Christmas Eve Apple
On December 24th, the atmosphere in the classroom was much more lively than usual. Although the school had expressly prohibited celebrating foreign holidays, the students still quietly prepared small gifts. In Lin Weixi's schoolbag was an apple carefully wrapped in silver wrapping paper and tied with a light blue ribbon.
She'd been restless all morning. In math class, the teacher called on her to answer a question, and she froze for a long time, unable to react. Then her deskmate, Chen Siyu, gently kicked her under the desk, and she hurriedly stood up, stammering and unable to articulate a single word.
"Lin Weixi, what's wrong with you today?" The math teacher pushed his glasses, "Are you feeling unwell?"
She blushed and shook her head, and out of the corner of her eye she saw Chen Wang looking at her curiously. At that moment, she really wanted to find a crack in the ground to crawl into.
During lunch break, the students exchanged apples of peace with each other. Lin Weixi waited until only a few students on duty were left in the classroom before she dared to take out the beautifully wrapped apple from her schoolbag. She carefully smoothed the wrinkles on the wrapping paper, hesitating when to give it away.
"Wei Xi, look!" Shen Siyu suddenly rushed into the classroom and pointed at Chen Wang's desk. Several beautifully packaged peace apples were already piled on the desk. The most eye-catching one was a gift box tied with a red bow, with a small card next to it.
"I heard it was given by the beauty from Class 3." Chen Siyu lowered her voice, "She's been in love with Chen Wang for a long time, right?"
Lin Weixi's hand trembled, and the carefully prepared apple almost fell to the ground. She silently stuffed the apple back into the innermost layer of her schoolbag, and the silver wrapping paper glowed faintly in the darkness.
She was distracted throughout the afternoon class. The gift box with the red bow was like a thorn in her heart. She saw Chen Wang open the gift box during break. Inside, besides the apple, there was also a box of beautifully wrapped chocolates. He picked up the card, looked at it, and then casually stuffed it into his schoolbag.
The school bell rang, and the students left the classroom chatting and laughing. Lin Weixi deliberately lingered until the end, and only when the classroom was empty did she dare to take out the apple that she hadn't given away. The wrapping paper was already a little wrinkled, just like her mood at the moment.
She walked home alone, the cold apple in her hand. Passing a trash can, she hesitated, but ultimately didn't throw it away. Unwrapping the wrapper, the apple shone alluringly in the twilight. She took a bite, its sweetness and sourness perfectly reflecting her current mood.
When I got home, my mother asked in surprise, "Where did you get the apples? Didn't you say you were going to give them to your classmates?"
"He received something better." Lin Weixi said softly and turned into the room.
That night, she drew a picture of an unwrapped present in her diary and wrote next to it:
"It turns out that even peace apples come in different grades. The apples I carefully selected ultimately couldn't compare to the chocolate gift box someone gave me. But at least I took a bite and tasted their flavor. Just like this secret love, although no one knew about it, it truly existed."
After writing this, she opened the window, letting the winter breeze dissipate the heat from the room. Faint Christmas carols drifted in the distance, and she remembered Chen Wang's nonchalant look as he opened his presents. Perhaps for him, this was just another Christmas Eve. But for her, it was a day of mustering courage and then quietly retreating.
This Christmas Eve, Lin Weixi learned a lesson: some feelings are destined to be hidden in the heart. Just like this apple that she ate alone, only she knew the sweetness and sourness.
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