Chapter 292

Ideally, he'd wake up the next day and skip elementary school, high school, and directly into the stage of being an "adult"—a stage where one can live freely. But thinking back, the time before his family broke apart was one of the few happy times he could remember. His grandfather was good to him, his parents hadn't completely separated, and he hadn't yet fallen into the painful torment of feelings of inferiority and cowardice. Everything seemed fine. What good was growing up? If he could, he'd rather continue to struggle and suffer during that time alone than see his grandfather become like this. Xia Yan's eyelids drooped slightly. Time flowed, and people grew and aged. He wasn't ready to leave his closest relative; the childhood wish for time to pass quickly had now become a wish for it to slow down. But time wouldn't listen to him. "Tsk, tasteless." The old man grinned, shaking his head regretfully. He then drank all the soup in his bowl, his gaze towards Xia Yan carrying a hint of...expectation? "You need to eat something light now." Xia Yan took the bowl, deftly ladling half a bowl and handing it to him. He wasn't moved by his grandfather's gaze; he simply stared intently at him, his eyes filled with an unwavering "impossible" determination. That wasn't helping his grandfather; it was harming him. From as far back as Xia Yan could remember, his grandfather had an unusual fondness for smoking. Although he had tried to quit, whether it was using food substitutes or relying on willpower, all his attempts had failed. For his grandfather, smoking and playing chess were perhaps the two hobbies he could never give up. During his long hospital stay, he naturally couldn't continue smoking. He'd been abstaining for almost half a year, which was clearly the limit for a grandfather who was always a chain smoker. "Sigh..." "Xiao Fen at least took me out for some spicy hot pot, milk tea, and fried chicken. You, on the other hand, it's just soup and vegetables every day. You should go back to school and study properly." Seemingly having his thoughts exposed, the old man, in a fit of temper, downed the bowl of pork rib soup in one gulp, like drinking alcohol, before leaning back on the bed. Xia Yan got up and tidied the table and bowl, saying helplessly, "She's making a fuss, and you're making a fuss too..." "Cough cough cough..." Before Xia Yan could finish, the grandfather coughed violently, his chest heaving as if he were coughing up something. Xia Yan quickly grabbed a clean towel from the bedside and then laid the bed flat so the grandfather could lie down. After a short while, the old man finally recovered and weakly waved his hand, saying in a very weak voice, "It's alright..." He was completely unrecognizable from his earlier childlike demeanor. It seemed that what he had just done was a brief moment of lucidity before facing Xia Yan. Xia Yan didn't speak, but silently wiped the blood from his grandfather's hand that had been used to cover his mouth. "Is he still outside?" Xia Yan nodded gently, his eyes already slightly red. "Yes." "Xiao Shan is my son, and I'm his father. It's only natural for him to do these things." His voice trailed off; he didn't continue. The energy he had just possessed seemed to vanish instantly, leaving his aged face etched with the marks of time. Xia Yan silently held his grandfather's hand. After a long while, his grandfather slowly said, "I heard from Xia Fen... you have a girlfriend?" "Yes," Xia Yan said softly. "Do you like her?" "I like her very much." "Is she a good person?" "Very good, very good." "Cherish the good girl you have now, treat her well..." His voice grew softer and softer, as if his grandfather was about to fall asleep at any moment. His intermittent coughing prevented him from sleeping well; he would wake up for a while and then fall asleep again. "I definitely will," Xia Yan said softly. He held his grandfather's hand tightly, and the emotions that had been building up in his eyes became more and more obvious. "If you have the chance, bring her over so Grandpa can see her." "Let's see the two of you standing together..." After saying this, a steady breathing sound reached Xia Yan's ears. Xia Yan carefully released his hand and gently wiped his eyes. He saw that his grandfather's face was not in pain, but rather had a rare smile on it. "Okay," Xia Yan replied with a smile, his eyes also red. 227. Where there is laughter, there is tears? When a gun fires, someone dies; when someone dies, someone cries; when someone cries, they want to speak their mind. Where there is happiness, there is unhappiness; when someone is unhappy, someone is jealous; when someone is jealous... they want to do bad things. —Excerpt from Hua Xin's Collected Writings. Autumn is a season of duality, evoking both joy and sorrow. The once vibrant campus now carries a desolate yet uniquely romantic atmosphere. Students are exceptionally busy at this time, rushing around for final exams and fueled by the hormones that permeate their hearts throughout the seasons. But the end result is often the same: failing their courses and not finding a partner. "How come it's still so hot in almost November..." Hua Xin kicked at a small pebble, watching it roll away, and sighed helplessly, silently enduring the sweat trickling down her nose. Her black protective suit was constantly absorbing heat, and the mask was making it difficult to breathe. Although her body had become accustomed to this almost self-torturing method, her mind was struggling to accept it. Perhaps it was because she didn't have to wear this protective suit at work or at home, which had spoiled her body, causing this discomfort. But... how could a normal person dress like this all year round? "That's obviously due to the melting of Arctic glaciers, plus the project of hauling Antarctic glaciers to Tibet by ship, which has led to global warming," Xia Yan said, spouting nonsense with a straight face, his eyes unusually fixed ahead, his face still bearing that faint, refined, and easygoing smile. However, rather than a refined and easygoing smile, it was more like the smugness of someone who knew exactly how abstract their words were, yet still spoke them with such seriousness. "You're done for," Hua Xin retorted irritably, rolling her eyes involuntarily. Why was this person always so unreliable when he was with her? Whether it was Hua Xin or Gu Xin Hua, he was always like this, like a collection of half-baked boys cobbled together from the internet... no, a collection of all the boys! But... she tightened her backpack, and a moment later, she felt relieved. The two continued walking, chatting idly. Who told Xia Yan to come back to school after such a long time? His absence had been utterly boring. Now that he's back, even though it's a bit too sweet, Hua Xin can tolerate it. After all, she's "endured" it for so long; perhaps only she can handle Xia Yan's sweetness? The girl thought to herself. As Xia Yan's only confidante...