Chapter 26

When He Xi walked into the ward, Bai Shu, who was lying on the bed, had no extra expression on his face.

He stared at the ceiling with a deathly pale face, surrounded only by his mother's tears and his father's sighs.

He Xi looked at the boy's legs in plaster and immediately understood what was going on. Tears started flowing before she could even speak. She couldn't help crying.

The crying attracted the attention of the other three people in the room, and the first one to look over was Bai Shu.

Cheng Xiufang took the initiative to pull Bai Zheng away, leaving the space for the two young people.

"He Xi?" Bai Shu saw her clearly, and a hint of surprise appeared on his pale face. "Why are you not in class at this time?"

Bai Shu's voice was unrecognizable, "You told me that studying is important. You should be attending class now."

“Culture is your last resort, isn’t it?”

"It's yours too!" He Xi said excitedly, sobbing a little, and then he could no longer stop his tears, which fell in big drops.

Bai Shu was silent.

"What's the point of telling me this now?" Bai Shu's voice was soft, like sand that scatters with a gust of wind. His expression was numb and his eyes were empty. "I'm... useless."

"I don't know what I should do or what I can do anymore."

"Don't say that!"

He Xi wiped away her tears and smiled with a feigned cheer. "I just asked the doctor. Your legs... although you can't do strenuous exercise in the future, as long as you recover properly, you can walk, jump, run, and so on."

"Bai Shu, you still have a chance... Believe me, you still have a chance."

Bai Shu closed his eyes and turned his head away.

He Xi's heart sank into the sea.

She clenched her palms, took a deep breath and said, "Bai Shu, I promise you, I will never skip class again."

"Can you also promise me that you will study hard in your academic subjects?" He Xi mustered up the courage, "You promised me."

"……good."

"Thank you, Bai Shu." At this time... you still retained some tenderness for me.

He Xi didn't dare to stay any longer, for she was afraid that she would cry again. Bai Shu was already in a bad mood, and she wanted to be happy when she appeared in front of him again.

He Xi pushed open the door of the ward and said, "I will come to see you next time." Then he turned and left the ward.

Later, He Xi went to the hospital to see Bai Shu every time she had a holiday. She always brought her test papers to show her learning results and prove that she was studying hard, but she didn't say it.

He would also bring the review materials for various subjects that she had compiled, hoping to help Bai Shu as much as possible.

"You're doing well. You're getting better and better in the exams." Bai Shu tried to encourage He Xi as he did before, but the smile on his face was much fainter than before.

Bai Shu accepted all the review materials given by He Xi and said thank you, "I don't need the math." He emphasized it deliberately as if to show off something, and also seemed to use such a relaxed tone on purpose to lighten the atmosphere.

Time waits for no one. Whether it's He Xi who failed the sports enrollment or Bai Shu who missed his dream.

Because He Xi had been through it herself, she knew that Bai Shu needed more than encouragement and comfort from someone who shared his feelings. She didn't know how to comfort people either.

Only when things in front of you come one after another can you not be tripped up by the past.

No matter what, He Xi hopes Bai Shu can keep moving forward.

She had to move forward as well. She couldn't let Bai Shu see her lying on the ground in frustration. She wanted to make a good comeback and set an example for Bai Shu behind her.

He Xi exhaled, feeling more peaceful than ever upon returning to school. All the time wasted during the day needed to be repaid double at night. He Xi shook his drowsy head, gently patted his face, and forced himself to wake up.

With exams and reviews day after day, the nerves of all the senior high school students in the school are stretched to the extreme.

At this time, just a little spark can ignite a raging fire of gossip among a group of people.

He Xi had been concentrating on his studies, paying no attention to what was happening outside. Somehow, rumors about Lin Shenyuan began to spread, and under the guidance of busybodies, the rumors became more and more outrageous.

The cause was that news came from the science class next door that Lin Shenshen was dressed as a woman. Although he was born a boy, he picked up girls' clothes and wore them secretly more than once.

Even though class monitor Wei Mo stood by Lin Shenyuan and kept clearing things up for him, several boys from He Xi's class and theirs still gathered together and chatted enthusiastically.

They maliciously speculated, "Is Lin Shenyuan having a mental problem?"

"You say he's so abnormal, surely he didn't become like this when he grew up? Didn't his family interfere with his life since he was a child?"

