Enduring the Winter

Chapter 26

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The media has been reporting environmental issues in recent years, talking about the greenhouse effect and global warming.

But this year's first snow is earlier than in previous years.

I don't know if God likes drama too.

On Sunday morning, the snow began to fall, the sky was gray, the clouds were dense, and the sun could not be seen.

It is too common for snow to fall in the north, and the students don't feel the poetic first snow at all, they just focus on doing questions.

Wu Hanwen was late today.

"Hey, have you started to slack off after all?" Li Siyi said shaking his head.

Bai Lu stopped writing and looked at the empty seat next to her.

In her impression, Wu Hanwen had never asked for leave.

There was a bird flu outbreak, and the whole school was under martial law. Every morning, the teacher wore a mask to measure his temperature at the door of the classroom, and passed the plug one by one. That day Wu Hanwen caught a cold and had a slight fever. The school teacher asked him to go back, but Wu Hanwen refused to leave. In the end, someone recorded After watching the videotape of the teacher's class, he honestly went home to recuperate.

Turning around, Bai Lu took out her mobile phone under the desk and wrote a text message.

"I'll be there at noon."

After finishing writing, she clicked on the address book, and tapped lightly on the name of "Lonicera".

After posting, Bai Lu went on to do the questions.

But there is a slight distraction.

It was Xu Hui's first reply to a text message so slowly and so short.

one word—

"it is good."

Bai Lu looked up and saw snowflakes outside the window.

There is no heating, and there is no air conditioner in the room. Sitting by the window, it is so cold to the bone.

Wu Hanwen didn't come to school until after school at noon.

Bai Lu walked out with her schoolbag on her back.

The only remaining warmth is resisting, and the temperature hovers back and forth at zero degrees.

The first snow couldn't stay, it melted when it hit the ground, and the road was wet and muddy.

Bai Lu didn't open an umbrella.

She had an umbrella in her backpack, but she was too lazy to take it.

On such a day, she felt powerless to do anything.

After crossing the road and walking into the alley, Bai Lu came to Xu Hui's house.

The door was not closed, Bai Lu entered the room and found that the curtains were drawn again.

Today was different from before, it was cloudy, and with the curtains drawn, the room was as dark as it was late at night.

A movie was playing on the TV, and there was someone lying vaguely on the sofa.

Bai Lu walked to the window, put her hands on the curtains, and was about to pull them open.

"do not… "

A dull voice came from the sofa behind him.

Bai Lu flicked the curtain with her hand, and Xu Hui poked his head like a blind gopher, and whispered:

"Don't..."

Bai Lu stopped and closed the curtains tightly again.

Turning around and walking back, Xu Hui said halfway through, "Don't turn on the lights either..."

Bai Lu looked at him in the dark.

Xu Hui's voice was very small, as if he was talking about it.

"Let's just say..."

Bai Lu walked over, "What's the matter?"

She couldn't see Xu Hui's face clearly, but she could hear his voice, and felt that something was wrong with him.

"It's okay." Xu Hui sat up from the sofa, as if in a daze.

Bai Lu took a step and almost tripped on the ground. She looked down and saw a pile of empty wine bottles lying on the ground.

"Did your friend come last night?"

Xu Hui did everything a little slower than usual.

"No… "

Bai Lu: "You didn't drink it yourself."

Xu Hui didn't speak.

Bai Lu bent down to pick up all the bottles and put them aside, "I know how much you drink."

Xu Hui lowered his head and held his hands together weakly.

"Well, you know everything about me..."

After Bai Lu tidied up briefly, she sat on the sofa next to her.

She gradually got used to the darkness, and she also saw clearly Xu Hui who was sitting quietly in the darkness.

Such blackness will magnify the silence infinitely.

Bai Lu suddenly didn't know how to speak.

Xu Hui raised his hands, rubbed his face, and said, "Have you eaten yet?"

"I've eaten." Bai Lu asked, "How about you?"

Xu Hui didn't answer, and after a while, Bai Lu saw Xu Hui turn his head and raised his hand to greet her.

"Come and sit."

Bai Lu stood up and sat beside him.

Alcoholic smell is very strong.

People with a poor capacity for alcohol do not have enough enzymes in their bodies to quickly decompose alcohol, so the taste will be much heavier than that of a person with a good capacity for alcohol.

