Section 2

Chen Haoyu's voice overshadowed the music: "Do you dare to lay a hand on my wife? Are you tired of living?"

So I smiled as I logged out of QQ, locked my phone, and put it into the pocket of my school uniform

Zhou Yuchuan still has his usual good temper: "There is an exam next Monday. If we don't clarify this, Xia Qianchan will feel the pressure. Xiaoli, if you are hungry, just eat first."

In the blue background, the little penguin sways while connected by a line, and my heart sways along with it, as if floating in a space devoid of gravity, both empty and illusory, yet worried about suddenly falling.

"Ordering food, ordering food." Xiao Yu curled her fingers and tapped the table, "Those who do not study will face dire consequences, please put away your textbooks."

Unlock, press the key, and log in to QQ on the phone

Sitting in Secret, Chen Haoyu generally occupies the bar position on the right side. I calmly remain on the edge of the noisy music and the dancing crowd, as an observer

Last time? What does this mean? Is it referring to the Saturday night date he unilaterally set with me? Then what is the last time? Is it to trust me one last time? Or to break up with me one last time harshly?

In fact, the moment I first laid eyes on Luo Yihang, I should have acknowledged that there was no longer any possibility for us. I should not have continued to struggle against that faint glimmer of hope within my heart.

Luo Li, you are capable

You too, put your phone away, you internet addiction patient! Qianchan closed the textbook and then knocked on the table even harder.

That is still better than those two over there who would perish if they don't study I did not lift my head and continued to look at the phone screen

Indeed. I echoed Xiaoyu, "We still have to see the textbooks during lunch time, you really make it difficult for me to bear."

However, what was originally going smoothly became less so due to the tardiness of Chen Haoyu and his friends

You two are being so pretentious, aren't you? It's just lunch, a midday break. Is it really necessary to study so diligently every day? Are you going to let us latecomers live? I can't keep up with you; the pressure is too much.

But what I feel is not the fist of a tank top and flip-flops, but the embrace that protects me

"If you had told me earlier that he wanted to see your 'girlfriend', I wouldn't have come here." I turned around, looking directly at Chen Haoyu, and with the most sincere expression I had ever shown him, I said, "Stop always joking with me."

A boy's voice joined the conversation between Xiaoyu and me. I looked up and saw a boy I didn't have much impression of sitting across from Xiaoyu, smiling at us.

Crossing the street, you will reach my elder brother. You might as well take the time to find a wife or save some energy to breathe. I waved my hand impatiently to say goodbye.

Yet even that shadow is drifting further away from me, taking with it all my expectations and hopes

In the past, I would have kicked him away without hesitation. However, ever since Luo Yihang reappeared in my life, it feels as though my entire existence has been completely disrupted, distorted, and I have lost the familiar frequency and rhythm that I was accustomed to

Eating alone is rather dull. I shook my head and said, "It's alright, Xiaoyu hasn't arrived yet."

"Who is your wife?" I had no intention of joking with him, so I jumped down from the high stool and said, "I am leaving"

Then I won't hold it against him, after all, Xiaoyu is my sister. I shrugged and changed my attitude: "The clay pot rice here is quite good, I recommend the wild pepper beef"

I understand, I understand, you are really annoying, uncle. It is truly humorous to receive a warning to be cautious of trouble from Chen Haoyu, who is always causing trouble and undoubtedly has more enemies than I do. I laughed heartily and turned to leave.

However, this is an unnecessary explanation, and I do not even know how to explain it. Even for myself, I have yet to sort out a clear understanding.

If this is what it takes to rank among the top few, I would rather be content with my below-average position

The smile, however, froze at the moment I turned around—Luo Yihang stood at the school gate watching me

Just like now

I have made plans to have lunch with my classmates, goodbye

When I walked out of the school gate at noon, I unexpectedly saw Chen Haoyu leaning against the entrance of the milk tea shop by the school gate, wearing a pair of sunglasses and looking enigmatic.

