I Want Her to See Only Me - Chapter 23
Xia Xiuyin held Xia Yu in her arms, one hand supporting her back and the other cradling her knee, gently lifting her up.
Xia Yu put her arm around her sister’s neck to make it easier for Xia Xiuyin to hold her.
Nearby, the bustling crowd moved in and out, Xia Yu buried her small face in her sister’s shoulder, nuzzling against it.
The two little buns at the back of the head brushed against her sister’s cheek.
Fluffy touch, like a small animal’s coquetry..
Xia Xiuyin paused for a moment, then quickened her pace.
Liu Zhi shielded the heads of two children, while Xia Xiuyin settled into the car seat, retrieving a child from her embrace, whose face was flushed and eyes tightly shut.
Xia Xiuyin had her sit on her lap, softly asking, “Tell me, since you didn’t wait obediently at home, how should I punish you, sister?”
“Sister, don’t punish me…”
Xia Yu, with her head lowered, spoke in a coquettish baby voice, “I think, sister, you’ll be very happy to see me~”
When she finished school, she didn’t see her sister and felt very sad.
Though aware of not being expected, I still want to welcome my sister
On the first day of Xia Xiuyin’s high school life, be the first to welcome her home.
Xia Xiuyin’s throat moved, but she didn’t respond.
No one would know that in the moment she saw Xia Yu, her breath stopped, all voices receded like a tide, and the world was vast and peaceful.
Only the faint, tender call of a child remains.
“Sister?” Seeing that Xia Xiuyin didn’t respond, Xia Yu’s fingers curled slightly on her sister’s shoulder, and her head slowly lifted to look at her sister.
Xia Xiuyin took the opportunity to press her forehead against hers, their eyes locked, not allowing the child to shy away due to embarrassment.
“Ayu… what do you think, am I happy now?” she murmured, her voice trailing up slightly at the end, “Hmm?”
Xia Yu suppressed her embarrassment, her eyes soft and luminous, intently gazing at her sister.
Her hand slowly moved from her sister’s shoulder to her chin, lips, and finally rested at the slightly narrow corner of Xia Xiuyin’s eyes.
She said earnestly, “When my sister is happy, her eyes are different from usual.”
Even though there are no extra expressions on the face now, the eyes are smiling.
Her voice was small: “Sister is now… very happy.”
Xia Xiuyin clutched the hand that had fallen by her eye and kissed it at her lips.
Correct answer.
The new student gained the affection of almost all the classmates at an incredible speed.
For an entire week, she brought different candies and desserts to the classroom every day!
Xia Yu’s sister gently told them, “Everyone, try to eat up, as the taste will worsen by the afternoon.”
During break time, one could see a group of little kids gathered around Xia Yu’s desk.
It was made by me and my sister together.
“Hmm! Everything is edible!” the new student nodded.
The snacks are small and exquisite, just enough to be consumed in a few bites without taking up too much space in the stomach.
Xia Yu and her sister are really nice. They thought.
Xia Yu is different from other kids, even taking the time to neatly fold used wet wipes!
Speaking always slowly and softly, incredibly well-behaved!
Teacher Zhang asked the students to post their new semester plans on the bulletin board, and the new students couldn’t reach it, just as the sports committee member was nearby.
She whispered her request to him:
“Wang Jie, could you help me stick this up?”
The sports commissioner was a tall, chubby boy, and his classmates always called him “Big Strong” or just “Strong” for short.
Suddenly, a pretty young girl with a sweet voice called his name and said “excuse me,” leaving him momentarily stunned.
“How do you know my name? It’s only the second day of school.”
Yesterday, everyone introduced themselves. Xia Yu’s eyes curved, “Wang Jie welcomed me to the class…”
Wang Jie was charmed by the new classmate’s smile and, feeling giddy, helped out, indeed earning a heartfelt “thank you.”
Soon, other classmates also gathered around, “Xia Yu, Xia Yu, do you know what my name is?”
“Me!”
“Me too!”
Xia Yu answered one by one, and the children exclaimed “Wow” in amazement.
A little bespectacled boy was nervous: “Xia Yu, do you know me?”
His name is hard to remember and difficult to write; after many mistakes, when classmates finally mention “the person with the hardest name,” everyone knows who they’re talking about.
“I know.” Xia Yu was surrounded by the children, feeling a bit embarrassed. She took out a small sticky note from her pencil case and wrote two characters on it.
