Due to the bizarre experience that day, Lin Zhexia had a dream that night.
She seemed to dream of a “parallel world.”
Because she and Chi Yao in the dream didn’t quite resemble real people.
In her dream, she returned to Haicheng City, standing once again at the beach, and when Chi Yao asked her, “What’s wrong with you?” she said: “I think I’ve fallen for you.”
Chi Yao in the dream was blurry, and she anxiously waited like someone awaiting judgment.
After a long time, Chi Yao opened his mouth, but before she could hear what he wanted to say, the dream suddenly collapsed.
“Beep.”
“Beep beep beep.”
Lin Zhexia reached out a hand from under her blanket, pressing the alarm switch with muscle memory.
The world became quiet.
She sat up with messy hair, and her first instinctive reaction was: thankfully, it was just a dream.
“It was just a dream,” Lin Zhexia suppressed her still anxious heartbeat and silently said, “not real.”
She got up to wash, then went to the dining room for breakfast.
Wei Ping was reading the newspaper: “You’re up? Sit down and have breakfast. Do you want soy milk or regular milk?”
Lin Zhexia wrapped her thick pajamas tightly around her and said, “Milk.”
Lin He was busy in the kitchen.
When she brought over the milk and bread slices, Lin Zhexia said: “Thanks, Little He.”
Lin He gave her a look: “Don’t be disrespectful.”
Lin Zhexia shrank her neck, eating while scrolling through her phone.
Today, their childhood friends’ group chat was very lively.
She tapped in and scrolled to the top to start reading from the first unread message, discovering that the topic originated from He Yang showing off his social media comments.
He Yang: Bro forgot to include you guys when I posted the photo yesterday.
He Yang: No worries, I’ll show it to my brothers here in the group.
The screenshot displayed a Valentine’s Day caption and photo:
“The beautiful thing wasn’t the movie.”
[Image]
But of course, the most important part wasn’t these, but the comments below. Afraid people wouldn’t see them, He Yang had specially circled them in red to indicate this part was important.
Comments: Awesome.
666.
As expected of you.
There was even one that said: This girl’s hand is quite pretty, so slender and long. Does she play the piano?
Lin Zhexia almost spat out her food early in the morning.
Lin He: “What’s wrong?”
Lin Zhexia: “I saw a very funny news story, couldn’t help myself.”
The winter break passed quickly, and everyone became busier in the second semester of sophomore year.
Lin Zhexia, intentionally or not, began to maintain distance from Chi Yao.
“I’m walking with Chen Lin tonight.” That day before school ended, Lin Zhexia went to Class 1 to find Chi Yao and stood at the window, saying, “You go ahead, no need to wait for me.”
Chi Yao: “?”
Lin Zhexia: “It’s a girl thing, don’t ask too many questions.”
“I don’t want to ask too much,” Chi Yao twirled a pen in his hand and said, “but if you get beaten up again, don’t cry and call me.”
Lin Zhexia thought of the embarrassing history from when she first entered high school and was silent for a moment: “We’re just going for dessert, shouldn’t get beaten up.”
Hearing her answer, Chi Yao’s fingers holding the pen moved slightly: “Understood.”
After school.
Chen Lin carried her backpack, her left hand pulling Tang Shuxuan, her right hand pulling Lin Zhexia.
She spoke while looking at Lin Zhexia, asking with confusion: “Why did you suddenly want to go for dessert?”
Lin Zhexia instinctively gripped her backpack straps, trying to sound natural: “I saw it yesterday while scrolling through my phone, doing homework. It looked pretty good.”
Tang Shuxuan was carefree and didn’t sense anything wrong: “I’m hungry anyway.”
The dessert shop was crowded, and the three of them had to queue outside for a while.
When it was their turn, the three sat side by side at a window seat chatting.
From “the learning pace feels so fast lately, getting an early taste of senior year life” to “the senior Tang Shuxuan likes is about to graduate.”