May everyone be treated with kindness

Wen Ning was still gazing in the direction where Xiao Ya had faded away.

The little girl who had suffered all her life had finally let go of every regret and gone somewhere free of pain and injustice.

And that thank-you, delayed for so many years, had finally crossed the boundary between life and death and reached the ears of the kindhearted person it was meant for.

Time might wash away many memories, but the kindness and gentleness tucked away within those years would never be forgotten.

"Xiao Ya finally left in peace," Wen Ning said softly, relief in his voice.

Lin Cheng nodded slowly. He raised a hand to wipe the tears from his eyes and regained his gentle expression, though a deep sadness still lingered between his brows.

"Thank you, Wen Ning. Without you, she might have clung to her regrets until the very end, unwilling to leave."

"It was what I should do."

Wen Ning smiled. Xiao Ya had finally fulfilled the wish that had kept her here.

"She suffered so much in her life. Being able to leave with a thank-you at the end gave her some closure."

They stood side by side beneath the streetlight at the school gates, their shadows stretching far behind them. For a moment, neither spoke.

Then Lin Cheng spoke, his voice softened by memories.

"Actually, back in middle school, I kept protecting her for more than just being unable to stand watching those classmates bully her."

Wen Ning paused in surprise and turned to look at him.

The streetlight fell across Lin Cheng's face, softening his features as he spoke slowly.

"I first realized she had an intellectual disability on the day we registered for school. The teacher asked everyone to introduce themselves. When her turn came, she stood at the front of the classroom for ages without managing a single complete sentence. The students below started laughing, calling her an idiot, calling her mute."

His gaze grew slightly distant, as though he had returned to that classroom all those years ago.

"I watched her then. Her face was bright red, and tears welled in her eyes, but she bit her lip hard and refused to let them fall. She wanted to speak, but she was too anxious. The more anxious she got, the harder it was for her to get any words out."

Lin Cheng paused, his voice dropping a little.

"After school that day, I deliberately walked a little slower and followed behind her. I saw her limping along. When she passed a drainage ditch, she nearly fell in. A few classmates beside her deliberately knocked her schoolbag onto the ground, then stomped on it a few times before running off laughing. She crouched down and picked up her books one by one. Her hands were shaking, but she still didn't say a word."

"That was the moment I felt truly awful."

Lin Cheng's gaze grew resolute.

"I knew she was slow and couldn't even speak clearly, but she had never hurt anyone. What right did those classmates have to bully her like that just because of her condition?"

"Back then, I thought those three years might be the last years she ever spent in school. I couldn't change her life, but I could at least make those three years at school happy ones, years when she was treated kindly."

Lin Cheng spoke with utmost sincerity. Every word held the purest kindness of his younger self.

Wen Ning listened quietly, a sudden warmth rising in his heart.

So behind that seemingly insignificant act of protection lay such profound care.

Lin Cheng had not acted on a whim or simply happened to pass by. He had clearly understood that Xiao Ya's school life would last only those three years of middle school, so he had done everything he could to give her one last stretch of warmth.

"I quietly followed her every day. If someone bullied her, I stepped in. If someone mocked her, I tried to reason with them. Sometimes she walked slowly after school, so I stayed behind her and saw her home."

Lin Cheng smiled, a trace of his youthful spirit in his expression.

"My grades were average then, and I wasn't particularly capable. Those were about the only things I could do."

"She struggled with words back then. Often, she couldn't even stammer out a thank-you. My classmates always said I was hanging around with that idiot, but I didn't care."

"I thought that once she graduated, left school, and went somewhere new, at least when she looked back on those three years of middle school, she would remember that there had been someone who was always helping her."

Wen Ning listened quietly to Lin Cheng.

He seemed to understand something at last. No wonder Lin Cheng became an elementary school teacher.

Even as a boy, he had understood how to protect the vulnerable and held kindness in his heart. Now that he stood at the front of a classroom, he surely hoped that every child like Xiao Ya would be treated with gentleness.

"You did it."

Wen Ning spoke solemnly.

"Right up to the end, all Xiao Ya remembered was your kindness. Those three years of middle school were beautiful to her."

"That's good. I was always afraid I hadn't done enough back then and had left her with painful memories. Now that I know she left feeling grateful, I can finally put that worry to rest."

Looking at Lin Cheng, Wen Ning suddenly felt that this journey and all its hardships had been worthwhile.

He had helped Xiao Ya let go of her regrets, while Lin Cheng had preserved the kindness of his youth.

Kindness in this world often hid within these unremarkable moments.

They seemed so insignificant, yet they could light up another person's entire life.

"From now on, you don't have to keep worrying about her."

Wen Ning spoke softly.

"Over there, she'll surely be free of illness and bullying. She'll be safe and at peace."

"Mm."

Lin Cheng nodded, a smile of relief appearing on his face.

"I'll do my best as a teacher and live my life well. And I hope that, in another world, she can grow up happy, just like any other child."

Lin Cheng stood beneath the streetlight and waved toward him. In the darkness, that gentle figure was like a light that would never go out.

From then on, Xiao Ya's regrets no longer lingered in this world.

From then on, the world held one more piece of warmth that had been kept safe.

As the night deepened, Wen Ning's steps were light and sure.