Chapter 82: Diarrhea

“When will Uncle and Aunt come back?” Lin Xia asked.

Her uncle, Xia Zemiao, had moved to another town with his wife, Su Qin, after their marriage, and now the couple was doing business away from home.

Lin Xia’s mother sighed. “Last week, he called and said business isn’t going well over there. It’s the off-season now. I haven’t seen Tian Tian for years. I wonder if he even remembers his Aunt anymore.”

“If things aren’t going well, Mom, why not ask Uncle and Aunt to come back? It's hard living away from home,” Lin Xia urged. “Besides, in another couple of years, Xiao Tian will be old enough for school, and it’s never ideal for him to study in a strange place. We still have some savings at home. If Uncle wants to start a business here or invest in a car dealership, that's perfectly doable. It’s easy work and profitable.”

Lin Xia’s mother, inspired by the suggestion, set her meal aside and went to the living room to make a phone call.

On Monday morning, Lin Xia, Xie Xitong, and You Xin walked toward school together. Because Chen Zimo was in ninth grade, he always got up half an hour earlier than Xie Xitong.

Lin Xia asked, “How’s your brother’s hand?”

Xie Xitong waved weakly. “He’s fine. I’m the one with problems.”

“What’s wrong?” You Xin asked with concern, “Weren’t you fine yesterday?”

Lin Xia knew what was behind it—it must have been the apple. Last night, when Xie Xitong called her, she sounded drained.

“Oh, don’t mention it. I must have eaten something wrong; I spent the whole night in the bathroom. My legs are still weak. Damn it, I ate exactly the same things as you all yesterday, so it’s really frustrating.”

Zhao Xin had brought only a few apples. Lin Xia had one in her bag, Xie Xitong ate one, Sun Xiaoxiao had one, the boys didn’t eat any, and the remaining apples were taken by Zhao Xin to Chen Zimo’s house.

Just as they reached the school gate, they heard Sun Xiaoxiao’s voice. Turning around, they saw her walking pale-faced. Xie Xitong immediately brightened.

It seemed sharing adversity brought a strange kind of joy.

Lin Xia laughed, “Misfortune may turn into blessing; perhaps all that time in the bathroom has flushed out the toxins in your intestines. It’s good for your health.”

You Xin smiled, “That actually makes sense. I think Xitong and Xiaoxiao’s skin looks much paler than yesterday.”

“Really?” Their mood instantly improved.

Xie Xitong rolled up her sleeves. “Xia Xia, look, do you think I’m paler?”

Lin Xia extended her arm for comparison. “See? Isn’t it?”

“Wow, really!” Sun Xiaoxiao joined them, delighted. “At least the suffering wasn’t for nothing. You don’t know how awful it was. After I finished in the bathroom, I was drenched in sweat, stinking, and the bathwater was black.”

Xie Xitong exclaimed, “Oh my god, same here! Did we eat exactly the same thing?”

You Xin thought for a moment, puzzled. “Could it be those apples? I’ve never seen such nice-looking apples before.”

Lin Xia laughed, “I don’t think so. Zhao Xin ate one yesterday, too. If it was the apples, she would have been affected as well. Anyway, when Qian Qian arrives, we can ask her and find out if it was the apples.”

Hearing Lin Xia’s reasoning, You Xin smiled and stopped suspecting. She rarely commented on others, and her speaking up for Zhao Xin surprised You Xin.

Thinking about the apples, Lin Xia found it amusing. It must’ve been Zhao Xin’s nerves around Chen Zimo that caused the mistake. Otherwise, she wouldn’t have needed Lin Xia to defend her.

Love, indeed, muddles the mind.

Now, speaking of Chen Zimo, the deeper the acquaintance, the fainter the feelings became—so unlike the first time she met him.

Eating his cooking, seeing his room, joking and laughing with him, there was no longer that sense of distance or awe.

She realized he was simply a slightly better-looking boy.

Back when she wrote “Secret Crush,” she enjoyed that feeling.

Having someone in your life whom you quietly admire, savoring the bittersweetness of youth—wasn’t that a kind of happiness?

If you never encountered such a person, wouldn’t life be lacking?

Humans are creatures of extreme self-love.

We like a person, a book, a poem, but what we truly love isn’t the person, the book, or the poem itself—it’s the reflection of ourselves we see in them.

She still remembered that afternoon, sitting in the study with Xie Xitong, when the conversation somehow drifted to Chen Zimo.

“Xia Xia,” came the questioning tone.

“What do you think of my brother?” The clear, youthful voice arrived unexpectedly.

Her heart tightened, as if it were a dried fish.

A long silence passed before her familiar, yet strangely distant voice broke the quiet.

“Ah, how should I put it…”

“What do you mean ‘how’? Just tell me what kind of person you think my brother is.”

The girl was silent for a while, then finally spoke in a calm voice, “He’s very good, a quiet person.”

“What? That’s it?” The dissatisfied voice protested. “Don’t you think my brother is the best guy in the world? Don’t you like him?”

“He’s a very good guy, but just because someone is good, doesn’t mean you have to fall for them.”

Yes, she was good too, but would Chen Zimo ever like her?

The answer was no—never.

Boys at this age never fall for ordinary girls. Their dream lovers are always perfectly elegant and beautiful, embodying all the virtues of women.

Her own ‘goodness’ paled in comparison.

She saw through things too clearly, so she had no expectations, and thus, no heartbreak.

Feelings aren’t fixed. With deeper understanding, Lin Xia realized she might have been attracted only to her own illusion.

Or perhaps, to the boyfriend she had imagined at sixteen in a prior life.

Now, facing Chen Zimo, she was truly herself.

“Oh no,” Sun Xiaoxiao’s lament brought Lin Xia back to reality, “Today we get the results from last week’s placement test. I’m doomed.”

“What’s wrong? Your grades are pretty good,” Xie Xitong asked.

Indeed, the four of them were fairly matched academically.

Except for Lin Xia, whose grades were abnormally high, the other three always ranked in the top ten of the class and top twenty of the school.

Sun Xiaoxiao said, “I didn’t do well this time. You know, ever since I found out about Xia Xia’s insane grades and study methods, my mom nags me every day. I’m sick of it. If I fall out of the top ten this time—oh my god—my mom will never let me hang out with you guys again.”

“The results aren’t out yet. Maybe it’s not as bad as you think,” Lin Xia comforted her.

“I’m heading to the classroom,” You Xin said to Lin Xia.

Lin Xia nodded slightly, and she and Xie Xitong entered the classroom together.