"Please come with me to save Yuanyuan, okay?"
The bright moonlight reflected on Lin Youxi's thin face.
The serious girl who is always on the honor roll;
the girl who was always alone when she passed by in the hallway;
Now a formal request has been made to him to save his childhood friend.
She held out her hand to him, as if to seal a deal with him.
This made Mei Fang unconsciously reach out and gently hold her hand.
"Well, I'll work it out together."
"After all, I promised Yuanyuan... right?"
Her hands were very slender, without any excess fat, but very cold.
Lin Youxi held Mei Fang's hand tightly, then smiled and nodded at him.
"Then I'll sort out my thoughts after I get home tonight, and I'll go to your house early tomorrow."
"Um... OK."
After Mei Fang sent Lin Youxi home, he rode his bicycle slowly back home.
When he returned to the room to check on Yuanyuan, he found that the mirror's perspective had been moved to face the wall.
Mei Fang moved his head curiously to check where Xia Yuan was and found that Xia Yuan was sitting cross-legged in front of the desk, writing something seriously.
Perhaps having heard the noise from the mirror, Xia Yuan subconsciously leaned over the table and yelled at Mei Fang angrily:
"Big fool!"
"Why are you scolding me all of a sudden..."
"Don't peek at me writing!"
"Okay, I won't watch it. That's fine."
Mei Fang moved the perspective of the mirror world to another direction and looked at the time. It was already past ten o'clock.
"Don't you have to go to bed at nine o'clock every day? Why aren't you asleep yet?"
"I met Youxi and I was so excited that I couldn't sleep tonight."
Xia Yuan said this as he stuffed what he had written into the drawer, then stood up from the table and jumped onto the bed.
"It's okay now. Talk to me, Afang."
We've only known each other for two or three days, how can she be so familiar with him
Is this the strength of elementary school students
Mei Fang was called to Xia Yuan's bed. Xia Yuan was lying on his side facing Mei Fang, as if he was sleeping next to him.
"I think Youxi has really grown up."
"She is stronger and more independent than before."
As Xia Yuan spoke, the expression on his face became aggrieved.
"But, it also became very lonely..."
"If you can come out, she won't be lonely."
"But I think she will still blame me." Xia Yuan muttered, "It must be hard to leave her alone for so many years. So being trapped in the mirror is also a punishment for me..."
"Why do you think so much?"
Mei Fang couldn't help but interrupt Xia Yuan and persuade her, "No matter what, you shouldn't stay in a world that only has you."
"So, Afang, do you also believe that I have a way to get out of the mirror world?" Xia Yuan pulled the mirror and stared at Mei Fang against it.
"Well, I believe it!"
Mei Fang's answer was firm, "We couldn't hear each other at the beginning, but now we can talk to each other, and maybe it will get better every day."
"What Ah Fang said makes sense... Then I should be stronger too."
Xia Yuan seemed encouraged by Mei Fang's words.
She slowly turned back from the mirror, and then as if she had thought of something, she put her hand on the side of the mirror, and then called Mei Fang:
"Ah Fang, stretch out your hand and try to put it on the mirror like I did."
"What's wrong?"
"Just do as I say, hurry up."
At Xia Yuan's urging, Mei Fang placed his hand on the mirror and spread out his five fingers like Xia Yuan.
Xia Yuan compared his palms with Mei Fang in front of the mirror.
The surface of the mirror was very cold, so Mei Fang and Xia Yuan opened their palms and compared them in the mirror.
"Fang, your hands are so big, much bigger than mine."
Xia Yuan looked at the part where he and Mei Fang were comparing palms with some curiosity. The feeling of sitting and looking at each other made Mei Fang suddenly feel embarrassed, and he also shifted his gaze elsewhere.
"Why do you do this suddenly?"
"Don't ask me everything. I'm just curious and want to give it a try."
Xia Yuan closed her eyes, then smiled slightly and said, "It's like I can feel your presence when I touch you like this."
Mei Fang noticed that Xia Yuan had her eyes closed and couldn't help but look at her.
She is really beautiful, like a heroine from a comic book.
Lin Youxi said that Xia Yuan liked him when he was very young, but he could not imagine such a scene in his mind.
After all, it was such a childhood thing...
When Mei Fang was thinking this, Xia Yuan also opened her eyes slightly. She was a little surprised to be stared at by Mei Fang, but she did not avoid Mei Fang's gaze. Instead, she continued to blink and stare at Mei Fang curiously.
…
Mei Fang naturally couldn't sustain such a gaze, and after looking at each other, his gaze suddenly drifted away.