"I went home two days ago." Xu Hui whispered.

Although it was very low, Bai Lu could tell that his voice was hoarse.

"Is it… "

"I had another quarrel with my family."

Bai Lu also lowered her head, and the two sat side by side, like two elementary school students.

After listening to Xu Hui's words, Bai Lu hummed lightly and asked, "Did you win the quarrel?"

Xu Hui's head seemed to be lowered, "No..."

His voice was unbelievably hoarse, Bai Lu took out a bottle of water from her schoolbag and handed it to Xu Hui.

Xu Hui took it and said thank you.

He held it in both hands, but did not unscrew it two or three times.

"I can't do anything, please help me."

Bai Lu took the water, "What the hell did you do yesterday." After unscrewing it and handing it to him again, Xu Hui raised his head and took a few sips.

She attributed his strangeness to the experience of returning home.

"Did you not win this time, or have you never won?"

"Never." Xu Hui murmured, "Never won once... can't win..."

Bai Lu whispered, "Idiot."

Xu Hui bent his back, "...it's pretty stupid."

After the movie finished, the screen stopped at the last thank you for watching.

"I told my dad that I want to leave home." Xu Hui said in a low voice, "I borrowed some money from him, and I want to live outside by myself."

Bai Lu: "Where are you going?"

"I don't know." Xu Hui paused, and said in an uncertain tone, "He called me this morning and told me to agree to my request. I was in a daze at the time, and he scolded me G."

Bai Lu listened quietly, while Xu Hui continued by himself.

"I told Ahe before that he said that my young master's life would not be able to live outside. I denied it at the time, but now I really have no idea... I have never suffered since I was a child. No matter how my family is, at least there is no Worry about money."

Bai Lu hummed lightly, and Xu Hui held his hands together.

"Xiaobai, do you know that my dad told me this morning that he agreed to my request and would transfer the money to me in a few days. The moment he hung up the phone, I suddenly felt—"

He paused, his throat was stuck, and he had to force himself to speak.

"I suddenly felt like I had nothing left."

He strained his hands and his breath became heavier.

"I… "

"Xu Hui."

Bai Lu turned her head and interrupted him.

Xu Hui looked at her subconsciously.

She understood why he didn't turn on the lights or draw the curtains.

He cried so much that his eyes were swollen and red.

Bai Lu stared at him intently.

"When there is no home and no way, you can see what a man is capable of. Don't be scared to death by yourself."

Xu Hui looked at her fixedly.

"Are you with me?"

Bai Lu's mind flickered, her expression remained unchanged, and she shook her head slightly.

Xu Hui still looked at her, "Come with me..."

Bai Lu wanted to shake her head, but Xu Hui grabbed her arm.

No wonder he couldn't unscrew the water bottle, his long fingers didn't have any strength at all.

But she didn't break free either.

"Tell me, which university do you want to go to?" Xu Hui looked at her with difficulty, "211,985... which one do you want to go to, stay here or go to another place."

Bai Lu panicked, "What?"

"talk."

Xu Hui's palm regained strength bit by bit.

"I'll give you the money, and you can use it on whoever you want. You must be going to college, and I'll go to your city."

Bai Lu shook off Xu Hui's hand and stood up.

"What did you say."

Xu Hui stared at her closely, and there seemed to be anger gradually in his complicated eyes.

"not enough?"

Bai Lu's jaw tightened, "What are you talking about?"

"What am I talking about?"

Xu Hui seemed to want to laugh, but he couldn't do it after several attempts, and finally turned into a choked sob involuntarily.

"You don't know what I'm talking about?"

"Huh?...Bai Lu?"

Cold hands and feet.

He had called her many times before, but she was sensitive to the fact that this was the first time he called her name.

"Xu Hui."

"you say."

He looked at her dryly, waiting for her answer—or explanation.

Awakened by his gesture, Bai Lu stood up straight and looked at him.

"nothing."

"nothing?"

After a few seconds of silence, Bai Lu said again: "It's nothing..."

Xu Hui slowly stood up from the sofa.

He seems to have lost weight in just a few days.

"Bai Lu..."

He only called out one name, and his voice couldn't help trembling.

