People who have experienced immense and irreparable suffering will find a way to another world in times of crisis.
******
The little penguin's body was too slippery, so she couldn't grab onto it and tried to grab the fishing net instead.
She took off her gloves almost without hesitation, revealing her fair hands.
He put his hand into the icy glacial water.
But she underestimated the weight of a penguin.
When she was conscious, she opened her eyes and saw the little penguin come ashore.
Surrounded by incredibly cold seawater.
The seawater penetrated her thick clothing, seeping into every nook and cranny, gradually enveloping her entire body.
My body kept sinking downwards.
The coldness lasted only a moment, but gradually, it seemed as if the seawater was warming up.
She initially felt like she couldn't breathe, but then she also felt like she could breathe freely underwater.
An endless descent.
The seawater was so pure it was like a vast, boundless space.
She thought of Ye Zhou again.
If she had known that wedding would really be the last time she saw him, she would have dressed more beautifully.
A long time ago, Ye Zhou said he liked white.
She wore a white short skirt that day.
She doesn't like white.
She forgot to ask Ye Zhou if she looked pretty in her white miniskirt.
She remembered Ye Zhou's cold eyes when they last met.
She remembered her outstretched hand that she had then pulled back.
How long had it been since she felt the warmth of a leaf boat? A very, very long time, so long that she couldn't remember, but that warmth was like the gentle spring sunshine.
If only I had been braver then and had hugged him.
She had prepared what she was going to say long ago: "Ye Zhou, can I hug you one last time?"
But she didn't say anything in the end.
She thought of her mother again.
The night before she left, she lay in her mother's arms. Her mother gently stroked her hair and told her many things she didn't know: regrets, resentment, depravity, and letting go.
She never imagined that one day she would understand Shen Man.
Many years ago, Jiang Jiayan hated her, yet longed for her. She hated that she hadn't fulfilled her responsibilities as a mother, yet longed for the warmth that a mother should give her.
Jiang Jiayan lay in her mother's arms, her eyes closed, like a baby in swaddling clothes.
"Mom, is this the way I am now that you want to see me?"
Shen Man is only thirty-seven years old this year, and should still be a young woman, but at some point, her jet-black hair has turned gray and a few unsightly lines have appeared at the corners of her eyes.
She gave up her comfortable life in Country M and came back with Jiang Jiayan to stay with her. When Jiang Jiayan was depressed and out of control, she held her tightly and called her daughter's name over and over again.
At that time, she also realized that she was wrong. Jiang Jiayan was just a teenage girl. She was struggling in pain. She was also a flesh and blood with a soul. Her soul was also pure. She was not an appendage of a sinful person, nor was she an incarnation of a demon.
From the moment Jiang Jiayan was born, seeing that adorable little thing was like seeing a demon, driving her almost insane. She never held her infant daughter, not even once.
She later realized that Jiang Jiayan was not a devil, but rather another form of her life, and she could not allow this pain and struggle to continue in a girl who was only a teenager in the prime of her youth.
"I want to see your life get back on track, that you can live the life you want, that you can make your own choices, and that you can be happy," Shen Man said gently.
"But Mom, why is there bitterness and sweetness, why is there joy and pain?"
"Life is always like this. People often don't know how to cherish what they have. They often pick up sesame seeds and lose watermelons. Only after picking and choosing do they realize that the first one was the best. It is only after experiencing pain that they can truly appreciate happy times."
Receiving no response, Shen Man assumed her daughter was asleep. She gently placed her daughter's head on the bed and covered her with a blanket. Little did she know that after she left, a tear rolled down the cheek of the person sleeping in the bed.
...
The moment of leaving this world feels so long.
The hundreds of kilograms of clothes, filled with seawater, carried Jiang Jiayan as she continued to fall.
She felt as light as a feather.
The sea is like the sky.
She was like a light, floating feather, waiting to land on a flower or a leaf.
"Xiao Jiang! Xiao Jiang!"
"Xiao Jiang! Jia Yan!"
She heard the expedition team's anxious calls; they knew she had fallen behind and were looking for her.
But she couldn't open her eyes or call out.
She didn't feel suffocated; it was as if she didn't need to breathe.
"Jiayan, Jiayan!"
"Jiayan!"
"Jiayan, wake up!"
A clear, youthful voice.
The noisy chirping of cicadas, typical of summer.
A drop or two of liquid dripped onto her face.
Jiang Jiayan struggled to open her heavy eyelids.
It was Ye Zhou's voice; she couldn't be mistaken.
She forced her eyes open.
The sudden light entering my eyes was quite dazzling.
Jiang Jiayan gradually adapted to the light.
I saw clearly the boy in front of me, whose forehead was still dripping blood.
"Ye, Ye Zhou?"
Ignoring the blood streaming down his forehead, Ye Zhou finally relaxed and grinned.
"Jiayan, thank goodness you're alright, you scared me to death."
After saying that, Ye Zhou realized something, hurriedly got up, took out the tissues he always carried from his pocket, and handed them to Jiang Jiayan.
"I'm sorry, I got your face dirty."
Jiang Jiayan stood up but did not take the tissue Ye Zhou offered.
The water droplets she felt on her face were blood dripping from Ye Zhou's forehead.
Jiang Jiayan recalled the time when she was surrounded by thugs. Ye Zhou didn't know how to fight, but he managed to withstand their beatings. His head was covered in blood, which scared the thugs so much that they fled in panic.
The Ye Zhou before me was still that naive young man, and when facing Jiang Jiayan, he was somewhat humble and ingratiating.
"Jiayan, it's me, Jiang. I didn't mean to. I was just too anxious. I'm sorry."
Jiang Jiayan remembered that when Ye Zhou called her "Jiayan", she scolded him harshly, saying that he was not worthy to call her by her name.
She was so arrogant and unreasonable before, so why would Ye Zhou be so humble and try to please her, and like her? Even she herself couldn't understand it.
The girl walked resolutely towards Ye Zhou, the boy whose white shirt was stained with blood.
The moment Jiang Jiayan reached out her hand, Ye Zhou instinctively closed his eyes.
Those hands were just placed on his cheeks.
"Jiang, classmate Jiang?" Ye Zhou looked at the bright pink-dressed girl in front of him in disbelief.
Jiang Jiayan hugged Ye Zhou.
They held each other tightly.
The warm body was just as wonderful as she had imagined.
Ye Zhou dropped the tissue in his hand, stunned and surprised by this unexpected surprise.
The boy stiffly wrapped his arms around the girl's shoulders...
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