I sat in a hard seat for over fifty hours. Then, I saw a woman carrying a child and, feeling sorry for her, let her sit in my seat, while I huddled in a corner with my meager luggage.
Here he met another protagonist.
A fair-skinned and clean-cut young girl.
The girl, who clearly had the appearance of someone who had lived a life of luxury, was huddled in a corner of the tin train with these down-and-out people, gnawing on dry steamed buns.
After quietly finishing the steamed bun, I curled up into a ball and went to sleep.
During the night, Zhao Xu's illness flared up, and he vomited in the train's toilet, his face turning red with pain. When he turned around, he found the girl standing outside, looking at him.
Zhao Xu smiled, and the girl froze. After a while, she caught up with him and asked, "What's wrong?"
Zhao Xu gestured a few times, and the girl realized he was mute; her expression became even more complicated.
"My name is Chen Yuhan." The girl gave a brief self-introduction, and the two became acquainted.
Chen Yuhan wasn't a talkative person. But seeing Zhao Xu's smile, she inexplicably started talking.
When she mentioned she was going to the beach, Zhao Xu's eyes lit up instantly.
Chen Yuhan was a little surprised: "You're going to D City to see the sea too?"
Zhao Xu nodded vigorously, and Chen Yuhan asked again, "Then why do you want to go see the sea?"
This question stumped Zhao Xu. The young man stood there, shaking his head and nodding at the same time.
Then suddenly he realized something and started dancing with joy.
While saying "Ah ah...", she waved her hands from the middle to both sides, then hugged her face and made a super happy look, laughing heartily.
Chen Yuhan saw this and thought that this person was probably not only mute, but also possibly an idiot.
But what does it matter?
She didn't care.
Because her purpose in going to the beach was completely contrary to Zhao Xu's.
She went there to commit suicide.
Her wrists, hidden by long sleeves, were covered in scars, and she had the same nightmare night after night.
She had long since given up on staying in this dirty and ugly world.
She wanted to wash away her sins and filth with seawater and leave this world clean.
Chapter 20
Died for the villain for the ninth time (20)
Perhaps they were going to the same place, perhaps they were worried that the fool would be deceived, or perhaps they wanted to see Zhao Xu's smile more often.
After getting off the train, Chen Yuhan still chose to walk with Zhao Xu, helping him find a place to stay and teaching him how to spot scammers, saying that Zhao Xu was too naive and shouldn't help just anyone.
As she said this, the girl's smile was very bitter, like self-mockery, and very sad.
Zhao Xu noticed this, so he told the girl to wait where she was and secretly went to buy a windmill lollipop. The wind was strong in the seaside city, and when he came back, he covered the girl's face with one hand. When Chen Yuhan called his name, he shouted "Wow!" and pretended to surprise the girl.
In front of him was a windmill lollipop spinning in the wind, and behind him was the simple face of a young man, whose smile seemed to bring warmth in the sunlight.
Chen Yuhan's eyes widened slightly, and by the time she realized it, tears were already streaming down her face.
Zhao Xu panicked and tried to coax her with gestures, but the girl hugged him tightly the next moment.
Time seemed to stand still. Surrounded by bustling crowds, the two embraced in this unfamiliar city.
The windmill lollipop spun slowly and gently.
After a long while, Chen Yuhan finally let go of Zhao Xu and whispered, "Thank you..."
Zhao Xu's face turned completely red. He quickly regained his senses and stuffed the windmill candy into the girl's hand, gesturing for her to eat it.
Chen Yuhan nodded, took it, and held it in her hand, eating it all the way.
After resting for a day, the two went to the beach the next day.
Zhao Xu was incredibly excited. Wearing beach shorts, he ran into the sea and swam freely.
Chen Yuhan sat by the sea watching him.
Not wearing a swimsuit, but still in long-sleeved clothes and pants, seemed a bit out of place in this weather.
After Zhao Xu finished his tour, he returned and saw Chen Yuhan still sitting. He stretched out his hand to her and pointed to the sea with his other hand, making "ah ah" sounds, meaning that he wanted Chen Yuhan to come and play.
Chen Yuhan's gaze fell on the sea and on the tourists playing around her. She clenched her clothes slightly and shook her head.
"Go ahead, don't worry about me."
Zhao Xu watched her silently for a while, then sat down next to her and started playing in the sand, using his hands to scramble the sand and build up mounds.
Chen Yuhan had seen Zhao Xu's ID card, so she knew how to spell his name.
But she knew that Zhao Xu didn't know how to write her name.
She had originally intended to never tell Zhao Xu, but now, for some reason, she suddenly wanted to leave something behind.
So he stretched out his finger and wrote his name in the soft, loose sand.
She even slowed down her speech and said, "Zhao Xu, look carefully, this is my name, Chen Yuhan."