“Yeah, I won!”
Xia Yuan cheered for his inexplicable "victory".
"Okay, okay, now that you've had enough fun, go to bed early. Lin Youxi will come to see you tomorrow."
"I'm not just playing around."
Xia Yuan said, "This is absorbing 'energy'."
"energy?"
Xia Yuan nodded, "Because I'm still very scared when I'm alone here. When you're not around, I worry about what to do if monsters come. Of course, the scariest thing is my inner demon."
Seeing Mei Fang was a little surprised, Xia Yuan quickly added:
"The inner demon is... something like the fear in one's heart." Xia Yuan said, "If I can get energy from you, I won't be so scared."
“You have so many terms.”
"Just listen!"
Xia Yuan pouted at Mei Fang, and then the two of them laughed in tacit understanding.
Xia Yuan also withdrew his hand at this time, wiped his nose and said:
"Okay, okay, I'm going to bed, good night."
"Good night."
Mei Fang whispered good night to Xia Yuan.
He had a dream that day.
He dreamed that he and Xia Yuan were desk mates in elementary school, and he watched Xia Yuan copying the lyrics of "Curly Eyelashes";
Looking at Xia Yuan comparing her palms with his, he was brave enough to hold her hand, making her cheeks blush with embarrassment.
…
A dream that you don't want to wake up from.
"Afang, Afang... hurry up and wake up, how could you sleep so long? The sun is about to hit your butt!"
Xia Yuan’s calls were heard in my ears.
However, Xia Yuan's voice was interrupted by the sound of the door opening.
"Ah Fang? You kid... Even if it's summer vacation, you can't just be so lazy. Lin Youxi came to study with you, but you're still sleeping!"
Xiang Xiaoxia was just about to make her son some stir-fried pork and bamboo shoots, but her first reaction was to see a full-length mirror next to Mei Fang's bed, facing him.
"No... Ah Fang, why do you sleep in front of the mirror at night? Don't you feel scared?"
Xiang Xiaoxia's somewhat rough movement of the mirror instantly woke Mei Fang up from her daze.
"No, Mom... don't move."
"Um?"
Xiang Xiaoxia asked in surprise, "What's wrong with this mirror?"
"Nothing, I was just afraid you might break it."
"You are such a jerk, kid. You were disgusted when I asked you if you wanted a mirror before, but now you still like looking in the mirror so much."
However, this is because I have someone I like that I start working so hard, right
After all, Lin Youxi is a very cute child.
"Okay Youxi, wait a moment. Ah Fang is just about to change his clothes."
"ah."
Lin Youxi, who was outside the room, couldn't help but glance into the room behind Xiaoxia. Mei Fang was still moving the mirror carefully.
"You can't change clothes in front of Yuanyuan."
When Lin Youxi entered Mei Fang's room, the first thing she did was to emphasize to him, "She is still a child."
"I'm not a child anymore! I'm also 16, I just don't have any memory of the years in between."
Xia Yuan protested, "Besides, Ah Fang always moves the mirror away when he changes clothes, so I can't even see it."
…
A small question mark appeared in Mei Fang and Lin Youxi's heads. Xia Yuan quickly stammered to change the subject, "I, I haven't had breakfast yet. Have you guys had breakfast?"
"I ate." Lin Youxi replied, "I ate boiled eggs and millet porridge, which my father made."
"I, I haven't eaten yet. Did my mom make breakfast for me?"
"… "
Lin Youxi frowned and glanced at Mei Fang. It was obvious that she didn't know why Mei Fang wanted to interrupt at this time.
"How does Yuanyuan usually solve the problem of eating?"
"There's food in the refrigerator, including lots of frozen dumplings."
"Besides frozen dumplings?" Lin Youxi asked.
"Let me take a look..."
Xia Yuan opened the refrigerator door. "There are also apples, bananas, and toast. But I ate bread the past two days, so I don't want to eat this this morning."
"But there aren't many things left in the refrigerator." Mei Fang followed Xia Yuan to check the things in the refrigerator. Lin Youxi could only watch Mei Fang's reaction to understand the situation.
"Yeah, I was afraid I would starve to death before I found a way out!"
"Come to think of it, there is electricity and water in the mirror world?" Mei Fang discovered a blind spot.
"Yes, it has always been there."
Xia Yuan tilted his head, "What's wrong with this?"
"If the water and electricity at home can be used, the supermarket outside should be able to operate normally."
