu Zhizhi's. He Linxiao was lucky because when the wall fell down, a small gap was formed. He was not hit hard and was quickly rescued.

However, even so, his face was burned and his legs were broken.

In just a few days, he lost a lot of weight. The hospital gown looked empty on him and the bones of his shoulders were sticking out.

The face that was once beautiful enough for a poster now had a huge scar on the left side that went from the forehead to the chin, pulling the skin.

The intact right face looks like an angel.

The left side of his face looks like an evil spirit.

He shuddered, quickly looked away, lowered his head and covered his face with his hair.

My eyes became sore and tears started to fall.

He Linxiao, who was so high-spirited and perfect, turned out to be like this.

That chaotic youth eventually burned down his life.

12

During my junior year, I received the news that He Linxiao was taking a leave of absence.

He went abroad for treatment.

Before leaving, I saw him off at the airport.

He looked as handsome as ever when he was wearing a mask. Before going through security check, he looked back.

He continued, "Didn't you say you liked that new Chanel bag? And the watch you liked before, my mother is his VIC. No need to wait, I'll take you to buy it tonight, okay?"

"Xia Ru" He didn't see me standing behind the pillar.

His figure quickly disappeared, and my vision was blurry, but I seemed to see the seventeen-year-old He Linxiao appear in front of me.

The seventeen-year-old boy ran towards me through the camphor trees that were rustling in the wind and stood in front of me.

He smiled helplessly and touched my head: "Stupid, you sprained your ankle in a physical education class. What are you going to do without me in the future, Feng Nanzhi?"

I said loudly: "How can I be without you? You will always be with me!"

He Linxiao laughed and squatted down in front of me: "Okay, okay, I'll always be with you, come up, ancestor."

Seventeen-year-old He Linxiao walked away carrying seventeen-year-old Feng Nanzhi on his back.

Twenty-one He Linxiao and twenty-one Feng Nanzhi turned their backs to each other, never to see each other again.

I wiped the moisture from the corners of my eyes and walked quickly out of the airport.

Under Shengda's gaze, Cheng Yu was leaning against the car waiting for me.

Seeing me coming out, he waved at me, awkwardly but pretending to be generous:

"Sending him away? Why are your eyes red? Are you crying? Are you reluctant to let him go?

"How about I buy you a ticket and you take him to America and back?"

"Nervous." I smiled and held his hand.

The sunlight lengthens our shadows.

Overhead, planes fly through the clouds.

As autumn approaches, the leaves of the camphor tree fall and whirl past our feet.

Summer is over.