I wanted to find some words to comfort him, but in the end, I didn’t know what to say. I saw tears welling up in his eyes, which moved me, so I quickly squeezed out a smile and said, “I’m okay, really…” Before I could finish, he suddenly rushed over and hugged me. He might have exerted too much force because I found it hard to breathe, and then, without restraint, I vomited all the undigested contents onto his clothes. It was so embarrassing; why do I always do such embarrassing things? When I came out of the bathroom again, my stomach felt empty and ached faintly. I saw Xia Wei standing aggressively in front of Bi Lianshu, grabbing an unopened bottle from the table and smashing it at Bi Lianshu’s feet – I felt particularly relieved. Bi Lianshu wasn’t a pushover either; she reflexively jumped up and tried to slap back, but was blocked by Gu Nanxiang, who pleaded, “Enough, stop it.” I never wanted to escalate things; I staggered over, took Xia Wei’s hand, and said, “Let it go, Xia Wei, stop it.” Unexpectedly, Bi Lianshu took the opportunity to slap me. My head buzzed, stars flashed before my eyes, and I couldn’t stand steady anymore, collapsing heavily to the ground, causing everyone to panic and help me up. Gu Nanxiang was terrified, constantly asking, “How are you? How are you?” I shook my head with a smile. Later, I didn’t know what happened, but I somehow drifted off to sleep. When I woke up, my face still stung, and Gu Nanxiang made me drink some honey water, which slowly alleviated the dizziness. After coming back from Gu Nanxiang’s, I caught a cold wind, and by the next day, I had a fever that lasted for two days. Xiang Tong brought me food every day, and many fans of Mi Xiaoyi sent their blessings online. Gu Nanxiang and Sheng Siwei brought a lot of fruit. Gu Nanxiang visited me twice, each time sitting quietly by my side, her face full of guilt as she stared at the tiles. Xiang Xiaowu, still the ordinary Xiang Xiaowu. Since then, I haven’t recalled that day’s incident. It’s like my memory was swept clean by a sudden storm. Later, when Xia Wei brought it up, I was already so vague that I couldn’t even be sure if it was just an old dream. They say this is called selective amnesia in medicine. I was glad that memories could be selective. Time slowly moved forward. “Youth Never Grows Old” had finished airing, and the initial excitement had gradually cooled down. I often thought that life is sometimes just like a TV drama. Mi Xiaoyi’s fans were very kind to me, and I was grateful, but I always felt they were fans of Mi Xiaoyi, not mine. Xiang Xiaowu, still the ordinary Xiang Xiaowu. Even if there was a moment of brilliance, it belonged to Mi Xiaoyi.
On Christmas Eve, I was at home as usual, chatting online with strangers in chat rooms, and talking nonsense with friends on forums. Xia Wei was on vacation with her father, sending back some photos taken in the Maldives, all radiating happiness, smiling before every perfect scenery, just looking at the photos you could tell how happy she was, though the smiles somehow made me feel an inexplicable sadness. I stood on the balcony for a while, until I was completely calm, then sat back at the computer. Recently, I started visiting the school forum again, where no one was cursing me anymore. They say there’s a guy known as the “Water King” who, in just a month, reached the highest level on the forum. At first, I didn’t quite believe it, but after spending time there, I indeed saw him daily. Just for his dedication of spending all his time not eating, sleeping, or using the bathroom on the forum, I had to admire him. On the night Sheng Siwei called me when I was being pursued by the school heartthrob, we sat by the lake, chatting quietly about the joys and sorrows of our lives. The mutual listening made us feel very warm, as if we had known each other since birth, providing comfort and understanding, like knowing that when one hand reaches out, another will grasp it. I watched the flickering lights in the distance, listening to the occasional sound of fish swimming by, feeling life was very real, so real that you only want to stay in the moment and not leave. Tired, I leaned on his shoulder; above, a meteor streaked across the sky, passing in an instant, making me sigh. Songs say that meteors are sad because they can’t fulfill wishes, so I never make wishes on them. Sheng Siwei had a faint scent of lavender; they say it has a calming effect. I felt a peace I had never experienced before rising from the depths of my heart; it was so intimate. Later, he kept reminiscing about his past: the love of his parents when he was learning to speak, the funny incidents in elementary school, the naivety of his middle school days, and his future aspirations. I closed my eyes, still seeing the stars in the sky, very bright, very bright, like fish swimming in the ripples; there was the sound of wind chimes, very distant, as if from the other side of the mountains and seas; and many, many little angels playing on the snow with their wings flapping. After a long, long time, when I opened my eyes, I found myself lying in his arms. To cover my embarrassment, I casually got up, patted his shoulder, and called him “brother.” My heart felt very at ease. Back in the dorm, lying in bed, I thought to send Gu Nanxiang a text, “Merry Christmas.” I waited for a long time with no reply, feeling somewhat disappointed. After a while, Sheng Siwei sent a message telling me to rest early, and I didn’t reply either. Life continued to flow peacefully. I felt that life was actually made up of countless dull moments, slowly accumulating, gradually expanding, eventually forming a complete map of life. This map only has a start and an end, with no stops in between, no roads to go back, you can only move forward unconditionally, forward, through valleys and rivers, unstoppable.
After the New Year, the weather got colder. I wrapped myself in thick down jackets, and Xia Wei said I was like a cold-calling bird that knew how to protect itself, while I thought she was more like a hardworking little penguin. After the exams, it was winter break. The morning after my last exam, while I was still asleep, Xia Wei called in a frenzy, saying, “Bottle is in the hospital, it’s very serious.” One sentence jolted me awake: “What happened?” “Don’t ask so many questions, hurry and help him, she can’t handle it alone.”
I couldn’t help but ask her again what exactly happened. Xia Wei said she didn’t know the specifics, just that she was beaten up by a group of people. I hung up the phone without another word, urging everyone to get up, wash up, and rush to the hospital. Following Xia Wei’s directions, I found the special care ward, and when I pushed open the door, I was shocked. Pingzi was lying on the bed, covered in bandages, surrounded by all sorts of monitoring devices. It was terrifying, just like in a TV drama. When Xu Nuo saw me, she burst into tears. I asked, “How did things get like this in just a few days?” Xu Nuo, through her tears, recounted what had happened.
Last night, after finishing their exams, they went to watch a midnight movie. After the movie, they passed by X Street and decided to try out a newly opened Western restaurant. After dinner, they strolled back, with Xu Nuo riding an electric scooter and Pingzi following behind. They were chatting and walking when, from a distance, they noticed a girl walking towards them. The girl was wearing a thick coat, her features obscured, but her steps were graceful. Xu Nuo and Pingzi jokingly remarked on how exaggerated her waist movements were, suggesting she might swing her hips right off. As they passed by, they realized it was Bi Lian Shu. Bi Lian Shu seemed irritated to see Xu Nuo, though Xu Nuo was also upset but decided to let it go since the past was past. They continued their stroll.
