“Why isn’t he back yet?”
Chu Xiaoxiao curled up on the amusement park bench, hugging her knees.
Forty minutes had passed since Lin Chen left.
Chu Xiaoxiao’s mind uncontrollably thought: ‘Has Lin Chen hated me all along? Today he came with me to the amusement park just to toy with me. Has he already left and won’t come back?’
‘Please, please don’t abandon me.’
“Isn’t this Miss Chu Xiaoxiao? Why are you crouching here all alone?” A sharp, sarcastic female voice rang out.
Chu Xiaoxiao, still with tears in the corners of her eyes, suddenly looked up. That familiar face, that mean mouth—she couldn’t forget it—it was her high school class president.
And beside her was Chu Xiaoxiao’s former “good friend,” now a stranger to her—the blond girl.
“Oh, crying in the amusement park? You must have been dumped by a guy, huh?” Seeing Chu Xiaoxiao like this, the blond girl’s tone was full of the pleasure of kicking someone when they’re down.
She couldn’t forget that in the second year of high school, in front of the whole class, Chu Xiaoxiao had slapped her several times, hard.
Chu Xiaoxiao couldn’t be bothered with these two clowns. She turned her head away, ignoring them.
Seeing Chu Xiaoxiao back down, the two became even more arrogant.
“After all, she’s the school’s famous violent girl. Would any guy get close to her? Hahaha.”
“Scram!” Chu Xiaoxiao had now regained her cold expression from school. She swept a frosty glance over the two girls.
The blond girl met that icy gaze, remembered how she’d been beaten into a pig’s face that day, and couldn’t help feeling afraid. She subconsciously took two steps back.
“What are you so proud of? Chu Xiaoxiao, I’m going to make you pay.” Thinking that she had been scared off by just a look, the blond girl became angry and embarrassed.
She reached out to hit Chu Xiaoxiao, but Chu Xiaoxiao grabbed her wrist and twisted it behind her back.
“Ow ow ow!” The blond girl screamed like a pig being slaughtered from the pain.
“You violent girl, you still dare to hurt people?” Seeing the situation turn bad, the class president immediately started shouting at the top of her lungs, deliberately attracting the attention of bystanders and trying to twist the facts.
“Help! My friend just wanted to catch up with her, and she got assaulted! No wonder her boyfriend dumped her!” Seeing people gather around, the class president instantly turned into a drama queen.
“That’s right! I saw she was upset and wanted to comfort her, but… boohoo…” The blond girl also started putting on an act, pretending to look wronged.
Chu Xiaoxiao watched as people gathered around. Her heart grew more and more panicked. Her mind went blank in an instant, making her feel like she had returned to the end of that birthday party in her second year of high school.
She had become the target of the whole class, slandered by the blond girl and her clique, gaining a reputation as the crazy girl of the school.
Chu Xiaoxiao wanted to say something, but found her throat like a dried-up spring, unable to produce any sound.
“It’s not… that…” Chu Xiaoxiao’s voice faltered. She felt dizzy, unable to even form words.
‘I hate this so much. Someone, please help me…’
A feeling of helplessness surged over her fiercely, wrapping around her tightly, pressing down until she couldn’t breathe.
“You two bches, you sure know how to twist the truth! Do you think everyone around is blind?”
Just as Chu Xiaoxiao’s vision went dark and she could barely stand, a warm, firm hand suddenly landed on her shoulder.
Chu Xiaoxiao turned her head. It was him, Lin Chen had returned.
Lin Chen was holding a large bag of snacks in one hand and his phone in the other.
“Who are you? What business is it of yours? Who asked you to butt in?”
“I’m her friend. As for you two, you’d better make an appointment with an eye doctor first, then a brain doctor, and get your stupidity treated.”
Seeing Lin Chen’s demeanor, the class president sensed that this person wasn’t someone to mess with.
“What do you mean? You’re the one who needs a doctor! Your whole family does!” The blond girl acted as if she had been stepped on a sore spot; she hated being called stupid more than anything.
“There’s surveillance here. Your every move has been recorded clearly.” Lin Chen casually pointed at the camera outside the nearby restaurant.
“Besides, there are so many tourists around. Do you think everyone is deaf? Even from far away, I could hear your disgusting voices.”
The two looked up and saw there really was a surveillance camera. They immediately panicked.
“That’s right, I was just about to say that. These two girls are up to no good, framing others.”
“I saw it too. It was that blonde girl who threw the first punch.”
…
With Lin Chen taking the lead, more and more righteous bystanders came forward. Public opinion completely turned around. The blond girl and the class president turned pale. How could they dare to continue? They fled in disgrace.
As for Chu Xiaoxiao, she could no longer control her emotions. So Lin Chen hadn’t left. She hadn’t been abandoned.
Chu Xiaoxiao suddenly hugged Lin Chen tightly, tears streaming uncontrollably, soaking a patch of his chest.
“You’re okay now. Let’s go sit in the restaurant for a bit.”
After saying that, Lin Chen tried to pull Chu Xiaoxiao to the nearby restaurant to rest.
But at this moment, Chu Xiaoxiao clung to him like a sloth, making it impossible for him to move.
“I’m so scared, Lin Chen. So scared…” Chu Xiaoxiao’s voice was choked with sobs.
Arguing and debating were a piece of cake for Lin Chen, but as for how to comfort a girl… that was a real headache.
Lin Chen could only try to gently pat Chu Xiaoxiao’s back. “There’s nothing to be afraid of. I’m here.”
Hearing this, Chu Xiaoxiao hugged him even tighter. Like a drowning person, she had finally grabbed a lifeline.
She only wanted to hold on tighter, hug him longer, afraid that if she let go, she would lose this hope.
After a long while, Chu Xiaoxiao’s emotions finally stabilized a bit. Remembering how embarrassing she had been just now, she wished she could just sink into the ground.
“Thank you.”
“Then have some bubble tea first, or the ice will melt.” Lin Chen looked at Chu Xiaoxiao, who had just cried like a pear blossom in the rain, and didn’t ask about the reason or her history with those two.
He took out the bubble tea from his pocket and handed it to Chu Xiaoxiao, who had just composed herself.
“So sweet! So good!” When Chu Xiaoxiao took her first sip, she immediately looked at the young man beside her.
“Well, I know you really like sweets.” Lin Chen also started drinking his own cup. The two of them leaned against each other, sitting on the bench.
Chu Xiaoxiao suddenly thought: So that’s why Lin Chen used to like giving her chocolate so much.
Thinking of this, Chu Xiaoxiao shyly lowered her head and sipped her bubble tea.
‘I really wish Lin Chen would make me chocolate again…’
‘This time, I’ll eat it properly.’
Looking at Lin Chen beside her, Chu Xiaoxiao took the initiative to hold his hand.
“Hm? What’s wrong?” Lin Chen turned his head to look at the girl who had suddenly grabbed his hand.
“We’ve only played one ride so far.” Chu Xiaoxiao’s smile swept away the dark clouds on her face. “Come on, let’s go ride the pirate ship!”
Chu Xiaoxiao resolved to hold Lin Chen’s hand today and experience all the rides in the amusement park.