Lin Xinyuan had been avoiding Qin Nanfeng for several days now.
Whenever possible, he tried to stay away from being alone with him.
He felt that Qin wasn’t joking that day; he had really seen through him…
But whatever… he would avoid him for as long as he could…
That was just his personality—always weak and unwilling to do anything out of the ordinary unless pushed to the edge, the classic case of driving a duck onto the stage.
Still, what’s meant to come will come…
Time quickly passed to the end of November…
It was Wednesday.
Right after class, Lin Xinyuan quickly left the classroom without waiting for his roommates like he usually did.
He hadn’t even sat with them during class, choosing instead to sit alone in the empty front row.
Xiong Wei and the others were worried about him but felt helpless.
Over the past month, although Lin Xinyuan’s changes had been subtle day by day, their constant daily contact made the cumulative change feel huge.
Compared to a month ago, he didn’t even seem like the same person…
Fortunately, Lin Xinyuan had almost no presence in the class and very few acquaintances, so no one except them noticed.
Whether it was unfortunate or fortunate, it was the best-case scenario under the circumstances…
They had tried to ask Lin Xinyuan about it but mostly got evasive answers or silence, which only made him more depressed.
Gradually, they stopped asking, only guessing that he might be suffering mentally from a breakup or some other pain and possibly taking strange medication.
They even tried talking to the counselor about Lin Xinyuan’s mental state, but the counselor didn’t seem to take it seriously, just talked to Lin Xinyuan once and then dropped it.
Lin Xinyuan only got worse.
At that point, they dared not ask or interfere for fear his situation would deteriorate further or he might do something foolish…
Lin Xinyuan knew about their worries.
Although he still avoided much interaction afterward, to their eyes, he had clearly improved a lot.
At least it wasn’t as bad as before—things had stabilized somewhat…
But his appearance kept changing, becoming less and less like a boy and more like a little girl.
He even started to carry a strange, faint fragrance…
A few days ago in class, perhaps because his emotions had stabilized somewhat recently, Chen Ze—the carefree one—noticed it and teased him as usual.
It was unclear whether it was because of that, but now Lin Xinyuan sat alone in the front row every class.
Watching his solitary figure leave, Xiong Wei glanced back helplessly at Chen Ze:
“I told you not to rile him up when he’s already like this, Old Six.”
The others felt Lin Xinyuan was overly sensitive but agreed with their leader, Xiong Wei.
Seeing everyone’s attitude, Chen Ze felt innocent.
He really hadn’t known the guy was still so fragile!
Sighing, he said, “I didn’t know before… it’s my fault. I’ll go apologize to him—can’t we just talk it out?”
Just as he was about to follow, Qin Nanfeng, who had been silent all along, stopped him.
“I’ll go. I don’t think you can handle it.”
Seeing Qin’s faint smile, Chen Ze didn’t argue.
He knew he was good at bragging and talking nonsense, but comforting others was definitely not his strength.
He nodded: “Alright then, if Qin bro steps in, it’s gotta work!”
The others nodded in agreement.
They’d almost forgotten Qin Nanfeng, who had always been the closest to Lin Xinyuan.
It was just that recently he’d been busy and seldom in the dorm, so no one had thought of asking him.
Seeing their faces, Qin shrugged, feeling the weight on his shoulders: “Alright, you all go ahead. I’ll go check on him.”
Lin Xinyuan walked along the street, hunched over, his small frame tightly wrapped in a black coat.
His hood was pulled low over his head, and he dared not look at the people passing by.
As his body became more and more feminine, he grew increasingly self-conscious and refused to expose himself to others.
So every day he dressed fully, afraid someone might notice his gender.
Though it was late November and the weather in Tianbei City was getting cold, his attire didn’t attract much attention.
But his furtive behavior still drew many stares, and many looked at him with strange expressions.
Lin Xinyuan wanted to be normal.
He knew people meant no harm, but he couldn’t help but recall the scenes from Junior High when people had surrounded him.
Those gazes, the crushing pain of punches to his gut—all still lingered in his mind…
Back in Junior High, he had gathered courage and smashed the ringleader’s head with a stone until it bled.
After that, no one dared mess with him at that school, and the ringleader was expelled by the principal—rightly so…
But actually, afterward, during those three days of his high school entrance exams, that guy waited outside every afternoon, bringing along lowlifes from the streets to take revenge on him.
Those scenes remain unforgettable…
Three nightmare days…
His beloved grandmother suddenly passed away, and he was bullied by those scum every day.
His head dunked in filthy water, beaten with fists and kicks, ridiculed, looked down upon, and constantly insulted along with his family.
But the frail boy couldn’t effectively fight back…
“Ugh, idiot, this is the last time I’m hitting you! Feels so good! Last time you dared hit me with a stone, lucky it didn’t knock you out! Otherwise, it wouldn’t be this simple! Damn, ptooey!”
The stinking spit landed on his face, hands and feet stomped viciously, pain twisting his stomach.
He could only grit his teeth and endure.
Because the louder he cried, the worse the bullies got—he’d learned that lesson twice already…
“Next time you see me, you better get out of my way! Don’t come near me, you piece of trash! Damn, you’re just bad luck! And remember, don’t tell anyone, or… I think you know what happens, heheh…”
“Let’s go!”
“Yes, Xiao Zai!”
“Hehe, Xiao Zai, how’d I do just now? I don’t ask for much, if you like me, say a good word for me to Xiao Zai~”
“Got it. Don’t bother me, hurry up!”
“Hehehe~”
“…”
The memories flashed before Lin Xinyuan’s eyes as his body trembled.
He picked up his pace, wanting only to find a quiet place to be alone.
He wanted some time to himself… at least until his roommates returned to the dorm before he went back.
Unconsciously, Lin Xinyuan arrived at a place he’d been visiting often lately—a stairwell behind the iron door on the first floor of the teaching building leading to the basement.
The moment he sat down on the steps, he could no longer hold back.
Crystal-clear tears streamed from his eyes and traced down his cheeks.
Lin Xinyuan was never an optimistic person.
He was always a liar pretending not to care.
His strong pride wouldn’t allow him to cry in front of others… he could only find a corner to lick his wounds.
The dark space smelled of mildew, and the air was stifling, but to Lin Xinyuan, it was a rare feeling of safety—because he was completely alone.
Just as he quietly wiped his tears and grieved alone, a harsh sound suddenly came from behind—metal scraping against the damaged iron door and floor.
A blinding light shone into the dark stairwell again, followed by heavy footsteps…
Lin Xinyuan hurriedly stood up, turned around but didn’t dare raise his head.
Keeping it low, he quickly wiped his tears with his hands.
“Sorry, am I blocking the way…”
He had just intended to move past the tall figure when a large hand suddenly grabbed his arm tightly…
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