Can't tell if it's grievance, sadness, or anger.

"you can not do that."

"how?"

Xu Hui's upper and lower lips touched each other several times.

He took a deep breath because of Bai Lu's rhetorical question.

"How?" Xu Hui pointed at Bai Lu, and when his voice raised, his hoarse voice became more obvious.

"What do you still ask me? Are you still pretending to me at this time?"

It's winter, it's a bit cold after all, Bai Lu raised her arms and hugged herself.

He looked at Xu Hui.

Xu Hui was still pointing at her, his haggard face became clearer. "You have nothing to tell me?"

Bai Lu's mouth was pursed into a line, and she was also stubbornly sticking to something.

Xu Hui looked like a piece of glass that was about to shatter in a second, nodding his head, tears and snot streaming down his nose.

"Okay, then you apologize to me, I'll pretend it never happened..."

Bai Lu remained silent.

Xu Hui suddenly yelled hoarsely, "Apologize to me! Aren't you very good at saying sorry before! Why can't you now!? Why don't you say it when you should!"

Bai Lu's fingers tensed unconsciously, "Why should I apologize? Have you ever apologized?"

Xu Hui looked at her calmly. "I don't need to apologize to you." He still insisted, "I don't care about other people, it has nothing to do with me!"

Bai Lu picked up her bag, turned around and left.

Xu Hui naturally wouldn't let her go, his strength returned.

They were entangled at the door, Xu Hui pressed the door tightly and pushed her between them.

"Whether I treat you well or not, you know for yourself!"

Bai Lu tried to push him away, "Then do other people treat you well? Do you also know?"

"I don't care!" Xu Hui was a little hysterical, "I found you, I found you! I don't care about others, you can't treat me like this! No matter how fucking bad I am to them, you should think of me first!"

Bai Lu knew she couldn't push it away, so she didn't bother.

She looked at him gently.

"You didn't find me, it was 'I asked you' to find me."

Xu Hui's rough breath fell on her cheek, and her hair trembled.

She raised her chin slightly, "Get out of the way."

The sound is low, but there is no room for it.

"Okay, okay... You don't want to apologize, so don't apologize now." Xu Hui finally backed down, "Let's talk about other things."

Bai Lu's breathing was also fast.

"There's nothing else."

"Have… "

"Gone."

Xu Hui shouted stubbornly, "I said yes! How could there be no!"

Bai Lu leaned against the cold iron door, raised her head, and looked at Xu Hui who was close at hand.

"It's really gone, that's what I'm here to say."

Xu Hui gritted his teeth: "No."

Bai Lu tried to turn her body in the narrow space, but heard him choking again.

It's too close.

Tears seemed to fall directly on her heart.

He was weak again.

"I only think about one future...Bai Lu."

She couldn't speak.

Xu Hui suddenly sneered, "If you want to avenge me for your friend, you must at least see the results before leaving."

Bai Lu looked at him, "It is now."

So the sneer couldn't be maintained anymore.

Silence spread again, Xu Hui lowered his head.

"My dad just called me... At least not today..."

Bai Lu: "I'll stay today, and I'll stay tomorrow."

"Then stay!"

Bai Lu shook her head slowly, "Xu Hui, I didn't come here because I wanted to stay." Then she said, "Not today, nor back then."

Xu Hui didn't speak, but Bai Lu continued, "But I never thought it would be like this." She looked towards the sofa, where there was a paper bag.

"That's all the things you sent me, and the receipts are all in it. Return everything that can be returned."

When she turned her gaze back, she happened to be looking at him.

After a long silence, Xu Hui let go of his hand.

He seemed to agree.

Acknowledging that this feeling is not very strange to him now.

"Then I'll ask you last..." He slowly stood up straight, his voice was a little weak because of the yell just now.

"When you're with me, do you like me?"

"No."

Xu Hui smiled and rubbed his neck. It was the first time he smiled so easily and confidently all night.

"Bai Lu, you lied to—"

"I'm not telling you."

The smile froze for a moment, then slowly melted away.

She turned to open the door, giving him one last look back.

Suddenly wanted to say don't cry.

There was a thread in my heart, but I didn't say it.

Cold wind and heavy rain, frost and first snow.

I'm all here to stay.

"...Xu Hui, goodbye."