Chapter 265 The Real World (Part 4) What exactly is reality? ...

It was 5:30 p.m. when the group of people came out of the hospital one after another.

After watching Zhao's mother and Zhao Xiaoya get into the car, Li Wenzhu and the PE teacher were worried that it wouldn't be safe for Fang Xiwen, a girl, to go home alone, so they specially asked the driver to take a detour to take her to the entrance of the residential area.

Coincidentally, Fang Xiwen's Langyuan Garden and Song Ce's Huafu Garden are separated by only one pedestrian street.

"Fang Xiwen, thankfully Zhao Xiaoya is alright, so I won't be notifying your parents this time. Sigh, just be more careful at school next time, okay?"

"Yes, Teacher Li, I've got it."

Li Wenzhu patted her on the shoulder, then turned to Song Ce and said, "Song Ce, when you get home, don't forget to let your teacher know you're safe and sound, so your teacher won't worry."

"Don't worry, teacher."

"Okay, then the teacher will be leaving now. You should all go back quickly too!" Li Wenzhu gave a few more simple instructions and then left with the PE teacher.

The evening breeze carried a slight chill, feeling particularly pleasant on the face. Song Ce glanced at Fang Xiwen, who stood awkwardly with her hands in her pockets, and politely said, "Fang Xiwen, I'll be going now."

Upon hearing Song Ce's words, Fang Xiwen quickly looked up and said softly, "Song Ce, thank you so much for today. I don't know what I would have done without you."

Song Ce shook his head, "It's nothing, just a small favor, don't take it too seriously."

"But I still want to thank you." Fang Xiwen bit her lower lip, as if she had mustered a lot of courage to speak again, "Um... if you're not in a hurry to go home, could I... buy you a cup of milk tea?"

Song Ce wanted to refuse, but looking into Fang Xiwen's cautious eyes, he swallowed back the words of refusal that were on the tip of his tongue.

"Okay, sure."

Fang Xiwen couldn't help but smile when she heard Song Ce agree. She took two steps forward, then suddenly stopped and turned back to wait for Song Ce, as if she had suddenly remembered something: "Then let's go to that new milk tea shop that opened in front of Tianhui Plaza?"

Song Ce nodded and followed her slowly.

The Tianhui Plaza was bustling with activity in the evening. When the two finally arrived at the milk tea shop, there were already seven or eight people in line in front of the shop. Fang Xiwen had taken her wallet out of her backpack early on, and she kept unzipping it to check the change inside, seemingly quite reserved.

After waiting in line for nearly half an hour, it was finally their turn. Fang Xiwen hesitated for a while before whispering, "Song Ce, what flavor do you... want to drink?"

Song Ce approached the counter and glanced at the menu. The light pink standee was full of unfamiliar names, such as "Strawberry Boba," "Mango Pomelo Sago," "Sea Salt Cheese," and "Jasmine Milk Green Tea," which he had never even heard of.

"Anything is fine, I'm not picky."

Fang Xiwen paused, biting her lip earnestly, and asked again, "Do you prefer sweet or unsweetened? Iced or hot? I heard from my classmates that the sea salt cheese here is delicious."

Song Ce thought for a moment, "Then let's have sea salt cheese."

"Okay!" Fang Xiwen smiled and turned to the clerk to order two cups of sea salt cheese.

Ten minutes later, the milk tea was ready.

Fang Xiwen took the milk tea from the table and handed it to Song Ce, her eyes sparkling, "Try it and see if you like it?"

Song Ce smiled, took the cup, and took a sip. Instantly, the sweet but not cloying milk tea, with its rich cheese flavor, slid down his throat, and with one sip, his whole body felt warm.

I don't recall ever having such a relaxing moment. Before, I was either lying in the hospital or recuperating at home. It seems like this is the first time I've ever had a moment like this, drinking hot milk tea with classmates on the pedestrian street.

"Hmm, it tastes pretty good."

Seeing that Song Ce said it was delicious, Fang Xiwen couldn't help but pick up her milk tea and sip it. The two walked side by side on the bustling pedestrian street, and the streetlights lit up one by one in the evening.

Peaceful and serene.

When the two reached the entrance of Langyuan Community, Fang Xiwen decisively stopped and drank the remaining half-full cup of milk tea in one go.

"Song Ce, thank you so much for today! If you ever need my help in the future, I'll definitely do it!"

Song Ce smiled and said, "Okay, I understand. You should go inside now, it's getting dark, and you have school tomorrow!"

Fang Xiwen's eyelashes trembled, and she secretly glanced at the boy in front of her. She said softly, "Well... I'm going home now. Goodbye." After saying that, she turned and ran into the residential area with light steps.

Song Ce stood there, watching until the figure gradually disappeared into the shadows of the night before slowly withdrawing his gaze. Just as he was about to go home, something seemed to gently touch his mind. The next second, a strange and lingering scene suddenly flooded his mind.

The skinny little child left at his grandmother's house, the little girl secretly eating dried sweet potatoes and drinking cold water in the corner of the elementary school playground, and the endless housework and caring for his younger brother who was spoiled like a little emperor after being brought back to the city... The child in the picture is none other than Fang Xiwen, who just said goodbye to him.

If her first fifteen years were already tough, then the next ten years were like hell on full display.

After graduating from junior high school, Fang Xiwen was admitted to Boyu High School, the best high school in the city.