Zhao Xu's eyes lit up, and he tried to imitate her, but his writing was always crooked and messy.
Chen Yuhan watched for a while, fidgeting with her sleeve for a long time, before finally reaching out and grabbing Zhao Xu's hand to write the three characters "Chen-Yu-Han" on the sand.
The sea was painted with a brilliant gold, the girl looked serious, but the young man's face quietly blushed again.
After finishing writing, Chen Yuhan smiled, a rare occurrence: "Zhao Xu, forget about me after today."
Zhao Xu was stunned, not understanding the meaning of those words.
But Chen Yuhan didn't explain, and instead got up and went back to her residence.
The two stayed at a hotel by the sea that night, planning to get up early the next morning to watch the sunrise.
Because there was only one room, they had to live together.
Zhao Xu let Chen Yuhan sleep in the bed, while he slept on the floor.
After turning off the lights at night, Chen Yuhan said, "Zhao Xu, let me tell you a story."
Zhao Xu became interested and busied himself expressing his anticipation.
"Once upon a time, there was a little girl whose family was very wealthy. Her parents were also very kind. They often told her to be kind to others and to treat people well. The little girl always remembered this."
But five years ago, she was abducted after helping a pair of human traffickers posing as a mother and son. The girl was sold to a mountain village and forced to marry a man in his fifties…
As she spoke, Chen Yuhan's body trembled uncontrollably. She wrapped herself tightly in the thin blanket, her fingers gripping her wrists tightly, her nails scratching her skin and drawing blood. Pain surged through her brain, bringing her back to a slightly clearer state.
She continued, "The girl spent an extremely painful year in that mountain village before her parents finally found her."
But the girl at this time was no longer the girl she used to be.
"She went from being a proud little princess to falling into the mud and becoming a pair of unwanted tattered shoes."
"Her parents held her and cried. They took her to the hospital, where the doctor said that the girl's psychological problems were more serious than her physical ones."
"Sure enough, after returning home, the girl had nightmares every night, couldn't eat or sleep well, and was unable to return to a normal life. She looked at her former friends, watching them laugh and joke happily, discussing handsome celebrities and beautiful clothes and accessories, and then looked at herself now, feeling a deep gap between them."
"She began to refuse to interact with people, and for a time, she was even afraid to step out of her house."
"Later, she started hurting herself to try and clear her mind from the pain, but it was only a temporary fix..."
"The girl also wanted to live a good life. Seeing her grieving parents, she tried her best to make them laugh and said that she was okay."
But at night, she would uncontrollably intensify the harm she inflicted on herself.
"Finally, one day, the girl couldn't take it anymore. She felt that living in such pain was worse than leaving this world, going to the next cycle of reincarnation, and being reborn as a pure and innocent person..."
"As for the kindness shown to her parents, that can only be repaid in the next life..."
As she continued her story, Chen Yuhan's voice choked with sobs. She curled up, and tears welled up in her tightly closed eyes.
This was the first time she had confided her pain to someone, but she also knew it would be the last time she would ever be honest with someone in her life.
After tonight, she will bid farewell to this world forever, with no return.
Suddenly, a large hand covered my head, and someone gently stroked my hair.
"Ah, ah..." Short sounds reached her ears. Chen Yuhan opened her teary eyes and saw Zhao Xu taking a tissue and tenderly wiping away her tears.
This time, Zhao Xu didn't laugh; instead, he cried along with her.
It was as if they understood that Chen Yuhan was the girl in this story.
He wiped away Chen Yuhan's tears while trying to speak in a series of "ah ah" sounds.
The sound was strained and difficult.
For some reason, Chen Yuhan laughed when she saw Zhao Xu like this.
She grabbed a tissue and hastily wiped away her own tears, then wiped Zhao Xu's tears with her hand, saying, "Oh, Zhao Xu, I was just telling a story, why are you taking it so seriously?"
"Come on, smile. I want to see you smile."
I think your smile is especially beautiful.
The girl's tone was extremely relaxed, as if what she had just said was really just a joke.
They managed to fool Zhao Xu.
The young man chuckled foolishly, which warmed Chen Yuhan's heart.
Later, their emotions calmed down.
After waiting for Zhao Xu to fall into a deep sleep, Chen Yuhan got up and went to the beach alone, without taking anything with her, wearing only a pair of slippers.
There was no one at the beach at this time.
The night was deep, and the sea, devoid of sunlight, became pitch black and filthy, causing Chen Yuhan to feel disoriented for a moment.
The sea, which looks a clear blue during the day, becomes incredibly dirty at night when the light is out.
But then she thought, maybe this is more suitable for her...
Chen Yuhan took off her shoes, let out a soft breath, and then began to take off her coat, shirt, and pants...