awkward
Ou Liyao found it strange. Before, only Jiajia had started to work hard, but now Zhang Yuning was also acting strangely.
When asked what he talked about with Zheng Ruoqian on the phone that day, he wouldn't reveal a single word. When asked, he simply said: Xu Changjia just wanted to study hard.
What's the meaning?
Doesn't Ou Liyao want to study hard?
It was another weekend of extra classes. She quietly took out her textbooks and exercises and glanced in Zhang Yuning's direction.
He ignored her, so Ou Liyao could only move closer to Jiajia.
Xu Changjia simply looked up, glanced at her, and seeing that nothing had happened, went back down to continue working on his problems.
The whole process was quiet, and it had been like this since last Thursday. She didn't dare to disturb the two people who were studying diligently, so she could only put her hands down and do her own test paper.
When Zheng Ruoqian was around, the four of them were so lively and fun. Now that one of them is gone, how come the other two have gone crazy?
Unable to bear the eerie silence any longer, she finished a physics test and turned it upside down on the table. "I'm not writing anymore, I'm hungry."
Ou Liyao's subtext was that she wanted them to have dinner with her so she could find out exactly why one or two of them had changed.
But Zhang Yuning's reply was that she wouldn't eat, but she could have a cup of coffee.
On the other side, Hsu Chang-chia said without looking up, "I'm not hungry."
She frowned, leaned back in her seat, slammed her pen heavily on the table, and waited without saying a word for the two of them to see who would make the first move.
You want to study hard, right? You don't want to talk to anyone, right? Well, I'll stay with you all.
Xu Changjia hadn't made a sound after hearing Ou Liyao say she was going to eat for a while. After finishing half of her math test, she stopped writing and came over, "Yaoyao, weren't you going to eat?"
"No way, I'm already so angry, what's the point of eating?"
Xu Changjia was puzzled and stepped forward to take her small hand. "Yaoyao, what's wrong? Who made you unhappy today?"
Ou Liyao looked at Xu Changjia on the left and Zhang Yuning on the right. She looked aggrieved, and two lines of tears slowly slid down her cheeks in three seconds. The other two were at a loss and hurriedly stepped forward to comfort her, but they didn't know where to start.
She cried as she said, "What's wrong? Do I, Ou Liyao, owe you anything? Do you really think I won't get angry? You all give me attitude every day. Do you expect me to be nice to you and ignore you? Let me tell you, I'm not putting up with this today."
She shook off Xu Changjia's hand, not wanting to ask any more questions. She had given them countless chances, but no one was willing to explain a single word to her. She wiped away her tears with her left and right hands alternately, packed her things, and walked outside.
Xu Changjia stood up, glanced back at Zhang Yuning, and gestured to him with his eyes: Do you know what's going on?
Zhang Yuning shrugged, indicating that he had no idea.
Helpless, she could only pack her schoolbag and hurriedly chase after her. She was just a few steps too slow and couldn't catch up with her. She could only watch helplessly as Ou Liyao got into a taxi and went home.
The owner of Ruqi Bookstore saw two little girls running out one after the other, one of whom clearly had tears on her face. She wanted to comfort her nephew and ask him if he had upset someone.
Pushing aside the wall of books, I saw a fifteen or sixteen-year-old boy huddled in a corner, looking dejected. Without even guessing, I knew something must have happened.
She quietly went back out and brought in a latte with milk that he liked, and started a conversation, "Yu Ning, actually, relationships are very fragile. Whether it's love or friendship, it requires mutual effort to maintain. Look at your uncle, when I wanted to go out and work after giving birth, he disagreed, afraid that I would get tired, so he kept stopping me."
“Back then, I was very sensitive and started to overthink things. I was acting strangely every day, but he didn’t find me annoying. He knew that I liked to read books and make drinks, so he quietly looked into many places and eventually helped me open this Ruqi Bookstore.”
“I gave birth to his child, and he knows how hard I've worked for the family. He's tried his best to make me a small business owner so I don't have to work so hard. It's a two-way street. Aunt Ru doesn't know what happened between you two, but she's seen the bond between you kids over the years. Don't hurt the heart of someone who has truly sacrificed for you.”
Zhang Yuning remained silent, quietly drinking her latte with milk. Why hadn't she noticed how bitter it was before?
Meanwhile, Xu Changjia, who had chased after her from Ruqi Bookstore, was a step behind. He called out to her several times, but she didn't respond. Seeing her leave without looking back, he was at a loss.
I could only walk alone on the street, as if I had returned to that time when I was all alone and helpless.
How did she manage to mess things up and cause them to turn out like this?
The four of them used to be very close, so how did they end up falling apart?
She couldn't understand it, and didn't know what to do next. She just felt like she had done something wrong, but she didn't know where she went wrong. Every step she took felt incredibly heavy, making it hard for her to breathe.
