A few days later, Xiazi's mother attended a social gathering. She proudly told everyone that whenever Xiazi ranked first in school, her husband rewarded her with an expensive designer handbag. She laughed that she had collected so many gifts she was running out of space.
Then someone mentioned the latest exam results. Xiazi hadn't finished first. He had fallen far down the rankings.
The smile instantly vanished from her face. Humiliated, she rushed home. The moment Xiazi walked through the door, she demanded an explanation.
"Why did your grades drop so much?" Her voice echoed throughout the house. Even Chengyu, wearing headphones upstairs, could hear every word. "I sacrificed everything to give you the best education, the best schools, the best tutors, the best opportunities, and this is how you repay me. When you were sick, I never gave up. I begged people for help. I did everything I could to make sure you had a future. My only wish was for you to succeed. Was that really asking too much? You have the ability, so why would you throw it away? Why would you embarrass me like this?"
Xiazi stood there with his head lowered. He didn't say a single word.
Upstairs, Chengyu quietly watched the argument unfold. At first, he seemed almost satisfied that his plan had worked, but in the next instant, his expression changed completely. He watched in shock as Xiazi's mother grabbed a nearby vase and hurled it toward Xiazi.
Chengyu's eyes widened. He hadn't expected Xiazi's mother to actually throw it at him.
As she completely lost control, for a moment, old memories resurfaced. Years ago, after his own mother passed away, his father had started a new family with Xiazi's mother. From Chengyu's point of view, everything in his life had changed after that. He had convinced himself that the woman who entered their home had taken away what remained of his family.
Watching the chaos unfold now, he thought bitterly, So this is the life they wanted. But this isn't enough. They've hurt each other for years. Maybe they'll never stop.
Later that night, Chengyu waited outside Xiazi's bedroom, expecting him to come out. Xiazi walked past without even looking at him.
From that day forward, he became even quieter than before. The cheerful student everyone once knew seemed to disappear completely.
A few days later, the basketball team was practicing again. Xiazi sat alone near the edge of the court. He barely moved. Chengyu noticed his distant expression and followed his line of sight. He assumed Xiazi was watching Qi Jingshao. In reality, Xiazi wasn't looking at anyone. His eyes were unfocused, as though his mind had drifted somewhere far away.
That evening, Chengyu passed by Xiazi's room and heard faint noises inside. He stopped. Is he crying?
After hesitating for a moment, he quietly opened the door. The scene inside wasn't what he expected.
Chengyu sighed in frustration. "I actually felt sorry for him." He shook his head. "So this is how our model student deals with problems."
Instead of talking to anyone, Xiazi had shut himself away, trying to distract himself from everything happening around him. Embarrassed, he grabbed the pillow and threw it toward the door. "Just leave."
Chengyu dodged it easily. "After everything that's happened, you still haven't learned." Without another word, he tossed something onto the desk before walking out. The door closed behind him.
Left alone, Xiazi slowly sat on the floor. His thoughts drifted back to childhood. Back then, Chengyu had been the one person who made those lonely hospital days feel hopeful. He had brought laughter into a room that had known nothing but silence. But after Xiazi left the hospital, everything changed. Although they lived under the same roof and attended the same school, Chengyu never looked at him the same way again.
Xiazi lowered his eyes. Maybe this is enough. Even if he dislikes me, even if he treats me coldly, it's still better than being completely invisible. I know he'll probably never forgive me, but I'll never forget that once upon a time, he was the first light in my life.
Back in his own room, Chengyu couldn't calm his thoughts. What was I even thinking? He paced back and forth. He clearly admires someone else. So why? Why does he keep looking at me like that?
The question refused to leave his mind.
The next morning, Chengyu returned to treating Xiazi exactly as he had before: cold, distant, as if they were strangers. No more conversations. No more orders. No more pretending to be close.
Xiazi couldn't understand the sudden change. I thought things were finally different. He quietly followed several steps behind Chengyu through the school hallway, watching him laugh naturally with classmates. That familiar smile, the one everyone else could see, never seemed meant for him.
At that moment, Xiazi made a silent decision. If I'd never known what it felt like to get close, I could have accepted staying far away forever. But once someone lets you believe there's hope, it's impossible to go back to pretending you don't care.
From then on, Chengyu once again became the cheerful, popular student everyone admired, and Xiazi could only watch him from a distance, carrying feelings he knew he could never confess.