In the afternoon and evening, they didn't run into Yin Chuan again, and there were also far fewer people coming to strike up conversations and bother them. By the time the sun set behind the mountains, the friends changed into their swimsuits and jumped into the open - air hot spring.
The night air was especially fresh. There weren't many lighting fixtures beside the hot - spring pool. Only a few lights illuminated the path leading here. The moon hung high in the sky, and when they looked up, they saw the starry sky. Leaning against the stone wall with their eyes closed, enjoying the moment, it was completely different from the feeling of soaking in the sea, but it was also extremely comfortable.
"You've been so out of character today. What kind of spell did that Yin Chuan cast on you? You actually let him sit down and even talked to him voluntarily?" Cheng Ruan finally asked the question that had been weighing on her mind. She'd wanted to ask right after dinner but was always interrupted by various things. Finally, she'd caught the chance and time.
"It's nothing much. I just thought he was a bit like me in the past. Maybe we're birds of a feather?" Yao Mingxuan wasn't quite sure why he'd had that sudden impulse either.
It was just that the moment he locked eyes with Yin Chuan, he felt as if he was looking at his childhood self. He guessed that Yin Chuan probably didn't have many friends either; otherwise, he wouldn't have those empty and lonely eyes.
"I don't see any resemblance between you two. I actually think he's quite like Wei Ziqi. He's taciturn and won't say a word unless someone asks him."
"No, Teacher Wei just doesn't like to talk. That boy can't speak."
Miaomiao's sudden words made Cheng Ruan taken aback. He wasn't mute, so what did she mean by "can't speak"?
"You guys don't know. Before I met you all, I was in another kindergarten. In that kindergarten, they called me a sissy and always played all sorts of pranks on me, bullied me, and verbally insulted me. I was so young back then and didn't understand what bullying was at all. I just simply thought that I had no friends and didn't deserve to have any. I even became a bit withdrawn. Then I met Miaomiao. Miaomiao fought with three boys from the neighboring class for me. That's when I realized that I also had friends to stand up for me. So later on, my personality gradually changed into what it is now."
"Actually, I was extremely naughty before I went to kindergarten. My mom said that I would run up to anyone and start chatting. I wasn't shy at all. Although these memories have become blurry, I still subconsciously avoid strangers and don't want to communicate with them. This might be a psychological trauma. I saw my past self in Yin Chuan's eyes. I guess he mustered a lot of courage to come and talk to us. I just felt a bit of compassion for him."
Yao Mingxuan talked about his past before he met Miaomiao without any pressure. His tone was relaxed and natural, as if he were telling someone else's story.
He'd long since let go of that short - lived year or so of bullying. However, the impact of that experience on his personality would probably never be erased. Once a psychological trauma was planted, it would stay for a lifetime.
"In this day and age, there are still people engaging in school bullying? Didn't you tell your parents and teachers at that time?" Cheng Ruan exclaimed. She'd never experienced such things before and had never even seen them at school. She knew what bullying meant, but she couldn't believe that such a thing had happened to a friend beside her.
"My parents were busy back then. I always couldn't find the right opportunity to tell them at first. Later, I thought they might not care about me that much, so I just stopped talking about it. Teachers usually only said one thing: If you don't provoke them, why would they bully you? I thought it was meaningless to talk about it, so I just let it go."
Yao Mingxuan's words made the chatty Cheng Ruan fall silent. The atmosphere suddenly turned a bit somber. This feeling of not being cared about by parents and family and not being taken seriously by teachers was indeed a great hurt for a student.
Not to mention Miaomiao and Cheng Ruan, who had been doted on by their families since childhood, even Wei Ziqi, although he'd had a tough and poor childhood, his mother had given him all her love. And later, when he started school, he met Miaomiao and the others and became good friends with them. So the issue of lacking love didn't exist for him.
"Why are you guys like this? I'm doing fine now. It's not that serious. I've long since forgotten about those insignificant people." Yao Mingxuan smiled, breaking the solemn atmosphere. Since he'd met Miaomiao, he'd never lacked love again, and his life was full of light.
"So, according to you, it's very likely that Yin Chuan transferred schools because he was in the same situation as you before?"
"I don't know. But judging from his appearance, he really doesn't seem to have any friends. Who cares? Anyway, he's not a particularly important person. The academic atmosphere in our school is quite good, and there won't be any school - bullying situations. So there's no need to worry about this."
"I think his mother is not very friendly. When we were having dinner today, his mother kept staring at us. Her look was really fierce. Well, I feel like his mother doesn't want him to play with us." Miaomiao voiced the strange feeling she'd had in the restaurant.
Cheng Ruan and Yao Mingxuan were both a bit surprised when they heard this. In the whole of Nancheng, which parent wouldn't want their child to play with Miaomiao?
What was wrong with this person? Were they just being stupid?
Although they didn't expect anything from Miaomiao, and the initial reason they became friends with her was just that they liked her, they had to admit that Lin Yao had helped their two families a lot in the business field. Most of Wei Ziqi's good life later also came from Lin Yao's help.
So even these kids knew how much benefit they could gain from making friends with Miaomiao. How could the adults not understand?
Even if they didn't want to pursue fame and fortune, Miaomiao's character was excellent.
Miaomiao's ten - year - long perseverance in learning martial arts was even praised by their parents, who told them to learn from her perseverance.
Whether from the perspective of the fame and fortune field or from the educational concept of "one takes on the attributes of one's company", getting along with Miaomiao was all beneficial and had no drawbacks. Yet there was actually a parent who didn't want their child to get close to them?
It was really a strange thing in Nancheng.
"It's strange, but it also shows that Yin Chuan didn't come to talk to us because of his parents' instructions. From this perspective, he might just simply want to have a meal with us or make friends. That's not bad." Yao Mingxuan stroked his chin and said.
"I'm hungry!" Miaomiao shook her head, completely ignoring the topic her friends were discussing.
"Why are you hungry again? Didn't you just finish dinner an hour ago? If you keep eating like this, you'll really turn into a little chub!"