Lin Youxi took over the conversation, "Why don't you go to the supermarket to buy some supplies? Don't eat frozen dumplings all the time."
"But but! There is a big problem here!"
Xia Yuan's eyes were wide open and he spoke in a very serious manner, which made Mei Fang very nervous, and Lin Youxi's heart also became tense.
"What? What happened?"
"I don't have any money, money! Not monkey, money!"
Xia Yuan used the little English he had learned to tell jokes to Mei Fang and Lin Youxi, and both of them were struck dumb by the joke, making the scene very awkward for a moment.
"Yuanyuan, you shouldn't have such a high sense of moral restraint."
Lin Youxi said to Xia Yuan, "You are the only one in that world, which means everything in that world belongs to you. The most important thing is to survive."
"But, but, if you take things without paying, the supermarket alarm will go off, right?"
Xia Yuan worriedly asked, "If I trigger the alarm, will a cage fall down and lock me in it, and I will starve to death in there?"
"You have a very vivid imagination... but this is not a cartoon."
Mei Fang said, "I'll take you to the supermarket. Just follow me. Everything will be fine."
"Well, that's good!"
Xia Yuan seemed to have taken Mei Fang's words to heart, "Surviving is the most important thing."
There is a fairly large supermarket opposite the Xiangyang Community. Xia Yuan followed Mei Fang out of the community and went downstairs. They could see the supermarket across the street.
However, the scenery of the entire mirror world is still in a dim world. The light of setting sun shines on the earth, and there is a broken and nostalgic atmosphere, as if recalling a story about the past.
"Huh... This is my first time out of the community since I came to this world."
Xia Yuan said with emotion, which surprised Mei Fang, "Is this your first time out of the house?"
"Yes, that's right."
Xia Yuan patted his cheeks, then nodded at Mei Fang in the mirror, "Although I seem to be fine at home, I'm actually still... quite scared."
"It's okay, Yuanyuan, we are always with you now."
Mei Fang was really afraid that Lin Youxi would tell the truth.
"In short...try to go out more often. The scenes I see may be different from the scenes you experience."
Mei Fang encouraged Xia Yuan, "Just think of it as an adventure together. Let's start our adventure from the supermarket."
"Yeah! If you treat it as an adventure, it will feel much better!"
Xia Yuan became a little braver, "Besides, I'm not a primary school student anymore. I'm a very capable female high school student. It's okay!"
"Just like that, let's pretend we're playing a game. I'm in the front row, and you and Youxi are in the back row."
When Mei Fang was coaxing Xia Yuan, he also started to pronounce Lin Youxi as Youxi, but Lin Youxi obviously didn't care about this and didn't react much.
"So, Youxi should be the archer or ranger in the back row, and I'm the mage or priest... I'll heal you, and I can release light balls, biu!"
"Then, let's go!"
Mei Fang controlled the mirror to move and took Xia Yuan into the shopping mall supermarket.
The large supermarket that was originally packed with people now seemed empty as if it was haunted. Even Mei Fang, who was clearing the way for Xia Yuan in the front row, could feel a mysterious and terrifying atmosphere, not to mention Xia Yuan himself. Mei Fang had only taken a few steps forward when he felt his vision shaking.
"Ah... Yuanyuan, what are you doing?"
"What happened? Is Yuanyuan okay?" Lin Youxi could only see Mei Fang's somewhat panicked expression and her own confusion in the mirror.
"No... It's nothing, my legs are just a little shaky... It really feels like I'm exploring a haunted house."
"If we talk about haunted houses, your house is more like a haunted house."
"Afang, you are too much! I hate you."
Although Xia Yuan was complaining about Mei Fang, she also knew that Mei Fang was the only one she could rely on now, so she didn't dare to say too much, but instead held the standing mirror tightly and looked inside.
Although the supermarket was empty, all the machines were functioning normally. The lights, freezers, and TVs were all sparkling, and there was no shortage of fresh fruits and vegetables.
After adapting to the open environment, Xia Yuan finally plucked up the courage to take out the cart and began to search for supplies following the mirror.
While picking out her favorite food, Xia Yuan expressed her feelings from the bottom of her heart.
“Wow… There are so many delicious foods in this supermarket. I feel like I could never finish eating them all in my lifetime!”
"Aren't you afraid that Uncle JC will arrest you?"
"I actually hope that Uncle JC will come out to arrest me!" Xia Yuan said seriously, "In that case, as long as I apologize obediently, they will definitely tell me the way to leave the mirror world!"
"That's a nice thought—"
"When the time comes, I'll have to ask Ah Fang to help me pay the bill."
