Chapter 263

He continued, "It was a sudden heart attack while we were playing chess. The ambulance arrived just in time." "Don't tell Xia Fen." Xia Yan paused for a moment, only saying this before sitting down on a bench across from the man. "Hmm," the man responded faintly, then turned away. Silence fell between them, the atmosphere becoming tense again. Xia Yan kept his eyes tightly closed, the unease in his heart lingering. Many years had passed. He and his nominal father were still speechless. 200. People Who Should and Shouldn't Appear If a person has something on their mind, no matter how strong their self-control, how calm their mood, or how well they conceal it in front of others, that emotion will pour out when they are alone. That morning at school, she acted normally, as always, silent and walking alone, after all, no one but Xia Yan would care about someone wearing a hoodie and mask on a hot day. Without a computer, daydreaming might become one of the few leisure activities available to the girl alone at home. This way of clearing her mind seems costless, and she can even contemplate life. Occasionally, on a nice day, it feels even better; basking in the sun is good for her health, after all. Today, the weather is particularly bright. The green leaves and the high sun outside the window tell an obvious story: summer has arrived. The temperature is rising, and everything has returned to the Xia Ji that holds so many memories. However, many things from the past have quietly changed with the passage of time. Take, for example, the Little Black where Hua Xin lives now. At this time last year, the room was quite messy, with toilet paper, instant noodle bowls, and snack wrappers scattered everywhere. It wasn't that she didn't want to clean; it's just that the girl back then wasn't interested in anything. Well, she was only interested in things that brought her joy. Hua Xin scoffed at this kind of time-wasting activity that only made the room clean, considering it utterly useless and not energy-efficient at all. But the Little Black is now completely different. The floor is always spotless, and the girl regularly does a thorough cleaning every week. People always change, and Hua Xin is no exception. However, by the time she realized her changes, it seemed impossible to go back. Neither her body nor the habits she had unconsciously developed. Hua Xin, who skipped school in the morning because she was worried about Xia Yan's situation, didn't stay at school. Similarly, since she didn't have to go to work today, she spent the entire afternoon sitting on the edge of her bed, silently looking out the wide-open window, watching the world outside change once again. Hua Xin still held her fully charged and silent phone, ready to receive any messages immediately. But even so, the pop-up window that she had been waiting for still didn't emit a faint light from the shattered screen. The girl's expression showed some frustration and worry. Hua Xin realized she had changed a lot. If she used to be terrified even of going out, as if she were witnessing Godzilla versus Transformers, now it was as natural as drinking water or eating; there was nothing to be afraid of. But all of this was because of Xia Yan's existence. Logically speaking, she was an extremely rule-abiding person, or rather, there was no other reason for her to break free from this life that had become a fixed routine. Going to class was going to class, going to work was going to work, and resting was playing games... Hua Xin thought she could continue like this, after all, there was nothing wrong with it. But just this one day... She couldn't see Xia Yan at all all day, and the quick-thinking, mood-lifting ideas and wild fantasies that usually appeared in the girl's mind vanished. What remained in her heart were worries and fantasies that something might have happened to him. And a panic that the girl herself couldn't control. After leaving school, Hua Xin didn't just go home inactively. Instead, she asked Xiang Guan and Mu Feng to try contacting Xia Yan, at least to call or text him every now and then. She herself, unusually, went to Xia Yan 'Xia Yan house dressed as "Hua Xin" and knocked on the door. This was the first time she'd ever done this. Previously, when Xia Yan invited "Hua Xin" to his house, the girl would resolutely find various reasons to refuse or make excuses, absolutely not wanting to be alone with him. Because Gu Xin Hua had stayed at his house for a while before, Xia Yan might notice something, and if that happened, all her previous efforts would be in vain, which Hua Xin couldn't accept. But since Xia Yan had truly disappeared, the girl naturally didn't care about such things. The result was obvious: Xia Yan wasn't home. The security guard on duty in the neighborhood told her that Xia Yan had left around dawn, that is, in the early morning, because very few people come and go in the early morning, which is why the guard remembered him. Xia Yan would chat with him occasionally, and over time, his kind and unique demeanor naturally left a deep impression on the security guard who saw many people every day. This was a stroke of luck amidst misfortune. At least Xia Yan went out on her own initiative, instead of being murdered, trafficked, gas leaked, poisoned by carbon dioxide, tricked into a pyramid scheme, ending up in northern Myanmar, or being smuggled to the west coast... But why didn't he reply to her messages?! For modern young people whose phones are like second lives, even if they don't have money, they can't go without their phones. Is it really that difficult to reply to a message? The more Hua Xin thought about it, the more frustrated she became. Hua Xin haphazardly rubbed her hair in despair, feeling incredibly tormented by her worries and the ever-accelerating passage of time. She couldn't very well call the police, could she? Although the cost of being arrested and dissected was incomparable to saving Xia Yan, the calculations suggested that Xia Yan's phone was more likely to be out of battery. And instead of receiving a message from Xia Yan, she was greeted by someone who shouldn't have appeared. Hua Xin's eyes dimmed slightly. She placed her hands on the windowsill, leaned down, and let the gentle breeze smooth her frizzy hair. Her eyes remained open, her gaze fixed on the marble floor. Each tiny grain of sand seemed like a fragment of memory. "Those who should have appeared have disappeared, and those who shouldn't have appeared have appeared?" the girl murmured softly, a slightly ironic smile appearing on her face. But more than irony, there was helplessness and silence. Having walked alone for so many years, more than the nightly fantasies and dreams, the girl felt understanding, guilt, and inferiority. No one had done anything wrong. She was the one who was wrong. If it weren't for her, perhaps her family wouldn't have ended up like this. Hua Xin gripped her phone tightly. The first person to treat her like a normal person was Xia Yan. Even though the girl was about to lose everything, she didn't want to lose Xia Yan. 201. Others' happiness. Time passed second by second. The entire floor seemed unusually quiet. Apart from the occasional footsteps that could be heard, which were of unknown origin...