“Gu Xi classmate, your name sounds really nice.”
Some children took Gu Xi’s workbook and looked at the note, finding that apart from Xia Yu’s handwriting being neater, there were absolutely no mistakes!
Xia Yu is amazing! Yes!
I know how to write, but I keep making mistakes..
“These two words, if I don’t look, I wouldn’t know any of them.”
The little glasses grew excited.
Immediately after, he heard Xia Yu say, “Gu Xi’s name is also imbued with the most beautiful wishes.”
“Huh?”
“The dictionary says that ‘曦’ means sunlight.”
Xia Yu shyly lowered her eyes, her fair little face tinged with a slight blush.
The sunlight is very warm.
The person who named Gu Xi classmate must have loved him very, very much
Just like Sister must really like her.
The soft yet resolute child’s voice was what Teacher Zhang heard at the back door when she came to class.
Gu Xi’s classmate cried many times because of the numerous strokes in his name, especially when he was punished for whispering in class and had to copy his name. But now, his face is filled with overwhelming emotion and a hint of shyness.
Teacher Zhang leans against the door frame, listening to the chirping of the little sparrows in the classroom. Xia Yu, who is shorter than her classmates by half a head, effortlessly becomes the focus of all the children’s attention. Like the sun.
The slender girl sits upright on one side of the classroom, her expression calm, playing with a pen in her palm. The front screen of the classroom is live-streaming the assembly in the science and education hall, where the principal is passionately mobilizing the freshmen and their parents. Occasionally, the camera sweeps over the parents sitting upright in the audience.
On the first day after the military training, the principal sent invitations to all the freshmen’s parents, requesting them to create a tense learning environment for their children at the beginning of high school, so that students could enter the sprint phase of the college entrance exam preparation as early as possible.
“Only by enduring hardships can one become superior.”
“If you can climb the peaks, you must endure the lack of oxygen.”
“What’s wrong with running like a dog!” Before the principal’s last sentence had even ended, the class burst into laughter. The freshmen, who had just interacted with the military instructors and enjoyed the fun of team building, had not yet settled down.
Jiang He stood beside the podium, his gaze sweeping over the group of children, silencing them. His eyes finally paused on Xia Xiuyin’s desk. The girl’s invitation was neatly placed in front of her, untouched. Parents were supposed to come to the classroom, take the invitation from their child’s seat, and then proceed to the assembly. Xia Xiuyin’s invitation remained as it was. Her parents had not come.
As the top scorer entering the school, Xia Xiuyin was assigned to his class, which indeed made him secretly pleased. Seeing her in person, her appearance outstanding yet gentle and modest, left a good impression. But he sensed something was off. For instance, he had never seen Xia Xiuyin’s parents. At this mobilization meeting, out of the 1400 freshmen, less than ten parents had excused absences. One of them was Xia Xiuyin’s. Even the absence was communicated by Xia Xiuyin herself, knocking on his office door to inform him.
“He… is busy with work.” Jiang He carefully recalled the expression on the girl’s face when she said this. Xia Xiuyin probably smiled, but not in an awkward or uneasy way. She stood in front of his desk, her pale and slender wrist moving slightly, her index finger lightly tapping at her side. It seemed she found her words amusing, hence the smile.
Pulling back his thoughts, Jiang He looked at the seemingly normal Xia Xiuyin and sighed inwardly. He didn’t know Xia Xiuyin’s specific situation, only learning from reports and records that she came from a single-parent family, with her father running a company. Her family was well-off, which nurtured Xia Xiuyin’s extraordinary demeanor. But after all…
Xia Xiuyin could feel Jiang He’s gaze on her, as well as that of her classmates. Some were curious, some sympathetic. She sensed this, finding it interesting. Her father’s new company was in dire straits, unable to spare time to play the role of a loving father. And Xia Xiuyin, she was content with the situation. Moreover, this would be a boost in her high school life. After all, people with a disconnect in upbringing and work capabilities often invite criticism, but once her “misfortune” was discovered, others would feel superior and find a hidden sense of balance. Her troubles would be fewer.
After the assembly, Jiang He had a brief talk with the temporary class committee. Xia Xiuyin, as the temporary class president, needed to quickly draft some class plans. Evening self-study started from the third week of the semester, so by 5:30, most of the freshmen had left. After checking the classroom doors and windows, Xia Xiuyin received a text from Liu Zhi.
