Chapter 275: The listless youth seemed to slowly gain a layer of dim light in his eyes.
Liu Ou silently looked at her friend; she had lost a lot of weight.
Her complexion wasn't good either. Anyone familiar with her could tell she must have been having a tough time lately.
But Liu Ou was certain that Xie Xiao in the hospital room wouldn't be able to tell.
In Xie Xiao's eyes, Luo Yanran was just a school senior he wasn't very familiar with.
Xie Xiao's three years were filled only with thoughts of the girl named Zhou Mianmian.
Everyone knew that Luo Yanran was the one who saw things most clearly, yet she foolishly kept waiting for someone who never gave her a second glance, someone who was even rejected by others.
Liu Ou's eyes reddened, and Xie Xiao, who was beside Luo Yanran, also showed a look of distress and guilt.
He looked at the girl in front of him, whose eyes were red, and took her friend's hand, "It's okay, you always teased me for being love-struck. You should know me—I don't want to do anything other than at least see Xie Xiao alive."
Her voice was soft, "He's still so young, even without legs, he can still do lots of things. He's so smart..."
"I want to see him alive."
Eventually, Liu Ou left anyway, with some disappointment, "You'd better just want him to stay alive. It won't be long before you leave for military training and college."
Liu Ou looked at Luo Yanran, "Did you stay in City C for him? With your grades, you could have gone to University B without any problems."
Luo Yanran did not deny it, only smiling at Liu Ou.
Finally, Liu Ou left angrily, but not before hugging her tightly with heartache.
Luo Yanran wanted to find Xie Xiao, but then she remembered that she had already visited yesterday.
She sat on the staircase, staring at the dark, deserted stairs.
Xie Xiao, knowing he couldn't hold her, still couldn't help but reach out and embrace her in his arms.
Tears fell from both their eyes.
Luo Yanran wiped away the tears and then stood up.
Many couldn't understand her, thinking, isn't it just a crush?
Not to mention that the one she liked didn't like her back; many loving couples couldn't get through such situations together.
But for some reason, Luo Yanran didn't know why, even though Xie Xiao was supposed to be just a passerby in her life.
She couldn't bear to watch indifferently, nor could she watch the once proud and spirited youth's life end dim and colorless.
He was such a gentle person; he deserved to live a good life.
His family was also very kind.
It wasn't his fault he didn't like her; why did everyone think he didn't deserve her sincerity?
Luo Yanran finally admitted that Liu Ou was right; she was indeed love-struck.
But there was no helping it; she just liked him.
If liking someone were easy to control, it wouldn't be called liking.
Xie Xiao watched her leave the hospital alone, find a random place to have lunch, and then returned to her empty house.
Her room had become very messy, with half-read books and a laptop that was opened but had run out of battery.
The white papers were covered with her handwriting.
Her handwriting was beautiful, probably from practice when she was a child, but now the once neat characters were a chaotic mess on the white papers, some smudged by her fallen tears.
Xie Xiao watched her silently go take a shower, change into house clothes, and then go downstairs.
Right, last night Uncle Luo said he would be back today to talk to her.
Luo Yanran was still holding a psychology book in her hand.
Xie Xiao just silently accompanied her, and the longer he stayed with her, the more distressed he became.
At this moment, Luo Yanran was too lonely.
Lonely yet strong, but secretly as fragile as a child.
There was a sound at the door, and Luo Yanran put down the book in her hand, looked towards the door, and slowly stood up.
Luo Ming entered with a cold face, followed by a secretary who bowed his head, pushing in a suitcase, and called out "Miss Luo."
Then he quickly left.
The atmosphere between father and daughter was icy; no one spoke.
Xie Xiao suddenly realized their relationship seemed very stiff at the moment.
It was Luo Ming who spoke first, sitting down on the sofa, "Tell me, what happened?"
Luo Yanran glanced at him, and Xie Xiao noticed her hand trembling slightly, then she gripped her hand tight, "Nothing much, I'm not going abroad anymore, I promised you I'd study business administration, and I've already received the acceptance letter."
Luo Ming seemed amused by his anger, "Fine, fine, fine, the major you randomly chose before was just to provoke me. I thought we had already had a good talk last time, and you had agreed to go abroad. Now you suddenly come back on your own, what exactly do you want? Luo Yanran, you're not a child anymore."
Disappointment filled his eyes, "This is your life."
Luo Yanran looked into his eyes, her eyes reddening when she saw the disappointment in his, and she nodded, "I know, I will take responsibility for my life."
"Responsibility? With what, your little temper?"
"I'm not throwing a temper tantrum."
"Then is it because of that boy named Xie Xiao?"
With that question, the three of them fell silent.
After a while, Luo Yanran finally spoke up, "Did you have someone investigate me?"
"I had absolutely no time to come back. You suddenly ran back, I had to figure out what happened to you..." Luo Ming took a deep breath, "OK, it's my fault, but you can't say you're blameless, right? If you're worried about that boy, I can have someone over there ask if they need any help..."
Luo Ming looked at his daughter, his voice softening a bit, "But you shouldn't joke with your future and your prospects."
"Luoluo, when people are young, they all have youthful infatuations, and I can understand that. But your decision was still too impulsive, not to mention that you're just friends now, right?" Luo Ming looked at his daughter, his voice taking on a persuasive tone and became softer, "Listen to your father, you go on to the university abroad as planned. This boy is your classmate, I'll have someone..."
"It's different, I'm not going anymore, I've already got the admission letter." Luo Yanran gently interrupted Luo Ming.
Although she was always on bad terms with her father, she knew what he said was right. But people don't always have to make the right choice.
And this wasn't a multiple-choice question; no one could say this was the only answer.
Luo Yanran thought about Xie Xiao in the hospital bed, who had started to communicate in the past few days.
The lifeless teenager seemed to slowly have a dim light in his eyes.
Before, those eyes were a pool of stagnant water.
She remembered the boy who had walked in, his eyes bright and cheerful.
But now, that boy was about to be lost.
He once pushed open the door that trapped her.
Now she also wanted to find that boy; she didn't want to give up.
In the end, Luo Ming couldn't control his anger and stood up abruptly.
His hand raised.
Xie Xiao anxiously stepped in front of Luo Yanran, "Uncle!"
In the end, that slap never fell.
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Luo Ming's hand trembled, his voice uncontrollably shaking, "Luo Yanran, what are you doing?"