"Where do I get so much money?"
"I'll come out together." Lin Youxi quickly took over the rare topic that could be continued.
"See, I knew it! Youxi is still better to me, hehe!"
Just like that, Xia Yuan pushed a cart of supplies out of the supermarket. Although the access control machine kept beeping, which scared Xia Yuan and Mei Fang, fortunately, nothing happened in the end.
In this way, the food problem was temporarily solved.
There was never a shortage of water.
But we can't be stuck here like this forever.
After having lunch at Mei Fang's house at noon, Lin Youxi and Mei Fang instructed Xia Yuan to heat up a sandwich in the microwave, and then began to formally discuss the plan for the "Summer Campaign" with Xia Yuan.
"The Mei side has already done some preliminary preparations and shared the intelligence."
Lin Youxi entered her home turf. Although she could not see the mirror world, she hoped that Xia Yuan could try the following three directions:
1. Record any feeling that something is wrong with the world and your memory. Don’t miss any clues. Any unusual scene is worth recording.
2. Try to keep going in one direction. Although Mei Fang has explored this idea with a mirror, Xia Yuan's own exploration may be a little different.
3. Explore more in your own home, because the standing mirror is the channel connecting Xia Yuan in the mirror world and the real world. As one of the furniture in Xia Yuan's home, the standing mirror becomes as important as other furniture.
"The first item requires Yuanyuan to pay more attention and observe more. The third item is completely fine for Yuanyuan to explore at home by herself. The second action can be carried out with the company of Mei Fang and me. This will be safer."
"Okay, okay, Youxi, I got it." Xia Yuan meticulously recorded Lin Youxi's words in the notebook, "I will try my best to work in these directions!"
"As for Mei Fang and I, we will try to start from the source of the mirror and find the manufacturer of the mirror, and start from the owner of the standing mirror to find the truth buried in the standing mirror."
"Oh, Youxi is so professional, Fang, you should listen more and learn more. Youxi is the best student in high school now, you should take her as a role model."
"We have always regarded her as a role model. You don't know how great she is in our school—"
"Okay, don't say anything extra."
Lin Youxi nudged Mei Fang's arm and said, "I understand. Let's get started... We can't just focus on accompanying Yuanyuan all the time."
"Are you going to start investigating the mirror?"
Xia Yuan muttered, "Wow... I really envy you guys, I also want to go on adventures with you..."
"If both sides work together, we can always find the answer to the problem, Lin Youxi said."
"Yeah, I think so too! But I want to take a nap before I start."
Xia Yuan yawned as he spoke. Lin Youxi and Mei Fang looked at each other, and Mei Fang also understood that it was time to go out and take action.
"Yuanyuan, take a nap first. By the way, who gave you this standing mirror as a gift? Do you still remember?"
"Of course I remember. This is a birthday present my grandma gave me. I like it very much."
"Yuanyuan's grandma?"
Mei Fang looked at Lin Youxi uncertainly. Lin Youxi shook her head. Mei Fang continued to ask, "Do you know where your grandma lives?"
"I only remember my grandma's previous address, but since my family has moved abroad, my grandma must have been taken away too..."
"Anyway... leave us your address first. We may need it."
Mei Fang asked Xia Yuan hesitantly.
"Well, I'll tell you..."
Mei Fang and Lin Youxi obtained information about grandma's address from Xia Yuan.
After moving the mirror to one side, Lin Youxi and Mei Fang left the house and said goodbye to Xiang Xiaoxia who was washing dishes.
"Auntie, let's go out for a while."
"Ah, do you want to go play outside? It's hot outside, so be careful and don't get heat stroke."
"knew."
"Oh, yes—"
Xiang Xiaoxia suddenly called Mei Fang to her side and stuffed three hundred yuan into his arms.
Mei Fang: "? Mom, I don't have any textbooks to buy."
"You silly boy..."
Xiang Xiaoxia tapped Mei Fang's head and said, "When you go out to play, you should take the initiative. Buy Youxi more drinks or something... You need money no matter what you do. Boys should have some money on them. You are not a child anymore. You should be sensible."
“… What are you thinking, Mom?”
Mei Fang felt that her mother was a little strange today.
Today, Mei Fang and Lin Youxi did not plan to go directly to find Xia Yuan's grandmother when they went out.
After all, Xia Yuan's grandmother lives in Jiangcheng, so it is very likely that she will return empty-handed this time, and it would be extremely inconvenient to make the trip.
So today we will focus on investigating Xia Yuan’s old house.