A shallow smile appeared on his face again, one that I greatly dislike, lacking sincerity and genuine warmth, devoid of any emotion or depth

"I am not worried about you yet," he said as he took the sunglasses back from my hands and put them on his face. "That little punk from yesterday, the one wearing the tight tank top, I heard he is still planning to cause you trouble."

Dependency ... . ... My dependency is not on the internet, but on that person. It is every action and every detail of his.

He really left this time

That is your concern, and it has nothing to do with me

He met my gaze for a second, then turned away, isolating me from his world. The sunlight, passing through the silhouette of his departure, cast a long, long, long shadow.

I clenched my fist

Do not speak to me in such ambiguous terms. Furthermore, the person who does not know me is someone else. Aside from that individual, I truly do not care about anyone else who treats me with indifference and neglect.

So it should be like this, it should be this way, first turn around for freedom, first say goodbye for liberation, shouldn't it? To brush past each other without a sideways glance is what should be done now

The future is long, I have all the patience to wait for you to fall in love with me

The friend list appears on the screen, and there is no Luo Yihang among the online friends

In the small space that can be scanned at a glance, the only people I know are Zhou Yuchuan and Xia Qianchan

"Are we that familiar? I warn you not to say such things again, otherwise we will sever ties." I waved my hand, "Alright, you should disappear now; you are completely out of place at school, standing at the school gate is truly an eyesore."

Whether to love or not is something of little significance; it is most suitable to remain in the glamorous noise of Secret

As I walked over, I pulled off his sunglasses: "Isn't it rather strange that you can be awake at a time like twelve noon?"

Are we leaving? It is not even 9 o'clock yet. Moreover, my brother hasn't arrived; he specifically wants to see my girlfriend.

At such a critical moment, there are actually some oblivious individuals trying to flirt with me

My heart, having fallen from the weightlessness of emptiness, has plunged into a heavy sense of oppression

Well, I really do not know him. The only impression I have is that Qian Chan very seriously told me that a boy named Yan Yuan is currently Xiaoyu's crush

Now hurry up, take a good look at me while you still can before I go to South Korea, lest you fail to recognize me when I return

Alright, I won't disturb your progress, I will take out my phone

His signature has changed; it is no longer a mere accumulation of dates, nor does it include "goodbye." Instead, it reads—"the last time."

I arranged to meet Chen Haoyu at Secre on Thursday evening. One of his good friends has returned from studying in Singapore and reportedly wants to meet me because he wishes to pay homage to someone who can order milk tea at a bar. Coincidentally, I received my physics exam paper during the day, and my score was quite good this time. After showing it to my aunt, I mentioned that I was going to Xiaoyu's house to pick up some notes and chat, and my aunt easily let me go.

"Are you scared?" Chen Haoyu asked me with a smile

The feelings that have been stirred up by encountering Luo Yihang make me want to take a moment to sort them out amidst this noise, to determine how I should face him in the future, confronting the stance he presents as a "former boyfriend".

It is not the time to discuss what is known as "internet dependency addiction"; Luo Li is likely one of those patients

Narrowing my eyes slightly, I looked up and down at this strange creature who had approached me and said, "Little sister, let's be friends, brother." With multicolored hair hanging down to cover half of his eyes, and wearing nothing but a tight tank top paired with worn-out flip-flops, he showed no attempt to conceal his disdain. I said loudly, "Get lost."

The clay pot rice at the small shop across the school gate is indeed delicious, but it is also somewhat stuffy due to the lack of air conditioning

I pushed Chen Haoyu aside and turned to walk towards the exit of Secret

The nails are fixed in the palm, leaving behind a stinging mark

"Who knows," he lazily leaned against the door of the milk tea shop, "It's good to see that you're fine"

I cannot help but raise my voice, as the background environment and music are simply too noisy. Besides, I am not the Mona Lisa, so there is no need for me to smile gently at everyone.

