Chapter 127

"Have we arrived?" Hua Xin looked up at Xia Yan and asked earnestly. The girl's eyes were fixed on Xia Yan through her hair. She didn't cry; she didn't show weakness again. This time, she also wanted to save Xia Yan. Swallowing the last mouthful of bitter wine, Xia Yan, who should have been confiding in Hua Xin about his recent fatigue and the bitterness of his failed meeting, was momentarily speechless. Yes... how did things turn out this way? Actually, the girl wasn't wrong. Had he, who had always relied on his own efforts to grow to where he was today, still been himself? He had made himself more cheerful, more gentle, and consistently achieved top-three grades in his studies, regardless of... He would face everyone, whether they were people he could accept or disliked, with a smile. He suppressed his disgust, his numbness, and his resentment. He transformed everything about himself into countless threads. These threads bound everyone he knew, and if even one person severed a thread, he would become suspicious, as if startling a snake in the grass. He carefully maintained the tension and relaxation of these threads, adjusting himself accordingly. Xia Yan never considered whether these threads, woven with his time and life, were worthwhile. Because... "If I keep going like this," he would become someone everyone liked. "This sentence had been buried deep in his heart since some unknown time, becoming a belief akin to a church creed. He subconsciously followed it, becoming the person he wanted to be. The part missing in his heart was the part he most wanted to prove. Xia Yan opened his mouth, his vision blurring further. A vague, inexplicable sense of disorientation made him even more reliant on alcohol, and he grabbed another beer bottle that had been opened sometime earlier. In a short while, several glass bottles were already on the table. He still couldn't say anything. "So, who are you trying to impress with all this?!" "I do what I want, hate whoever I want, like whoever I want!!" "What are you afraid of? What are you worried about?!" " Hua Xin stood up and questioned, her voice choked with sadness. The girl had already figured it out. During the time she knew Lao Shui was Xia Yan. The one online was him, wasn't that the real him? The one who also liked anime, games, and used silly language to chatter, who liked to do childish things from time to time, who liked to lie in bed with her at night chatting about online fun. That was him? Not the Xia Yan who was usually Lao Shui and sunny, but lonely when alone. Xia Yan had never said anything about what he liked in real life. He would only say things like, 'Ah, that sounds interesting.' 'That sounds fun.' 'Amazing.'" He would praise others with words like "..." for the sake of so-called interpersonal relationships. He didn't even dare to talk about his own preferences with others. In order to maintain good relationships with everyone and avoid conflicting opinions, he simply became a listener. Hua Xin couldn't understand Xia Yan 'Xia Yan behavior, but she was more angry at his actions. Going to class, working to earn money, and still having to maintain these illusory things. Did he really think he was some kind of superman? Could he keep wasting his energy and time on others like this? "What am I worried about?"Xia Yan felt that his mind was gradually becoming unable to think. Fatigue and dizziness surged into his heart like a tide. Just listening to the girl's words was already very difficult. Even so, he forced himself not to close his eyes. The effect of alcohol made him feel like he didn't have to worry about anything anymore, but Xia Yan still remained awkwardly silent. It wasn't that he didn't want to speak his mind. It was just that... why were his eyelids getting heavier and heavier... The threads that had been drawn out because of interpersonal relationships seemed to be turning around invisibly, peeling away the layers and making it even harder for Xia Yan to breathe... "! The chair was suddenly pushed back, and Hua Xin abruptly stood up, quickly walking to Xia Yan. Xia Yan looked up blankly, somewhat confused. "??" What's wrong? Because Xia Yan was sitting, the girl who stood up was considerably taller than him, allowing him to look up at Hua Xin Xia Yan. However, because she was wearing a mask, he could only see a sliver of skin peeking out from beside her cheek... Xia Yan narrowed his eyes slightly, then everything went black... Long hair?? Suddenly, the girl reached out her small, white hand... and grabbed Xia Yan's collar, pulling him upwards and towards her, like a scene from a high school brawl in 2D hot-blooded anime where the victor faces the loser. "Xia Yan... listen to me carefully..." "Because you are my most important, most important friend, that's why I..." I'll... um?... "? Before she could finish speaking, Hua Xin quickly reached out her other hand to support Xia Yan. Xia Yan had already closed his eyes and was leaning towards her. Because she was holding Xia Yan Xia Yan by the collar, the girl could only... hold him in her arms. "Hey, hey, hey... Lao Xia, what's wrong with you?..." "I was just kidding, don't die!!?" "I didn't use any force, don't scare me, I'm a scaredy-cat, I'm sorry." "What canisayman, what's wrong with you? Wake up!" "Don't scare me!"Hua Xin frantically shook Xia Yan Xia Yan, who seemed to have already passed away, but there was still no sign of him waking up. This didn't seem like drunkenness at all! Heart... was his heart still beating... was he breathing... was he breathing? The girl's distraught expression calmed down slightly, and she gently laid Xia Yan flat on the ground, took off her hood, and lay on his chest. "Thump thump thump thump → thump thump →..." His heart was beating rhythmically, like the stock market chart from ten years ago. Hua Xin immediately breathed a sigh of relief... or so she thought. "Help! Help! Help! Help! Help!" The girl's grief-stricken voice pierced through the door, and in an instant, several waiters rushed in angrily, wielding cleavers, brooms, and meat skewers. "Who dares to act like a drunkard here?!"Hua Xin was stunned. Before her were only burly men in vests, their movements precise and their muscles bulging... uh, no wonder they were Old Soldier Barbecue. But Hua Xin had no time to think about that. Her voice trembled with a hint of tears: "He suddenly fainted..." "I..." "Don't worry, young lady, let me see what happened first. You call 120..." The veteran at the front calmly and methodically arranged things, patiently instructing her on what to do. The burly men behind him breathed a sigh of relief and entered. Oh right... 120 1021 201101 19101120!!! Hua Xin stood up and immediately picked up her phone to dial 120. Her fingers trembled as she pressed the number keys, then dialed: "Hello, this is the xx District Police Station. How can I help you?"