Lin Shenyuan, plagued by these rumors, couldn't even lift his head as he walked around campus. He offered no explanation, his expressionless face treading among the crowd like a walking corpse.

He Xi took the initiative to explain for him. He tugged at her school uniform sleeve and shook his head at her, signaling her to stop talking. He also took the initiative to distance himself from her. No one knew what he was thinking.

Lu Xiaoyue, who was in the science class, listened to rumors that became increasingly disgusting. The dirty words blocked her ears but kept drilling in, like a foul and rotten smell. No matter how hard she pinched her nose, she still coughed because of the choking.

The straightforward Lu Xiaoyue couldn't stand it anymore. "Are you guys, a bunch of grown men, really so nosy? Have you finished the test? What's your score, huh?"

The group was silent for a second. Yao Fang, who was in the crowd, looked at Lu Xiaoyue with a wicked smile, then turned to his companions and said, "Do you think Lin Shenyuan usually goes to the women's or men's restroom when he's out in women's clothing?"

"Of course, he's going to the women's restroom..."

"Then wouldn't all the female comrades who used the same restroom with him be..." He deliberately didn't say anything further.

Chen Linlin quickly slammed the window, called Lu Xiaoyue out of the classroom on the pretext of something, and took her hand, saying worriedly, "I don't object to you helping Lin Shenshen, but be careful not to get into trouble."

"You didn't see it just now. As soon as Yao Fang said that, all the girls in your class looked at each other strangely."

Wei Mo slammed the table, clenched his fists, and stood up from his seat. The legs of the bench hit the table behind him with a "sizzling" sound. Yao Fang looked over unscrupulously, "So excited? Are you gay, monitor?"

"Say another word!" Wei Mo raised his fist and was about to hit him.

"Oh my, I'm so scared." Yao Fang made a face and said with a grin.

He Xi also came to look for Wei Mo at this time. Bai Shu was not there. She knew that she alone could not help Lin Shenyuan. She happened to meet Lu Xiaoyue and Chen Linlin.

The three of them called Wei Mo out, and they hit it off and decided to help Lin Shenshen together.

A few days later, when the rumors about Lin Shenyuan were spreading the most wildly in the school, during the break, Yao Fang and others used Lin Shenyuan as a topic of idle gossip.

Wei Mo couldn't stand it any longer. He ran over and grabbed Yao Fang's collar, stiffening his neck and saying, "First of all, everyone has the right to dress freely. If you're wearing women's clothes, then you have a mental problem. I think the ones with the real mental problems are you!"

"Second, do you know about the concept of third-floor restrooms? It was introduced in Ansan City a few years ago, and their number is increasing."

"Finally, this is the chat log with friends in Lin Shenyuan's cosplay circle. Among them are quite a few women, and they can all vouch for Lin Shenyuan. When Lin Shenyuan was dressed as a woman, he would rather endure it than enter the women's restroom, causing panic among women who were unaware of the truth!"

Wei Mo finished speaking in one breath, throwing Yao Fang away like trash. "I'm warning you again. I've already told the head teacher what you did. Please take care of yourself from now on."

"Who is Yao Fang? Come out!" Outside the glass window was the serious and terrifying face of the head teacher. Yao Fang's face turned pale. He didn't expect that just a few words of gossip would actually alarm the school.

One month left to the college entrance examination.

Bai Shu returned to school with his injury, attending classes and taking exams while wearing a cast. While the people around him sighed in regret, he cleared his name with his answers.

It’s not a comeback to the top of the list, but it is visible progress.

His family noticed his efforts, and his teacher praised him as a positive example in class. They thought Bai Shu was incredibly strong. But that wasn't the case. He kept looking at the rankings on the bulletin board, and He Xi's position was always out of his reach. He felt panic.

He knew his level and was afraid that if he didn't work hard enough, he and He Xi would be from two different worlds after the college entrance examination.

What will disappear at that time is not only the agreement between them, but also the immature relationship between them.

Maybe... maybe by then we won't even be friends anymore, Bai Shu thought sadly.

-

After the college entrance examination, Bai Shu walked out of the examination room from the crowded crowd. Outside the door, He Xi, carrying a schoolbag, jumped up and waved to him vigorously with a bright smile on his face, "Bai Shu, here——"

Bai Shu curled the corners of his lips and walked towards the only focus of his sight.