Although the weather in May and June was mild, the sunlight felt cold inside her, and pale beads of sweat rolled down her face, making it hard for anyone to bear to see her like that.
Tired from walking, she sat down on a bench by the street. Looking at the bustling traffic and crowds on the street, she wondered if she was out of place in this world. Otherwise, how could she have lost her good friend?
Just as she was about to despise herself on the street, a phone call came in.
She picked up her phone and saw the words "Yunhe" on the caller ID. She hesitated for a long time before pressing the answer button.
When the energetic voice came from the other end of the phone, Xu Changjia couldn't help but tear up. How could she be worthy of being friends with such a good person?
Yunhe rattled off a whole bunch of things, though they didn't get to the point, but the person on the other end didn't react at all. This wasn't like her, so she quickly asked, "What's wrong, Sister Xu?"
At that moment, all the pretense and effort she had put in over the past few days seemed to find an outlet, gushing out like a flood, and she could no longer hold back her tears and broke down in tears.
The person on the other end of the phone heard her sobbing and knew that a fifteen or sixteen-year-old girl was at the most sensitive age, and that having someone by her side was the most important thing. Therefore, they did not urge her, but only kept comforting and caring for her.
Xu Changjia, in a hoarse voice, rambled on and on about how her best friend had gone abroad, how one of them hadn't said a word, and how the other had lost her temper with them that day, explaining all of this to Brother Yunhe.
After a long silence, someone finally asked, "And you, Sister Xu, what role do you think you played in creating this situation?"
"I......"
Yunhe had grown up with her since childhood, so she naturally knew what kind of personality her younger sister had. Most of the good friends she made at school were taken by them. She was used to receiving kindness from her friends, but she never thought that her stubbornness would also frustrate and drive people crazy.
It was just a coincidence that he called her today, giving her a chance to vent. Otherwise, she would have kept it all bottled up inside her for the rest of her life, so he couldn't help but want to give her a wake-up call.
Seeing her hesitate, he added fuel to the fire, using his own experience with her as an example, "Sister Xu, I've grown up with you since we were little, so I'm like your brother, and also a half-friend, right?"
The person on the other end gave a soft "hmm".
“After I went abroad, I shared all the fun things that happened to me with you every day. Even though we are separated by thousands of miles, do you know all about my roommates, my teachers, my friends, and my family?”
"And you? Aside from your parents, this is the first time I've heard you say that you've made friends at school and even had a falling out with them. I'm the one who calls you every week. Hasn't Xu ever thought of taking the initiative even once?"
Xu Changjia stopped sobbing, sniffed, raised his tearful eyes, and slowly looked up at the sky. A flock of geese flew by, one of them flying very slowly, so the other geese slowed down to fly slowly with it.
She began to seriously consider what Brother Yunhe had said. Yes, in all the relationships she considered to be good, the other person had given more than she had. She had taken the initiative very few times. When the other person got tired, bored, or weary and didn't want to contact her anymore, she lost all those beautiful and sincere relationships.
If this continues, who will remember her? Who will be willing to give her their heart?
"I'm sorry, Brother Yunhe, what should I do?"
The person on the other end of the phone knew she was on the right track and offered their advice: "It's impossible for you to completely change your awkward personality. At least this time, you have to take the initiative to make the connection between the four of you. As for you and me, we'll figure that out ourselves."
Yunhe, speaking from his own perspective, couldn't help but share some principles of conduct with her, urging her not to always confine herself to her own little world and to go out and see the wider world.
Seeing that it was almost time, I gave him a few more gentle reminders to hurry home, pack up, and go to school so that his parents wouldn't worry.
This was the first time Xu Changjia had listened to Yunhe's words so attentively, and she didn't find him nagging at all. So, had she made a mistake before? Why did she complain that he was long-winded?
She decided to follow Yunhe's advice and try to salvage her friendship with the other three people, but how could she do that?
She carefully wrote down the "Friendship Rescue Plan of the Four-Person Team" in her diary, but after several revisions, she still couldn't get it right.
When her mother came to urge her to go to school, she suddenly had an idea and asked, "Mom, can I bring my phone to school this week?"
Today, Mrs. Xu received a message from Country H. It was from Yunhe, who was sending greetings to their elders and also mentioned that he shouldn't be too strict with her daughter these past two days and that she should take a break and relax occasionally.
She knew it must be that something happened to her daughter at school that she didn't tell them, and Yunhe just happened to find out. She was just a fifteen or sixteen-year-old kid, and she felt like the sky was falling over every little thing. So she decided to let them handle it themselves.
"Okay, take it with you, but you can only take it for this week."
"Thank you, Mom." Xu Changjia smiled as his mother gave permission, then slung his backpack over his shoulder and hurriedly followed her to school for evening self-study.
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