Mei Fang rode a bicycle and brought Lin Youxi to Xiangyang Community under the scorching sun.
…
By the time they arrived, both of them were extremely hot. Lin Youxi's T-shirt was soaked. Mei Fang was too embarrassed to look at her directly, so she asked Lin Youxi to wait outside the community. She bought a bottle of water at the store at the entrance of the community and handed one to Lin Youxi.
"Thank you... How much?"
Lin Youxi was about to take money out of her bag, but Mei Fang quickly stopped her and said, "No, no, I'll treat you."
"I eat and drink at your house every day and ask you to buy me some drinks. I am not a shameless woman."
Lin Youxi shook her head. "How much is it in total? I'll treat you, okay?"
“No, no!”
"Then I'll treat you to dinner later."
"You're not coming to my house for dinner tonight?" Mei Fang asked in surprise, "Is it possible that my mother's cooking is not to your taste..."
Lin Youxi shook her head, "I'm a little scared..."
"What are you afraid of?"
“I’m afraid of getting addicted.”
Lin Youxi said seriously, "Aunt Xiang's cooking skills are so good. It tastes much better than my dad's. I can't eat it all the time."
"Hahahaha, my mom's cooking skills are pretty good..."
Mei Fang was still very proud when she said this, "But, you and Yuanyuan have a really good relationship."
"… "
Lin Youxi gulped down her drink, her tone slightly unhappy, "Do you know everything about Yuanyuan and I now?"
"Ah, no... no no."
"Yuanyuan can only rely on you now. She will tell you everything."
"Aren't you relying on both of us, not just me."
Lin Youxi shook her head. "She even told you about the water drinking competition. I think she should have told you everything."
"Ah, she really just wanted to make you believe that I wasn't lying. I didn't know it would be that kind of thing."
Mei Fang raised his hand again and said, "I will keep this secret forever and won't tell anyone."
"Actually... it doesn't matter if you say it."
Lin Youxi smiled slightly, "Anyway, I don't have anyone else I care about."
"… "
"You make yourself sound so miserable. It doesn't seem like the top student in Baimei No. 1 Middle School should behave like that."
"Does good grades mean everything?"
Lin Youxi sighed, "I can only say that my grades are better."
"… "
Mei Fang knew that Lin Youxi's life experience and situation were indeed very difficult, so she did not refute her.
The two rested for a while under the shade of the tree, and then began to prepare to enter Xia Yuan's hometown.
This is a veritable haunted house. Xia Yuan and his family of three once died in this house.
Since then, the house has never been sold. It is said that even the creditors did not dare to collect it. For some reason, it has never been demolished and rebuilt.
Standing at the rusty gate, Lin Youxi looked up at the small Western-style building, then turned back to look at Mei Fang.
Her expression was smiling.
But it was a very sad smile.
There is a hint of madness in the sadness.
"Mei Fang, come to think of it, do you know what I did after I knew Yuanyuan passed away?"
"… "
She seemed to want to tell me something, so I could only ask her:
"Yes, what are you doing?"
"I'll be waiting for her at the door of Yuanyuan's house."
Lin Youxi pointed at the iron gate and said, "It's here."
"I made an appointment to go to school with her that day."
"I stood at their house waiting for a long time."
"It's been a long time. It's been a long time."
Lin Youxi gently pushed open the rusty iron door and walked in.
Although this was once a haunted house, Lin Youxi had no fear at all.
Mei Fang followed behind Lin Youxi, beads of sweat appearing on his forehead, and his heart suddenly skipped a beat.
He probably understood.
I understand what Lin Youxi is going to say.
Lin Youxi said as she walked, "At that time, I pressed the doorbell for a long time, but Teacher Yu didn't come to open the door, and Uncle Xia didn't show up either."
"At that time, I suddenly remembered that Yuanyuan had cried and told me that her parents, who had always been loving and sweet, had been arguing a lot recently. She also cried and asked me what to do and how to make her parents reconcile."
"I don't know how to tell Yuanyuan, because I don't have a mother. I also don't know what to do if my parents quarrel."
Lin Youxi gently pushed the door open and continued, "I told her at the time that I would think about it and then tell her."
"And then... the next day, I saw—"
Lin Youxi's voice gradually became choked, and the force with which she pushed the door became weaker and weaker.
"Okay, Yes."
Mei Fang held Lin Youxi's shoulders and took the initiative to open the door for her.
"Don't think too much about the past."
"Let's... help Yuanyuan escape from the mirror world."
(End of this chapter)