Bai Shu stood in front of He Xi, and the two looked at each other from a distance, only one step away.

He Xi suddenly felt panic, her eyelashes trembling imperceptibly, revealing the indescribable thoughts in her heart. But she quickly adjusted herself, and when Bai Shu looked over, she gave him an extremely bright smile.

He Xi grabbed Bai Shu's arm and turned around, "Finally, we're free. This time we can go out and have some fun!"

Bai Shu laughed and followed He Xi.

Behind them were the sounds of countless people meeting and chatting, and the honking of cars pulling up one after another. Brilliant sunlight shone warmly onto the darkened asphalt road, paving a dazzling golden avenue. He Xi, pulling Bai Shu along, ran along it, his hair leaping with joy.

Bai Shu forced out a bright and cheerful smile.

He curled his eyes, grinned, revealing a row of bright teeth, and laughed heartily. As he laughed, his sadness was truly thrown behind him, and all his expressions and thoughts were reduced to laughter.

From that day on, He Xi asked Bai Shu to do a lot of things.

Their footsteps touched every corner of Ansan City: the food stalls and restaurants lining the streets and alleys, the cake shops and confectionery shops of all sizes, and every famous library and amusement park nearby. They walked on the soft sand and in the azure sea. They stood on the city bus, holding strawberry puffs. They watched the sun rise and set, the afterglow of the setting sun casting a shadow on each other's faces. Time froze in that moment.

As night fell and it was time to part, they said hypocritical farewell words and waved to each other. Even if they walked forward with their backs to each other, they would look back every few steps.

Bai Shu was always extra gentle at this time. He always stood behind He Xi, watching her walk away step by step, smiling and waving at her gently, his eyes curved so much that only a long, beautiful eyelash remained, "Goodbye, He Xi."

Even if He Xi's heart was filled with the sadness of separation, Bai Shu would surround her with his gentle smile and voice, giving her the courage to move forward, and move forward again.

-

Wei Mo ran into Lin Shenshen on the bus on his way home. Lin Shenshen turned around, his fingers gripping the strap of his schoolbag twitching slightly, and asked, "Can we walk together for a while?"

Wei Mo said yes, and he and Lin Shenyuan jumped off the bus at the next stop.

With the sound of footsteps, street lights light up one by one, illuminating the night.

"I didn't tell anyone about what happened last time!"

Lin Shenshen glanced sideways and saw Wei Mo suddenly look up with a panicked look in his eyes. He curled his lips gently and tolerantly, "I know."

"I came out of the clinic," Lin Shenshen lowered his eyes sadly, paused, took a deep breath, and then continued, "I ran into Yao Fang on my way home."

"No wonder!" Wei Mo said indignantly, "I get angry whenever I talk about that bastard. Next time I see him, I'm going to beat him up!"

"No need." Lin Shenyuan's tone was very light, and the following voice was even lighter, "Wei Mo..."

"Hmm?" Wei Mo was very sensitive to his name.

"Thank you," Lin Shenyuan finally said, feeling as if he had accomplished something truly remarkable. But he had more to say, and he had to say it. "But why did you help me?"

He lost himself in a reminiscent soliloquy. "Last time, you saved me, took me to the clinic, and came to see me the next day with breakfast. You saw me looking androgynous, and I thought you'd find me... disgusting." He'd heard this kind of comment a lot since he was a child, and it was only right. But why didn't he see any dislike for him from Wei Mo?

Wei Mo took a quick step forward, and stepped into the darkness from the bright light reflected on the ground by the street lamp, leaving only a vague outline of his back to Lin Shenshen.

"Why? Let me think..." Wei Mo turned his back to Lin Shenyuan and covered his face with his hands before he had the courage to respond. "Maybe... I also liked wearing skirts when I was a child."

Lin Shenshen's heart skipped a beat and he opened his mouth slightly.

"Surprised, right? You can't tell, right..." Wei Mo smiled casually, "My family found out pretty quickly, and I got a beating from my father. My mother took me to see a psychologist, so even though I still envy my mother for having beautiful dresses, I never dared to put them on secretly again."

"Then he grew up to be what they expected him to be, and became a 'real' man!"

"So... Lin Shenyuan," Wei Mo sighed, standing in the darkness and looking at Lin Shenyuan, who was clearly illuminated by the streetlight. "You are a braver version of me."

"I won't let you become another timid me."