At first, Fang's mother said that it was useless for girls to study so much and that it would be better for them to go out and work early to save money for her younger brother's dowry. Later, the school leaders of Boyu High School personally drove to the Fang family and said that as long as Fang's mother could send Fang Xiwen to study at Boyu, not only would all tuition fees be waived, but her monthly living expenses would also be paid by that leader personally.

After a moment's thought, Fang's mother realized that since her family wouldn't have to spend a penny, and a high school diploma was definitely more valuable than a junior high school diploma, she reluctantly agreed to let Fang Xiwen attend Boyu High School.

Even so, Fang Xiwen's life didn't get much easier.

Every two weeks after school, what awaited her when she came home was not a hot meal, but a mountain of housework and sharp scolding from her mother—she not only had to do laundry, cook, and clean, but also take care of her unruly younger brother, Fang Xiaobao.

Fang Xiwen finally graduated from high school and thought that going to university would allow her to get away from home. However, she did not expect that her mother had already planned to cash in on her.

On the day the college entrance examination results came out, Fang Xiwen's fingers were trembling slightly—it was the result of her studying secretly under the covers with a flashlight, enduring countless nights of hard work.

688 points.

Before she could even celebrate, Fang's mother grabbed her, her eyes filled with a calculating and hypocritical smile: "Xiwen, what's the use of a girl studying so much? Your Aunt Zhang has a son about your age named Zhang Hewei, who owns a big supermarket in the city, and he's willing to give you 120,000 yuan as a bride price! Listen to your mother, get engaged to Hewei next month! As for getting the marriage certificate, you can do that after you have your baby and turn twenty!"

Fang Xiwen was struck dumb, staring at her mother in disbelief: "Mom! What are you saying? I got into university! I'll find a good job after graduation and earn money to support you and my brother! How can you let me get married now?"

"Make money? How much will it cost you to go to university? How old will Xiaobao be by the time you graduate? Xiwen, how can you be so selfish? Xiaobao will be starting elementary school next year. You're the older sister, shouldn't you think about your younger brother?"

Fang Xiwen, who had always been submissive, rebelled for the first time, which naturally resulted in her mother keeping a close watch on her almost every step of the way.

As the deadline for submitting college applications drew closer, Fang Xiwen made up her mind and finally left her suffocating home under the cover of night. She ran away alone to an unfamiliar city more than a thousand kilometers away from home, hiding in a sanatorium as a waitress, working 12-hour days to desperately earn the tuition and living expenses she needed for college.

After finally enrolling at her desired university, she had only been settled for a little over three months when Fang's mother arrived at the school with a group of people and started causing a scene. University leaders rushed over to try and mediate, but Fang's mother wouldn't listen and threatened to kill herself by running over the school gate.

In order not to disrupt the normal order of the school and to prevent the situation from escalating further, the school leaders tried their best to comfort Fang Xiwen. Helpless, she could only go home with Fang's mother in tears.

The outcome upon returning home was predictable: Fang's mother confiscated all of Fang Xiwen's identification documents and locked her in her room. Zhang Hewei also took the opportunity to visit her home from time to time, his malicious eyes darting around her, clearly determined to have her.

Not long after, Fang's mother secretly put Zhang Hewei into Fang Xiwen's room at night...

Thus, Fang Xiwen's mental state was completely broken. She did nothing all day but hide under the bed with her hair down, muttering to herself. As a result, her height of 1.72 meters dropped to less than 80 kilograms.

Seeing their prospective high-achieving daughter-in-law become so mentally unstable, the Zhang family naturally no longer wanted to marry her.

Of course, Fang's mother wasn't one to be trifled with. She threw a tantrum in the street for a long time, attracting residents from several nearby neighborhoods to come and watch the spectacle. Finally, seeing that they couldn't argue any further, the Zhang family reluctantly agreed that the bride price didn't need to be returned, which finally shut Fang's mother up.

Six months later, Fang Xiwen, dressed in thin clothes and in a daze, jumped off the building and was spotted by two homeless men passing by.

That winter was exceptionally cold. By the time someone found her again, she had been soaking in the river for who knows how many days and had long since stopped breathing.

"Why? Why did this happen..."

Song Ce frowned, shaking his head violently, trying to shake these bizarre memories out of his mind. He didn't understand why he had suddenly seen Fang Xiwen's entire life. Was it because he had helped her, thus awakening some strange ability?

Just then, that annoying baritone voice popped up in my head again: "Remember, you're not some savior, her fate has nothing to do with you! You just need to stay here peacefully and enjoy your wonderful life!"

"Don't be silly, you can't change anything!"

"Your life is so good now. You have a mother who loves you, and your health is gradually improving. What more could you ask for? If something goes wrong because you meddle, how can you face your mother who has taken care of you day after day for dozens of months?"

"Just do as I say, and I guarantee you'll never have to worry about food or clothing for the rest of your life."

"Shut up!" Song Ce shouted instinctively, drawing the attention of passersby.

"Mom, look, what's wrong with that boy?"

"Shh, little girl, don't point at others, it's impolite! Come on, let's go home with Mommy."

Realizing his lapse in composure, Song Ce blushed slightly. Avoiding the probing gazes of passersby, he quickly walked towards the Huafu residential area.

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Author's note: I've been extremely busy these past few days. I'll write more this weekend [crying emoji]