“Miss, are you still busy?”
On Monday, the provincial school ended at 3:30 PM. If Liu Zhi picked up Xia Yu and then came to the provincial high school, they had already waited for two hours. Xia Xiuyin’s fingers rubbed against the screen, not intending to reply immediately. She slowed her pace, leisurely exiting through another gate of the campus. Behind the sheltering walls, Xia Xiuyin saw Xia Yu obediently standing by the car.
Xia Yu wore a beige printed t-shirt with delicate embroidery on the cuffs, standing next to the black car, making her appear even more fair and delicate. She quietly watched everyone entering and exiting the school gate, seemingly searching for her sister’s figure. Liu Zhi pointed to the car and said something to her, to which she shook her head.
“Uncle Liu, I had a parent-teacher meeting today.” A malicious emotion stirred in her chest. Xia Xiuyin pondered the appropriate emotions after being neglected by her father and replied to the message.
“He didn’t come.” Liu Zhi picked up his phone, his eyebrows slowly furrowing. Xia Yu realized this and looked up at him. Liu Zhi reluctantly met Xia Yu’s gaze and finally spoke.
Thus, in Xia Xiuyin’s eyes, Xia Yu’s expression gradually turned sad. The previous anticipation slowly, slowly replaced by a nearly compassionate emotion. Those eyes… always moist and misty beautiful eyes… What would they look like now? Surely… they would be soaked clear and clean, tempting one to want to press a kiss upon them.
Children, they cry easily. And they love to cry for others. Xia Xiuyin suppressed her eagerness and quietly observed from where she stood.
Xia Yu’s gaze was somewhat vacant, her small hands unconsciously clenching and hanging by her side. Xia Xiuyin observed the dispirited child from dozens of meters away, through the various figures.
Xia Xiuyin was satisfied. She turned and re-entered the school through a side door. Her footsteps started light and gradually grew heavier, quickening but not yet to a run.
Yet she was indeed in a hurry. Xia Xiuyin opened her phone’s front camera, pressing her slightly curved lips with her hand. When her sister was happy, her eyes were different from usual. Xia Xiuyin let out a soft chuckle from her nose, then collected her gaze.
She remained the unflappable Xia Xiuyin, with her usual gentle calmness.
“A Yu?” her sister’s voice called.
Xia Yu immediately looked up, loosening her clenched fingers and hiding them behind her back. It turned out that while she was daydreaming, her sister had left the school.
“Sister…” Xia Yu reached out to hold Xia Xiuyin’s fingers, and Xia Xiuyin handed her backpack to Liu Zhi, accepting the child’s affection.
She crouched in front of Xia Yu, “Let me see, what has upset my A Yu?”
Xia Xiuyin’s words seemed to open a valve, as Xia Yu, who had already forced back her tears due to panic, now instantly reddened her eyes. Because her eyes were filled with tears that threatened to fall, her sister’s concerned expression also wavered. She reached out to cup her sister’s face, examining it closely.
Xia Xiuyin’s features were slightly aggressive, her eyes slightly narrow, giving a casual look when glancing sideways. Yet her features were very delicate, especially her lips, beautifully shaped, soft and tender red, like moistened petals. Therefore, when Xia Xiuyin softened her expression, she appeared exceptionally gentle.
“Sister, don’t be sad,” Xia Yu’s voice was soft and tinged with a sob.
Xia Xiuyin smiled, her hand covering the small hand on her cheek, rubbing it gently. She whispered, “I’m not sad.”
Xia Yu’s mouth twitched, her eyes brimming with tears, as if desperately holding back, trying not to cry out. That bad person had made her sister suffer so much, yet her sister still pretended not to be upset, speaking to her softly.
Her sister’s eyes weren’t smiling at all! How could she not be sad! Xia Yu sniffled slightly.
“Sister, when I grow up, I’ll be your parent.”
“I’ll praise you.” Thinking of today’s events, she hurriedly added, “And I’ll attend parent-teacher meetings for you.”
Xia Xiuyin leaned in to embrace her, burying her head in the small shoulder. Her chest vibrated slightly, a muffled chuckle of satisfaction. But Xia Yu couldn’t see it. She felt her sister’s gentle tremors and the slightly hoarse “okay” whispered by her ear.
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