Chapter 285

She calmed down a bit. What was she worrying about? If Xia Yan really had something on his mind, he would have already said it himself. Why would she need to probe like this? Everyone was an adult now, already a sophomore in college, and surely they could control their emotions by now. But for Hua Xin, wasn't this also about having someone to listen to her pent-up feelings? During this time, the girl didn't cry or scream, nor did she secretly shed tears in bed. Everything seemed the same as usual. But was that really the case? Didn't Hua Xin feel pain and heartache facing all those messy people and messy things? She had no one to confide in. So she simply hid everything in her heart, trying to let time erase them. If it were the old Hua Xin, she definitely would have done that. But now it's different. That lonely, hapless girl who had always lived alone suddenly had someone she could entrust everything to, someone she could speak freely without being ridiculed. People often say that true friends are hard to find. What truly constitutes a confidant? What truly constitutes a friend? For over a decade, Hua Xin seemed to have suddenly grasped this simple question. What did those things that had troubled her heart matter now? Regardless of the final outcome, at least for now, they were still good friends. "Lao Xia ..." "What's wrong?" Xia Yan's voice was still gentle, yet tinged with a hint of confusion. Perhaps he had drunk too much, for he leaned back in his chair, quietly gazing at the pale starry sky and moonlit night. A bitter taste filled his mouth once more. Perhaps emboldened by the alcohol, Hua Xin no longer cared about anything, saying with a carefree air, "I have no home anymore." 221. The Clouds Didn't Obscure the Moon "What?..." "It's being demolished?" Xia Yan was stunned, momentarily failing to grasp the meaning behind Hua Xin's words. He hadn't been gone for very long... surely a few months wouldn't be enough to just demolish one house like that? If it were demolition, then the entire neighborhood should be demolished, not just one building. When did the demolition office, property management, and construction team become so efficient? They managed to negotiate settlements and compensation for everyone in the entire community in such a short time? Besides, he hadn't heard anything about demolition plans for the neighborhood or Hua Xin's neighborhood since he returned... The doubt in Xia Yan's tone was easily discernible, but it wasn't surprising, since even the girl herself hadn't expected things to turn out this way. Anyone would be shocked and then laugh in exasperation by such a sudden turn of events. It was even stranger that Hua Xin, who seemed easy to bully but was actually even easier to bully, hadn't shown any reaction or action. Although he didn't know the reason, Xia Yan still subconsciously comforted her, "Why don't you stay at my place for a while?" "My room has always been empty, and I feel a bit empty living alone..." The girl didn't answer Xia Yan's concern, only waving her hand weakly, "I'm practically the most miserable person in the world, without a doubt." Hua Xin's tone was extremely helpless, and her previously tense mood seemed to slowly relax at this moment. Xia Yan paused in his actions. He had never heard Hua Xin so dejected before, not even during the most difficult phase of the "Hua Xin Transformation Plan." She was always so downcast, yet she always managed to complete the project as planned. In the year he had spent with Hua Xin, he had never heard Hua Xin utter such self-deprecating and self-mocking words. He listened quietly, his beer can never being put down. When someone who rarely expresses their pain or self-deprecation suddenly starts spouting self-deprecating remarks, it proves they have truly reached a breaking point. A point of collapse, or perhaps... extreme sadness. Just like Xia Yan now. Hua Xin's steady, boyish voice continued to speak slowly. "You know my situation." "I've always been alone, with no one to care for me or love me, just drifting through such a long time until now. It was only with great difficulty that I found Chun Qiu and met you, that I finally have a family and a good friend." "I thought I would never see anyone in this life..." "Mom and Dad? A parent's embrace? Or belated expressions of affection?" "After all, they've been gone for so long. I don't have the audacity to dream of finding them and receiving love and happiness." Hua Xin took a big gulp of beer, the suppressed emotions in her heart scattering like a fried egg falling into a pot, instantly solidifying under the hot water. But the turbulent emotions in her heart became very calm after reaching her mouth, as if they could no longer affect the girl, or perhaps... she was too heartbroken to even react. "It's hard to imagine..." "Well, how should I put it..." The girl's face had a half-smile, as if she had so much to say, but only a sigh came out. "But how could that be?" "How could I not have thought about that scenario?" Hua Xin murmured silently, her gaze no longer fixed on the quiet emptiness, but on the bustling crowds—adults, children, the elderly, and cats or dogs on leashes strolling about. Those scenes, deep within her memory. "The school gates are often crowded with parents picking up their children after school. At the park's playground equipment, adults are always there telling the kids to slow down, be quiet, and not run around." "On the way home, parents carry pink backpacks with Ultraman or Snow White printed on them, leading their children home from school." "After exams, children proudly show their test papers to their parents, telling them how many points they got, that they were among the top students in their class, and that they'd improved a lot since last time. The adults would smile and say, 'Wow, that's amazing! Want to go to KFC tonight?'" As she spoke... Suddenly, the girl slapped her thigh and exclaimed in a self-deprecating tone, "Lao Xia!" Xia Yan responded, though his mood wasn't much different from Hua Xin's, he still managed a forced smile and softly replied, "I'm here." Upon hearing the response, the girl, abandoning her usual sharp tongue and taciturn nature, became unusually emotional when discussing food, saying, "I was a full nineteen years old before I finally ate my first KFC with you, and learned what the 'finger-licking good' chicken from online really tasted like!" Xia Yan was stunned, staring blankly at the piece of braised meat he had just picked up with his chopsticks. Hua Xin had never mentioned this. Xia Yan remembered buying Hua Xin a hamburger and fried chicken, but Hua Xin hadn't shown any particular emotion, even somewhat reluctantly telling him not to waste money, that she had food at home. But Xia Yan understood. He understood where Hua Xin's emotions came from. But what also pained Xia Yan was Hua Xin's inexplicable reluctance to speak.