Or even if I suffer a little pain, it is not necessarily a bad thing. Perhaps the real pain can offset the heartache that has been gnawing at me, even if it only alleviates it just a little bit

In front of others, I am always accustomed to disguising myself, but in the end, I cannot see myself clearly either

If I must say, I do not know what kind of psychology I possess—I often subconsciously dress myself as another person. For instance, online, I can be the innocent and reserved girl who, due to the absence of my parents, lacks a sense of security in the world and needs someone to wholeheartedly provide companionship and comfort; at school, I prefer to be straightforward, and if there is a classmate I dislike, I am not even interested in being perfunctory, at most I might coldly say "hello"; at home, although my aunt sometimes finds me strange, the obedient and lovely aspects of my personality somewhat mask my concealment and disguise from her, so she attributes the parts that make her uneasy to my rebelliousness during adolescence; and in Secret, I do not know if it is the hidden tumultuous molecules in the air or if the high density of people causes my blood to heat up, but I am one hundred percent like a rebellious girl, bursting forth.

"Hey, you can't even forget to chat on QQ while having a meal. Aren't you too much of a digital native?" Xiaoyu sat down beside me, leaned over to take a look at my phone screen, and said

I am truly impressed by them; in such an environment lacking a conducive atmosphere for learning, it is clearly lunchtime and one should take a break, yet they are able to gather together, engrossed in studying their chemistry textbooks.

Qian Chan shot me a displeased glance, clearly furrowing her brows, with a hint of annoyance in her tone: "It will be ready soon, stop making noise."

Alternatively, dressing oneself as another person can bring a sense of secret satisfaction—as long as such a disguise is not uncovered

The expression of the person in the tight tank top and flip-flops suddenly became fierce, and their hand directly pushed towards my shoulder

Between us, there are cracks, which means they are broken; there are wounds, which means they are hurt; the shadows left behind are indelible marks. Many people say that time can heal all wounds, and I agree with this statement. However, healing does not mean that nothing has happened. The wounds always exist, and even though, with the passage of time and our subconscious protection, the wounds may gradually heal and the pain may lessen, everything that has occurred will never disappear.

I have a boyfriend now. Stop playing around

Where are you going

What do you understand? What do you all understand

No problem

"Wow, if I were to seek revenge, it should be against you, right? If you can't win, you bully me. What kind of men do you associate with? They have no class." I pouted, extended my right index finger, and poked his shoulder forcefully. "If I really end up being a tragic beauty and get splashed with acid, you will have to share the responsibility and pay for my trip to South Korea for plastic surgery"

Chen Haoyu also waved his hand, signaling me to leave first: "If someone suspicious is following you, run to a crowded place and call me at any time."

He smiled and said, "No matter when, I will always recognize you."

This guy is insane. What does my business have to do with him? Does he have the right to butt in? I stared at him directly without any courtesy and said, "Who do you think you are?"

"Luo Li, where did you get the impression that I am joking?" He leaned close to my ear, his voice not loud, but clear enough for me to hear, "I like you, I have said it before, you are my girlfriend"

If Luo Yihang can do it, then I can do it too. I am Luo Li, who possesses an exceptionally strong ability to heal myself. I am the one who proactively turns away in search of liberation. I will not embarrass myself by chasing after him just for the remnants of feelings that still linger in my heart

He is Yan Yuan, a classmate from Class 3. Xiao Yu quickly tried to calm my anger, saying, "Xiao Li, you always forget what others look like"

I will give this to you

What trouble do I have that would make someone want to find me? To set my house on fire, or to throw acid to ruin my appearance?

The man in the tight tank top and flip-flops has lost his intention to intimidate me, becoming submissive instead, calling me "Brother Hao" on the left and "Sister-in-law" on the right, which only makes me more annoyed. Shaking off Chen Haoyu's hand that was resting on my shoulder, I threw three words back at the man in the tight tank top and flip-flops: "Get lost."

I closed my eyes