Chapter 26

The classroom was almost empty, and she wasn't there. Yan Heng sat there like a lonely ghost, playing with his Rubik's cube for a while, but it wasn't interesting. He took a candy from Tianxin's desk. He didn't like to eat it at first, but out of curiosity from seeing her eating it, he ate it a few times and gradually became addicted to it.

When he was feeling restless, it seemed to work better than smoking. Is this candy poisonous? It was so addictive, just like Jiang Tianxin, damn sweet.

After the self-study session in the afternoon ended, Tianxin and her friends went back to the classroom after having lunch. Surprisingly, she didn't review her lessons today, and Zhao Xuexi began to frequent the playground to study.

In the cool evening weather, everyone was wearing their school uniforms. Tianxin looked at Yan Heng, who was lying on the desk. Did he eat his meal? He was staring out of the window, lost in thought. She heard that Yan Heng's mother came today, and he had a bad relationship with his family. It was the same last time.

Tianxin didn't think about it anymore and went to the convenience store to buy bread and milk. In any case, she still needed to eat, and he had a stomach problem, and it was also a time to grow taller.

There was no one in the classroom at this time, and Yan Heng closed his eyes. The breeze blew the curtains, casting a long shadow. Yan Heng liked to wear black clothes and a white T-shirt when it was hot. When it wasn't hot, he wore a coat.

Tianxin carefully walked over and put down what she was holding. She was considering whether to wake him up or not, but Yan Heng woke up on his own. He didn't fall asleep, and he could feel her movements.

Tianxin looked at him and said, "I bought you something to eat. You still haven't shown me the math paper you did. After eating, give it to me, and I'll help you take a look."

Yan Heng didn't move, silently staring at Tianxin. His eyes were like ancient water. Tianxin was startled by his unusual behavior and asked, "Are you okay, Yan Heng?"

Yan Heng hugged Tianxin like a helpless child, and she stood there while he sat, leaning on her, and said, "Can I hug you for a while? Don't say anything."

Yan Heng's voice was soft and trembling. Tianxin felt a special discomfort in her heart. What happened to Yan Heng? Did he quarrel with his family?

She didn't know what to say, looking around and seeing no one. Her heart finally relaxed. If someone saw them, it would be hard to clear things up. "It's okay. Everything will be okay."

After letting go of Tianxin, Yan Heng suddenly felt embarrassed in front of her, revealing his vulnerable side. Part of the reason was to make her feel sorry for him, which he realized was quite despicable.

Tianxin handed him some food and asked, "Is something bothering you? Can you tell me about it?" Yan Heng was emotionally charming, even more so than her brother. Especially when he looked at her with his melancholic eyes, she felt like she could see the vast universe and stars within them.

"My mom wants me to go abroad," Yan Heng said.

"Are you going to go then?" When Tianxin heard the news that he was leaving the country, she felt a complicated emotion that she couldn't quite describe. Yan Heng tapped his fingers on the table and fell silent for a moment. Tianxin suddenly didn't want to hear his answer, so she grabbed a book and started reading. Yan Heng touched her head and said, "I'm not going abroad. If I go, I'll starve to death." Tianxin ignored him and continued reading with the sound of pages flipping. She was a bit upset, but Yan Heng coaxed her for a while before she calmed down.

On Saturday night, after everyone had finished doing their laundry and were snacking while chatting, Tianxin listened to English songs while overhearing their conversation. Zhu Ting was playing with her phone when suddenly she exclaimed, "I still have a lot of unused data this month. Let's watch a movie!"

A few people thought it was a good idea, and Zhao Xuexi asked Zhu Ting, "What movie should we watch? I haven't watched a movie in ages. Do you know any good ones, Tianxin?"

"I don't have any ideas," they discussed for a while without coming to a decision. Some suggested romantic movies, while Zhu Ting wanted to watch action movies. In the end, they all looked at Zhu Ting, and she blinked her eyes and said, "Let's watch a horror movie, like 'Strange Events of the Campus Belle.' I've seen it already, but it's the only one I can think of."

Tianxin had never watched a horror movie before, but she didn't want to be a spoilsport when everyone was excited about it. Since Zhu Ting had no objections, she found a stand for the phone and said, "Let's all move our chairs closer and watch together."

They gathered around the screen, and Tianxin gave herself a pep talk. With so many people around, she shouldn't be scared. The movie began with a monologue, and it was about a school beauty who went on a trip but got stranded due to heavy rain. She found a motel to rest in.

The beginning of the story was not very scary, and the female lead was a very innocent girl. The scary feeling began when they arrived at the hotel. The landlady was a woman in a qipao dress with red lips, and her face looked like it had been coated with some kind of powder.

The landlord also looked strange. "This is a woman with a story," Zhao Xuexi sighed. The atmosphere of the entire hotel was very oppressive.

