Chapter 6

Summer couldn't hold it in any longer and shot back, "At least I don't get uglier and darker every time I look in the mirror."

This remark hit Grace right where it hurt.

She sat up abruptly, her voice rising uncontrollably as she said, "Summer, what do you mean by that? What's wrong with you today? Did you take the wrong medicine or something?"

Summer picked up the mirror and looked at her face. "Yeah, so you'd better treat me with some respect."

Grace, Lily, and Cecilia were all left speechless.

Had she really taken the wrong medicine? When had they ever treated her disrespectfully?

She must be crazy, they thought, bewildered.

Grace cursed silently to herself but said nothing more, pulling up her blanket and lying back down.

Cecilia and Lily naturally didn't get involved. They exchanged a glance and also pulled up their blankets and lay down quietly.

With them not talking, Summer also left them alone. She looked at her face in the mirror, took a deep breath, and exhaled slowly. What she saw in the mirror was the same as what she saw in the water. It was as if there was a layer of fog obscuring her true appearance.

She wondered, would she be like this for the rest of her life?

As a background character, was she not even worthy of a face that she or others could recognize?

When she had no self-awareness before, she didn't care. But now that she had self-awareness, she naturally wanted to be complete. She wanted clarity and completeness in both her appearance and her mind.

She pondered. Since she had already awakened self-awareness, wasn't there a way to make her face clear as well? She wondered what she truly looked like. Currently, in others' eyes, her appearance was ordinary and unremarkable, as Grace had just said. If she could one day see her true self in the mirror, would others' perception of her change too?

Lost in thought, Summer was suddenly interrupted by a voice calling her name, "Summer."

She looked up and saw Sophia, who had already freshened up. Seeing Sophia's backlit face, Summer's mind was uncontrollably flooded with the novel's contents.

From the novel's perspective, Sophia was the female lead who had a second emotional entanglement with Henry. Her screen time was much more significant than Henry's first love, Rachel. The feelings between Sophia and Henry were also much deeper than those with Rachel.

Rachel was the protagonist of the first part of the story. She had a good background, a good family, and good looks. She was pure and noble, fitting all the ideals of a first love. Henry fell for her at first sight and pursued her with great passion and fervor. They had a romance that made all the young people in town envious. It was youthful, beautiful, pure, and romantic—a relationship that could be described with all the wonderful words in the world.

Summer was a witness to this romance. Before going to the countryside, she always thought that Henry and Rachel would be each other's lifelong love. But to her surprise, as passionate and flamboyant as their relationship was, their breakup was just as decisive and clean, as if they had never been madly in love.

Before awakening, Summer felt sorry for Henry. She thought Henry loved Rachel more than himself, and had to let her go with a broken heart. She believed Rachel had abandoned Henry, considering her bright future. But after awakening, she realized Henry quickly moved on from his feelings for Rachel. It was Rachel who couldn't let go, persistently writing to Henry but never receiving a reply. Even after marrying and starting a family, Rachel still couldn't let go of Henry. On the other hand, Henry quickly developed feelings for Sophia.

A woman who could captivate Henry naturally wasn't ordinary. Sophia was beautiful and could dance, but her background was poor, and she had a tragic past. Yet, it was precisely her imperfections that allowed her and Henry to resonate spiritually, deeply entering each other's hearts. During their hard days in the countryside, Henry and Sophia depended on each other for warmth, achieving a connection from body to soul, wholeheartedly giving themselves to each other.

Rachel was more like a beautiful memory of youth, a romantic experience for young people. Sophia was the one who truly entered Henry's heart and soul, making him experience the true taste of love.

Of course, in this romance, there was also Summer, the supporting character. From the moment they went to the countryside, Henry took great care of Sophia. From acquaintance to ambiguity to love, Henry's care and dedication to Sophia grew deeper.

Henry was a free-spirited and rebellious person. He rebelled against the era, unwilling to be constrained by its rules, which naturally didn't earn him any favors. Given his behavior in the countryside, it was a miracle he wasn't criticized or punished more harshly. He was the biggest headache for the village cadres, seen as someone who needed serious re-education.

He kept getting into trouble and even influenced other young intellectuals. With such a reputation, any good opportunities in the village were unlikely to come his way. He couldn't offer Sophia much, so Summer, the unsung hero, bore the brunt of the sacrifices. 

In the novel, Summer was diligent, capable, and easygoing, making her popular among the villagers. When the cadres had good opportunities, they thought of Logan first and then Summer. And Summer would always give these opportunities to Sophia. Sophia's chance to return to the city was also given to her by Summer.

Sophia was more pragmatic than Rachel, so Henry experienced the hardships of love with her. Sophia loved Henry but also used him. After returning to the city, Henry couldn't quickly move on, and they remained entangled for a long time. Later, when they met again, Henry wanted to be with Sophia forever, but Sophia felt that Henry, with his free-spirited nature, couldn't give her the life she wanted. He could offer her love but not a comfortable life.

Sophia chose a comfortable life over love but couldn't let go of her feelings for Henry, leading to their continued entanglement for some time. Eventually, Henry, having experienced the bitterness of love, settled down and compromised with life. He returned to the city and saw the ever-loyal Summer waiting for him in the courtyard. They got married, and Henry focused on his career. After achieving success, Sophia reappeared with a gift for him—a son who looked just like him. Sophia passed away from cancer, forever remaining in Henry's heart.

Now, the Sophia who had lived a full life in the novel stood before Summer.

Seeing Summer in a daze, Sophia smiled and asked, "What's wrong? Don't you recognize me?"

Summer snapped back to reality and gave her a polite, perfunctory smile. She didn't answer Sophia's question but instead asked, "Why are you calling me?"

Sophia sat on the edge of her bed, looking at her with a probing gaze. After a moment, she asked with concern, "What's wrong with you today?"

Summer smiled dismissively. "Nothing's wrong. I'm fine."

Sophia didn't believe her and said, "You seem strange today. Henry is really worried about you and asked me to check on you. If you can't talk to him about it, you can tell me."

Summer shook her head with a forced smile. "I'm fine."

Sophia watched her for a while and then said, "Why don't you join us?"

Summer replied quietly, "I already told you, it's too much trouble living with so many people."

Sophia spoke earnestly, "But you're a girl living on your own. You'll face many difficulties. It's better to have someone to look out for you, isn't it?"

Summer shook her head. "No, it's not."

Sophia was speechless.

At that moment, Grace, lying beside them, chimed in, "Sophia, don't bother persuading her. She's acting like this and probably won't appreciate it. She insisted on her own path. Let her live how she wants. Just make sure she doesn't come crying to Henry when things get tough and doesn't want to join us later."

Summer immediately retorted, "Don't worry. Even if you beg me, I won't join you."

Grace threw off her blanket and snapped, "Summer, you!"

She paused, then added, "You'll regret this!"

"Okay," Summer replied with a scornful smile. "You wait and see."

Grace, gritting her teeth, reluctantly lay back down, fuming silently.

Fine, we'll see.