Tianxin was a little scared, and Zhu Yan was behind her. "Anyone can see that something is wrong with someone wearing a qipao in this place. Do you think she might be a ghost?"

Tianxin shuddered at the thought, and was afraid to look at the woman again. Zhu Ting laughed, "This is really a story. Let me tell you," but Zhu Yan interrupted her, "Don't spoil it, what's the point of spoiling the plot?"

Zhu Ting looked helpless. She knew how it felt not to be able to spoil the plot. Why did she have to recommend something she had already watched? She should have just found something that nobody had seen.

Tianxin patted her hand to comfort her and they continued to watch the movie. There was a female ghost in the main character's house at night, which scared Tianxin and made her scream.

"It's okay, Tianxin, don't be afraid," Zhu Ting comforted her. It seemed that Tianxin was afraid of watching horror movies.

"That's right, Tianxin, it's just special effects. Keep watching," Zhu Yan was enjoying it. Tianxin was a little timid, "I have candy, I'll bring it for you to eat." She went to her bed and took out some leftover candy.

Zhu Ting ate the candy and laughed ambiguously, "Tianxin, this is from Yan Heng, right? You two are really meant to be together. You're both like candy jars."

"Tianxin, Yan Heng has spoiled you. Eating candy during class and being punished together, it's just like love. Damn sweetness," Zhao Xuexi raised her eyebrows.

Tianxin touched her own face, "Are you guys not watching the movie anymore? You're all so gossipy."

Tan Xiaoyue looked at them, listening to them joking about Tianxin and Yan Heng, feeling uncomfortable inside. She held her breath and asked, "Tianxin, do you like Yan Heng?" Every time she saw them interact, she felt uneasy.

Tianxin hesitated for a moment before answering, "We're just friends." They were friends, right?

Tan Xiaoyue smiled and the group continued to watch the movie. To ease Tianxin's fear, the others talked and laughed intermittently. By the time the male protagonist, a photographer, and a couple appeared, the whole hotel exuded an eerie atmosphere due to the curiosity of the couple.

They discovered the hotel's secret and ran away. Later, the couple found their own corpses in the mountains and realized that they had died in the disaster. The film used a flashback to show the ending: the campus belle and her boyfriend had a car accident on the highway, and her boyfriend gave her his helmet before he died. She visited him in the hospital and seemed to have understood everything.

"So sad. It turns out the campus belle's boyfriend died. He really loved her," even Zhu Yan, who was usually carefree, started to feel emotional.

Zhao Xuexi sighed, "Yeah, I didn't expect it to end like this. I thought the landlady and the owner were the bad guys, but it turns out they weren't. It's really unexpected."

"It's getting late. Let's go to bed," Tianxin rubbed her temples. The movie's plot was still on her mind, and she couldn't fall asleep even after closing her eyes. She held her teddy bear, feeling restless. What should she do? She took out her phone and didn't know if Yan Heng had already fallen asleep.

Did her insomnia improve? She tried sending Yan Heng a message. He replied almost immediately. Was he still awake?

"What's wrong?" Did he miss her? She could only say those words in her heart. Yan Heng had returned to the villa, feeling terrible. Coming back here brought back bad memories that he couldn't forget. He missed her, missed Jiang Tianxin, and wanted to hear her voice and see her smile.

Tianxin replied, "[I just watched a movie with my roommates, and now I can't sleep.]"

"You must have watched a horror movie," Yan Heng said with a smile. He was happy because she had confided her fears to him, and he could share the burden with her. He was the person who could give her a sense of security.

Tianxin bit her lip. Could he really guess it? "Yes, it was a horror movie. The ending was touching, but now every time I close my eyes, I see the scenes from the movie. I'm too scared to sleep."

"It's just your imagination. Since we don't have class tomorrow, would you like to chat with me tonight?" Yan Heng rarely engaged in deep conversations at night. He was always tired after a long day and needed to rest.

Tianxin thought for a moment. She didn't have to worry about oversleeping since she didn't have class the next day. "Sure, Yan Heng. I'd like to hear you tell a story." In truth, Tianxin wanted to know about Yan Heng's past.

Yan Heng chuckled softly. "Yan Heng doesn't know how to tell stories. What should I do?"

Tianxin thought about how to ask him. Asking about his family might not be appropriate since it was his private matter, and it could be a sad topic for him. She couldn't ask that. "What were you like before, Yan Heng?"

Yan Heng lay on the bed and closed his eyes. He used to live a vibrant life like Qi Yue, excelling in academics, and standing out among his peers. He was invincible and untouchable. At least he used to live in the sunlight. But now he was just a pile of mud, and the only thing that belonged to him was a swamp.

Tianxin didn't receive a response, and she wondered if she had asked the wrong question. "I'm sorry, Yan Heng. Is everything okay? I'm worried."